When I first saw the beautiful home at 2309 Flagler Avenue my mind flashed to Phillip Johnson's Glass House that he designed for himself half a century ago. The lines and feel are so similar. The Key West Glass House, however, invites you to look right through the glass walls to enjoy the year around beauty of the side and rear gardens. And we all know that Key West has New Canaan, Connecticut beat when it comes to weather.
The listing Realtor describes this property this way:
"You don't want to miss this hidden gem located on an oversized 7500 SF lot within bicycling distance to Old Town. This enchanting two-bedroom, two-bath home features 64 feet of floor-to-ceiling glass sliders and windows opening out from the remarkable living and dining areas to the gorgeous lanai and gardens, with a yard big enough to add a generous pool. Beautiful new Chicago brickwork at the entrance, driveway and circular patio, with multiple mature palms and verdant landscaping make this a very special property. Central air and heat, tiled and carpeted multi-level floors, new accordion shutters, loads of storage and an outdoor bar ready for entertaining. Cared for with love..."2309 Flagler Avenue was built in 1953 but recently had a major addition added to the side and rear. The original house was a ranch, and it is similar to many in the area that were built during the 50s and 60s. But that is where the similarities stop. The addition is a "knockout". The new glass addition was built to surround the original house at the side and rear. While the much of the house opens onto the outside, the neighboring properties have no view of the house.
Most homes have defined spaces the we recognize as front yards, back yards, or side yards. The home at 2309 Flagler Avenue does not have the kind of landscaping you expect in a home priced at just $427,200. This home has multiple outdoor spaces where small gardens and paths take you from place to place. The covered lanai off the living room is like an extension of the house into the outdoors. But that is only one of several outdoor spaces where design and function create wonderful, separate outdoor living areas.
The lanai off the glass walled living room
CLICK HERE to checkout the mls listing information and to view more mls photos. If you click my TWITTER you can view more photos I took of the property as well. Better yet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this beautiful home. This is a lot of house and a lot of value for the asking price. Call me to take a look at the Glass House to see for yourself. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc.
6 comments:
Hi Gary,
While I'm generally in agreement with your commentaries, I must take issue with one comment in this blog entry. From July 1st through September 30th, I'll take the weather in New Caanan, CT. (Perhaps I'm biased, having lived in a neaarby town for the last 25 years.)
Cheers,
Andrew
Andrew, Thanks for reading the blog. I wasn't trashing New Canaan. I had lunch there several years ago while antiquing with a friend from Westport. I remember the afternoon well: it was cold! lol
Gary
I love, love, love the looks of this house, but can't get my other half to look at it b/c it's on such a busy street. This one will be a great deal for the right buyer.
Flagler is a terribly busy street all the time - a major traffic zone best to avoid between the fire house on one corner and the only high school for all the lower keys it is a nightmare to drive and to exit or enter from driveway or side street. Location is #1 rule in real estate and Flagler is one lousy location for anyone to live and you will have many buyers turned off.
I'm glad that readers comment on the properties I write about. And I agree that location is really important. The location of this house is a big factor in the way this house is priced.
This is a fairly good sized house. It not only has an overly large lot for much of Key West, it also has an exceptional beautiful landscape that plays a big part of the way the owner could relate to the outside during the day and night. This property is an urban oasis priced at a deep discount.
If this house were located on Johnson Street in Casa Marina the same house and grounds would likely be priced around $1.5 million.
Yes, location matters. And so does opening your eyes and accepting that not every good house on this tiny island can be located in the "best" location. All I ask is for serious lookers to take a look.
Gary
It's definitely priced to sell in that location.
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