11 Birchwood Drive, Key West - Price Reduction

The asking price on 11 Birchwood Drive, Key West was just reduced from $789,000 to $759,000 and that makes this brand new and never-been-lived-in home an even better buy. This home is located in Key West's official bedroom community - Key Haven at Mile Marker 6.  This community evolved  over the decades as an alternative to Old Town which increasingly became very expensive for young locals to afford. Most of the lots here are located on canals which have relatively quick access to open waters. Locals have grown up playing on and in the water. Having quick access at night or on the weekends is a much sought after feature for many local buyers. This is a single family area where you won't find condos or multiple family situations. Other than the gas station up on US 1, there is no commercial activity here. CLICK HERE to to see a Google aerial view of the lot and the area as a whole. Use the toggle switch in the lower right side of the map for a higher or lower aerial perspective of the area. You'll see the cut from the lagoon which allows boats to pass through to the larger canal that leads to open water. Within a matter of minutes, a boat can be in open waters heading to a day of fun on the ocean. That is why so many locals favor Key Haven as a place to live.

The listing Realtor describes 11 Birchwood Drive this way:

"This brand new three bedroom, two and a half bath home is sure to please the most discerning buyer. Located on a lovely quiet street, this home is move in ready. The long list of custom upgrades include 9ft. ceilings on each floor, an over sized master suite with spa tub and separate shower, double sinks and a walk in closet. Two more bedrooms upstairs share a bath. The dream kitchen has solid wood cabinets, granite counter tops and a breakfast bar. The kitchen opens to the dining room and living room and has views of the outdoors. Adjacent to the kitchen is a bonus area which can be used as a breakfast room or an office. A half bath on the first floor adds to the convenience. The living room and dining rooms are spacious and will please those who love to entertain. This home has abundant closet and storage space. The yard is sodded and landscaped with mature trees and foliage. Most importantly, this home is built to the highest building codes and is resistant to 180 mph. wind and features hurricane rated doors and windows. Additionally, the home is built 2ft. above the required grade. The building features result in lower cost of insurance and lower cost of living. This home is a great value and will save the new homeowner on cost of living expenses. Aside from that, it's a wonderful, sunny and bright home in a great location. Easy to see."

The modern open living area concept is clearly evident as soon as you enter this home - especially when you notice the nine foot ceiling. I suspect the view from dinging area at the front of the house will create some anxious moments as it has a great view of the the lagoon across the street where a new owner might want to moor the family boat.  Imagine sitting at the family dining table looking out at the boat bobbing and weaving in the water with a bell clanging begging to go out to the sea. In the meantime, mealtime will have to do. The  opposite end of the kitchen opens directly into the living area where the rear decks looks down onto the rear yard where there is room for a private pool.

Abundant storage and counter space in this brand new kitchen

Dining area with deck overlooking the rear yard

Readers of my blog should appreciate the long term cost saving features that are built into this home. They include Hardiboard siding which is a man-made material that looks like old fashioned wood siding but that is more resistant to the sun and moisture and which does not require painting as often and wind impact resistant windows and doors that are built to withstand high winds and which coupled with the new roof and compliance with Florida's tough building code will result in lower fire and liability insurance and reduce wind insurance by 30% over homes that do not meet the new code. These savings area measurable year after year.  A cost conscious buyer who compares insurance costs will quickly appreciate the maintenance and insurance savings once he or she compares the costs of ownership of this home to a stick built house in Old Town or mid-century home in New Town.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet of 11 Birchwood Drive, Key West which is now offered at $759,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

11 Birchwood Drive, Key West - Just Listed!

Just Listed, 11 Birchwood Drive, Key West, Florida. This is a brand new and never been lived in home located in Key West's official bedroom community located on Stock Island Key at Mile Marker 6.  This community evolved as an alternative to Old Town which became very expensive for young locals to afford. And most of the lots here are located on canals which have relatively quick access to open waters. This is a single family area where there are not condos or multiple family situations. And other than the gas station up on US 1, there is no commercial activity here. I dug down into my old shoebox and found a photo taken in 1987 that actually shows the site where 11 Birchwood Drive would be built 29 years later - 2016. The lot had never been built upon until now. CLICK HERE to to see a Google aerial view of the lot and the area as a whole. You will see that this house is located across the street from a "pond" which has canal access to the ocean. I will discuss more later.

As I drove through the neighborhood I appreciated the evolution of this area. Some of the original one story ranch style houses still look pretty much like they did in the 60s and 70s. The architecture changed in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Several of those homes are two story and are of concrete block construction. More recent houses located on premium waterfront lots are mini-mansions.

The listing Realtor describes 11 Birchwood Drive this way:

"Brand new and ready for you! This spacious home is a custom modular with many upgrades including 9ft. ceilings on both floors,double 3/4 plywood sub-floors, crown moldings, built to 180 mph. wind loads, impact windows & doors, built 2 ft. above required grade, all of which result in a very low cost of living. This home has an open floor plan with a bright kitchen that features solid wood cabinets, granite counter tops and stainless appliances. A breakfast room could become an office or study. Lots of storage on both floors. The downstairs has a deck overlooking the lush backyard. Upstairs is a huge master en suite with a large garden tub and separate shower plus a walk-in closet. There are two more bedrooms and a full bath upstairs plus a laundry area with W/D hookups. The bright and sunny yard is sodded and landscaped with mature trees and plants. This home is across the street from a lagoon which is used for boating access. This beautiful home is easy to see!"

The modern open living area concept is clearly evident in this home. The space surely seems larger with the nine foot ceiling. The kitchen is a real family kitchen with room to make more than nuked fast foods. I suspect the view from dinging area at the front of the house will create some anxious moments as it has a great view of the the lagoon across the street. There is a deck off the living room at the rear. The one thing the builder missed was installing a stairway to the back yard.

The master bedroom is immense. It has a large en-suite bath with tub and separate shower. There are two more large bedrooms which share a second bath.

The house has 1920 sq ft of interior living space. The exterior is easy to maintain Hardiboard siding which is pest resistant. The impact windows and doors meet Florida's newest and toughest building code requirements which means your fire & liability and windstorm insurance costs will greatly reduced as compared to what you might expect in an older home. But I suspect a new owner will be contemplating building a small dock on the pond across the street where the family boat will be parked.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of the exterior and the lagoon.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet with lots of excellent photos of this home including some drone photos. I need to buy one of those drones. These pics are too cool. After you've looked at the photos, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.