Merry Christmas From Your Vero Beach Real Estate Agent

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 
Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

It's Christmastime! We wanted to do a quick recap of what's happened in the Indian River County real estate market this year.

We have been blessed in our beautiful market to have almost 4,500 transactions close. This means we have a strong, robust market for buyers and sellers.

Additionally, our team has been blessed to have our best year ever with 115 transactions! We've gotten to know so many families and new faces this year. We are pleased and excited to have made so many new friends.

We look forward to a wonderful 2016 and helping you buy or sell a home. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Merry Christmas!

Real Estate In Vero Beach This Winter

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 
Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

Sellers often ask me, “How is the market right now for sellers?” Today, the market is extremely timely. Florida is currently “in season”. During this time of year, people from colder parts of the country shop for homes all over the state. We have beautiful weather all year long, even during the winter, which means our real estate market is always active.

Yes, this is a great time to sell if you're a Vero Beach homeowner, but there are a few factors that have been trending in recent months that you should keep in mind. In the past five months, we’ve experienced rising asking prices because the market has made a strong comeback since the recession. This doesn't necessarily mean that homes are selling for more; rather, sellers have been overly aggressive with the pricing of their homes. The result has been a sharp increase in the average days on market.

As an experienced professional of over twenty years, I advise now is an excellent time to sell if it's feasible for you and your family. However, you have to be careful about how you price your home in this market. You don't want to be one of those sellers who overprice their home and have to take price reduction after price reduction while your home sits on the market for a long period of time.

If you have questions about making the most of the current market, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, we’d be happy to answer your questions. Give us a call today!

Celebrate Veterans Day in Vero Beach

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 
Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

Veterans Day is a very special occasion. Unfortunately, for many people it's become just a day off from work. However, Veterans Day is more than that.

I like to honor our country's veterans by visiting one of my favorite places in Vero Beach: the Veterans Memorial Island Sanctuary and Memorial Walk.

In November of 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. He said, "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."

Originally, Veterans Day was observed with parades, public meetings, and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00. Wilson also said, "Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations."

On May 12, 1938, Veterans Day was declared a legal holiday dedicated to world peace.

Here in Vero Beach, we have an amazing monument to our nation's veterans, the people who have preserved our freedom. We really want to thank all of our servicemen and women overseas and domestically. They are the people who work so diligently to make sure we Americans stay safe.

I encourage you to visit Memorial Island. It is a beautiful place to reflect on the people who have served our country or fought in international wars to provide peace. I hope you enjoy Veterans Day with your friends and family.

Happy Veterans Day! And remember, if we can help you with your real estate needs, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

The Difference Between Buying and Renting in Vero Beach

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 
Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

Today, I want to address a common question I'm asked. Specifically, they want to know if it's better to buy or rent a home based on current market conditions. Which is better: buying or renting?

Most people don't know this, but the United States Federal Reserve does a study every three years of the wealth of the American people based on homeownership habits. The next study comes out in 2016, which will reveal the gap between renters and homeowners. This next report will be particularly interesting due to the recent price gains in the real estate market. These price gains mean that the gap in wealth between a homeowner and a renter could be wider than it has been in a long time!

The last report found that the average homeowner's net worth is 45 times higher than the average renter's net worth. That's a lot of money! The average homeowner's net worth is $195,400, and a typical renter is worth $5,400. Simply deciding to buy your home means you could dramatically increase your net worth!

We can help you get started when it comes to buying a home. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Home Staging Is Key to Selling for Top Dollar

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 
Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

Today I want to talk to you about something that is important whether you are buying or selling in Vero Beach. We are here today at one of our newest listings, and I wanted to use this great space to tie in with our topic today, home staging. 

Prior to us listing the home seen in the video above, it was a vacant home that was listed by another broker. The home sat on the market with this broker for a long time, and on the inside everything was pretty vanilla. The home was basically naked, as it didn’t have one piece of furniture or decoration that would elicit an emotional response. So, I started doing some research as far as what we could do to help the seller better showcase their home so it would sell for a higher price. 

I pulled out a report I want to share with you, the 2015 profile of home staging. A lot of the things in here are very intuitive for me after being in the business for over 20 years, but I found this one statistic very interesting. The National Association of Realtors polled their members in the last few months to determine their views and their buyers’ views on staging homes. What they found was that 49% of agents believed home staging was an important component for buyers to have desire to look at a property. 

Another very telling statistic we came across was that 81% of agents said their buyers were more likely to buy a home that was staged over a home that wasn’t, which is even more impressive. If 81% of buyers will look at this one factor as a major point of interest in a home, it’s definitely something you should consider.

Vacant homes aren’t the only ones that need to be staged, however. We all live in our homes and will inevitably miss a few things when it comes to preparing the home to sell. It’s nice to have a third party in there to lend an eye and help you put your best foot forward. The average seller spends between $600 and $800 on home staging, but the return is definitely worth the price, as you can see in the video above.

If the look of the home doesn’t convince you, maybe this will. Home staging, on average, can get you 5-10% more money on your property than you would get if it wasn’t staged. It’s really a no-brainer!

If you have any questions for us, or are thinking of selling your Vero Beach home, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to speaking with you!

What Does a Hot Vero Beach Market Mean for You?

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 
Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

As you probably know, our market is awfully hot right now.

We are currently at the lowest level of inventory of available homes we've seen in years. As of today, there are about 1,300 homes for sale in Vero Beach, Sebastian, and Indian River County. Demand is through the roof!

We've had several homes sell before they even came on the market and bidding wars are happening more and more. In other words, it's been an incredible summer, even though summer is usually not the busiest real estate season in Florida. In addition to the busy market activity for condos and resale properties, new subdivisions of homes are being built all over the Vero Beach area.

With so much going on in this market, what can you do to be prepared? If you're a seller, you're in a great place right now, as there are a limited amount of homes for sale and a ton of buyers. One issue that comes up is short appraisals; because there are not enough homes for sale, buyers are paying more than they might based on closed sales. Sometimes, the appraisal will come in too low and negotiations will have to take place. Remember, this is completely normal in a rising market, and we can help you solve these problems.

Now is a great time to get top dollar for your home. Because interest rates remain low, there is no better time to make your move. If you would like our assistance in this market, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!

Are You the Right Fit for Our Team?

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 
Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

Today, I have a special announcement: We are now hiring!

For the past 12 years, serving your real estate needs has been wonderful! We are very thankful for your continued support.

We've served so many families and met so many wonderful people. Since we love you guys so much, we thought we would come to you first with this news. Are you or is anyone you know interested in joining our growing team?

We are always looking for talented, hard-working people to join our team. We have recently promoted a member of the Kelly Fischer Team, which has created an opening we're hoping to fill soon.

We're currently looking for a full-time office manager, someone with outstanding customer service skills, fabulous communication skills, and top-notch computer skills! If you are that person, or if you know that person, we would like to talk! We look forward to hearing from you soon!

What Makes Biking Such a Special Thing to Do in Vero Beach?

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 
Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

Today, Sharon LaPoint of Vero Cycling Club joins us today to discuss a very important distinction they've received. 

Recently, Vero Beach was recognized as a bicycle-friendly community! This is good for Vero Beach because it encourages people to move here who live an active lifestyle. A bicycle friendly community indicates the people there are active, and it's not a closed community where everyone stays indoors.

The League of American Bicyclists named Indian River County as one of 42 newly designated bike friendly communities because of the hard work of a coalition of civic and business leaders and bicycle enthusiasts who have worked and planned to make the county as friendly as possible for cyclists. They taught bicycle safety training to more than 3,000 elementary school kids and gave each one a helmet. This is just one of the many yearly programs this coalition has passed to make the Vero Beach area as bicycle friendly as possible!

A lot of people who come and ride with us are here visiting family in Vero Beach, so even if you don't like to ride, your guests might truly enjoy it! If you're visiting, or if you're unsure whether you want to invest in expensive biking equipment, there are bike shops here that let you try out gear before purchasing! One of the many great shops in Vero Beach is called Orchid Island Bikes. They support biking events in the area and offer free classes. There are also sponsored rides that the Vero Cycling Club offers to people of all ages! 

In short, there are a ton of people who are passionate about cycling in Vero Beach and want to help people of any skill level get involved! If you have any questions about this wonderful club, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, give us a call! We would love to hear from you!

How Do You Become a Successful Entrepreneur?

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 
Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

Hey everyone, welcome back and thanks for joining us! Today we want to share some awesome information with you.

We were recently in San Diego at a mastermind conference, and were delighted to be able to hear from so many successful people in one place. Our guest speaker was Kevin O'Leary, Mr. Wonderful from ABC's Shark Tank. He shared with us the six key factors if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, and I want to share them with you today. Here they are:

1. Be prepared to make life sacrifices and give up some of your balance.
2. Have knowledge about everything, but a lot of knowledge about what you are selling.
3. Put your customers first at all times.
4. You have to love what you sell.
5. Use technology to sell more efficiently.
6. Understand that we are in a global marketplace.

Thanks for checking out our blog today, we hope you learned a lot from Mr. Wonderful's tips. If you have any questions for us or if you are looking to buy, sell, or invest in Vero Beach real estate, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Why Is Now the Time to List Your Vero Beach Home?

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 
Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

Today, I want to share a quick market update for the Vero Beach area! 

If you're not living here in Vero Beach, you probably should be. Right now it's 82 degrees and sunny, and will be for the next week or so, if not longer! Because the weather here is so fantastic, buyers are flocking to our area! Vero Beach is right near the tropics line, so we get great weather without all the traffic, congestion, and crime! If you're interested in joining us in paradise, don't hesitate to reach out to me.

Right now, our market is in a very strong seller's market! When we look at a seller's market, we're looking at the number of available homes for sale and how long it would take to sell them all if no other homes were to be put on the market. Right now, there are 1,466 homes on the market, and in April, 415 homes sold; when you do the math, it tells us that we only have about 3.5 months of available inventory. When inventory is that low, it is great news for sellers, as you have a lot of leverage!

If you're looking to buy or sell a home, we would love to represent you and help you get the best price, the best terms, and the smoothest closing! We're always here to help you understand the market and make smart decisions for you and your family. Give us a call or shoot us quick email - we look forward to hearing from you!

How Can You Help Homeless Families in Indian County?

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 
Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

Today, I've stepped out of the office to visit the Vero Beach Homeless Family Center, where I'm joined by Tony Zorbaugh. As Development Director, he's in charge of running one of the most progressive, innovative, and successful homeless family service organizations in Indian River County.

Today, we are celebrating a partnership between our teams. The Kelly Fischer Team is committed to helping homeless families in our county get back on their feet and into permanent housing. We believe every family should have a home, which is why we're contributing a percentage of each closing to the Vero Beach Homeless Family Center.

We would love for you to help. Join the Kelly Fischer Team and the Homeless Family Center by letting us serve your real estate needs! The center is currently designed and geared to help 21 families get back to permanent housing. With the support of the Kelly Fischer Team, the goal is to assist 50 families in finding permanent housing!

We look forward to accomplishing this goal with the help of you and your family! Give us a call or shoot us a quick email if you're interested in working with the Kelly Fischer Team to accomplish your buying and selling goals! We would love to hear from you!

Are You Doing What It Takes to Get Top Dollar for Your Vero Beach Home?

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 
Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

Are you planning to sell your home in the near future? If so, we have a few tips you don't want to miss.

If you want to maximize the results of your home sale, you need to make sure your home is ready to show. Professional photography and staging are a must if you want your home to stand out from the competition. 

Often, homes sit on the market for longer than necessary because small maintenance issues aren't addressed. Having a contractor come by to do some painting and make small fixes is usually a safe investment, as they will take care of all the little things that may turn a buyer off.

If you plan on selling soon and would like some quick tips and tricks to help maximize the dollar value of your home, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to help you accomplish your selling goals!

Did You Know There's a Realtor Code of Ethics?

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 
Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

Many people don't understand that real estate agents have several responsibilities to uphold when serving their clients. Today, I want to go over a few of them, so you can tell an honest, intelligent agent from one who might be selling you short.

Did you know that there is a Realtor Code of Ethics most agents adhere to, or claim to adhere to? This is Real Estate 101 - it's what they teach at real estate school when going over how to be the best possible agent. There are five things that we as professional real estate agents are supposed to do every single day:

1. Loyalty & Obedience: When an agent enters into a business relationship with a buyer or seller, the agent has a very important responsibility to act in the best interest toward that buyer or seller - even if it's at the expense of the agent. However, the best agents have no problem staying loyal, and are willing to put their money on the line for their clients. At least, that's how we operate! As far as obedience is concerned, we have to adhere to the wishes and desires of our clients and do what they ask of us. Of  course, we can't do anything illegal or immoral, but it is up to the agent to fulfill the client's wishes to the best of their abilities.
2. Disclosure: When representing a buyer, a Realtor has to disclose all of the relevant information they have available that could affect the current and projected value of the property. Failure to reveal potentially dangerous facts about the property, such as the lack of the integrity of the structure, would be a breach of honesty, something an agent must always maintain.
3. Confidentiality: When representing a buyer or a seller, it's the agent's responsibility to maintain the trust that the client has placed in them. The only exception to the rule is when that information may comprise insights about the integrity of the property itself.
4. Reasonable care and diligence: Taking care of all matters pertinent to the transaction and getting everyone to the closing table in a timely fashion and in a way that demonstrates expertise is another responsibility agents have to their clients.
5. Accounting: It's our duty to make sure your money is properly accounted for and handled with a certain level of exactness.

These are the principles that we at the Kelly Fischer Team - and, hopefully all other professional Realtors - adhere to on a daily basis. If you have any needs here on the Treasure Coast or surrounding areas, feel free to call the Kelly Fischer Team! We would love to help you accomplish your real estate goals today!

Vero Beach Real Estate Market Update

Looking to buy in Vero Beach? Get a full home search 

Looking to sell in Vero Beach? Get a free Home Price Evaluation

Today I wanted to discuss the theory of supply & demand. As we all learned in school, when you have a small supply of something that is in high demand, you can trade it for a high price. According to the National Association of Realtors, buyer demand for homes has tripled from January 2014 to January 2015. 

This huge increase in demand is probably driven by a lot of factors. Consumers are feeling more confident in the market, and affordability is sky-high right now. Interest rates are incredibly low, and new loan products from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac only require 3% down on a home purchase.

What's even better for us here in Vero Beach is that inventory is extremely low, so if you're selling, you can catch a high price for your home. There will be a lot of buyers looking to purchase good homes, and if your home is staged correctly and marketed well, you can get top dollar for your home.

As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns you might have about real estate in Vero Beach!

Is the Record-Setting Snowfall Driving You Crazy? Vero Beach May Be the Place for You!

There are many great Vero Beach area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (772) 321-6905 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today, I'm coming to you from the boardwalk in Vero.
It's pretty quiet and calm here, but I've recently had to dust off my furry winter coat! Busting out the cold weather gear is not my favorite thing to do, but it really doesn't happen too often here in Vero Beach! I do like it when it gets cold up north, because people often flock here to escape the harsh weather and enjoy the sunshine and waves of our beautiful beaches! 

We sell a lot of homes in the wintertime. In fact, since December 1, over 500 people have moved to Vero Beach! While many areas in the Northeast have had record-low temperatures and record-high snowfall, we haven't had a single drop of snow here in Vero Beach this winter! The weather, while a bit colder than usual, is still fabulous! 

If you want to escape the cold and move to the Sunshine State, give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love for you to join us in paradise! 

Who Are the Best Builders in Vero Beach?

There are many great Vero Beach area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (772) 321-6905 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today's blog comes to you from a wonderful community in the west part of Vero Beach called Stoney Brook Farm. The area has some incredible new construction going on with several different builders. 

My personal favorite is Suncore Builders. They're really great because they have a unique  style, whereas most other builders in the area are building cookie-cutter homes. Suncore has access to some of the most incredible products from around the world, all so you can customize your home to meet your needs. In fact, Mike and his family have some products in these properties that are available to you and will blow you away.

One of the things you'll notice when building with Suncore is attention to detail you don't get with other builders. From driveways to garage doors and landscaping, you'll find that Suncore adds an incredibly unique touch (both inside and out!) to the homes they construct. They provide the kind of service you would expect from higher-end builders near the beach, but they make themselves available in an area like Stoney Brook Farm. 

If you're interested in checking out Stoney Brook Farm, would like more information about Suncore, or have any real estate needs of any kind, don't hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email. We're here to help make the real estate experience as simple and smooth as possible!

Thanks, and we look forward to hearing from you soon!