916 Fleming Street - Old Town- Key West - Price Reduction

There has just been a new price reduction on 916 Fleming Street in Old Town Key West. The new reduction makes this great home the least expensive major house on a price per square foot basis ($599.25 to be precise). I have written about some of these other houses before I don't want today's blog to appear that I am disparaging any of those houses because I am not. But I am suggesting that a bargain shopper might want to do some comparison shopping.

916 Fleming Street is located on millionaires row where you will find some of the finest homes in Old Town. This stately home has been dramatically renovated and has all of the amenities a discerning home buyer could ask for.

The Monroe County property records show the house was built in the 1930s but we all know the old court house burned down and the property records were destroyed. I found an old photo that says the house was built in the 1920s.  Like many of the older homes, 916 Fleming Street was substantially rebuilt and added onto. The most recent renovation expanded the size to 2637 sq ft. The house now has four bedrooms, four full bathrooms and two half baths. The house sits on a 3870 sq ft lot (43' x 90').  The house has a bricked off street parking space. Note the two story front porches which are great for people watching - the second most popular sport in Key West.

The home has a formal entry which leads to the open living area at the rear.  The house is designed for informal Key West living, but it still comes with lots of style and grace. The living area opens out to the outdoor living room which has a wonderful view of the pool and guest cottage.

The master suite takes up one half of the second floor and includes the bedroom with vaulted ceiling, dressing room, en-suite bath and walk-in closet.

There are two large guest bedrooms with en-suite baths on this floor as well. Also located on this floor is a large cedar lined closet and laundry closet. There is also access to the third floor via electric stairway access.

The main floor has a withdrawing room (a "man cave" for the more sophisticated gent) that is just awesome.

The pool has a seductive allure as do most pools in Key West. Except this one is part of an incredible property that can yours at the asking price of $1,600,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet for more particulars on this new listing.

Guest Cottage with bath

CLICK HERE to view more photos of 916 Fleming Street. And then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Let me help you find your dream home in Paradise.

527 Margaret Street - Key West Short Sale

Just listed, but not by me, 527 Margaret Street in Old Town Key West.  This new Short Sale three bedroom home is offered at $549,000. The listing Realtor describes the listing this way:
"Excellent buy in a great Old Town location. This home is located in the heart of Old Town and walking distance to several restaurants and attractions.Great renovation project with good square footage and location. This transaction is a short sale."

Frequent readers of my blog know that the Great Fire destroyed the county property records for Key West. WPA workers reconstructed records and gave houses various dates of construction when the actual construction date was not know. The house at 527 Margaret Street still shows in our county property records as being constructed in 1938 - during the Great Depression - in a town that itself was in such a dire straits that the federal government had to bail it out. So it is highly unlikely that 527 Margaret Street was actually built in 1938. Moreover, I located what I think to be 527 Margaret Street on the 1889 Sanborn fire map. (Street numbers were different then, but this house appears on the 1889 map.)

The style of the house looks quite similar to many houses of the late 1800s as well. I dug deep into the old shoe box and found a photo of the property taken back in 1965.  I took photo from a similar angle that shows the property as it exists today.  Note the similarities and differences in the 48 year time span.

My guess is that a former owner many years ago added the shed addition to the right of the main house. Other additions were added to the rear. And there is even a second floor "bedroom" or loft which is accessed by a ladder. That room brings back memories of when I first started selling houses here many years ago as it looks like a lot of  hippie rooms that were created before HARC existed and before building codes were enforced as strictly as they are today.

 

 527 Margaret Street is a 1532 sq ft home that sits on a 2227 sq ft lot (44' x 55')  on one of the better blocks in Old Town.  The living room has a very tall ceiling which gives the room a much more voluminous feel than the photo would suggest. The living space flows comfortably to the rear where the kitchen The kitchen and dining room are divided and sit at the back of the house. 

 The current configuration has requires you to walk through one bedroom to go into the master bedroom. This is not efficient and gives nobody privacy.  The master bedroom is very elongated - too much so in my opinion.  There is room for improvement here. But the good thing is that there is room for improvement. A new owner won't have to build new but instead re-create space that is more efficient. 

 A family room plus loft bedroom and an additional bath sit at the back of the house on the north side. The space needs a good bit of work to make it work more efficiently as well. If I bought this house I would try to get permission to take down this rear addition (including the second floor loft) and replace it with a swimming pool.  There would be more than enough room.

 In 2008 I wrote about 529 Margaret Street - a two story home that sits directly behind 527 Margaret Street. Both houses share a huge banyan tree that straddles the rear property line of 527 Margaret Street.  The owner at 529 Margaret created an outdoor shower on his side of the old tree.  That house has a pool and a spa. 527 Margaret Street does have a nice rear deck area and small garden.  And, oh yes, that huge banyan tree.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this property.

Frequent visitors to Key West likely will be familiar with the location. Michael's Restaurant is located across the street. Mangia Mangia is up on the corner at Southard Street while the neighborhood organic food market is located down on the corner at Fleming Street.  Other nearby establishments include Azul, the Old Town Bakery, 5 Brothers Grocery and Sandwich Shop, and the Historic Key West Seaport.  Duval Street is just four blocks to the west.

The listing Realtor describes this listing as a "Great renovation project with good square footage and location".  I agree. This property has really good location, upside potential, and is priced where a new owner could invest the dollars necessary to do the improvements and still come out okay.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a personal viewing of this Old Town short sale property.  I am a buyers agent and  a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise. 

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1719 Ashby Street - Key West, Florida

 
 1719 Ashby Street is located near the beaches in Key West, Florida. This ranch style two bedroom (three bath) home has 1279 sq ft of living space, a lush tropical garden, and a pool which is offered at $799,000. The listing agent describes the property this way:

"Secluded Oasis just one block off the Ocean and 5 minutes from downtown Key West. As you enter the home you immediately have that wonderful Key West feeling of bringing the indoor living to the outside. The living/dining area leads to the kitchen which opens to the pool and lanai. The master has its own bath and it too opens to the pool. The split floor plan allows you privacy from your guests. In the second bedroom there is also a laundry room. The backyard of this home is outstanding, with a very large pool and wonderful covered area, full bath and wet bar, surrounded by lush tropical landscaping complete with irrigation and great evening lighting. There is one off street parking space."

Like many of the homes in this part of Key West, the large lot (51' x 90') is surrounded by a privacy wall.  The pool area is quite expansive.  It has both sunny and shady areas. And there is a great covered lanai that functions as an extension of the living room.  Both the living room and master bedroom open out to the pool.

 When you feel like some beach action, you'll only need to walk a few blocks to Smathers' Beach where there is almost always something fun going on.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to see more photos of 11719 Ashby Street ub Key West. Or, better than that, please give me, Gary Thomas, a call at 305-766-2642 and ask me to arrange a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.