Vero Beach Florida Homes

If you’re getting ready to sell a home in Vero Beach, you probably have a checklist of ideas for making your home more marketable. FL homes tend to sell better when they have more immediate appeal; for example, well-tended yards, impeccable siding, and a welcoming kitchen can go a long way in enticing homebuyers in the area. There are a number of ways you and your real estate agent can work together to make these things happen, and one of the best ideas is to ensure that you’re engaging all of the senses.

Sight

When selling a Hutchinson Island home or preparing your Vero Beach home for viewing, you should pay attention to both the big picture and the details of your house.

For a bigger picture viewpoint, try to see everything with fresh eyes. When you pull into the driveway, what overall impression does the house give you? Is it clean and well-cared for? Does it look like the sort of place a family would want to live?

Then, as you walk up to the front door, pay closer attention to the little things: the state of the flowerbeds, a cracked panel of siding, or an unsightly satellite dish at one corner of the house. These little things are often the easiest to fix in terms of time and money.

Do the same thing as you walk through each room of your house. Take a quick survey from the doorway, and then walk through to make note of smaller defects. Different homebuyers look at different things, so it’s best to ensure that even the littlest problems are attended to.

Sound

The sounds of an ideal Florida home are pleasing to the ear, and you should do your best to keep them that way. Avoid running any noisy appliances when you’re expecting potential homebuyers to stop by. Televisions, radios, and even kids playing outside can all contribute negatively to the experience. When possible, you should either opt for silence (to demonstrate the peacefulness of your home) or use light background music that won’t be offensive to anyone. If you live near the water or wilderness, you might also open a few key windows to let in the most natural sounds.

Smell

It’s long been held as a “rule” of real estate that you should bake cookies or light a vanilla-scented candle when you show your home. These traditional smells are ones that most people associate with happy memories, which can trigger better feelings about your FL home for sale.

While you don’t have to stick to traditional baking smells, the idea is a good one. However, if you use scents, choose ones that are inoffensive, are hypo-allergenic, and aren’t too obvious. You can also choose smells suited to particular rooms. Light and airy scents are well-suited to bathrooms, while the baking smells tend to do better in living rooms and kitchens.

Touch

In most cases, you don’t want people walking through your home to touch your personal possessions. However, the sense of touch can be important. Plush carpeting is welcoming in bedrooms and living spaces, while cool hardwood or tile makes a kitchen feel cleaner and more efficient. Crisp, clean appliances promise a treat for the fingertips even if the potential homebuyers don’t make actual physical contact.

For the sense of touch, it’s best to promise a great tactile experience, rather than actually provide one. Place soft furnishings next to clean architectural lines. Throw a cozy blanket over some leather furniture. Choose draperies that are either light and airy or heavy and warm, depending on the mood you want to set.

Taste

When you have an open house in Vero Beach, keeping appetizer trays on hand can go a long way in making a good impression. Elegant sandwiches, tasty tarts, and other bite-sized treats cause people to linger and take a better stock of their surroundings. Food at a open house, while potentially messy, is also more likely to draw other real estate agents. At the end of the day, greater exposure – whether it’s potential buyers or real estate professionals other than your own Ginny Mitchell – means a greater likelihood that your home will sell quickly and easily.

Selling a FL Home

A house is more likely to sell if it seems like a home. When you engage all the senses, you’re doing more than showcasing the physical features of your house – you’re demonstrating how comfortable and welcoming it is. And in today’s market, taking those few extra steps can make a huge difference in how quickly your Vero Beach, Hutchinson Island, Indian River Shores home sells.

Median prices of houses sold in Indian River County moved up a little from $135,000 in January to $138,000 but was still 5% lower than February 2009. At least we are moving in the right direction. As you can see from the graph, except for a couple of spikes, the median price has stayed pretty consistent over the last year. The number of bank-owned sales and Short Sales were 49% of the total houses sold. 

Sales of the lower priced homes continue to increase, partially because of the tax credit, which will expire at the end of April, partly because of low prices and finally because of low interest rates. It is the perfect storm of opportunity for the selling of lower priced houses. 

Lower priced condos are still selling well because many are sold for cash. It’s quite challenging to get a mortgage on a condo. It can be done, but lenders are very thorough when checking out the condo associations. There are restrictions on the number of investors, the number of rentals, the number of non-resident owners and the number of distressed (foreclosure and short sale) units in the complex. 

Higher priced and island property sales are slow because there are fewer buyers who feel confident enough in the over all economy to purchase a higher priced home or a second home. 

2010 March Median Home Sales

Not so good for Single family home sales on the Island in February.  Up only 2 units from January, and it was the worst February sales month in 7 years. Inventory is increasing. Usually we see a pretty good jump in February because homes purchased in January by snowbirds are starting to close in February. 

 Prices were moderated also. Only 2 homes sold for over $500,000. One in Indian Trails and one in Silver Shores. There were 5 homes that sold for under $300,000, one in Summerplace for $221,000, and several others in the central beach area. 

2010 March Island Home Sales 5 year graphMixed results this month for condo sales on the island, better than the last 2 years, but less than January. There were some good deals also. One unit in Del Mar sold for $112,000, 2 in Park shores for around $180,000 and one in the Moorings in South Passage for $250,000. The higher priced sale was $325,000 in Bay Tree east of A1A. Absent were sales in the higher priced and luxury buildings. Inventory was up 8 units to 458. 2010 March Condo Sales 5 Year Graph

Good news for home sales Indian River County-wide—up in February to over January with 108 homes sold—the best February in 4 years. On the mainland, prices were still on the low side with 44% of the homes sold under $100,000, and 78% were under $200,000. Six homes sold for over $300,000. Investors with cash are still taking advantage of the low priced properties, many times at the expense of a first time Buyers who are getting a mortgage.  At the high end there were some good values purchased in Ansley Park, 4 bedroom 3200 sq ft houses for $325,000 and $350,000. The highest priced house sold was 4 bedroom, 3200 sq ft in Kingswood Estates.

A great sales month, in quantity at least, for condos in Indian River County, the best February in 5 years. However, most of the increase in sales was on the mainland.  The snow birds and investors were buying up the low-priced units—15 out of the 29 sales on the mainland were in Vista Royale or Vista Gardens. On the low end, 3 Vista 1 bedroom units were purchased for under $30,000, and on the high end there was a Grand Harbor condo that sold for $500,000 and one in Royal Palm Pointe that sold for $950,000.  We expect these low-priced units to keep selling even though their list prices are gradually moving up.   

2010 March County Condo Sales 5 Year Graph

On North Hutchinson Island February 2010 was a tough sales month with only 3 sales, which was more than half of what was sold in January but the same as February 2009. One corner unit in Atlantic View sold for $245,000, a corner unit in Ocean Harbour North for $190,000 and a nice Townhouse in the Sands for $200,000. Traffic and calls have tapered off at our office on Hutchinson Island probably because of the weather. Previous years have shown a rebound in March, so let’s hope it happens again.

2010 March NHI Sales 5 Year Graph