Vero Beach Neighborhoods Ranked From WORST to BEST

Clients often come to me and they say, "Sally, what is the best neighborhood in Vero Beach that we should consider?" And I always say, and I'll say to you today, that's the wrong question. What I'm going to do today is break down luxury, middle-tier, entry-level, on and off our barrier island, and break down neighborhoods into those subsets so you can make an educated decision. Because what's best to me might not be best to you, and it depends on your budget, your lifestyle, and what you're looking for. I'm Sally Daley with the Daley Group at Douglas Elliman, and I've helped hundreds of families over the past 22 years figure out the lay of the land in Vero Beach, Florida, and it all starts with this first diagnosis.

What do you like to do? How important is it to be able to walk to the beach or go by non-motorized vehicle? And how do you feel about HOAs? So, let's get into it. So, first of all, let's talk about the mainland in terms of entry-level. Entry-level on the mainland is going to be anywhere from 400 to six to 650. I know that's a big band. It's going to depend on what we talked about before. Do you want an association? Do you want amenities? What's the age of the build? What's the age of the roof?

How new is it and what's the rest of the neighborhood like? All of those things will affect values. Mid-tier, I would say mid-tier on our mainland is going to be anywhere 550 to 650 to 700,000. And again, will be a function of age of the build, how new the construction is, what the roof is, how new it is, whether or not there's amenities within the community. Luxury tier on the mainland is going to be a couple of different properties. They could be waterfront, like in a community known as Vero Isles.

It could be riverfront in a community known as Grand Harbor, around the golf course. So, there's a bunch of different property slots that could make you in the luxury sector for the mainland. Now, let's take all three of those sectors and talk about the barrier island. We're talking single-family homes here broadly. Let's just remind everybody that's what we're talking about. Entry-level or affordable, you know, it's all relative, for the barrier island is going to be 900 to a million four to a million five. Within that swing is going to be a wide variety of neighborhoods, what it's constructed of, and whether or not it's going to need work.

Expect to have some degree of work or a more diminutive footprint. Mid-level, the lion's share of properties on the barrier island, mid-level, are going to be 1.5 to 2.5. And right now, frankly, that is the most stuck portion of our market. Luxury is going to be anywhere like two to 10 to 20 million, again, depending on if you're on the river with private dockage, if you're in Old Riomar, some of our traditional A-list communities where everybody wants to be, whether in a country club community like John's Island or Orchid Golf, etc.

Those are all drivers of value. So, let's talk about broadly some more affordable markets, if you will. Again, it's all relative. Very popular community west of town, a little further west than many expected to be, is called Point West, hence the name. Point West is a master-planned community out starting at 74th and 82nd, and it is a terrific option for folks that are looking for affordability combined with amenities, combined with optional golf. And within these quadrants, there are some newer builds out on the East Village, for example. DR Horton has some newer builds.

Some of the original Central Village homes are going to be 450 to 550, 650 to 750 if you're on the lake of the newer builds. And the golf is completely optional. It's a semi-public, semi-private course. Beautiful course, beautiful amenities. So, if you're looking for something that is a little bit more amenitized, but still super affordable, be sure that Point West communities are on your radar. And talk to me, cuz there's different builders and different levels of nuanced intel for you to be aware of, but there can be some terrific options in there.

Super friendly, very well-regarded community. It's a master-planned community and has a very different vibe than some of our original plats that are just one-off roads. Now, entry-level, so to speak, for the barrier island often is Central Beach. Central Beach or one of the Castaway Coves. Why do I say that? Well, because you can get a house for 850, 900, that's probably going to need a fair bit of work, but many of them are going to be in that million to a million two to a million three range where you can grow into it.

So, entry-level within Central Beach and Castaway, the lots are a little bit smaller in Castaway, a little bit shallower, so that helps with pricing because the land drives your value, right? It drives your price up. Central Beach is going to feel like four distinct neighborhoods. You've got Beachland Boulevard and A1A creating one, two, three, four quadrants. The ones on the west have easy access to Riverside Park, all of the amenities that are there, which is fabulous. On the other side of Beachland, on the north side, you have access to our city, beautiful city marina and dog park, and the school, which is right there, called Beachland Elementary.

And then on the east sides, of course, you have ease of access to get to the Ocean Drive district and some public beaches. So, it depends what you're looking for, and again, it's a block by block proposition. So, let's talk about middle-tier communities. Let's start with the mainland first. One could be considered Grand Harbor. Why do I say that? Well, it can certainly be luxury, but within Grand Harbor, it's a master-planned community. So, you can have detached homes, say, in Victoria Island or villas in Saint David's, all the way up to multi-million dollar properties in Saint Andrews.

So, what that means is that neat thing about a master-planned community is the concept, as I'm sure you understand, is you can start at a lower price point, and as life changes and you wanted to go up, you could. So, you could start at a condo and you could go up. Or conversely, you could start at a bigger home, and as you age, if you didn't want to leave the community, but you didn't want the care of a larger house, you could scale down. So, Grand Harbor at first blush might not seem one to consider, but you really should.

Another one I would suggest would be the Lakes at Waterway and some of the new product like that Devasta is doing and some of the new product that GH Homes is GHO Homes is doing. They have great houses that are brand new, easy to get to, wonderful amenities, well-built. So, it's a function of where your priorities lie. But there are middle communities all about. So, let's talk about a sleeper on the barrier island that I would say is not quite entry-level, but it's not luxury, it's somewhere in the middle, and I think it's a community in transition, and it's called Cash Cay.

Cash Cay is a very interesting community. It looks kind of like the shape of my fist. It's connected with a main causeway right off the Bahia Mar. So, we are just north of the downtown district of the Ocean Drive district. And in this fist, in the middle, is a huge lake, quite a lovely lake, and all around the perimeter is the Indian River. So, everybody's either on the water. You're either on the lake or on the river. A lot of the houses were constructed in the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Some of the architecture still bears those markings, and it's a community in transition.

But there's a guard gate, there's a homeowners association, and you are just north of the downtown district. So, it's just a little bit north of Central Beach. So, I wouldn't call it walkable or golf cartable, but you do get a lot of house for your dollar, and you can have houses in there from a million four on the lake that are quite lovely with beautiful views. And on the riverfront, you can really get some affordable homes. There's one that just listed for 2.2. So, Cash Cay is a middle market choice that I think it's not quite entry-level, I don't think, because of the water, but I think it's something that's worthy of your consideration.

Now, let's say you want riverfront. A sleeper for you to consider, I would definitely call it middle market broadly for price, going to be entry-level-ish for riverfront, and it's going to be luxury for mainland. So, it fills a lot of different categories. What am I talking about? I'm talking about Vero Isles. Vero Isles is a mainland community just off the two bridges. It's literally in between our two bridges. In between, you've got a feeder road, you've got fingers that all have houses attached to them, and there's water around all of them.

Deep, deep water. The houses are terrific, and it's absolutely, positively going through a renaissance, and it's not completely done yet. So, depending on the road, roads like Sailfish are more transitioned. Other roads are less so. You can still get a home for 1.4 to 1.8 and have deep, deep water, and that's a hard buy box on the barrier island. Now, let's talk about luxury. For the barrier island, there are three obvious choices to discuss among many. But, broadly speaking, luxury would be considered Old Riomar, Orchid Golf and Beach Club, and John's Island.

Let's talk about Old Riomar. Old Riomar is not a country club community. It is a beautiful old part of Vero, established back in the 1910s by Henry Flagler and his buds. The original houses were really cottages that didn't even have kitchens cuz you dined at the club. Now, Old Riomar is in the middle part of our barrier island on beloved roads like Ladybug, Painted Bunting, Sand Fly. It's known for elegant architecture, heavy live oak canopy, and a respect for what is. What is this going to cost, Sally? A fixer in Old Riomar is basically going to be 3 to 3.5.

Golf course lots are wider, 150. So, think of Old Riomar as our Beverly Hills laid-back. You're going to see very different styles of houses, each one more elegant and beautiful than the next. Why is it popular? Well, it's got a beautiful vibe. There's no association, and it's walkable into town. And there's a little pocket park there, too. So, Old Riomar is definitely luxury, and it carries a luxury price tag. The very next one is called Orchid Beach and Golf. Fast forward north to the barrier island off of the Wabasso Causeway.

A beautiful country club community that's a very different lifestyle model. Membership is required. You must join and be approved before you can even close on your property. And the fee is six figures plus plus. We can talk about that if you're interested, but the amenities are fabulous. I always say, with one membership, you feel like you get multiple clubs. What do I mean by that? Well, on the golf course side, there is a traditional golf course that's had major renovation, new outside dining, and it feels like a traditional golf club.

Super elegant, a coastal golf club, very sophisticated. On the ocean side, where there are beautiful condominiums that live like houses, they have a beach club that feels like you're in the Bahamas or the Caribbean. And so, it feels very different, yet it's the same club. New addition is they've always had a fabulous fully detached fitness center with beautiful amenities and classes, but now they've got a whole new build-on in the back adjacent to the causeway that has pickle, outside dining, amenities, playground for the kiddos, beautiful beautiful amenities. It is physically a very beautiful club.

In it, you have lots of different options. Price points are going to start around 2.4 to 2.8 for entry-level product, which would be something considered courtyard, all the way up to single-family homes and estates on larger lots. The condos usually start with a three, and they're going to feel like a house in the sky. So, that is an elevated luxury community, very different buy box than Old Riomar. The last community I want to talk about is probably a lot that you have heard of called John's Island. John's Island, contrary to what a lot of people think, is not its own island.

It's actually on our barrier island, but it comprises a large swath. And, like a lot of master-planned communities, there's many different product types, from little pied-à-terres in a condo called the Island House that used to be literally the hotel where you would stay when you were looking for property, all the way through renovated condos on the ocean to acre front estates on the ocean to golf villas, townhouses on the north end of the project, golf villas, single-family homes, new builds all the way down onto the water onto Manatee Bay that are quite lovely.

Prices, entry-level is going to be 2.5 to 2.9 for condominiums that are going to need work. Golf villas maybe can be renovated for 2.9. 5 million doesn't get you a lot here if you want a detached house. You're not really going to have any options. A detached house is going to be anywhere from 5 to 6 million, 6 million really, and it's going to need major work, frankly, up to 8 to 12 to 20 million. What makes these properties worth that amount of money? The lifestyle, frankly. Not only is it physically very beautiful, there are beautiful trees, the grounds are amazing, the amenities are amazing.

Three, yes, three golf courses, two on the island, one west of town, incredibly well-regarded. Many people count it among the finest places they've ever played. So, John's Island really, in many respects, is among our most revered neighborhoods. So, you've got a variety of options from Old Riomar in town, no club, a club if you wish, you go someplace else that doesn't have a real estate requirement, no HOAs, don't tell me how to live, to a more controlled environment of Orchid Golf and John's Island. So, that in a nutshell is our luxury market.

And then, if you want the river, of course, no talk about luxury would be complete without talking about Riomar Bay, across the street from Old Riomar, and the anchor in the moorings for if you want deep water, those are considered luxury, as well. So, that's it in a nutshell. Entry-level, affordable, mid-tier, luxury. Again, it's a function of your budget, your priorities, and whether or not you want the whole notion of car optional. Are you okay driving to the beach? Are you okay having people give you rules and regs that you need to follow?

And or would you be okay, as I always say, if your neighbor kept their boat in the driveway or painted the house purple with no HOA? These are the kind of lenses I would encourage you to take a look at. Now, an important proviso. Last year and the year before, we didn't have tons of sales activity. We had moderate sales activity, and largely the buyer had the upper hand at the negotiation table. Real estate is hyper-local, and it's always changing. And it's my job to keep you current with where things are going in real time.

You make the call. It depends what's important to you. If you found this interesting, please DM me or text me, reach us through our contact form, and I'd be delighted to help you sort out if you understand what your priorities are, or I can show you representative homes from these communities to help you add context. I'd be happy to do so. I'm Sally Daly with the Daly Group, Douglas Elliman. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time.