Southpark Condominium - 804 South Street - Key West

804 South Street - Key West, Florida

Chillest Pool on the Island!

804 South Street Unit No. 103 is located on the second floor and has 640 sq ft of interior living space plus a large and sunny deck located just off the bedroom. There is a second floor front balcony as well that is great for people watching. The unit has been recently renovated with the installation of a new high end kitchen, bath, new plumbing and electric, and split system air conditioning. The real wood floors are beautiful. Everything about this unit speaks chic and sleek. The interiors are just stunning compared to other properties in this price range - or higher.

Front balcony for people watching

Sleek new kitchen with Bosch appliances

Private deck off the bedroom

Parking is adjacent to the building

Cottage at the rear of the pool provides additional storage for each owner

This unit is one of sixteen units (four in each building with two up and tow down) in the Southpark Condominiums. Each unit has one dedicated off street parking spot plus one big storage container in the separate cottage located near poolside. This unit is offered at just $339,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property. Condo fees are $425 monthly and include building maintenance, building insurance, common area and pool maintenance. This condo association is qualified so you can get a new mortgage on this property.


I sold two units in the South Park Condos in the past two years. My buyers love their getaway homes. And for good reason. The buildings and grounds are well maintained; they have one of the prettiest pools on the island; units are owner occupied or rented on a long term basis; and the location is close to Higg's Beach to the south and South Beach to the west (sounds odd, I know, but it is Key West geography). CLICK HERE to view a slide show of photos I took of this property.

If you would like to see this or any other property in Key West please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

1123 Von Phister Street - Casa Marina Cutie - Key West

1123 Von Phister Street - Casa Marina Area - Key West

Frequent readers know that I live in the Casa Marina area of Key West (it's the quieter location close to the Atlantic Ocean where home most of the homes are large and sit on equally large lots). Preferred Properties (that's where I work but this is not my listing) has a small cottage style home that is actually located only a few doors from where I live. I wrote about this cottage home when it was first listed. I am surprised that it has not sold yet. I decided to comment about the place again. The listing Realtor who also lives in the area describes the property like this:

"This lovely 2/2 Conch cottage is located on a quiet street in the desirable Casa Marina neighborhood. Some of the home features include a living room with cathedral ceiling, kitchen with granite countertops, two french doors (one off the of master bedroom), two patios plus a covered porch to enjoy the excellent outdoor living that Key West has to offer. Property is set back from the street for additional privacy."

Vaulted ceilings and large living spaces

The cottage sits behind a white picket fence to the rear of the 36' x 94' (3404 sq ft) lot. The cottage has 854 sq ft of living space plus decks. The Monroe County public records show the house was built in 1938, but we know that was during the Great Depression. Other larger houses in this particular block were built in 1906 and 1907. I suspect this cottage was built some time prior to 1938. Public records also show that the house was updated in 2000. The interiors offer large vaulted ceilings and user friendly bedroom spaces. Even though this place is called a 'cottage' it has all the convenieces of a much larger space. Offered at just $595,000.


CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet on 1123 Von Phister Street. Better yet, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a showing of this home. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West. Let me show you around the neighborhood. I know you will love the area.

1320 Grinnell Street -Casa Marina Contemporary - Key West

Just listed by Preferred Properties, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 1320 Grinnell Street in the Casa Marina area of Key West. The listing Realtor describes the chic new listing this way:

"Situated in the heart of the Casa Marina, is this meticulously designed contemporary 2 story 2 bedroom 2 1/2 bath main building with a separate two story guest cottage. Superb finishes provide the ideal indoor and outdoor Key West Living space. As you enter you are greeted by a spacious living/dining area with an ultra-modern kitchen. Large glass sliding doors reveal the infinity pool and lanai complete with an outdoor gas fireplace. On the second level is a guest suite and sitting area with an entertainment center overlooking the lush landscaping and pool. The separate cottage contains a living area and loft style bedroom with a shower bath all opening to the pool."

Then she adds "This is not a drive by." Amen to that!

Foyer

As soon as you cross the threshold you instantly become aware that this is no ordinary residence. The house is populated with large rooms with open spaces but also little niches that evoke a sense of something semi-sacred. There is a fluidity that beckons the first time visitor to quickly move from point to point to see what might possibly be next. The views of the pool and garden (designed by Key West landscape architect Craig Reynolds) beckon those on the inside to go out to the pool. Once outside the view of the inside is equally enticing. Something extraordinary must be going on inside. Nothing is static. This house had endless possibilities.

The pool and gardens seem to flow into the living area. When you go out to the guest cottage the doors and view there seem to draw the guest to go back outside.

View from inside the guest house shower. Time for a dip?

I'll bet you figured out the small building is the guest cottage. That's easy. Are you wondering what is located upstairs to the left? Do you suppose that is the master suite? If so, what is the behind the rail on the second level? And what is going on with the waterfall to the left?

Second floor master bedroom with en-suite bath and balcony overlooking the garden and pool below.

Master bath

Pool area as viewed from private deck off the master bedroom

Second level gallery with loggia that overlooks the pool

The Casa Marina area is known for its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, the nearby beaches, and a wide variety of architectural styles that blend into a welcoming neighborhood. Unlike the Conch Cottages, Grand Conch Houses, and Eyebrow Houses that populate most of Old Town, the Casa Marina area has a pluralism of architectural styles. There are some historic homes, many mid century homes, a few candidates for demolition or renovation, and some estate properties. Most of the homes in the Casa Marina area are priced over one million dollars, but there is the occasional bargain home that is small or a place that needs some updating. And then there are homes like the fabulous house located directly opposite 1320 Grinnell Street that was featured in Architectural Digest in July, 2010.

I took more photos which you can see if you CLICK HERE. If you want to see some incredible nighttime photos, you must CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. 1320 Grinnell Street has 2657 sq ft of living space under air. The grounds are 74'x80' or 5992 sq ft. The home is offered at $2,200,000.

If you are looking to purchase a home in Key West and are not working with another Realtor, please consider asking me to help you find your place in Paradise. Contact me, Gary Thomas at 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc.

Mr. Potato Head

One of the very best Christmas gifts I ever received was given to me by my big sister back in the early 1950's - it was a Mr. Potato Head. Unlike the Mr. Potato Heads today, you needed a real potato to make this toy work. Today's version is made out of plastic and to me that is just 'wrong'.

The thing I liked about Mr. Potato Head was that I could make him become whoever I wanted him to be. He could look happy, for sure. But I could put his ears or nose in a funny place or move his eyebrows or smile to an odd location and create my own chameleon of sorts. The 1950's was much different from 2012. I was easily amused.

I was talking to another local real estate agent a couple of weeks ago about an experience he had at an open house a few days earlier. I want to relate that episode to my readers because it is a bit instructive about how real estate is sometimes marketed and sold in Key West.

Here is the set-up and the cast of characters. The names and places have been changed to provide a bit of amusement. Location a lovely old Conch House on a nice street in Old Town Key West. An OPEN HOUSE sign invites passers-by to enter to see the house that is for sale. The Asking Price is over a million bucks (isn't everything in Key West?). Inside is Mr. Green Jeans, an affable real estate agent seeking a buyer for his listing. Mr. Potato Head is another local real estate agent at a different real estate company. Mr. and Mrs. Offput are customers of Mr. Potato Head.

The house itself has many of the attributes first and second home buyers want in a place in Key West: three bedrooms, three baths, a pool, and a great location. The place is old but very well cared for. There are no major issues affecting the value of the house other than it is probably priced too high.

The OPEN HOUSE was advertised in the Key West Citizen, our local newspaper. Mr. Green Jeans placed an Open House sign on the street as well. Dozens of tourists entered the house to see what they might possibly buy were they in the market. Several actual real estate buyers showed up to see the house. The potential real buyers seemed excited about the property which pleased Mr. Green Jeans. As is often the case, some neighbors also stopped by to see what their fellow neighbors house looks like and how much it might cost. A favorite past time of many Key Westers is to go house shopping on Sunday afternoons even though they have absolutely no intention of buying anything.

Mr. Green Jeans allowed lookers to move about the house and offered information to anyone who had questions. One couple announced that they had recently purchased another house on the same block. They just wanted to see this particular house because they had not done so when they were looking. The couple moved from room to room. They went out to the pool and talked to each other about various features. Then they went upstairs where they were alone, whereupon Mr. Green Jeans overheard the following exchange:

Mrs. Offput said "Why didn't' we see this when we were looking?"

Mr. Offput replied "Mr. Potato Head said it wasn't what we were looking for".

Mrs. Offput countered "We could have bought this house for a hundred thousand dollars more than we paid for that piece of sh*t house we bought across the street!"

"Mr. Potato Head said it wasn't what we wanted," Mr. Offput said in defense.

Mrs. Offput cried "We could have had this house that is so much larger and so much nicer than the one we bought. If only you hadn't put me on that damned budget!"

Mr. Offput lamented "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

When Mr. Green Jeans related the story of the dueling duo I reminded him that Mr. Potato Head had actually listed the same house a couple of years earlier for a couple of hundred thousand dollars more than the current asking price. I searched the old mls records and looked up the words Mr. Potato Head used to describe the same house. Mr. Potato Head only used glowing terms in his listing. He made it sound like anyone would fall in love with the place.

Mr. Green Jeans then told me that Mr. Potato Head had listed and sold the house that the Offputs purchased. Everything fell into place.

The Key West Association of Realtors mls website is open for all potential buyers to view active listings. Buyers tend to shop online by price, location, and somewhat by photos. The Offputs are responsible for not insisting on at least looking at the house they later regretted not buying. You can't really blame any agent for wanting to sell his or her own listing.

If you are looking for a place in Key West and are not working with a Realtor, please consider working with me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. I am no potato head.

821 Southard Street - Old Town - Key West

821 Southard Street, Key West, Florida - 1965

821 Southard Street, Key West, Florida - March 2012

821 Southard Street has a very calming affect on me each time I show the house. It reminds me of my grandmother's house. It is to comfy-cozy. It sits high up off the ground. The house sits back from the street protected by a white picket fence. Two giant palms flank the house to provide cooling shade in the hot afternoon sun. The porch runs the width of the house where an owner could sit and watch the world pass by.


The front door enters directly into the living room which runs from front to the back of the house. Every time I have been to this home the rear French doors have been opened and my view has always been drawn to the beautiful rear deck. The master bedroom is located on the right side of the house. A second bedroom is on the left rear side, just off the dining area. The kitchen is located at the right rear. The kitchen has large windows that look out onto the covered rear deck. If I owned this home, I replace the windows and create a serving bar type of arrangement. The current owner recently added a second bath in the rear bedroom located just off the rear deck. This bedroom has a tall vaulted ceiling and might make an excellent master suite.

Rear Bedroom with vaulted ceiling

821 Southard Street is a 3 bedroom 2 bath house of 1526 sq. ft. that sits on a large 5400 sq. ft. lot (54'wide x 100' deep). The present garden is lush and dense. There is a great view of the steeple of a nearby church and the giant trees in other yards create a grand view from the covered rear deck. There is no pool, but there is plenty of room to install one. There is a small cottage at the right rear of the garden. Perhaps that cottage could be transformed into a cabana or a poolside bar. Oh, and look at the photos below. If you used the rear bedroom as the master suite, wouldn't it be just wonderful to wake up in the morning and look out to that garden. CLICK HERE to view more photos of the property in a slide show format.

Ample room beyond deck for a good sized pool

Perhaps a potential cabana or pool bar

The listing Realtor describes the property:

"Picture perfect one level cottage with three bedrooms, three baths on a large 5400 square foot lot with offstreet parking. This very charming home is filled with light and features an open floor plan with tall ceilings and wood floors. The very large living/dining room opens through french doors to a covered porch, deck and generous sized back yard with plenty of room to add a pool. In addition there is an outbuilding for storage or would make a great pool cabana."

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CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to view listing photos of this property. 821 Southard Street is offered at $995,000.

If you would like to see 821 Southard Street or any other property in Key West, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc.

815 Sawyers Lane - Old Town - Key West - Picture Perfect

The Picture Perfect Key West Home...

The Real Thing!

If you had a checklist of features you want in your Key West dream home, I'll bet that list includes three bedrooms, two baths, a pool, off street parking, cute as a button, located on a Key West lane, and reasonably priced.

Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. (that's where I work but this is not my listing) offers the near perfect Key West dream house. The listing Realtor describes the lovely eyebrow house at 815 Sawyers Lane this way:

"This classic eyebrow home is located on a hidden lane in the heart of the Historic Key West Seaport District. The property features 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a great room with French doors that open to an enclosed patio area, lap pool, and lush tropical setting. The second floor master suite offers privacy, extensive storage, and a separate balcony with French doors that invite warm breezes from the Gulf. The bricked driveway, blooming hibiscus, and inviting front porch welcome you to this charming retreat in the heart of Old Town."

Sawyers Lane enters from William Street

815 Sawyers Lane was built circa 1889. The Key West seaport is just a block to the north. Many of the houses and commercial buildings of that era still exist. Most of the homes have been updated to meet the needs of modern living. This home was updated in the 1990's. If this home has a drawback, it is the 1990's kitchen. The cabinets are dated. Woe! Alas! The world is coming to an end! That, Dear Reader, is an easy fix.


Downstairs you will find what appear to be the original wood floors which have been white washed. The kitchen is located up front on the right. Two guest bedrooms and a main floor bath are on the left side. A center hall lures you to the rear of the house where the new great room was added. This room has a high vaulted ceiling and several sets of doors that open onto the pool at the rear or the decks on the left and right side of this eyebrow home. The master suite is located on the second floor. It features a large bedroom and super huge bath plus a nice rear balcony that overlooks the seaport. You can see the water and some boats. The home has 1370 sq ft of living space. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to see listing photos of this eyebrow home.


CLICK HERE to view a slide show of photos I took of this home it was listed in mid December. Note how lovely the place looks in December when most places up north are frozen or at least dull and dormant.

If you would like to see this house or any other property in Key West, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

1114 Fleming Street - Grand Conch House - Key West

The asking price on the Grand Conch House at 1114 Fleming Street was reduced to just $1,050,000 yesterday. I think this house is worthy of serious consideration by any buyer who wants a large and historic home in Old Town Key West. The listing broker describes the property thus:

"Elegant award winning circa 1886 home with natural cypress siding situated on a beautiful tree lined street. Featuring four bedrooms and four and one-half baths including a separate guest cottage overlooking the pool and patio with covered outdoor dining. The kitchen has a large living area with dining. There is also a downstairs bedroom suite and another room suitable as a den, library or office. There are two bedrooms each with baths ensuite upstairs. The master suite has a walk-in closet and opens to a sunny sitting porch. The property is complete with two off-street parking spaces and much of the designer furnishings are available."

Off street parking for two cars

I showed this home earlier this week. I remembered how lovely it is but at the same time I had forgotten how really lovely it is. This old home has grace and charm that just do not exist in the new houses that are being built today that are supposed to replicate the grand houses of yore.

Last year this house was featured in the Old Island Restoration Foundation's February House Tour and described the property thus: "this two-story home, with its saw tooth additions at the back, was awarded a ceramic star from the Historic Florida Keys Foundation in 1983, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It has maintained its charm while incorporating modern amenities for today's living. Floors are old wide plank pine, doors are old, and most of the large windows are original to the house." This house has all of the charm buyers of big old homes want. And this home would make a great vacation rental if a new owner wanted to rent it.


No matter how you describe this house, you can't deny the sheer beauty of the simple lines and the unique pique the Cypress wood siding gives to the property. The house is quite large and boasts four bedrooms and five baths, a guest cottage, pool and patio with covered dining area. The garden area has recently been pruned and some of the once almost overpowering palms have been removed. And the pool was resurfaced recently. If you have seen this house before, you ought to take a second look now that the asking price on this 2510 sq ft home is $1,050,000 or $512 per sq ft. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to view the listing photos. I forgot to take my Brownie with me, so no more pics from me.

If you would like to see 1114 Fleming Street, or any other home in the Old Town area of Key West, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.