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Best things to do when you visit Sebastian Florida
Best things to do when you visit Sebastian Florida Are you thinking about traveling to Sebastian or the Treasure Coast and looking for fun things to do look no further because I got you covered because in this video I'm going to go over the top five places and activities to do when visiting near Sebastian Florida. Hey Everyone, my name is Spencer Bailey I’m a local realtor and I live right here in Sebastian Florida. If you are curious at all about the lifestyle here on the treasure coast, or just want a little more information, please feel free to reach out to me anytime with questions you may have. I would love to help you out, and possibly find the perfect home for you here on the beautiful treasure coast of Florida. My partner and I currently have 7 properties under contract here so we are very well versed with helping buyers find their dream home. So again, any questions you have make sure to reach out to me as soon as possible. With that being said, lets get right into it! Sebastian inlet with Mel fisher museum with fishing museum OK so getting right into one of the biggest attractions Sebastian has to offer and that is the Sebastian inlet. I'm sure you have heard about it before and maybe I've read about it but I'm telling you, it definitely lives up to the expectations. if you love swimming, the outdoors, boating, fishing, And learning about the rich history of Sebastian, you definitely need to take a trip to the inlet. personally, I love to fish, and I have had great success out on the jetty. it's a very popular place to fish so it can get crowded at times but there's a reason why so many people come to fish that inlet and that is because there are some monster fish you can catch there. I'll put a few photos on the screen of the fish that I have caught there just in the past year. you can catch snook red fish Goliath grouper Jack's Spanish mackerel sheepshead, cubera snapper mangrove snapper, and so many other types of fish at that inlet which is another reason why it's so popular. the jetty gets you out a couple 100 yards into the ocean so you can hopefully hook on to that monster ocean fish that you've always been hoping to catch. fishing isn't the only thing to do at the Sebastian inlet, there is a great man-made Cove for the whole family to enjoy with picnic tables that gives a nice calm place 2 swim and have a great Family Day. there is also a little restaurant there with small bites so just in case you forgot to bring something to eat you can always fall back on having a fresh caught fish sandwich or an ice-cold beer whenever you need. The Sebastian inlet also offers a way to get your boat from the river out onto the Big Blue Ocean and for the most part it's not that bad take it out there you definitely need to have the right boat, and sometimes depending on the tide the waves can be a little wicked so definitely be careful and have experience before trying to make it out of the inlet. this alone brings a lot of people here because the next closest inlet is the Fort Pierce inlet, and that's roughly 45 minutes away give or take. Another thing I need to mention when going to the Sebastian inlet is on your way there you can visit the mclarty treasure museum and learn all about why our area has the nickname the Treasure Coast. it's a really fun great for the kids and educates you on all of the treasure ships that have crashed on our shores and how people are still digging up gold and silver coins to this day on our beaches. I would definitely highly recommend visiting Mel fishers treasure museum if you are visiting the area. Capitan Hiram’s Another fun place to go if you're visiting Sebastian is captain hirams resort. captain hirams is a hotel bar and restaurant that you can go pull up a chair to the bar and kick your shoes off. the floor is sand, its right on the river, so it gives you a great Margaritaville relaxing vibe that you can enjoy. they always have fun events like live music karaoke and trivia. also on major holidays like New Year's they always have fun events where everyone comes and celebrates entering into the new year and it's always really fun. aside from the bar restaurant and hotel captain hirams also has boat rides that takes you out on the river and they tell you all about Sebastian, it's ecosystem, and all the neat little facts about our area. you can definitely see an abundance of wildlife on that trip and hopefully you may even see a few dolphins as well. Captain hirams really encompasses the atmosphere Sebastian has to offer. it's a Hawaiian shirt, sandals, a bad suntan, and a cold beer in your hand kind of atmosphere and that is exactly how Sebastian is. so if you're looking to experience Sebastian the best place I can recommend you to go is captain hirams. Mo Bay OK so now I'm gonna share with you one of my favorite spots to grab a bite to eat. It might not be on everyone's radar and that is mobay grill. mobay grill is a Jamaican restaurant with really amazing food I always like their grouper sandwich or their jerk chicken and my uncle said he really loved the oxtail Stew one of the best things he's ever eaten. It's located right on Indian River drive here in Sebastian so before or after your lunch or dinner you could walk the Boulevard next to the river for a little scenery. the chef that cooks there is Wesley campbelle. he is a renowned chef and as cooked at mobay for the last 14 years and if he has time he always checks on the guests to make sure they're satisfied with his dishes. definitely a hidden gem of Sebastian and you don't have to break the bank to go there they have great lunch specials with most dishes ranging from 10 to 30 dollars. So next time you're to bash and make sure to stop by. Pelican island national wildlife refuge Another recommendation I have for you if you're visiting Sebastian is to visit the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. it is a beautiful area with tons of wildlife. It is great for bird watching and taking a leisurely stroll around while learning about the natural habitat around you. On the website it says “ The Nation’s most historic refuge offers an array of recreation opportunities for birders, nature photographers and other outdoors enthusiasts. Two 3-mile loop trails around managed salt marsh and mangrove habitats as well as our newest Wildlife Trail give a taste of the refuge’s habitats and wildlife. The easy ¾-mile Centennial walking trail offers views of Centennial Pond and culminates in a 500-foot Americans with Disabilities Act accessible observation tower and boardwalk with a view of Pelican Island proper, located in the middle of the Indian River Lagoon. Fall through spring are considered the best time of year to see the famous residents of Pelican Island, including the migratory white pelicans as well as nesting brown pelicans. For history buffs, there are informational signs along the trails, detailing the story of the Nation’s First Wildlife Refuge, and the people who started it all. Kayaking, boating, and swimming opportunities abound in the Lagoon waters surrounding Pelican Island proper and the many spoil and mangrove islands that fall within the Refuge boundaries.” Definitely a really nice area that you can get outdoors, maybe get some exercise with a great view as well Paradolia Brewing Company Ok so this last place I want to share with you is for all the beer drinkers out there, and that is Paradolia Brewing Company. They are a local brewery here in Sebastian and they have a great selection of craft beer. They have even won some awards for the amazing beer that they have brewed over the years. The owner is a really nice guy, and you can regularly see him there chatting with the locals. There is usually some live music being played in the afternoons and it makes for a nice laidback atmosphere that is great to just hangout and talk with friends. They also have some good food, I would highly recommend the beer cheese that they have there, its so good I love beer cheese don’t even get me started. They also have some wine seltzers and ciders if that is more your style. There is a nice porch so you can enjoy the views and the weather. outside is dog friendly as well so you can bring your pooch to enjoy the afternoon. Like I said it’s a great atmosphere and for many locals its their go to hangout spot. Ok everyone so those are some of my favorite things to do here in Sebastian Florida. If you’re thinking about coming down you should definitely consider going to check out the places I mentioned. As you may no by now I am a real estate agent here in Sebastian so if you are considering moving down anywhere to Florida feel free to reach out with me for any questions I would love to give you some helpful tips and tricks for when you do decide to make that move. as always everyone I hope this video helped and if it did make sure to leave a like and comment and make sure to subscribe and check back every week from what I post a new video about living in the beautiful Treasure Coast. with that being said thank you guys so much for watching and I'll see you on the next video take care. Spencer.Bailey507@gmail.com507-951-2934
The Worst Parts of Living in Sebastian, Florida
The Worst Parts of Living in Sebastian, Florida All the details on some of the negative aspects of living in Sebastian Is living in Sebastian the right move for you? In this post I'll discuss the 5 reasons that you may not want to move here. My name is Spencer Bailey I’m a local realtor and I live right here in Sebastian Florida. If you are curious at all about the lifestyle here on the treasure coast, or just want a little more information, please feel free to reach out to me anytime with questions you may have. I would love to help you out, and possibly find the perfect home for you here on the beautiful treasure coast of Florida. My partner and I currently have 7 properties under contract so we are very well versed with helping buyers find their dream home. So again, any questions you have make sure to reach out to me as soon as possible. Now with that out of the way lets get into the topic of todays video and that is 5 reasons why Sebastian Florida may not be the right fit for you. Lack of shopping The first reason you may not want to move to Sebastian is the lack of shopping. Sebastian is a very small town so it doesn't have all of the big name stores that you may be accustomed to in big cities. if you just love to shop until you drop all and spend all day shopping Sebastian really doesn't offer anything of that sort. Sebastian is more of a small mom and pop boutique style town that offers limited shopping. There is the Indian River mall however it seems like that is almost out of business and it's a ghost town in there so that's not the best choice. you can always travel to to the north and shop in the Melbourne area or travel to the South and shop in the port Saint Lucie Fort Pierce area but As for Sebastian it's very limited. Stores that Sebastian does have include Walmart Publix winn-dixie Home Depot and Dollar General so that's at least a good selection but if you're looking for clothes shopping or really any other type of shopping it's gonna be limited to small mom and pop stores the biggest store for clothing would probably be bealls outlet and that’s really it. so if you just love to shop and you need all those big name stores in very close proximity to you Sebastian is probably not for you. No nightlife OK let's get into the second con about living in Sebastian and that is it's very limited nightlife, and when I say very limited I mean very limited. most people living in Sebastian if they're looking for a night out on the town they end up visiting Vero beach for the night because the selection is very limited in Sebastian. The tiki bar, captain hirams, and Earl's hideaway are probably the three biggest bars and restaurants that you can drink at. tiki bar and captain hirams offer a Margaritaville typesetting while Earls hideaway opts for more of a dive bar setting. there really isn't a place to go in Sebastian if you're looking for a club with hip hop music and dancing, so if you're looking for that you'll have to travel south to vero. they also closed down fairly early, around 1 ish so if youre a night owl and just wanna spend all night having fun with your friends drinking around the town Sebastian is definitely not the right town for you and you should probably head South for the night to Vero beach. so that is my second con, Sebastian really just doesn't have a whole lot of nightlife and if that is a big thing that you're looking forward to reach out to me and I can help find you a few better places that might fit your lifestyle a bit better. Lack of jobs So heading right into the third con of living in Sebastian FL and that is its lack of jobs. Sebastian is a very small town it doesn't have those big companies to employ hundreds of people, so jobs are definitely limited. I would say hospitals and schools are some of the bigger employers here, with some other jobs being available like servers, bank tellers, and cashier jobs. A lot of the mom and pop shops do hire people as well however the pay is kind of limited for jobs like that and there's not a big opportunity to work your way up the corporate ladder in a town like Sebastian and a lot of the jobs are also lower paying just because of the nature of the jobs. You don't have a whole lot of tech jobs here or other jobs that you might see with big companies in places like Orlando or Miami. So if you need a high paying job in your field when you move to Sebastian I would definitely look beforehand to make sure you get everything lined up before you move here'cause there's just not a crazy amount of job opportunity especially high paying job opportunities in Sebastian so that is definitely a big con for me. Luckily I'm a real estate agent and there's plenty of work for me because people love moving here so I'm definitely blessed to be in the position I am but like I said if you need that high paying job before you move here, definitely research it before you move. Summers are scorching hot and humid moving into the 4th con of living in Sebastian florida. and that is that the summers are scorching hot and also very humid. most of Florida can say that the summers are very hot and humid so this con is definitely not just for Sebastian but more for living in Florida as a whole. you definitely get used to the heat I myself was born Minnesota so I'm very used to the cold and I definitely can tell you I would rather deal with the heat than the snow. I absolutely hated the snow I hated shoveling snow I hated the ice I hated the slow driving, and you definitely don't get any of that down here in Sebastian. however on the flip side summers are definitely hotter and more humid down here than they are in the rest of the United states so be prepared for that when you move. I got acclimated fairly quickly to the heat and now it doesn't bother me as much but it will still get to 90 degrees with the real feel being in the hundreds because of the humanity and sometimes it's easier to just stay indoors in the AC during the afternoon heat wave. you will see a lot of people down here during the summer get a lot of the work done either in the early morning or late afternoon when the sun isn't directly above them just so they can stay out of the sun and out of the heat. it's definitely something you have to get used to but like I said I would definitely rather have the heat then the cold. I definitely wanna know what you all think down in the comments below would you rather put up with that chilling cold, the snow, the ice. or would you rather put up with hot humid sticky weather that the Florida summers can have let me know down in the comments. but yeah that is definitely one con about living in Florida in general and that is that it just gets wicked hot some days. Average age is 57 years old hard to make friends OK so the last con I have for you can actually be a pro depending on who you talk to, and that is that the average age is around 57 years old. if that is in your age range then it's probably perfect for you to come down and make a bunch of friends that have similar interests and are in a similar age range as you however, if you're younger looking to move to a town and make a bunch of friends and have a bunch of people your age to hang out with all the time Sebastian just doesn't really offer that. not saying you can't make a bunch of friends here but the majority of people here are going to be older than you. Sebastian is definitely more of a relaxed town with middle to upper aged residents that just want to either retire or live peacefully down here next to the water. there's just not a whole lot of nightlife or other activities to accommodate younger crowds to make them stay here. Sebastian and Vero Beach do have school systems so there definitely kids here but generally when they reach 18 they are off to another town to either go to college or start a life there because staying in Sebastian just doesn't have a whole lot to offer for younger people if that is what they're looking for. like I said with the average age being around 57 that isn't necessarily a con for everyone and I would say for most people that's actually a pro because it gives a nice relaxed environment for retirees snowbirds to come down and visit enjoy themselves have fun, and interact with their peers down here. So it's all how you look at it. Anyway, everyone those are my top five cons for living in Sebastian FL to recap it has a lack of shopping, not a whole lot of nightlife, a lack of jobs, the summers are extremely hot some years, and the average age is around 57. I don't want you to get the wrong impression of Sebastian it is truly a great town and a lot of people are moving here because of that and in this video all link up in the top right hand corner I go over the top five pros of living in Sebastian and why you might want to move here I would highly consider checking that out. Like I said in the beginning of the video I'm a real estate agent here so if you are considering moving to Florida definitely reach out and I can give you some helpful tips and tricks for when you do make that move. Thanks for reading. Spencer.Bailey507@gmail.com507-951-2934
My Experience with Building a New Construction Home with D.R Horton
My Experience with Building a New Construction Home with D.R Horton All the details of my home buying experience with D.R Horton I just got done building my home with Dr. Horton the nations largest new construction home builder right here in Vero Beach. In this video I'm going to go over my experience with Dr. Horton and the pros and cons I had building my home with them. I'm going to give you all the nitty gritty details that I learned, that you need to know if you’re considering buying a new construction home. I'm going to try to answer all the questions you may have but if I don't get to your specific question feel free to reach out to me by phone or e-mail and we can have a more in depth conversation. I’m a real estate agent here on florida’s east coast and I’d love to help in your home search. Starting the Search I started my home search in the beginning of 2023 when rates were floating around 7%. First, I started looking at resale homes around 325,000 since that's what I was able to get approved for when buying a resale home. In January I put in a full price 325,00k offer on a property that was a three-bedroom 2 bath home with 1350 square feet. However I like many others in this crazy market was outbid and the house went for over asking price. I was gutted, I felt defeated and for the first time I felt the disappointment and uncertainty that some of my buyers clients have felt, and it was humbling. It was at that time where I took a step back, extended my timeline, and started looking at other options. I always had new construction in the back of my mind but thought I wouldn't get approved for it since I only got approved for 325,000 when buying resale homes. I had a fantastic conversation with my mortgage lender and she informed me that with the builders special interest rates, lower insurance costs, and closing costs credits I would be able to afford much more when buying a new construction home compared to a resale home. Shortly after our conversation I got approved for 350k, and just like that I started diving into the world of new construction. About two weeks after I got approved, I got informed by Dr. Horton Rep that they were planning to build a Cali model on a vacant lot here in Vero beach. It was everything I was looking for, it was in the perfect location, the floorplan I wanted, and the price I wanted, so needless to say, I bought it that day. The Cali Model I was able to buy the Cali model from Dr. Horton which is a four bedroom 2 bathroom home that has 1828 square feet and it cost $343,000. The home sits on 1/4 acre, and has a canal and preserve in the back so I don't have to worry about neighbors building there. I built on a spot lot in the vero beach highlands which means it's in a non gated non HOA community. Compared to the home I put an offer on at 325,000, this new construction home had 500 extra square feet an extra bedroom it was on 1/4 acre instead of .17 acres, it was built in 2023 instead of 2005, and it backed up to a preserve. One would think that the 1300 sqft home that I got outbid on would have a smaller monthly payment than the new construction home, right? Theres where you’d be mistaken, and the main reason why I ultimately chose to go with new construction. Dr Horton often offers special interest rates if you use their in-house lender, DHI Mortgage. With DHI Mortgage I was able to get a 4.99% interest rate when rates were floating around 7%. Keep in mind that for every 1% of interest rate that you can save, your payment will go down hundreds of dollars per month. So, for me getting a 2% lower interest rate was going to save me anywhere from 450-550 dollars per month, or roughly 5-6k less in interest per year. Over the life of my 30-year loan that equates to $150,000 less in interest that I will have to pay, which is incredible. In addition, they also contributed $18,000 towards my closing costs. If you can believe it or not, I'm only out of pocket roughly $10,000 for this home, and that was the initial $10,000 deposit I had to put down in January. In addition, when buying a new construction home, you'll have more options for insurance. I was able to get a $1500 insurance plan through one of Florida’s top insurance providers frontline. Keep in mind you can go with other insurance companies that are cheaper, but they cover less. The lowest insurance I got quoted on was around 950 per year. On top of that everything in your house is going to be brand new from your roof to your flooring to your countertops to your appliances you won't have to worry about fixing them or having insurance issues for a very long time. Now admittedly not everything is all sunshines and rainbows when it comes to buying a new construction house and there were some hiccups in the process that made it frustrating, let me explain. The Cons of New Construction Originally, they estimated this home to be done September 15th. Around halfway through the building process they were making a good time and they moved up the estimated completion date to August 1st. Once they got to the stage where they needed to connect power to the home, Florida power and light took 5 weeks to connect my home to power which pushed back the completion date to October. On top of that a berm needed to be redone in my backyard which pushed out completion a week further, so we ended up closing October 16th. So, we went from planning to move into the home August 1st to actually moving in the 16th. If you're buying on a spot lot this is absolutely something you need to consider before you buy. It's different if you're in a community because it's very streamlined, but if you're buying a new construction on a spot lot you have consider that potential delay. For me it wasn't a big deal since I had family to stay with however if you're coming down from out of state this can be a huge issue and cause a lot of stress. I can only imagine if I was out of state and I planned movers and everything for August 1st, only for it to close 2 1/2 months later. We were so excited to get into our new home, so that last 2 1/2 months really drained us because we were already mentally checked out and ready to move from the family place. Another hiccup was with my mortgage lender. To get the special interest rate and 18k in closing credits you must go with Dr. Horton’s lender DHI mortgage. During the process my original loan officer either got fired or quit and was no longer working with the company. My file was supposed to get transferred to another loan officer to take over, but it wasn’t. So there was a good month or two that I didn’t hear from my loan officer and I was in the dark. I reached out to her through email and by phone call numerous times and never got a response. I finally told other DR Horton reps, and figured out she was no longer working for the company and only then did I get a message from a new loan officer. Silver lining to this was my new loan officer named John was really awesome and he was always on the ball looking out for my best interests. I was also disappointed in was the lack of customization options I got because I bought a spot Lots. The buying process for spot lots is a little different compared to the buying process for a new construction home in a HOA community. With spot lots, Dr. Horton has already ordered materials specifically for my build so I had zero options when it came to customizing furnishings, tile, countertops, etcetera. When buying in an HOA community a lot of times you have more customization options and the building process is more streamlined. So with no customization options, my house came with tile in the main living area, carpet in the bedrooms, and Formica countertops throughout. For me this works for my budget, but I know for others they're going to want options when it comes to upgrades and that is not something a spot lot can get you with DR Horton. One thing I was able to change was the paint color of the outside of my house. I went with the tan color for the exterior, with black paint for the accents on the door and shutters. Another inconvenience when buying a new construction home would be that it comes completely unfurnished and when I say completely unfurnished, I mean completely unfurnished. Not only will you need furniture such as couches, tables, chairs beds etcetera for each room you will also need to buy extra light fixtures, fans, blinds, curtains, I'm talking everything. And I don't know if you all have been home decor shopping recently, but the prices are ridiculous. For each fan it was $170 and for each blind it was $180, so just to get lights and a little bit of privacy it was $350 each room, So in total I spent $1400 in just fans and blinds. Another thing you'll want to do is paint the interior because it comes in shell white. They do this to lower costs and give you the option to paint whatever interior color you want. I was able to paint the main living areas but if you have to hire it out know that that is probably going to cost you a few thousand dollars. In addition most of DR Horton homes don't come with a washer dryer or refrigerator, so you'll have to budget for that. Keep in mind that some communities do you offer appliances, so this the appliance package depends on the community you build in. Some other very little things that were frustrating was for some reason my door was painted brown instead of black like I wanted. And it was that really gross color brown that looks like you know what, so needless to say I had them change that immediately. And lastly I thought the communication could have been a little bit better. Conclusion Even with these inconveniences overall I'm extremely happy with my new home. Compared to buying an older resale home it just doesn't make any sense. If I were to find a replica of this exact same house on the market, I'd be looking at paying upwards of 400K or more with a 8% interest rate. So right away it's nice to know that I have equity in my home and if anything ever went wrong I could always sell and make a quick buck. You know I always tell people if you have the luxury of time and patience I always would recommend buying a new construction home. You'll pay significantly less compared to resale, you'll have a discounted interest rate, you'll get your closing cost paid for, and you'll have a brand new home that you won't have to worry about for years to come. So everyone that was my experience building with Dr. Horton, I hope that this video was valuable and informative to you if you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. YouTube clients are my favorite clients and I love working with them so like I said don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Spencer.Bailey507@gmail.com507-951-2934
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