616 Eaton Street - A Key West Landmark - SOLD

616 Eaton Street in Old Town Key West may be the most photographed house in town. It sits far back on the lot behind a relic of a rusty iron fence on Eaton Street, a main thoroughfare where Conch Trains, Trolley Cars, taxicabs, bikes, scooters, and pedestrians pass every day. The house looks like it hasn't been painted in decades and sometimes looks like it might even be haunted.

The United Methodist Church (also known as the Old Stone Church) sits to the west. The gracious mansion at 620 Eaton Street sits to the east. Tourists from around the world and locals pass by this old house daily. I doubt there's a person who has said something like "someday somebody is going to buy that old place and fix it up".  That's exactly what happened this week when Frank Kirwin of Preferred Properties Key West sold 616 Eaton Street for $1,850,000 - cash.  Frank reports the new owner is going to restore the old girl and add onto the property at the rear.

I got to show this property several times over the past few years. Frank Kirwin sold the same property a in 2012 to the owner of neighboring property who sliced off part of the rear lot to add onto the other property. A small cottage was added to that parcel. The remaining lot, while a bit smaller, is still huge by Key West standards - 19,018 sq ft.  The irregular shaped lot runs about 267 ft to the south and jots about 86 ft to the west behind the rear of the Old Stone Church. The lot is enormous. And that is part of the attraction of this property. There is nothing else like it.

I first showed showed this house was several years ago when a former owner had a for sale by owner sign post out front. Back then that owner wanted $5.5 million.  The price eventually came down. It sold for much less, $1,700,000, in 2012.  I remember the first time I walked inside the house. I was expecting a mansion. Instead, I entered a Plain Jane room with a sofa sitting in the middle of the room facing an old color television which was turned on. As I recall there was a bare light bulb fixture hanging from the ceiling that illuminated the room. The room at the very front (viewed in the black and white photo above) was a spartan bedroom. The kitchen was at the rear. A bank of 80 windows offered views of the enormous back yard obscured by years of grime.

A child's old playhouse can be seen it the photo above. There is room for a real house, a pool, and maybe a tennis court on this huge lot. Who knows what will be built here. In the meantime, please look at photos I have collected off the internet and some that I took that show how this old house looks before it gets restored. Let's remember the past as we look forward to the future.

1711 Atlantic Boulevard - Key West - Renovate this Mid-Century House or Tear It Down and Build New?

1711 Atlantic Boulevard in Key West offers an interesting opportunity to renovators, flippers, and builders looking for a new project. This architecturally pleasing mid-century home was built in 1958 is different than most Key West mid-century homes built 50s and 60s which are concrete block with stucco finish on slab foundations a tad bit elevated over street grade. There are two additional factors that distinguish this house from others that make this property particularly appealing.

First, the house sits on a large 8050 (70' X 111') square foot lot across from the City of Key West Nature Preserve situated between Beach Club Condominiums to the west and 1800 Atlantic Condominiums to the east. Nothing will ever be built on this stretch of ground - no houses, no condos, no nothing.

Second, the family that built this brought in fill dirt and elevated the site about five feet above Atlantic Avenue as well as neighbors to the west, east, and rear. Rain water drains off this lot and not into it. That's important in the current day when elevations are used in pricing flood insurance. Beyond the cost savings of flood insurance is the opportunity to possibly add a second story above the current house or alternatively build a new house which might get water views of the ocean located on the other side of the mangroves - maybe 300 feet to the south. Click GOOGLE MAP for a view of this home.

The existing house has been added onto over the years. A small building at the rear was expanded as well. That structure abuts property lines and is grandfathered. You could not build that building today, but you would not be required to take it down. According to the Monroe County Property Appraiser this house has 1802 sq ft of living space. However, it looks like a doorway between the main house and the Florida room was removed which expanded the real living area by an additional 288 sq ft. There is another room with 121 sq ft of space to the rear of the garage that provides interior storage. So the actual square footage of usable square feet is much larger than one would see by viewing the public record. (The rear building is not shown on the Property Appraiser site and the square footage of that building is not included in any property valuation.)

If you are like me you have probably watched countless HGTV shows where 1950s homes have been updated and sold or renovated to meet the way we live today. 1711 Atlantic Avenue embodies the spaces, usage, materials, and style different era. Key West has a 50% limitation on spending for renovation of homes. The limitation is related to value of the improvements and not value of land and the structure.  And that is the conundrum - whether to spend money to renovate and bring this fairly large house into the 21st Century, or whether to tear it down and build new. Renovation costs in Key West are very high.  Every penny would count on a renovation of a house like this.

On the other hand, if a new owner would tear down this house and build new, the only limitations would be budget, complying with city building height and density issues, and imagination. I urge potential buyers to CLICK HERE to view more photos of the lot and house and then ponder how you would handle this property. Key West has few opportunities as good as this. This won't be a cheap deal, but it could end up being a fantastic property.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet of 1711 Atlantic Boulevard. Better than looking at pictures on the internet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a private showing of this property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

Key West Guest House - Price Reduction

The asking price on the Frances Street Bottle Inn in Key West was just reduced to $2,450,000. The listing Realtor describes this eight room guest house this way:

"The Frances Street Bottle Inn is a well established guest house in the heart of old town Key West. The house has been lovingly restored and is a beautiful example of historic Key West architecture. There are eight lovely rooms, seven transient and one non-transient. In addition to the guest rooms there is a spacious lounge/dining room, an office/reception area and a wide porch where guests relax in the mornings and evenings and watch the world go by. Two of the guest room suites have living rooms and all have an outdoor space. Two of the guest rooms have brick patios. The guesthouse is perfectly located in the heart of old town within walking distance to everything."

One of the reasons visitors to Key West stay in guest houses as opposed to hotels is the building itself and the character of the proprietor.  Guests seem to love our old houses that have been transformed into small inns. They often love the people that own the guest houses or who work there. When that happens, those guests tend to return to the same place year after year. Some guests return multiple times during the year.

 I searched the Sanborn Fire Map for 1889 and found what I believe to be the main part of the current building now known as 1011 Southard Street.  I dug into the old shoebox and found a photo taken from the Frances Street side in 1965 with a notation that the building was built in the 1920s.  I think that is when the one story addition was constructed because the 1912 Sanborn Map did not show the addition.

The building's current structure has 2920 sq ft of living area under air conditioning. This does not include any of the deck areas.  The building sits on a 3445 sq ft lot (53' on Frances Street opposite Cafe Sole by 65' on Southard Street). There is no pool but there is space on the east side east side where a new owner might add a pool.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos.  Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this property.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

The Game of Frowns

A couple of days ago a fellow Realtor told me the story of a recent sale where the agent represented both the seller and the buyer in a real estate transaction. The house sold for a whole lotta money.  The seller's attorney had approved all contract documents including an addendum that itemized personal property the seller was leaving in the property including four TVs mounted to the walls. There should have been no surprises at or after closing. But there was. It seems the seller's moving company removed the four television sets and took them far, far away.  When the agent discovered that the TVs were gone, calls to the seller to return the TVs fell on deaf ears. So the agent bought for new TVs to make the buyer happy. The Seller was happy. The Buyer was happy.  The Realtor was a couple of thousand dollars poorer and wore a frown all week long.

1616 Atlantic Boulevard Unit No.2, Key West, Florida - Oceanfront Living

Casa Caselles is an ocean front town home community of just twenty units located at 1616 Atlantic Boulevard in Key West, Florida. 1616 Atlantic Boulevard Unit No. 2 is a three level unit with two bedroom two and one half baths. It has under unit parking plus two balconies plus a private gated rear garden and patio.  The listing Realtor describes this 1940 sq ft property this way:

"This three-story townhome at glamorous Casa Caselles has two balconies with ocean views and two balconies overlooking the lush and green nature preserve. The modern kitchen is light and bright and each spacious bedroom has a walk-in closet and a sleek well-appointed bath. There is covered parking at the front door and a private and tranquil rear courtyard. The oceanfront pool is one of the prettiest in Key West. There are no rentals at Casa Caselles so the neighbors are all owners or their guests."

Casa Caselles was built in 1980.  All of the units underwent extensive renovation in 2006.
 when the roofs, balconies, and facades were updated. The complex is professionally managed and always looks beautiful. The first sight you see when you pass through the double iron entry gates are two twin palms located at the far end of the driveway. The palms frame the entry to the spectacular ocean front pool and deck. 

Unit #2 is now vacant and ready for a new owner to move right in. The places is squeaky clean.  The main living area is on the second floor. A contemporary staircase runs from ground level (where the parking, patio, and garden are located to the second and third floors.

 The terra cotta flooring is a continuing architectural element throughout this unit. The flooring continues past the sliding glass doors out to the second and third level decks that overlook the nature preserve. The flooring contrasts to the newer white kitchen cabinets and Corian counter tops. Plantation shutters provide filtered privacy in the dining area.

The master bedroom and bath are located on the nature preserve side of the unit. The guest bed and bath are located opposite. Each room has private bath and access to an exterior balcony.

Each unit at Casa Caselles has private under unit parking, a private rear garden area, and shared access to the spectacular ocean front pool.  Anytime some civic group shoots of fireworks at Higg's Beach, you could walk out to the pool for a spectacular view of the fireworks. On other days, you can watch our beautiful sunrises and sunsets for free. HOA fees are $1800 paid quarterly and include cable, common area and pool maintenance. This unit has approved shutters and receives full windstorm mitigation credit. No rentals are permitted.

CLICK HERE  to view more photos of the Casa Caselles property.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos on this property which is offered at $735,000.  Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Let me help you buy your place in Paradise.