1315 Grinnell Street, Key West - Casa Marina Fixer with Huge Upside Potential

I have been waiting for years for this pretty little house in Casa Marina to be listed for sale. 1315 Grinnell Street, Key West is now offered for sale at $749,000. The is a modest 1,191 Sq Ft home located on a large 4,715 Sq Ft Lot (51.25' X 93'). The simplicity of design, the size and location of the lot, and the opportunity to renovate into some marvelous little house that makes this particular property so appealing.

I added a check mark indicating the location of what I believe to be 1315 Grinnell Street in the above aerial photograph of the area taken in 1920. If I am correct the date would conflict with the Property Appraiser who says the house was built in 1943 during World War II. I searched the 1912 Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and discovered that the large vacant land mass across the street was the M.P. CURRY'S DAIRY. That site later became Key West High School which was subsequently renovated and is now Key West City Hall.

 

This house is located at the corner of Seminary and Grinnell Streets. Most of the streets in the area do not have curbs and gutters so the area has somewhat retained it's country feel. Perhaps as many as 50% of the homes in this area sit behind large six foot privacy fences with tricked-out entry gates and ornamental shrubs that make each property unique. 1315 Grinnell Street is open to the street on two sides. I guess one could say that it has "No curb appeal" and get away with that being a genuine compliment. I disagree. The house next door to the south at 1317 Grinnell Street was the cover feature article in Architectural Digest a few years back. CLICK HERE to read. That owner recently replanted palms in the front right of way. I suspect it may be going on the market soon and I would anticipate an asking price around $4 million. That's a guess on all aspects. The value of the location is not a guess. It is superb. This house will not last the weekend. 

The interiors feature Dade County Pine and "updated" acoustic tile ceiling which I believe was dropped from a higher original height. A new home owner can move the interior walls and create a totally different living area.

1315 Grinnell Street is a two minute bike ride south to Higgs Beach, the Casa Marina Resort, and Louie's Backyard. Old Town Gym is a two minute bike ride to the east where you can get fit and trim. Fausto's Grocery is located nearby on White Street as are a bunch of neighborhood coffee shops, restaurants, and the Dairy Queen. I can usually drive to the airport in about seven minutes from my house. Old Town is a quick bike ride and maybe a 10-15 minute walk depending on where you want to go.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos that show the interior of 1315 Grinnell Street, Key West offered at $749,000. The please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. I have lived in this area for over 25 years. This fixer has a huge upside potential.  Don't miss it.

 

Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday - No. 30

from August 17, 2017

My Life as a Clown

That's not me in the pic.  I looked as cute, but nobody took a photo of me back in summer of 1962 when I spent many-a-day as a clown.

I was fifteen years old and had a job at a furniture store in Denver where I made $1.00 an hour. Minimum wage was $1.15 back in 1962. I guess my employer thought that since I was young I didn't have the right to be paid as much as an adult. I didn't care. It was money and the work wasn't hard.

I worked at a furniture store on West Alameda Avenue in Denver. This was an area of town where nearby Morrison Road led to the home a couple of miles west where Jack Kerouac once lived. During the 1950s and 1960s this part of town was populated by lower middle to middle class families who would shop for furniture that fit their modest budgets. Back in the 1960s the furniture store sold three rooms of furniture for a few hundred dollars - total. I remember the furniture "suites" were offered in various styles including "Early American", "Danish Modern", "French Provincial", and "Italian Provincial".  The furniture was pretty cheap in retrospect, but it was what people of modest means could afford and it offered a bit of style plus utility.

There was a large parking lot adjacent to the store where the owner set up a huge green Army surplus tent to expand showroom space beyond the building walls. The tent was crammed with new and used furniture. Strings of bare light bulbs illuminated the space at night for shoppers. There was a night watchman that stayed in the tent to make sure nobody stole anything. Looking back I can't imagine anyone would want to steal anything there.

I would work from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM five or six days a week.  In the early morning I would dust the furniture, sweep the floors, and assemble new pieces for display in the store. Sometimes I would help deliver furniture when one of the truck drivers was not present. Just before noon I would go to the bathroom and put on my clown costume, make-up and red wig with a flip-top mop that would raise a front patch of the wig to startle people. I would then go out to the front sidewalk and wave at passing cars.  There were many occasions when cars would stop and I would walk up to the car to say "Hi" to kids in the car. One day a car filled with teens stopped. One guy grabbed my arm and tried to put out a cigarette on my hand. I pulled it away quick enough not to get burned. It never occurred to me that someone would try to hurt me.  I am not wired that way. But I never extended my hand that way again.

After being a clown for a couple of years while in high school,  I went to college and later law school. I became a lawyer and later went into banking. I worked for the federal government where I worked on selling complex assets owned by the Resolution Trust Corporation until 1993 when I moved to Key West to own and operate a guest house. For the past twenty years I have been selling houses in Key West. Unlike a lot of agents with real estate licenses, that is the only thing I do.  I like to make buying a home fun but I no longer act the clown.  If you are thinking about buying a place in Key West, please consider using me as your Realtor.

Be Careful

 

Imagine the revulsion the owner experienced when she learned her home in Martha's Vineyard was used to film more than 30 “gay porn” films over a 7-month period. She did not take it well. In fact she made a federal case over it.

The lady owner of the cottage rented her home for seven months beginning in October 2014 to one person.  The lease was “for use as a personal residence, excluding all other uses.” The lease also provided that the residence was to be “used and occupied only by the members of the Tenant’s family.” The tenant later lost his job and notified the owner he would be unable to complete the lease.He sublet the property to a gay pornographic film maker which filmed sexually explicit films. 

The lawsuit alleged ten counts including breach of contract, trespass, negligence, civil conspiracy, civil fraud, infliction of emotional distress, interference with advantageous business relations, copyright infringement, and civil RICO violations inn 2018. The suit later added ab allegation of  defamation. She sued everybody including the lessee, the sub-lessee, the production company, the director, and 25 gay porn stars. The lady owner had personally created several paintings that appeared on the walls of the cottage where pornographic films were made. The owner after the fact of the lease allegedly correctly registered the copyright on several of her pieces of art. That copyright is the sole surviving claim of the original complaint. It was set for jury trial in the UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS beginning August 5th.

Lawyers did what lawyers do - they litigated and ran up the billable hours and fees on both sides. Boy did they. All of the claims except the copyright infringement were dismissed. But the copyright case was set for a jury trial beginning August 5th. The federal case was dismissed on July 23, 2021 after the parties reached a settlement agreement, the terms of which were not disclosed. I am betting she got paid. A lot!

I read portions of the complaint and several other online treatments of this matter. The language in the lease was clear as to who was entitled to use the property. It was unclear to me whether she used a Realtor, lawyer, or a legal form to create the lease. I don't care that the film crew filmed gay videos. I do care that any kind of activity like that took place there without the owner's prior knowledge and consent. Imagine how you would fee. Imagine how the jury would feel!

A lot of property owners rent their homes in Key West to perfect strangers.  Be careful.

 

 

Key West Real Estate Update

 

Frequent readers of my blog may have noticed fewer posts than normal. I have not been ill or away - there just is not much available for sale. As of July 25 there are only 69 single family homes for sale in Key West. Usually there are around 400. This is crazy.

I dug deeper. Only one house was priced below $500,000. It is a bank owned fixer in need of significant repair. Twenty five of the houses were priced below $1,000,000.  The median house is a 1,312 sq ft on a 4,750 sq ft lot priced at $849,000 or $608 per sq ft. Then I looked at the particular houses. One is located on a very nice street in Old Town. But this one house has a notorious past about which I will not write. Another house a block away sits at the back of a large yard filled with trees that the city probably will not allow to be taken down even though the State of Florida enacted legislation to prevent local tree commissions from letting property owners do just that. The remaining houses are scattered about the city. They probably don't look like million dollar homes in other parts of the country.

Buyers able to pay between one million to two million dollars have a better but not larger selection. The median house in this range would price at $1,545,000 or $962 per sq ft. That is $258 per sq ft higher than homes priced below $1,000,000. I have written about several of these houses over the years. Only a couple are priced way too high for this or any market. A couple of these are new to the market and will probably go under contract fairly quickly. a couple of the others have location issues that do not go away. Those houses will sell. It just takes time for a buyer willing to settle for these properties to sell.

The remaining twenty three homes are priced between $2,150,000 to $8,450,000 and are primarily located in Old Town, Truman Annex (five houses here), Sunset Key, and Casa Marina Areas. The median house in this selection is priced at $3,275,000 or $1,178 per sq ft. A couple of these are way over priced in my opinion. I sometimes wonder whether it is the owner or the agent who dreams up the pricing.

Housing prices in Key West have been high on a price per square foot basis for the past couple of decades. That is because of the limited supply of houses and the inability to build more. Now the demand has exceeded the supply to the extent that there is little left to choose from. Will that change? No. There won't be more houses built. Period. Will prices go down? No. Will they go up? Yes. When will more properties become available? Let's see what happens in October. That is my best guess for more new listings. In the meantime call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to show you one of the 69 homes available for purchase in Key West. I am a sort of full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

 

 

516 Catherine St. Key West - Licensed to Make Money

 The listing agent describes the new transient licensed home at 516 Catherine Street, Key West this way:

"TRANSIENT! TRANSIENT! TRANSIENT! TRANSIENT! LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION! In Old Town Key West. Key West has always been a great place to come and enjoy your vacation time, why not make this your next great investment. You can enjoy this amazing property while you are here and just rent it out when you are not. You can come and go as you please and make money while you are away. An extremely well taken care of property, with great attention to detail, makes this an easy property to just take over and reap the benefits. Two bedrooms (2), Two (2) Full Bathrooms, one (1) large office and great salt water pool with outdoor shower makes this historic one thousand two hundred one (1201) square foot home just perfect for you and your guest to sit back and enjoy. Also, don't forget you get to rent it out when you are not there. Very private for you and your guest, but just a short walk to all that Key West has to offer. This Key West investment strikes all your boxes. New roof has been done within the last couple of years, fresh paint inside and out. Old Key West Charmer is what this home really is. Beautifully landscaped for your tropical oasis. One (1) off street parking is very important with only being a half of a block from Duval Street. Location is just perfect, on the lower end of Duval area, so you can walk to everything. Just far enough away to have some peace and zen. Don't wait!! This is the one you have been looking for. Please contact for showing times, we are not showing while guests are appreciating their vacations."

I looked for but could not find any really historic photos of this house. I also searched the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and learned that this house along with dozens of similar home were located on the blocks north, south, and to the east which built before 1889. Locals and returning guests may be more familiar the the nearby LaTeDa Hotel and Restaurant. But back at turn of the 19th Century the Gato Cigar Factory was located just half a block to the north. The Key West Electric Company operated the street car system that included a line beginning at the Atlantic Ocean ( three blocks to the south) and that ended at the Key West Seaport about one mile to the north. The cigar factory burned to the ground and the street car line was later ended. Cigar making shifted up to Tampa while Key West stagnated for several decades. The wooden houses were lived by locals during those years. But as Key West evolved into a tourist destination, those little houses became increasingly more desirable because of their proximity to Duval Street, the ocean, and all the attractions that Key West offers. 

I know for a fact that visitors like to sit on the front porch and imagine living life to its fullest  in Key West. I hear it all the time. Sitting there. Rocking. Contemplating. Not doing a thing except planning their next meal and beverage event and not in that order. This house the perfect front porch from which you enter a hall that leads to the main open living area at the rear. There is a bedroom up front, a second large bedroom with en-suite midway on the right with an adjacent guest area. Both the guest area and living room have French doors with views of the pool. 

 

I think the larger bedroom with guest area functions like a junior suite at one of the pricey hotels except this one opens out to a private pool where you can take a late night dip worrying about prying eyes of others. (If you like that sort of thing go the the Bull and Bush.)

The place is in really good condition. I checked it out and discovered a super cute outdoor shower with well placed mirror for shaving al fresco. The pool is sunny and like I said totally private. How cool is that?

There are dozens of reasons to stay at 516 Catherine Street Key West. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos. Then call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a showing. I am a buyers agent and full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key  

UPDATE JULY 25, 2021.  The transient licensed property at 530 Catherine St sold for $2,525,0000 cash or $1,848 per sq ft. Sold in 11 days.

This is Key West ! - The Miracle on 34th Street Excuse

 

 I was maybe fifteen years ago or so that I retrieved what looked like a federal income tax refund check from my mailbox. The envelope had one of those glass-like openings that showed the name and delivery address. Except that the name and address on the envelope were not mine. I was quite concerned that I got what might be some other person's tax refund check - so much so that I took the check to the Key West Post Office. I waited in line for my turn to see the postal clerk. When I was called forward I asked to speak to the Postmaster.

The clerk left and a minute or so later a man appeared. I can't recall if the man was the actual postmaster or just a supervisor. I handed over the envelop with government check inside and expressed my concern that something so important was mishandled. He said "This is Key West!" as if that was an excuse for incompetence and not doing one's job properly. 

I was saddened at the government's lack of concern. I would have preferred the man at least say "Thank you. I will look into it." But he didn't. I have heard the same refrain "This is Key West!" from so many people over the years. It is like anything is excusable because it happened in Key West where rules of conduct don't really matter - it is a license not to do one's job properly. 

Remember the scene in Miracle on 34th Street when the postal carriers piled bags of letters addressed to Santa Claus on the judge's bench. The judge said "Since the United States government declares this man to be Santa Claus this court will not dispute it. Case dismissed." Cute side-stepping of his judicial responsibility, the judge blamed the government for setting the standard.

People who live and who own property in Key West have become desensitized by no shows, slow work, and incompetence now express gratitude when a worker actually shows up. Don't get me wrong. I love it here. I just settle for less.

 

 

Throne Room of Former Key West Royalty

I was searching thru my old shoebox for a specific photo when I came across the pic above. This is or was the bathroom of former Key West royalty - two older gay men who lived the lifestyle of the Wish-I-Were-Famous. The vintage metal louver window is a dead giveaway that this bathroom is located inside a Mid-town or New-town Key West home built in the late 50's or 60's. 

I actually remember meeting the owners about twenty-five years ago. They were old then and were preparing to move up north. My broker at the time was going to list the house. I got invited along to see it. They were very nice, nah gracious to me. Inviting. They were proud of their home. It showed. I am making fun of it now and not so much of them. Well, I am. But it is pretentious. A lot of people are very pretentious in the way they decorate - pretending they live the lifestyle of the Wish-I-Were-Famous.

 

3817 Flagler Avenue, Key West - Just Listed

 

Just listed 3817 Flagler Avenue, Key West. The listing broker describes this 1.095 Sq Ft two bedroom, one bath ranch this way:

"This bright and well maintained home has a lot going for it. There are two bedrooms plus a living/dining room, a large kitchen, a laundry room and a Florida room that opens to the enormous back yard. Plenty of room for a pool and outdoor living. Built and lovingly cared for by the same family, it is ready for your inspiration. Amenities and updates include a covered carport, central air, up to date appliances including a washer and dryer and a recent roof replacement. A great value in Key West."

While I normally write about houses in Old Town and Casa Marina, today I write about a modest 1965 located on the far end of the Island of Key West. Only one family has lived here. The place is well maintained and is ready for a potential renewal. 

The 5,000 Sq Ft Lot measures 50' X 100'. That's may not be where you are from, but on the Island of Key West that's a lot of lot! The house is located about half a block west of A1A as is winds its way south around to become South Roosevelt Blvd which ends at Smathers Beach. Houses directly opposite on the south side of Flagler Avenue are all canal front properties that are selling in the multi-million dollar price range. The super-sized houses behind 3817 Flagler sit on enormous lots and also sell in the multi-million dollar price range. To me, this is a win-win location. I know that Flagler is a busy street in the daytime, but it is pretty quite after evening rush hour that usually ends at 5:30. There is a reason a lot of locals own the pricey homes in this area - it is being not near Duval but being nearer the things that make Key West so wonderful.

This property won't work for everybody, but it will probably be sold by this time next week. It is the third to least expensive single family home for sale in Key West. The least is a bad shaped bank fixer that really needs a lot of fixing and a small house in an age restricted compound with no parking.
  

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 3817 Flagler Avenue offered at $699,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to arrange a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West, the listing brokerage. 

Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday - No 29

from August 8, 2017

Key West - A True Story about Senior Living

Today's blog is a true story. All of my blogs (with a couple of exceptions like Bert and Ernie) are true. I want to make sure my readers know what I write is true.

This is a story that while I think the drama as it played out is unique, the problem itself is pretty universal as more and more senior adults are living longer and longer creating issues for their children who themselves are either in or are quickly approaching Golden Years. It is one of adult of how adult children manage the care of their aging adult parents and how and where they live out their adult senior years.

A few short years ago I was working with a woman I will call Shirley. Shirley lived in the Ft Lauderdale area. She and her husband had recently sold their business and had a nice nest egg for their retirement years. He suddenly passed and she found herself wanting to make more of her remaining years than just remembering the past. She discovered Key West and imagined how wonderful a life she could create here. The lure of Hemingway's old haunts and the prospect of new friends and new adventures caused her to look at the interenet and that is where she found me. She had the idea of buying a small place in Old Town, fixing it up, and then traveling back and forth to Ft Lauderdale where her mother lived.

Meanwhile Shirley hired a full time live-in helper to watch over her mother who was able to do many things for herself but who also had lapses where she forgot things.  For that reason, Shirley felt a need to be in Ft Lauderdale more of the time than down in Key West. She made frequent trips to Key West and made offers on a couple of fixer properties which never worked out. Then one day a very expensive bank owned property right in the heart of Old Town came on the market. I put it in my blog and sent her photos. She came down the next day and bought it. It cost a lot more than she planed to spend but she understood that by the time she went through a year's worth of renovation, she would end up spending about the same amount of money. She paid cash and hired a designer guy to do some custom work on the inside to make this old house into her new home. 

One day Shirley got a phone call from the live-in house attendant. Shirley's mother had wandered out of the house and got away. Shirley was very upset that the woman she trusted to take care of her mother had allowed this to happen. The live-in was let go.

A short time later Shirley picked her mother up to go out to lunch.  While they were dining, a truck went to Mom's house and packed her clothing, her bed and dresser, her clothes and photos, and so forth and took them to an assisted living facility in the area.  After lunch Shirley took her mother for a drive. As they approached the assisted living facility her mother exclaimed "What is this? What are you doing to me?" Shirley's mother was very upset. There were tears for loss of freedom and dread of the unknown. This was heart-breaking for Shirley.  But she knew it was best. They went inside and all of Mom's things were put away and the new room looked somewhat like the old room. Mom wasn't happy at first. But as the days and then weeks rolled on and as Mom got to making new friends, it worked out.

A couple of years ago Shirley came to one of my open houses. We hugged and talked about things. I asked about her mother and was told she had passed away. Her dementia got worse and then she passed. Shirley now spends much more time here. She has a new set of friends and is living the life she imagined but even more than she imagined.

I told Shirley to never ever invite me to lunch.

July 15, 2021 update

I was showing homes last weekend when I tried to explain a mistake I made in telling the showing times. I told them the story about Shirley and her mom.  Getting old happens.

"I have to call my husband."

A few years ago I knew I had a sale during the open house of the first week of my listing. A lady buyer and her friend came to my first open house. The superlatives flowed from her mouth, not mine. The friend re-enforced her each time she saw something she liked

There was nothing not to like. It was just reassuring to hear the potential buyer saying how wonderful the house was. 

She could not have been there lounger than ten minutes at most. She first asked how long I would be there. It was a Sunday. I told her 2:00 PM. She said "I have to call my husband."Would I wait?" Would I wait? Of course I would wait! Then she said she would call her Realtor. Her Realtor!

More lookers looked. They were looking around and commenting about her potential new house.

Half an hour passed. Her Realtor showed up. Her Realtor is a Key West Super Agent. She agreed with every statement that flowed from her buyer's mouth. 

Just around 2:00 PM the husband showed up. I knew him. Of him. By sight and name. A professional. He was doomed. He looked around and approved of everything he saw. He had little choice. The next day I got the offer.  The woman  buyer gave away her leverage each time she open her mouth.