1 Nassau Lane, Key West - Newly Renovated Cottage in Old Town

I have written and rewritten the true story about the time sixteen years ago when a couple walked into my office one morning and told me they wanted to buy a small house in Old Town Key West.  I showed them several properties on my computer. They selected a few to see that afternoon including one located on Nassau Lane which was owned by a fellow agent. I called him and asked if we could see it before noon. He said "Yes", and we drove over soon thereafter. We parked on Fleming Street and started to walk up the lane. As we neared the house the lady started to gush and said something like "Gary, I love this! This is exactly what we were thinking about." As we approached the house she said "That's it!  We are going to buy this house." I suggested she wait until we see the inside. But she had already made up her mind and that of her husband. We did not look at any of the other houses I had lined up for the afternoon. We were under contract within a couple of hours. Such was the charm of Nassau Lane.

Loyal readers of my blog may recall that I listed and sold the house they purchased (11 Nassau Lane)  it in early 2017. They owned that little treasure for over fifteen years.

1 Nassau Lane, Key West

Yesterday another little charmer, 1 Nassau Lane, appeared as a new listing in the Key West MLS.  The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

Recently Renovated! Charmingly quaint and cozy 1BR/1BA Key West Cottage stands tasteful & modest on rare & quiet lane located just off of Fleming Street & conveniently close to the Historic Seaport & many more fun attractions & activities Key West has to offer such as restaurants, parks & local art galleries. More... The one story home includes a great sized kitchen with built-in cabinets, cathedral ceilings, laundry/utility room & hardwood/tile floors. Curtained by mature tropical foliage rests the perfect home for any young bachelor or retired couple seeking a tranquil island life setting.

I wrote about this cottage style home last year when it had potential. It didn't sell, so the property was taken off the market and updated. The most visible changes are the new kitchen and updated bath.. The interior and exterior were painted and the laundry was relocated to the rear.

One of the things you quickly learn about small cottage homes like this is that you pretty much see most of the house when you open the front door. Here, the front door opens into the living, dining, and kitchen area. Notice the door at the back of the kitchen and also the door off to the right with a spiral staircase.

The remodeled kitchen includes popular new white cabinets and stainless steel appliances. The last photo show a door opening into another room - the one and only bedroom.

If you watch a lot of those House Hunter TV shows have heard so many of the potential buyers make comments about wanting to buy a place for their family and friends to come and stay. If you buy any place in Key West, they will do that. And stay, and stay, and eat you food and drink you booze, and stay for as long as they can. They will return year after year as long as you permit. If you have a lot of money, an extra bedroom in Old Town will probably add at least $150,000 to the purchase price of any home. The thing is, you cannot add an extra bedroom onto this house. The lot is too small. But there is a really charming guest house at the foot of Nassau Lane and the famous Eden House is located across the street. Both offer nice accommodations at affordable pricing. So if you want to foot the bill for your guests, you can put them up in style for a few hundred bucks as opposed to many thousands of dollars.

This little rooftop deck couldn't get built today. Our Historic Architectural Review Commission would not allow it. But it is grandfathered and protected. A new owner could take it down. But with a sweet view of the Key West sunset so alluring as that shown, maybe it would be best to keep it right where it is.

1 Nassau Lane abuts a home which fronts onto Fleming Street. This cottage first appeared on the 1912 Sanborn Fire Maps.  The 1889 Sanborn Map identified this same lane as "Cologne Lane" at which time a structure two lots to the south was identified as being a horse shed. Maybe nobody wanted to live next to a horse shed and maybe that explains the lane change after the horse shed went away. I looked through my old shoebox and found the black and white photo below which was taken 53 years ago. The color photo was taken two days ago. Imagine how cute this will look after the new owner dolls it up just a bit. The hard part is over. The decorating and accessorizing can begin.

The chief axiom of real estate is "Location, Location, Location" and 1 Nassau Lane has it. The mansions on Fleming Street are located forty feet from the front door of 1 Nassau Lane. You can walk to Duval Street or the historic seaport in a matter of minutes. There are two incredible bakeries located about three minutes away by foot. There are two nearby convenience stores on White Street also located within a five minute walk. There are several gyms and yoga studios about seven minutes to the south. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos on 1 Nassau Lane which is offered at $599,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  http://www.preferredpropertieskeywest.com/.

1 Nassau Lane, Key West

I have written and rewritten the story (a true story) about the time I took a couple who walked into my office one morning several years ago and told me they wanted to buy a small house.  I got on the computer and showed them various properties located in Old Town that were in their price range. I then called several Realtors to set up showings for later that afternoon. One property was located on Nassau Lane and it was owned by a fellow agent. I called him and asked if we could see it before noon. He said "Yes" and we drove over soon thereafter. We parked on Fleming Street and started to walk up the lane. The lady started to gush and said something like "Gary, I love this. This is exactly what we were thinking about." As we approach the house she said "That's it!  We are going to buy this house." I suggested she wait until we see the inside. But she had already made up her mind and that of her husband.  We were under contract within a couple of hours. We did not look at any of the houses I had lined up for the afternoon. Such was the charm of Nassau Lane. They still own their house near the southern end of this dead end lane located just south of Fleming Street between Frances and Grinnell Streets. I took a photo earlier this morning just as the sun started to light up Old Town.

1 Nassau Lane abuts a home which fronts onto Fleming Street. This cottage first appeared on the 1912 Sanborn Fire Maps.  The 1889 map identified this same lane as "Cologne Lane" at which time a structure two lots to the south was identified as being a horse shed. Maybe nobody wanted to live next to a horse shed and maybe that explains the lane change after the horse shed went away. I then looked through my old shoebox and found the black and white photo below taken 52 years ago. I took a photo earlier today with the same point of view.

When you look at 1 Nassau Lane today you will see front porch has been raised and that a spiral staircase was added along with a rooftop sundeck and garden.  I climbed up there and decided I would eliminate the deck and stairs if I owned the house.  I would removed the trees and foliage from the front, clean up the brick paves and reclaim the off street parking space. I think new plantings kept in scale with the house would make a world of difference to the facade.

This cottage has 486 square feet of living space and sits on a 748 square foot lot (22.21' X 33.68').  The rooftop deck measures 8' X 23'.  As I said, I would make that go away. In my opinion it would make this cottage look so much more appealing. Renovations to the interior were added in 1997. I think this place is almost a blank canvas upon which a new owner could create the perfect Key West getaway. 

The chief axiom of real estate is "Location, Location, Location" and 1 Nassau Lane has it. The mansions on Fleming Street are located forty feet from the front door of 1 Nassau Lane. You can walk to Duval Street or the historic seaport in a matter of minutes. There are two incredible bakeries located about three minutes away by foot. There are two nearby convenience stores on White Street also located within a five minute walk. There are several gyms and yoga studios about seven minutes to the south. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos on 1 Nassau Lane which is offered at $440,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key Westhttp://www.preferredpropertieskeywest.com/.