812 Fleming Street #5, Key West - Classic Key West Architecture

I have been selling houses and condos in Key West for twenty years. I remember a conversation I had with an agent in my office at the beginning of my real estate career. The lady agent had made a remark about a particular house as if she had just been inside. That puzzled me because the house was just listed that day. I asked her how she knew so much about the new listing. She said something like "Gary, there are only so many houses in Key West. We keep selling the same houses over and over again."  I got it. And that remark has stuck with me over the years because it applies not only to the theme of selling homes in a limited market area but also of having been inside the same house (or condo) on multiple occasions over the years. That is the case for the new listing at 812 Fleming Street #5, Key West.  I wrote about this same unit several years ago when it looked much different than it does today. Back then the unit had been abused by a renter who fancied himself to be an artist. I called the guy a lamebrain. The place has had two owners since my previous blog. The vestiges of the man without a brain are completely eradicated. Today the unit is spiffy clean and ready for a new owner who will have the best view of the gayest street in all of Key West.

Unit #5 is located on the top floor of the Seafoam Condominiums - a six unit residential condominium complex which also includes two commercial condos on the ground floor - a doctor's office and a tuxedo rental shop. Timmy Tuxedo to be exact. The building was renovated into condominiums a couple of decades ago. I remember the first time I entered the place. I was awed by the architecture. This is simply one of the most magnificent buildings in all of Key West.

The historic is laid out with solid geometric precision. There are basically four residential units on each floor with two units in the rear which have views of the pool and two units in front which share a large balcony spanning the width of the building.A partition provides privacy for the units on either side. A skylight in the middle of the atrium fills the hallways with light during the daytime.

This one bedroom unit is laid out fairly simply. Although two doors can provide entry into the unit, the primary access door is located off the kitchen. An adjacent closet provides a bit of storage as well as spatial separation from the combined dining and living room. A door opens from the living area out to the covered front porch.

There is a wide doorway opening out from the bedroom into the living room. A door on the window side opens into a small hall that leads to the bathroom. (The bathroom is located next to the kitchen and serves as guest bath without having to go into the bedroom.) Another door opens from the bedroom out to the front porch. CLICK HERE to view more photos.

I personally love this outdoor space. You can sit on this porch and watch Key West come alive in the morning. At first light you will see joggers and dog walkers. Later delivery trucks and carpenters and building tradesmen will appear on their way to work. Later trolley cars and trains will mix with tourists in cars and on bikes making their way down this street filled with homes of former millionaires and current ones. An hour or so before sunset you will notice the traffic dies down and the sidewalks become more busy as tourists head west on either side of Fleming Street with their destination being either Mallory Square to watch sunset celebration or a bar or restaurant or both. In the late evening tourists and locals will walk back to their guest house or hotel room or to their home. Duval Street and the Historic Seaport are only a couple of blocks away. This is the perfect location to be near both. And around 5:00 PM on the next to last Friday of each October, this balcony will have one of the best views of the Peoples Parade during Fantasy Fest.

The Seafoam Condominiums have a shared pool surrounded by palm trees and tropical foliage. The small cottage at poolside is the coin operated laundry.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet for 812 Fleming Street Unit 5 which is offered for sale 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.