Is It Better To Buy Land In Vero Beach Florida or Fellsmere?

If you can’t decide whether to move to Vero beach or Fellsmere and are looking for 5 acres and more, here are the things you need to know about Vero beach and Fellsmere.

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If you’re thinking about moving to Vero Beach Florida, or the surrounding area and are looking for 5 acres or more…then this video is for you!..We’ll be comparing acreage in Vero Beach to acreage in Fellsmere…Stay tuned!

Hey guys, welcome to Living in Vero Beach. I’m Zac and this is my lovely wife and partner, Tonya. We run a local real estate team here in Vero Beach and Sebastian, FL. Thanks for tuning in…If this is your first time visiting our channel, make sure to hit the subscribe button and hit the little bell to be notified of when we post new videos every Thursday.

We talk about everything there is to know about Vero, Sebastian and the surrounding areas. We get a lot of calls and emails from people wanting to know more about the area, and we Love it!, so reach out to us anytime and we’ll personally answer any questions you have! Our contact information will be in the comments below.

Alright guys, so we love land. We own land here in Fellsmere and are building our little compound, including planting Commercial Bamboo on 5 of our 10 acres. There is so much to do when you buy acreage lots of work to be done when developing it from raw land.

I’ll go ahead and say it now, if you don’t like working on land, using shovels, putting on boots and gloves, getting dirty and building things…don’t buy land. It’s a lot of work…but we love it. I personally love planting things and watching them grow.

I’ve found that one of my favorite things to do is drive the tractor…I go into my happy place…I put in my airpods, put on an audiobook and go to work.

Watch the sunsets, build a fire, and just be surrounded by nature

So, Let’s get into buying acreage and the 9 things to consider when looking at land in Vero Beach or Fellsmere. Which one is better?

Number 9 – Population

Now when you do a search for the population of Vero Beach online, you’ll see some really low number…like 18 thousand people. That is really misleading…I mean technically in the city of Vero, that’s the number…but most of the surrounding area is considered unincorporated, and there are way more people in the Vero Surrounding area.

Isn’t it like over 165 thousand people in IRC?

Yeah, and the majority of that is in the Vero surrounding area, including Sebastian’s 25 thousand and the 5 to 6 thousand who live in Vero Lake Estates. So, Compare that to Fellsmere….In 2020 the population was around 5700 –probably a little more now, but not by much…growth here has been clocked at around 2%. So, definitely a huge difference in population. If you’re looking for land in an area with  less people….Fellsmere is clearly the winner!

 Number 8 – Distance To Major Conveniences

I mean, how far is the grocery store, Marshalls, Target, the Chipotle, the nail salon? 

What about the Tractor Supply?

That’s right down the road. Ok, so that’s close to Fellsmere, but the other ones I mentioned…you’re gonna be driving to Vero for those, Sebastian for the grocery store at the very least. Vero has more of everything. More stores, restaurants, entertainment, churches……and with that comes more traffic.

 Fellsmere does have the basics..a little grocery store, and they have this fresh pan…mexican baked products…so good, a couple of restaurants, 4 churches…and a few really good choices for mexican food…some really good tacos…Las Tapatias, Taco Mobil, Garcia’s. Write those down and try them out if you pass through. Yeah, good stuff….so as far as being close to all the conveniences..Vero takes the cake. And that takes us to.

Number 7 –  You might think that because Fellsmere isn’t developed like Vero is, the cost of land would be less.

Well, don’t get so excited….that’s not really the case. Prices for land have increased a lot since the end of 2020, and the price of land in Fellsmere has really jumped. 

Yeah, not long ago, you could buy 10 acres of raw land in Fellsmere for $125-$150 thousand…now you’re looking at $200-$300 thousand for the same parcel.  There have been sales at less cost per acre in Fellsmere though… Yeah there have, and one big factor that will affect that price will be ease of access. Some roads are pretty rough and dusty…expect your car to be dirty all the time…access is a big deal. Even with that drawback, the demand for land has really increased, especially in Fellsmere…  So with all that being said, We’re gonna call it a tie when it comes to the cost of raw land. 

Number 6 – Cost of Living

I’m talking about Utilities, Cable, Food, Insurance….all of the necessities that you’ll need…the fixed costs. There really isn’t a huge difference there…Yeah, Once everything is set up, there won’t be a major difference in the cost of living, but something to be aware of is how close the nearest power pole is to the land. Getting power to your property can be a challenge…more so in Fellsmere than in Vero Beach because it’s just much more developed in Vero. Also, in Fellsmere, the internet can be a challenge because the big cable providers haven’t yet run the lines to many of the outlying acreage properties…so you’ll be relying on satellite providers and cellular network hotspots for your internet…but even the cellular networks are a little weak at least out on our property I dunno, Maybe that’s a good thing? It doesn’t scare me…so I guess that’s another tie…costs won’t be too different, but convenience might play a factor in this comparison.

Number 5 – Taxes

How much does the government take in Vero Beach and Fellsmere? Well, that question has many answers, but all things being equal, meaning taking out any exemptions, the millage rate…that’s the tax rate charged on a property…for most of Indian River County is around 14.7-15 mills. 

Those areas with that tax rate is where you’re going to find the acreage that we’re talking about…the 5-10 acres of residential / Agricultural property. in the cities of Vero, Fellsmere and Sebastian, that’s where the millage rates are a little higher…meaning higher taxes. But you just mentioned Agricultural property. If you’re going to be buying acreage, you’ll most likely want to take advantage of the Ag exemption that’s available to you. Simply put, if you grow something or have livestock on your property and put it to market, you can qualify for an agricultural exemption. This is huge. This will take a big chunk of your tax burden away. The government likes farmers and wants to make it easier for them to prosper…the ag exemption is a nice way  to show it. So…who’s the winner?mmm. I think the land owner is the winner! I agree!

Number 4 – Restrictions…

Can you shoot Guns on your property? Yes, you can. How about Living in a Camper while building?  Uh…I think so.

Well, you can…you just have to be building a permanent residence, and you only have a certain amount of time. You Can’t drain on another person’s property, so drainage is something you need to get sorted out right away  Yep, and  If you own a property that is on the main access road, and there is a separate lot behind you without access to the main road, you’ll end up giving up a part of your land for an easement by necessity so the land owner behind you can get in and out of their property. You can have a pond, and use the dirt for a house pad….that Pond can only be ½ acre big…and there is a depth restriction-12’. Wetlands must be preserved and cannot be substituted, meaning, you can’t dig a hole and fill the wetland and call it even We’ve kind of gotten away from the ‘which is better’ theme, but those are some good things to know…I mean there’s a whole video worth of information on this subject alone, and I’m sure we’ll be doing one about restrictions in the future…so subscribe and you’ll get notified when we do….Ok, so let’s move on to…

Number 3 – Potential Growth. 

What’s going to happen to Property Values?  Well, Vero’s property value increase was over 14% in 2021, and it will continue to grow. Fellsmere and the area around Fellsmere is growing and there is a huge development planned for just north of Fellsmere. Yeah, so Vero and Fellsmere….They are at different stages of growth, but the potential for massive growth in Fellsmere is higher than in Vero. If you watch what’s going on, you can get a good idea of what to expect in the future. Fellsmere is primed for property development and home values to really increase.Yeah, I say win for Fellsmere.

Number – 2 Weather

Can I ask you a question? Yes.How does the weather difference between Fellsmere and Vero Beach affect crops if you’re going to farm? Well, The closer you are to the ocean, the warmer it will be…especially the wind. So, If you’re planning on planting crops, make sure you know how hearty the crops will be in the winter. Fellsmere can get quite a bit chillier than Vero can. Yeah, like now. You can really tell the difference out here….just 10 or so miles west of Vero, how much of a factor the temperature can play. Win for Vero there. 

And Finally,

Number 1 – Schools

This is going to be quick…Vero Beach has more options..both private and public schools…Fellsmere has 1 public school-Fellsmere Elementary. Yeah, so once they’re in middle school, you’re driving to either Sebastian or Vero… Unless you’re homeschooling.So getting your kid to school will be something you’ll have to consider in your morning and afternoon routine pretty early on in your little one’s life. So, is that a win for Vero? I don’t know, I guess it depends on your situation. There are bus routes that come to Fellsmere, so if you’re good with your kid riding the bus, then it’s probably not that big of a deal. I’m gonna say tie. Ok, tie it is. 

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