807 Washington St. #102, Key West, Fl - A Buying Opportunity in the Casa Marina Area

807 Washington Street Unit #102, Key West, Florida is an opportunity for the buyer who wants a quality home in the Casa Marina Area of Key West at an affordable price. Many of the single family homes in the Casa Marina Area are now priced over $2,000,000 and some are trending higher. So a home priced at $949,000 is a buying opportunity in my opinion.

The listing Realtor describes this 1876 sq ft three story town home this way:

"Casa Marina Townhome w/Private Heated Pool. Just two blocks from the Casa Marina & beach, this new townhome (built in 2007) has it all. Designer kitchen, private pool, hardwood floors, three bedrooms (each with en suite baths) and off-street parking. The 1st floor features an open floor plan with a beautiful kitchen (granite counters, wood cabinets & stainless Viking appliances), a half bath, open living area with double French doors leading out to the back yard & pool. The 2nd floor hosts the Master bedroom & private balcony overlooking the back yard & pool and a 2nd bedroom with its own private balcony & bath. The entire 3rd floor is a large bedroom, en suit bath & sitting/reading area. Home is elevated & located in an X-Flood zone."

I have sold four units in this 9 unit complex over the years. My buyers absolutely love their homes and this incredible Casa Marina Area location. The units were built to sell at the $1.8 million price point. The the 2008 recession hit Key West. Some of the units became bank owned. A couple were sold as short sales. Other owners who paid top dollar for their homes have hung on and watched the prices rise upwards. The important thing for current buyers to understand is these units were built with quality in mind and have features that endure to provide long term value.

The listing Realtor gave me permission to use his photos. I took only the front exterior photos. The units are all set up the same way. There are two porches on both front and back - main floor and second floor. There is a semi-formal front entry that welcomes guests into the home. A beautiful stairway on the left side leads up to the second and third floor bedrooms. The real hardwood floors lead through the unit to the main living area. The kitchen features Viking Stainless Steel appliances and real hardwood cabinets with black granite counter tops. A window above the kitchen sink lets the glorious Key West sun shine through to make doing kitchen clean-up less taxing.

There's a half bath tucked in under the stair to the second floor. Upstairs each of the three bedrooms has a private bath. Both second floor bedrooms have porches. The master suite is located at th erear and is quite large. It has a volume ceiling and covered rear porch where you can look down to the private pool below.  The second floor front bedroom has a view of this attractive Casa Marina Area street. The third floor bedroom runs the length of the unit and provides quality space for the kids or grand children. There is a private bath on this level as well.

Each unit has a private parking space. By the way these units can be rented as monthly vacation rentals. Some owners do rent while other owners do not. Two of my buyers have joined the nearby Casa Marina Club. We don't have a country club in Key West. This club offers many of the amenities one might expect of a country club including use of the gym, beach privileges, discounts on food, beverage, and spa services offered by the hotel.

Five Minutes Away from home!

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property. After you've looked online, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to take a look in person. You just cannot buy a single family home in the Casa Marina Area at a price this low. Take a look at this town home. You just might be a Key West homeowner quicker than you might imagine.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1117 Grinnell Street #2, Key West

Bargain shoppers should consider this really Cute Conch Cottage located at 1117 Grinnell Street in Key West. The listing Realtor, not me, describes the property this way:

"Charming Conch Cottage! Extremely well done two bedroom and one bath Grinnell Square condo. Featuring beautiful wood floors and walls, granite countertops, mosaic tile bath, French doors and plenty of character. Classic front porch and a covered back porch overlooking the community pool. Walk or bike to all Key West has to offer."

The original small cottage homes were thoroughly rebuilt and re-purposed twelve years ago. Just about every thing in this house is new or was new just after the renovation. The owners have used the front bedroom as an office. The living and dining area are so cute. The kitchen is located at the rear where French doors open out to the private covered deck which overlooks the community pool. I showed another unit here a couple of years ago. I never saw one person use the pool.

The condo association would permit an owner to rent the cottage as either a long term rental (annually) or as a monthly vacation rental. The location is within easy walking distance to the restaurants and attractions on Duval Street and the gyms, yoga studios, and shopping in the nearby White Street area. I think this place function well as a rental no matter which avenue you choose to follow assuming you would want to rent. The price is so affordable that a second home buyer might decide to keep this lovely little home for yourself. Monthly condo fees are just $340 and include building maintenance, building insurances, and water. As a homeowner, you would have to pay your own real property taxes. 

1117 Grinnel Street #2 is offered for sale at $499,900. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to see more photos of this cottage home. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private 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 place in Paradise.

1316 Villa Mill Alley - Key West - Your Own Private Shangra-La

I often write about the charm of buying and owning a home on one of the slow lanes in Key West. Since most of the Old Town lanes are often sandwiched in between large blocks, the houses on the lanes are often cottages as opposed to larger homes. These homes are ofttimes located on smallish one-way streets that may only one or two blocks long. Some locals probably could not tell you where many of these little lanes are located because they are tucked away from view.  Such is the case for the new listing at 1316 Villa Mill Alley. Villa Mill Alley is located about one half block east of Simonton Street just south off United Street. This is a small enclave of very expensive homes with  location few people know exists situated just on the edge of the Casa Marina Area. 

I found an old aerial photo of the Casa Marina Area that was taken in 1930. I added an arrow to show where the original home was built several years ago. Upper Duval Street is located a block and a half to the west. The lot measures 110' X 80.26' or 9,775 sq ft. According to the Monroe County Property Appraiser shows the square footage of the property as 2200 sq ft. The property was just completely renovated and expanded. I think the property appears to be much larger because of the connective walkways between the buildings which make up this incredible Key West home.

There are two entrances to the home both of which are located on Villa Mill Alley and both of which are shown above. The formal entrance is located immediately to the left of the two story bedroom building centered above. The informal entrance is to the right side and adjacent to the double garage.

Instead of walking into the home, you enter a covered walkway that connects the living area on the north and the master and guest bedrooms on the south. No matter which location is your destination, your eyes are immediately diverted to the lush tropical gardens, koi pond, pagoda, and pool. Like I said, this is no Key West cottage.

The great room is designed for very relaxed and informal Key West living, but at the same time exudes a sense of dramatic style. You'll quickly notice architectural and building elements like the wide wood floors, the impact glass doors and windows, extra-wide horizontal wall boards, and vaulted ceiling. These elements are carried throughout the property. The glass doors retract and open out to the covered deck that looks out to the dramatic courtyard.

The third bedroom and bath (or as currently used den) is located just on the far side of the great room. It likewise has doors which open out to garden and the adjacent pagoda.

The master suite is located on the first floor of the bedroom pavilion. Imagine waking up in the morning looking out to the garden and hearing the babbling koi pond and viewing the tropical foliage. While the bath has all the latest in high end bath fixtures, you may be more likely to take your morning shower in the adjacent outdoor shower. A spiral staircase leads to the second floor guest bedroom.

The guest bedroom really is tucked away and located out of sight up the spiral staircase. There is a morning kitchen located just inside the entry so that guests won't have to go down the steps for coffee or cocktails unless they really feel the need to socialize. Otherwise, they can make cozy up in their own private luxury suite. The doors open out to a huge deck from which they can view the grounds and dream what it must be like to own such a wonderful retreat. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this property.

1316 Villa Mill Alley is offered for sale at $3,495,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this one-of-a-kind Key West property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let's go take a look. Perhaps this could be your own private Shangra-La.