728 Windsor Lane - Old Town - Key West

If you are a potential buyer that is looking for a "small" project house, I may have found the house you are looking for. You may have driven by or walked by this house before and thought "cute" but decided it is too small or needs "too much work". Let me suggest that any buyer that wants a small house in Old Town with a pool keep an open mind and consider 728 Windsor Lane.

The listing Realtor describes 728 Windsor Lane this way:

"If you are a ready-to-act buyer who has been waiting for the chance to live in the charm district of Key West, this may be the house that causes you to take immediate action. While small, it is difficult to find a home in this area for under $300,000. The house has a great private shady yard. On the weekends, you can look forward to Operation Recharge. Sleep in on Saturday morning, drink your coffee, and relax. In the afternoon, jump on your bike and ride around and enjoy the tropical ambiance. As the sunsets,take a stroll down to Mallory Square and witnesses Key West's most famous sunsets!It's thrilling to live so close to the heart of KW music and entertaining district.There is some work to be done but for the size the price is a fit!"

CLICK HERE to read the listing info and view photos of the house. The house is only 654 sq ft. It presently has a living room,2 bedrooms, one bath and a kitchen. I guess you could call this a modified "eyebrow" house with a sawtooth addition. CLICK HERE. There is a recent addition to the rear that houses the laundry area. The lot is 1279 sq ft. 728 Windsor Lane is offered at $270,000 or $413 per sq ft.

A house like this will likely require total renovation. I'm no builder but I would expect the house to need some pier replacement, new joists, demolition and total renovation of the interior, new windows and doors, new electric, plumbing, and HVAC. The good thing is that the small size ought to keep the renovation costs somewhat contained.

The rear yard is surprisingly large. There is room for a real pool. The seller owns the adjacent property and will provide easy access for a backhoe to remove dirt and coral to keep the pool construction costs economical. CLICK HERE and CLICK HERE to see photos of the rear yard as it presently exists.

I have been in several old houses like this over the years. I always tell buyers to forget about what the inside structure or room configuration looks like today. Your architect and builder are going to rip it apart and will come up with a new house designed for today's living and put it inside of the four walls that presently exist. They'll probably wrap a pretty bow on the outside and end up getting a historic preservation award. Little gems like this mean so much and become so valuable once all the hard work is over.

728 Windsor Lane sits on Solares Hill in the Old Town area of Key West. The location is about a five minute walk to the shops and restaurants on Duval Street. The Historic Seaport is an equal distance walk. There is one little corner grocery about one half block to the east. And if you are afraid of cemeteries, the Key West cemetery is one block to the east. Windsor Lane at this location is a one way street that gets its share of lost tourist traffic. Most traffic is from locals and bicyclists. 728 Windsor Lane sits across the street from the Key West Writers' Compound which I have written about before. The former inhabitants of the Writers' Compound didn't settle on this location by accident. The red "X" on the aerial photo (above) marks the location of 728 Windsor Lane.

Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, if you would like to schedule an appointment to see this little cottage. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc.