Island home sales emerged from the 2025 doldrums in the fourth quarter with an exhilarating burst of deals. But top brokers say 32963 is still a buyer’s market, where a realistic list price makes the difference between seller success and frustration.
“This has been the busiest fourth quarter I’ve seen in years,” says ONE Sotheby’s International Realty broker associate Cindy O’Dare. “Inventory has continued to increase at the same time, though, and precise pricing remains essential for a quick sale.”
“I’m so busy, I am afraid to go to the bathroom,” says Douglas Elliman broker associate Michael Merrill, who has already inked contracts set to close in 2026 that amount to 60 percent of his volume for all of 2025.
“There is strong interest from buyers for well-priced properties that are in excellent shape, and lots of deals are getting done,” he said. “But you still have that disconnect between sellers who are thinking in terms of pandemic prices and buyers who are only willing to pay a price that you can prove to them, with comps and data. Buyers today are very picky.”
Multiple statistics illustrate the jump in fourth-quarter activity.
There were 28 closed sales in October, up from 16 in October 2024, according to data provided by O’Dare’s business partner, Richard Boga. Pending sales increased by an even more impressive margin, up more than 200 percent from 10 to 32.
Closed sales increased 46 percent in November compared to the prior year, while pending sales jumped more than 90 percent, according to Compass team leader Scott Reynolds.
“There’s been a very strong uptick in buyer inquires in the fourth quarter compared to the prior three quarters,” says island broker Luke Webb, who attributes the upsurge in activity to pent up demand and lower mortgage interest rates.
But now, he says, the buyers are back.
Nationwide, “housing demand is at a four-year high with steady mortgage rates and improved purchase application data,” according to a Dec. 17 report from HousingWire.
Here in Vero, buyers are descending from the Northeast, Midwest, California – and South Florida.
“People continue to move here from our traditional feeder markets for sunshine, warm winters and no state income tax,” says Boga. “But as South Florida continues to get more and more crowded, Vero is attracting people from down there as much as we are attracting people from the northeast!”
Leading local agents also expect the number of homes on the market on the island to continue to increase going into 2026.
“There were around 237 homes for sale at the beginning of December, compared to 187 at the same time last year, and available inventory is expected to continue rising through the months of December and January, peaking in early February,” says Boga.
“By February, I expect over 300 homes for sale on the barrier island, more than a one-year supply, which technically puts us in a buyer’s market. It is important for sellers to realize that buyers will have more options this season than they have had in five years, which gives them leverage. The key to a timely sale is proper pricing.”
Photos by Joshua Kodis
