I told you so!

Several of the Key West homes that I have suggested potential buyers should consider have sold. So I thought it would be interesting to look at the asking price and the sold price on those properties. If you are in the market to purchase a house in Key West this little exercise may give you some insight into how much individual houses have been selling for during the past few months.

I have suggested the Shipyard Condominiums at Truman Annex as a good property to consider purchasing because of the units are easy to rent year after year. There were 9 sales during the past year. The least expensive sale was listed at $500,000 and sold for $475,000. The median sale was listed at $590,000 and sold at $520,000.

The condos at 1800 Atlantic is another excellent property for second home buyers because the property has so many amenities and features that other properties do not have or that cost so much more. Many of the condos in 1800 Atlantic have transient rental licenses so they can be legally rented on a nightly basis. The property is 20 years old, so many of the units have been remodeled or upgraded. But not all. That means there is a disparity among the units offered for sale. And some units have transient licenses, and others do not. The existence of licenses and the location of the unit in the building do affect the sales price. There were 5 sales with the least expensive

603 Angela Street. This property has not sold yet, but the price has been reduced from $799,000 to $749,000. I think this is a very good buy somewhere in the low $700s. The owners really want to sell, and I believe a strong cash offer with a quick closing date might receive a favorable reply.

On February 14th I wrote about falling prices and suggested several houses to consider. 1191 Oliva was $610,000 and now reduced again to $575,000; 716 Olivia is unchanged; 814 Ashe unchanged; 804 Elizabeth has been reduced again and now priced at $1,495,000; 916 Washington (originally priced at $3.75 million and reduced to $2,999,000 on Feb 11 went contingent on Feb 25th--smart buy at whatever price); 727 Waddell unchanged; 1800 Atlantic C229 reduced from $404,00 to $350,000 on March 6th.

On February 12th I wrote about a wonderful home at 724 Ashe originally sold for $1,265,000 and listed as a short sale at $995,000. This house went contingent on March 3rd. This was a deal!!!

On February 9th I wrote about units at the Key West Beach Club. I showed 3 of the units last Friday. The next day the owner of one of the units received a very good offer but it required the sale of another property. The Beach Club owner did not accept the offer, but it is being negotiated. The unit was reduced in price and the new price is very competitive.

The grand old dame at 625 Eaton ( February 5th)is our listing and we received a very good offer last week, but terms could not be finalized. This is a property that could sell quickly to a buyer ready to close the deal. Call me.

301 Peacon Lane was listed at $1,349,000 when I wrote about it on February 1st. It has been reduced to $1,295,000. It is a sweet deal in the making.

On January 25 I wrote about a short sale at 627 Southard. It was a new listing and the seller immediately received a very attractive offer. He responded by increasing the asking price from $1,500,000 to $1,700,000. Several sellers have done the same in the past couple of months. Some think the market has corrected too far and that prices are on the upswing.

709 Windsor Lane was another short sale I wrote about on January 22. It is now contingent.

Back on January 15th I wrote about 630 Eaton which is a commercial property right in the heart of Old Town. It went contingent February 19th. Don't think that buyers are not buying. They are.

1236 Washington was my subject on January 13. It was priced at $1,649,000 and now is reduced to $1,499,000. Beautiful home!

710 Caroline was priced at $1,795,000 when listed in January 2007. It was reduced to $760,000 on February 28. Somebody buy this house. Terrific location overlooking the Key West waterfront.

On January 9th I wrote about a beauty located at 1108 Southard. It was listed at $1,495,000. The price was reduced to $1,385,000 and went pending on February 25. Another sweet deal I am sure. The house is sweet and the asking price was realistic.

I wrote about 1101 Fleming several times. It was listed March 1, 2007 for $850,000 by a realtor who did not understand the market in my opinion. The house is very nice, very good location, but it was way overpriced. She thought the location warranted the excessive price. She was wrong and I think she did her client a disservice in listing the property too high for too long. The absentee owner engaged a new realtor who listed the house for $599,000 on January 4, 2008. It sold for $570,000 on March 4th. That was the best deal on a 2 bed, 2 bath house in Old Town with a pool and a great location. Ya'll should shoot yourselves for missing this one. I told you so!