615 Angela Street, Key West - The One You Have Been Waiting For!

Every now and then I get a phone call, an email, and even a personal visit (usually at an open house) from loyal readers of my little blog. Most are people who have a dream of someday owning a place in Key West. Many of my readers are people of normal means. They work 9:00 to 5:00 jobs and spend a part of workday doing what their company pays them to do and sometimes do a little internet cheating by keeping track of new listings that pop up on Zillow or other real estate search engines that they monitor throughout the day. It's true and you know it is. The more wealthy readers do it too. They just don't cheat their employer.

By now many readers have probably seen 615 Angela Street located in the Old Town area of Key West on the sites they use to search new Key West mls listings. I got to show the property on Monday to a prospective buyer. I thought others might like to know more about this really incredible property. Now, it isn't fancy. It is a simple house. But that is why I personally think it is incredible. It is a blank slate upon which a new owner can create a beautiful new home, garden, and pool in a very desirable location.

As we approached the house I pointed to the second floor front of the house and said that area had previously been a porch that is now enclosed. The listing Realtor walked across the street to greet us.  Introductions were made. He looked up to the porch and said the original porch was open and then enclosed by the family who has lived in this house for eighty years reconfirming what I had just told the potential buyers. (I went to my old shoe box and found a photo of this  house taken fifty years ago so readers can see how it looked like back in the day.)

The original house was built in the 1880s and was just one story tall. The second floor was added as the family grew larger and more space was needed. The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows this house as having 3004 sq ft of living space (measured from exterior walls with interiors only capable of being air conditioned - not including porches or decks). The house sits near the top of Solares Hill (located about 200 feet to the east) on a lot that measures 54' X 134' or 7,169 sq ft. The old photo shows us that the house is built close to the street and that means the back yard must be immense. It is more than that - I must use that word again "incredible".

CLICK HERE to view a GOOGLE MAP AERIAL VIEW of this house and its relation to the topography as well as its nearness to Duval Street and other areas of Old Town Key West. Use the little toggle switch in the right hand corner of the map to zoom down to see not only this house but also other nearby houses like the Phillip Burton house across the street and the Coca Cola mansion at the rear on Southard Street.

We started our tour of this home by first looking at the back of the property where there is room for a pool and possible expansion of the existing garage into something else. The house is large enough, may be too large. I will discuss that shortly. This property is recognized by the city as being a legal duplex. A new owner might expand the garage and turn it into a living space or make it into poolside cabana. The yard is large enough to accommodate expansion of the garage as well as pool, garden, and decks.

The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Unbelievable family home (now a legal duplex) atop of Solaris Hill in Old Town. Living room, dining room, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, wide covered front porch and rear wooden deck leading to huge backyard on ground floor. Living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms with Jack n Jill bathroom, plus office and additional room (has been used as a bedroom in the past), rear enclosed porch and outside rear wooden sundeck leading down to the same huge backyard. There is an outside utility room and a detached garage/workshop. Over 3,000 SF in main house. Pull down stairs in upstairs bedroom leads to a full attic. Surprisingly good condition inside."

First Floor Living Room. Note the very tall ceiling height.

Second Floor Living Room - About Eight Foot Ceiling Height

CLICK HERE to view the listing photos of this property. I took pics on my small pocket camera not intending to blog about this house. But after I saw the house I realized readers must see this place. The listing photos are great. Consider the height throughout the first floor. It is impressive. The height on the second floor is  closer to 8'. All interior walls and ceilings are Dade County Pine. There is a huge attic with wood floor. There is room in the attic and under the house to install central air conditioning.  

The house is so big that I think it might make sense to restore the original open second floor front porch and to open a portion of the now enclosed first and second floor areas to create porches that look out to a new pool and gardens. The house is built with balloon framing which I believe would allow a new owner to move existing interior walls into configurations that provide larger bedrooms and bathrooms and to add an interior stairway that does not presently exist.

615 Angela Street is offered at $1,195,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a personal showing of this (I gotta say it again) incredible house.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. This property will sell very quickly. This is the one you have been waiting for! Don't wait!

812 Johnson Lane, Key West - Two Houses, One Price!

If you are in Key West and are out and about today after church or after brunch, stop by my Open House at 812 Johnson Lane in Old Town Key West. I have put a GOOGLE MAP just below so that you can find me. The home will be open 12:00 to 2:00 PM.

812 Johnson Lane is actually located three blocks from Duval Street and about one-half block north of Truman Avenue on a single block that begins at Windsor Lane and ends at Packer Street. Most of the cottage style houses on this block date back to the beginning of the twentieth century. Several of the cottages have been renovated including one across the street that merited a Ceramic Star several years ago. This is a quiet little lane near everything, and 812 Johnson Lane is a bright little star on this street.

The front cottage was totally renovated in 2014. All interiors were gutted and replaced. Today there are two new large bedrooms with ample closet space, recessed lighting, crown molding, and new floors. There's a new travertine marble bath and a cute new kitchen complete with new cabinetry, granite counter-tops, and stainless steel appliances. The house is laid out with two bedrooms up front off the main hallway. The open living area is at the rear where beveled glass doors open out to the covered rear porch that overlooks the heated pool that is 5' deep. I mention the depth because size matters to some people.

 

The covered porch looks not only provides shelter from the sun but also provides a comfortable and protected space for poolside dining. You'll be surprised at how much time we Key Westers spend outside - that's a big part of the reason many of left our lives in the frozen north.

There is a second cottage at the far side of the pool. The owner obtained permission to add a bath and laundry to the cottage. There is also an outdoor shower on the back side of the cottage. The lot extends 117 feet from Johnson Lane to the rear property line. That's deep for a property in Old Town. When you look up to the sky you can actually see the sky and sunshine. There are nice trees on the neighboring houses which the neighbors get to take care of. Here, the owner gets to take care of tanning. This property would make an excellent vacation rental!

812 Johnson Lane is offered at $769,000. Please stop by and see me or CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this really cute two cottage buying opportunity. Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

210 Olivia Street , Key West, Florida

The listing agent, not me, describes the newly listed property at 210 Olivia Street in Key West this way:

"Renovation project on a double lot with accessory building, carport and plenty of off street parking. Main house 2/1 with additional 1/1 cottage. Inviting conch cottage with a great front porch and tons of Key West charm. The right buyer could really make this a spectacular home. Room for master bedroom addition and pool. Just a few blocks to Ft. Zachary beach and Duval St."

I poked around in the old shoebox and found a black and white photo of the house that was taken back in 1965. This particular photo shows the simplicity of design that makes these old houses so appealing to us today. To see what I mean compare the black and white photo to the color photo taken today. Granted the color photo was taken around noon when outdoor sunlight was at its worst for taking pictures. But if you look carefully you'll see some "modern" additions to this house that ought not to be there including aluminum windows. Little details like replacement with period-correct windows and a crisp white paint job would make this old home show more prominently.

I searched the Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine when this house was built.
The property was omitted from the 1889 map. The 1912 map definitely places 210 Olivia Street at the corner of what is now Hutchinson Lane. The 1889 and 1899 maps have the same house plus the same cottage in the rear, but the house numbers were different on all three maps. I am confident in stating that 210 Olivia Street existed as early as 1889. 

 210 Olivia Street is located on a large corner lot that runs 66' wide and 70' deep or 4818 sq ft. The existing house and out building total 917 sq ft per the listing Realtor. There is room to expand the house plus room for a pool and garden. A new owner might turn the rear cottage into a guest bed and bath or alternatively make it into a pool house.  The parking space in front of the rear cottage is accessed off Hutchinson Lane. A new owner might brick that space and put a nice picket fence around the property. I t

Olivia Street is a one way street that begins one block to the west and terminates about one mile to the east at Eisenhower Drive in the Meadows Area.The new City of Key West Truman Waterfront Park will be located near this property but Olivia Street will not be a thoroughfare - it is too narrow.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this home. You can see some interior photos. Understand that the interior will likely get ripped apart and put back together in any renovation. 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. 

1211 Duncan Street, Key West - Bank Owned!

There is a new Bank Owned home located at 1211 Duncan Street in Key West that bargain hunters will surely pounce on.  It has an affordable price tag for our town, just $424,700. It is in basic move-in condition, but it has room for improvement which will make it not only a better house down the road but also a more valuable home for eventual resale.

I dug not too far down into my old shoebox and found a black and white photo of the house taken fifty years ago. I took another from a similar location yesterday. The neighborhood has improved over the years. There are a lot of palm trees and bougainvillea bushes that line this small street that extends east from White Street about five blocks where it eventually ends at George Street. Tennessee Williams lived two blocks to the east at 1431 Duncan Street. It's a nice little area just south of Bayview Park.

1211 Duncan St, Key West in 1965

1431 Duncan St - the former home of author Tennessee Williams

The Monroe County Property Appraiser records show this house was built in 1933 which we all know was in the Great Depression when Key West was kept "alive" thanks to federal programs like the WPA. I guaranty that this house was not built in 1933. I looked at the Sanborn Fire Maps and found what I think is this property on the 1912 map. The house was located immediately east of 1209 Duncan and was only designated as "A" on the map. 1209 Duncan St. still exists today. So I am pretty confidant that 1211 Duncan existed as early as 1912. And it is probable that it existed earlier. The earlier Sanborn maps neglected this area entirely in the 1889 and 1899 maps.

The house has been updated over the years. The Property Appraiser website shows permits were taken out for various upgrades including roof replacement in 1996 and 2001, piers replacement in 2002, and upgrade to electric service also in 2002. The property was 'red tagged' in 2007 for various building code violations. The current layout suggests that a prior owner added some spaces that might have been used as rental units. For example, there is a second 'front' door to what is essentially a large bedroom with large private bath. If you look again at the black and white photo you will see a window to the right of the front door. That window is missing today and there is a second front door in its place. The original front door opens into a center hallway that leads to the rear where the great room where the combined living, dining, and kitchen are located. There are two bedrooms on the left side of the hallway and a bath opposite. There is a ladder that provides access to a 'loft' over the bedroom adjacent to the living area. The door at the back opens onto a small back deck where there is a second 'cottage'.

The back cottage is a 34' X 12' two room building with a 6' X8' bath extension. The building looks it was built within the last twenty or thirty years. There is a 16' X 16' deck which is accessed via the bathroom of all things. This is an unconventional layout. I have added photos below so that readers can see the cottage as it exists.

I think the highest and best use of this property would be to take this property back to a simple cottage with one front door and have just two or three good sized bedrooms with private baths. By taking down the existing wall between the two bedrooms on the left side of the house you could create a larger bedroom and perhaps use some of the space to expand the living area. That would surely be a plus in my opinion. I would ditch ladder to the silly loft space and instead increase the interior height of the bedroom which is now not quite claustrophobic but not good design either. The kitchen has been nicely updated. The black appliances are a bit harsh but will make do until they need replaced.

Take Down This Cottage and Put in a Pool and Garden!

I would take down the rear cottage and silly deck. I would then add a pool and install a nice covered rear deck. Less is often more.  Removing this odd duck cottage is the best thing a new owner could do with this property. There is plenty of room for a good sized pool and expansive deck and gardens. This area abuts the rear concrete block wall of a commercial building on White Street. Someone created a really nice tropical mural on the wall. I can envision a real garden that interacts with the mural. This could be quite an outdoor area if done correctly. CLICK HERE to view all the photos I took of this property.

1211 Duncan Street is offered at $424,700. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to show you this property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Don't miss this buying opportunity!