Life on Poorhouse Lane - It Ain't a Bitch!

735 Poorhouse Lane - Key West - Short Sale

We all have highs and lows, but for the most part my life is very copacetic. When you are young you plan for the future so much that you sometimes fail to live and enjoy the present. At least I did. I recall years of my life where I planned into the future. Where would I be? What would I do? How much money could I make? That is why so many people, like me, say things like "If I only knew then what I know now". That phrase is usually uttered with a twinge of regret-of opportunities lost.

It wasn't until I moved to Key West and let my life decompress that I stopped worrying about tomorrow. My biggest stress point now is driving behind Conch Trains and Trolleys or tourists driving slowly down a busy street. That's actually not a bad place to be in life compared to all of the real stressful situations that exist in our world. Poor me.

When you actually move to Key West and divorce yourself from your old way of life (office politics, meetings of any sort, business organizations and social agendas) your body and soul find a new balance and a new approach to everyday living. Stuff that is important is important. And stuff that is not important is not worth worrying about. Vacationers sense that locals are actually happy in their lives. Vacationers get a taste of Key West, but they must eventually return to the real world so they can go to meetings and such. They go home and dream about someday, someway, being able to spend sometime, maybe the rest of their lives, in Key West. I did.

If that is your dream the new listing at Poorhouse Lane in Key West may warrant your consideration. The listing broker describes 735 Poorhouse Lane like this:

"Beautifully renovated Conch home in Old Town Key West that features hardwood floors and Dade County Pine walls with room for a pool. This is a potential short sale transaction subject to lender approval."

I dug into the old photo album and found a black and white photo of 735 Poorhouse Lane (also known as 735 Petronia Lane) that was taken in 1965. I took an almost identical photo yesterday. See if you can identify the changes to the house. But for the most part this house and the other houses on this quiet little lane look pretty much today like they looked over half a century ago and beyond that.

735 Poorhouse Lane as it appeared in 1965

735 Poorhouse Lane as it appears in 2011

Poorhouse Lane is located just west of the Key West Cemetery (viewed in photos above). The lane is wide enough for a car or small delivery truck, but large vehicles can't handle the tight quarters. Bill Butler Park is located at the end of the lane. It's a good place to walk the dog. If you walk through the park or past the cemetery to Windsor Lane (its hard to explain but easy to do), you can walk to Duval Street in about five to seven minutes. There is a small corner grocery up at the corner of Olivia at Windsor and another at William and Windsor, but otherwise this is a commercial free area. St. Mary's Catholic Church is located two blocks to the south at the corner of Windsor Lane at Truman Avenue.

Windsor Lane and the Key West Cemetery to the east

Bill Butler Park is located at the end of Poorhouse Lane

735 Poorhouse Lane was built circa 1918, nearly one hundred years ago. The house is built of Dade County Pine and seems most solid to me. The place has been updated, the ceiling is vaulted, and a steep stairway added to the attic which now serves as a loft with separate half bath. Downstairs you will find a good sized master bedroom located just off the living room. One door leads from the bedroom to the rear deck and another door leads to a rear hallway which in turns leads to the bathroom and later the kitchen. The kitchen is bright white and has large skylight and cabinets that are set a bit higher than standard. This place would work great for someone tall. There are multiple areas at the rear for outdoor living. There is room for a pool. An existing cistern could potentially be converted to a cocktail pool as well. I saw remnants of an irrigation system and outdoor lighting. There is even a bricked off street parking spot. Oh, there is even a cat that looks like Garfield that lives on the front porch.

Dade County Pine walls and original floors with new French doors that open to west side yard

Vaulted ceiling adds space and volume to the living room as stairway leads to loft bedroom

Extra tall kitchen cabinets fit well into this very tall kitchen!

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property. Or CLICK HERE to view a slide show of photos I took late Thursday for a potential buyer.

735 Poorhouse Lane is a short sale offered at $469,000. If you would like to see this property or any other house in Key West, please consider working with me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or by email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West. Living life on Poorhouse Lane does not have to be a bitch!