Wave Of South Florida Buyers Splashes Into Vero Beach Market

Goodbye bright, blaring nightlife, traffic jams and the roar of Dolphins games. Hello quiet dinners on Ocean Drive and peaceful walks along Vero Beach’s uncrowded shore.

South Florida buyers have long been part of the Vero Beach real estate landscape. Since the pandemic, coastal markets stretching from Palm Beach to Miami — along with Naples on the West Coast — have served as steady feeder markets for the island. Now, island brokers and builders say interest from South Florida luxury buyers has surged, driven by Vero’s relative affordability and its uniquely relaxed, refined lifestyle.

“I haven’t seen anything like it in 16 years,” says Michael Merrill, a broker associate with Douglas Elliman. “In the past 60 days, at least 30 percent of my showings have been with people from South Florida — and they’re coming from everywhere, including Naples.”

Sally Daley, also a Douglas Elliman broker associate, agrees: “It’s striking,” she says. “They aren’t just coming from Palm Beach and Miami. It’s Fort Lauderdale, Boca and beyond. Half of my showings so far this year have been with buyers from South Florida.”

Few firms are better positioned to capture that flow than Premier Estate Properties. Founded in 1993, the multibillion-dollar firm has six boutique luxury offices in Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale. The brokerage has for years sent referrals north to its Vero Beach office, strategically located at the intersection of Beachland Boulevard and A1A.

“The firm has a proven history of effectively referring qualified buyers and sellers from its South Florida offices to its Vero Beach office,” says Premier Estate Properties broker/owner Joseph G. Liguori. “In the last six months alone, our Vero Beach office received three referrals totaling more than $20 million in purchases or sales.”

One recent example involved a past Boca Raton client whose home Liguori sold before personally referring them to a Vero Beach agent for their next purchase. Through that concierge-level coordination, the buyers acquired a riverfront estate for nearly $4 million in the second half of 2025.

Merrill says South Florida buyers typically focus on homes priced at $3 million and above, targeting neighborhoods from Central Beach to Windsor, with strong interest in John’s Island properties and luxury oceanfront condominiums. The trend extends to the mainland as well.

“About one-third of buyers at The Reserve at Grand Harbor have come from South Florida,” says Bill Handler, president of GHO Homes.

The upscale subdivision appeals to buyers seeking new construction in an established country club setting — at prices far below what comparable homes would command farther south.

“Buyers are attracted to Vero Beach for its lower prices, natural beauty, low density and lifestyle,” says Liguori, noting that his South Florida referral business has remained strong since the pandemic.

Daley says lifestyle concerns dominate conversations with buyers from Lauderdale and Palm Beach.

“Congestion, congestion, congestion — that’s what I hear,” Daley says.

“It can be a zoo down there,” Handler adds. “If you don’t have to stay for work, why wouldn’t you want to be in Vero Beach?”

Merrill says his South Florida clients are searching for a less stressful, more relaxed way of life.

“The lifestyle they bought into years ago has shifted,” Merrill told Realtor.com in a December article about the surge of interest in Vero.

Palm Beach County’s population has nearly doubled since 1990, growing from about 870,000 to more than 1.6 million, bringing increased traffic, development and noise. A generation ago, Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami more closely resembled today’s Vero Beach, with a slower pace and more breathing room.

At the same time, Vero has evolved, becoming livelier and more sophisticated, with an expanded dining scene, retail options and cultural venues. Accessibility has improved as well, with multiple airlines now serving Vero Beach Regional Airport from key feeder markets in the Northeast.

“There’s a lot more in Vero now than there was 20 years ago,” Merrill says.

Still, price remains a powerful motivator. Merrill is currently marketing a two-acre oceanfront parcel south of Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club for $13 million — a property he estimates would command $100 million in Palm Beach.

Handler is selling newly built, 3,000-square-foot homes with modern designs and luxury finishes at The Reserve for around $2 million.

“That’s a big number for mainland Vero,” Handler says, “but those homes would be three times as much in Palm Beach — if you could even find lots to build them on.”

According to Douglas Elliman data provided by Daley, the average price per square foot for a single-family home in the 32963 ZIP code is $676 — roughly one-fifth of the cost in Miami Beach’s priciest ZIP code, where prices exceed $3,000 per square foot.

Merrill says many South Florida buyers are selling second homes that have appreciated significantly. In the past, those owners might have stayed put, but today they see an opportunity to both improve their lifestyle and bank substantial gains.

“If they make a lateral move down there, it costs just as much as what they sold,” Merrill says. “To cash out, they’d have to downsize. But in Vero, they can buy a similar-sized home in a beautiful location for half the price or less.”

Daley likens the movement to a pinball effect: as northern buyers move into Palm Beach, Boca and Fort Lauderdale, sellers rebound northward in search of space, serenity and financial advantage.

“It feels like everybody is leaving South Florida,” Daley said last week while preparing for a showing with a Fort Lauderdale buyer.

Source: VeroNews.com