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Friday, July 14, 2017

1205 11th Street, Key West - Bank Owned House For Sale

Potential buyers seeking bargain priced homes in Key West may want to take a look at 1205 11th Street. This is a Bank Owned home which was under contract for several months. It went back on the market on Thursday afternoon. I took new photos earlier this morning. I think this is a real buying opportunity for someone.
This 1248 sq ft home is a concrete block structure with stucco overlay which was built prior to 1973. The Property Appraiser records on this house are in conflict as age of construction and size of the home. I found one reference to the house existing as early as 1973 and multiple records after that date. The house appears to be a conversion of a typical mid-century home which I would date in the mid 1950s or early 1960s. A two story cabana with mini kitchen and bath are located on the south side of the property adjacent to the large pool. A second one story cottage is located on the north east corner of the lot. It too has a mini kitchen and bath. The MLS listing only refers to the original house which has three bedrooms and two baths. The house sits on a 110' X 70 ' or 7840 sq ft lot in a nice single family home neighborhood located two blocks east of the ball fields on Kennedy Drive.
I dug down in my old shoe box and found an photo of the area taken by Ty Symroski and Wendy Tucker in 1999.  Loyal readers know I love showing older photos to help explain current Key West. The commercial area at upper right is the Searstown shopping center on North Roosevelt Boulevard. The large green expanse in the middle are the baseball fields for Key West youth who are among the best baseball players in the State of Florida year after year. The original Poinciana Elementary School is shown on the right side of the middle quadrant. A brand new school was built a couple of years ago to replace the old school which was razed. One of the three new fire houses in Key West is visible on the bottom left corner of the ball fields.  A skate park is now located adjacent. The town fathers and mothers make a big deal out of providing good clean alternative things for their kids to do which are totally separated from all the goofiness of Duval Street.  The KMART shopping center is located on the upper left corner. The medical professional medical building is just below that shopping area.
CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of the house and lot. The house sits in the middle of the lot. The master bedroom has French doors which open out to the pool area where there is a covered bar area and a separate cabana or pool house. The cabana is a two story building with a thatched roof. The thatching is real.  There is a lot of dust on the second floor which currently has some very dirty carpet of all things. I believe this building may have been used as a rental. If it was, it would have been an illegal rental as this is a single family residential neighborhood.
The north side of the property is dominated by a huge Royal Poinciana Tree under which is a small a separate one bedroom cottage with mini kitchen and bathroom. This cottage may be 15 ft by 10 ft or so. I am sure it is illegal. I would probably tear it down if I bought the house. In fact I would take down most of the awnings and semi-enclosed spaces some former owner added to the original house. I believe the original house could be so much more if there was much less mess.
CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 1205 11th Street, Key West which is offered for sale at $484,700.  The please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing of this home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

If you walk out the front door of this house and walk about 35 feet to the corner at Patterson and then walk one block and turn back and walk one block south you will find this delightful little lake located mid-way between North Roosevelt Blvd to the north and Flagler Blvd to the south. There are a couple channel cuts along the way which allows small water craft to move between the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean via the Riviera Canal. This is a sweet little neighborhood that deserves a look

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

923 Southard Street, Key West - Pretty as a Picture

Just listed, but not by me, 923 Southard Street in Old Town Key West. The original cigar maker's style cottage was built circa 1889. I found an old photo that shows pretty much the original structure as it appeared 50 some years ago (see the black and white photo below). If you look carefully you can see traditional clapboard siding at the front but board and batten siding (vertical siding) on the side.  You also will see a "sawtooth" addition at the rear. I suspect that was the kitchen at the time the photo was taken. A later owner expanded that space to include a second floor addition.  The resultant house today has 1476 sq ft of living space under air. The house sits on a large 2700 sq ft lot (approximately 27' x 100') lot located in the heart to Old Town.
Circa 1965
The listing Realtor describes this pretty as can be property as:
"This late 19th Century cottage is the perfect oasis in the heart of Old Town. Landscaped and fenced in the rear for total privacy, with an outdoor shower, arbor, heated plunge pool and a bodega for storage. The living area and hallway are bright with eastern light falling on the natural Dade County pine walls. The bright white kitchen gives onto the outdoors, and attached laundry room. Bedrooms are at opposite ends upstairs, separated by a hallway with skylights, closets and a nook. Step out of the master suite onto the deck overlooking the inviting scene below. The harbor and Duval Street are a short walk away. New roof in 2015, and 4 new split a/c units in 2016. Offered furnished."

Today this storybook cottage rests behind a picturesque white picket. The front porch provides the perfect perch for people watching.  Inside, you are greeted by a traditional long hallway on the right which leads to the kitchen and dining at the rear. The current owner removed a previously existing wall that separated a small front office from the adjacent living room. The newly expanded living room is a delight. The floors were refinished and look like new. Windows from the hallway on the east which filter into the living area.  Windows at the front and west side light the living room during the daytime. The Dade County Pine Walls are punctuated by the baseboards, trim, and crown molding all painted a crisp white.  

There is a full bathroom plus closets closets located at the rear of the living room. This space will come in handy as the second bathroom on the second floor is en-suite to the master bedroom.
The kitchen is a compact place to cook when the owner is dining at home versus going out to one of the nearby restaurants including Mangia Mangia, Michael's, Azul, or Cafe Sole. The owner created a nicely outdoor dining area under the trellis opposite the pool. The laundry room is located adjacent to the kitchen.
The turf is not real, but the sunshine, the trees, the singing birds are very real, and they are very much a part of the appeal of this magical back yard located in the heart of Old Town.
The front bedroom tells us a lot about the history of this house. There is an original scuttle located in the ceiling over the chair in the above photo. In the old days before air conditioning, scuttles were opened to allow warm air to rise through the space to the outdoors. Today the old scuttles  remind us of the miracles of electricity and interior refrigeration. The common hallway separates the two bedrooms.
The roof top balcony is the perfect spot to take an all-over Key West tan. It's also a great place to sit in the morning drinking your coffee or late at night as the warm breezes move across the island. The last couple of nights have been incredible as the full moon migrated across the sky with slow winds moving lots of clouds about. It was quite the show. When the conch trains, delivery vans, scooters, and cars stop the real noises of the island begin: the dog scratching off fleas, the occasional cat screeching, the gecko on the wall chirping, the fountain in the garden gurgling, the palms swishing. These are the sounds of Key West us locals love to hear.

923 Southard Street is offered at $1,024,900CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this treasure. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.


Saturday, July 8, 2017

6800 Maloney Ave #56, Key West - Price Reduced

The asking price on 6800 Maloney Avenue #56 in Key West has been reduced to $375,000. I wrote about the property when it was first listed. I liked it so much I thought about buying it myself. Seriously!  That same day a different brokerage listed two boat slips located in the nearby Oceanside Marina. Boat slip measures 40' X 14' and is offered at $262,000. The second boat slip measures 80' X 25' and is offered at $325,000. When I saw that I knew what I originally wrote about the value of 6800 Maloney was absolutely on point. Today's blog is an update on price.  A few days ago a different realtor listed a 60' X 25' boat slip at Safe Harbour Marina is offered at $360,000. They are offering water. This listing is offering a home and a water view of the same body of water.
A lot of people dream about buying a little place in the Florida Keys where they can get away from it all. Most of these dreamers don't mind if the place isn't "perfect". In fact, many prefer that it is not. That way they can fix what needs to be fixed and create their version of the perfect getaway cottage. Many of these dreamers really want a place on the water with a nice view - a place they can catch a few fish or play around on jet skis or take the boat out on open water. And the impossible dreamers hope to find such a place in or near Key West which can be purchased for not a lot of money. 
6800 Maloney Avenue #56 is located in the Harbor Shores Condominiums about 300 feet or so from the new Oceans Edge Key West Hotel and Marina. That hotel has become an instant "hit" because of its waterfront location, multiple pools, and proximity to Duval Street four miles down US1.  This is a manufactured home which sits on a fee simple lot (just like a stick built home up in Peoria or Pittsburgh). Here the property owner owns the house and the land but is also a member of a land based condominium association which owns the common streets and amenities including the boat docks.
The lot is an irregular shaped rectangle measuring 35 feet wide by about 100 feet long or 2753 square feet (which accounts for the irregular shape). There is a concrete seawall which extends about fifteen feet from the home. The water is pretty shallow in this location. An owner might be able to use a flat boat here and certainly could use personal watercraft.  Deep water access is available via the channel on the opposite side of this small bay.

Each of the homes in Harbor Shores is different. Some are trailers, some are modular homes, and there are several newly built stilt homes. This particular Palm Harbor home is a two bedroom two bath with 888 square feet of living space plus screened porch overlooking the water. There is an adjacent storage building also included.
The floors are primarily wall to wall carpet plus tile in the kitchen and baths. The kitchen cabinets are in good shape as are the bathrooms. The place is painted white and needs to be re-painted. A new owner might replace the windows and doors with impact glass which would reduce wind insurance and make it a snap for a seasonal owner to lock and leave. The listing agent told me she thinks a new owner could spend $20,000 and turn this place into something really charming.
CLICK HERE to view more photos of this home and the Harbor Shores development. This home has a parking space at front. Guest parking is located across the street. There is abundant boat dock age about fifty feet to the north. A fortunate few owners (like #56) are located directly on the water.  A couple of owners have replaced older homes with new stilt homes. I added a photo so that readers can see the kind of replacement property could be added to this site.
I found an aerial photo of the area as it appeared in 2012. The marina still exists but the old covered boat storage was taken down and new hotel and pools were built. Harbor Shores is located just above the once-standing Oceanside Marina boat barn. I think this photo demonstrates the lure of this location. In the past couple of years about half a billion dollars has been spent on several new developments on Stock Island. Locals and returning visitors know that Hog Fish restaurant and Roostica are located nearby. More restaurants are being added.
Duval Street is located four miles to the west. There is always something to do there. That's why I feel buyers who dream of having a little place in the Keys will find this place so appealing.CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet for 6800 Maloney Avenue #56 then call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West (listing broker for this property). Remember to click the photo link above as well.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is for discussion purposes only. Under no circumstances does this information constitute a recommendation to buy or sell securities, assets, real estate, or otherwise. Information has not been verified, is not guaranteed, and is subject to change.
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