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A Discussion With Wellington Real Estate Agent and Resident Visse Wedell
Written by: Alyson Sanderford Client:Visse Wedell Release Date:2010-11-15
Wellington, FL- November 15, 2010- With fall in the air, the most exciting time of year for the Wellington community quickly approaches. Within a few weeks equestrians and their families will pack their belongings and their tack trunks as they prepare to ship their horses to the beautiful city of Wellington, FL. Licensed Real Estate expert Visse Wedell has been requested to step in and assist potential property buyers, sellers, renters, and farm developers with expert advice on the current real estate market. Wedell’s years as a community member, equestrian, property buyer and developer, and experience in real estate distinguishes her as a top real estate consultant in West Palm Beach and the surrounding areas. Over the next few months, Wedell will lend her knowledge on many different topics that affect potential or current Wellington residents.
Alyson Sanderford: Before we even start, I have to say you have a very unique name; will you explain it’s proper pronunciation?
Visse Wedell: Funny you should ask as I have been battling it my whole life. My name is a Danish family name and it is pronounced just like the Visa credit card. I’ve been showing for over 20 years, and to this day, most announcers still can’t seem to get it right. I’ve heard my name pronounced in just about every possible way that you can imagine. I’m used to it by now, but my friends roll their eyes in exasperation every time I meet someone new and they ask me if my brother’s name is American Express.
APS: How did you get started riding, and please give me a quick overview of your life and career with horses?
VW:I grew up in Memphis, TN, and began riding when I was nine years old with Melanie Smith Taylor’s mother in Germantown, TN. I immediately fell in love with riding and got my first pony at 10. I moved from the short-stirrup to pony divisions and by 13, I was showing in the Midwest in the Junior Hunters and made my first trip to Wellington for Circuit in 1988. I went to Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, TX but kept a horse with Don Stewart for most of the time so I always had something to ride, even if it was sporadically.
APS: After you graduated from SMU where did your career take you?
VW: After graduation, I moved to New York to work in the art world. My first wonderful opportunity was working for the art gallery Mitchell-Innes & Nash. I had met Lucy Mitchell-Innes and David Nash through my equestrian relationships, and it turned out to be a jump-start for the rest of my career in New York.
After many fantastic years with Mitchell-Innes & Nash, I began working for Christie’s Auction House where I spent five years doing event planning and marketing. I loved working in a Department where I got involved with every sale that took place and planning creative marketing strategies through events and other campaigns. After commuting from New York to Florida over those five years, I decided to settle down and live in the place I have always loved, Wellington. When I made the decision to move, I knew I needed a home so my first call was to Pam Surtees of The Elebash Company. It was at this point where I found my calling in life but wasn’t quite sure how to have two careers. I loved looking at properties, making comparable and doing spreadsheets, basically the “homework” a Realtor would do for any customer. I would have friends that were looking for houses and I’d ask them if I could tag along and then do the market research for them as practice. While buying real estate has a large emotional component to it, it’s also about where the current market is at any given time. As I began my own event planning company, I also kept up with the ever-changing real estate market.
APS: Eventually you received your real estate license. Where did you go from there?
VW: I wanted to learn everything I could about real estate: short sales, the process of buying property at the courthouse, and even buying a piece of raw land and developing it. I became my own guinea pig. I also spent a lot of time looking at homes and farms at all price levels and conditions to understand how and why things were priced or should be priced, to sell. I wanted to understand all sides of a transaction, getting to know all of the experts a Realtor should have on speed dial. During that time, I made the decision to do something that would teach me more than I could have ever learned through research: I decided to build a farm from the ground up.
APS: Your farm is spectacular, and your attention to detail shines. Tell me about the process to create Foundation Farm.
VW: It was amazing! I bought a 10 acre parcel of land in Palm Beach Point East and decided that I wanted to develop not only the most ideal place for a horse to live in Wellington but also within riding distance to the horse show. I loved being involved on a daily basis, making decisions and watching my vision come to life. This experience educated me to the fact that building requires around-the-clock supervision and a lot of decision-making in a short amount of time. The 10 months that it took to build the farm was a full-time job. Covering every detail, researching and finding the best people in their field, I made sure that every piece of the facility was a decision based on multiple experts’ conclusions. The scope of the project has given me the ability to explain to a client the advantages and disadvantages of building your own farm. I can confidently explain everything from hiring the right contractor, setting realistic timelines, and including items that you should never leave out of a barn. I can also help a client decide if a taking on building their “dream barn” may or may not be the right thing for them. Some say I’m nuts, but I can absolutely say without a doubt that if someone came along and wanted to buy my farm, I would sell it so that I could create and build another. It takes a very specific personality to want to start from the ground up, but because I had such a great team, it was an incredibly rewarding experience.
Visse is committed to working for the client. No matter the price range, the type of real estate, or if her client is a buyer, seller or renter; she is working for them. Her enthusiasm and knowledge is an asset to all renters and property buyers and sellers. Wedell is an experienced real estate agent in Wellington, West Palm Beach and surrounding areas. She noted, “I thoroughly enjoy making people feel comfortable and educated about their decision in real estate transactions. I will go out of my way to make sure that my client has all the facts and figures to be informed. It is very important for me to build long lasting relationships and know my customers are completely satisfied in either the purchase or sale of their home or farm."
For more information or to contact Visse Wedell with questions please call (561) 972-1177 or email VisseWedell@yahoo.com.
