Honey . . . STOP the Car ! - 1430 Albury Street, Key West

HONEY . . . STOP THE CAR!  You've probably heard that saying or something like it sometime in your life. It's a directive that there is something important that you are about to pass by. It's a plea to stop and take a look else you may miss something important. If you do stop you can then decide if the look was worth the time. If you don't you may never know what you missed.

1430 Albury Street in Key West is a Buildable  Lot 3500 sq ft (50' X 70') with HARC Approved Plans to build a New Two Story 1900 Sq Ft 4 BR/3 1/2 BA home with Classic Key West Conch Style Architecture updated with Modern Building Elements including Hardiboard Siding, Wind Impact Resistant Glass Windows and Doors. Other features include Four Decks, Heated Pool, and Off Street Parking in the Quiet Meadows Area of Key West. FEMA Flood Elevation Compliant for future Insurance Savings. The New House will be located just one block north of Bayview Park and within a short walk or bike ride to all the attractions in Old Town.(Price does not include construction of new house.)  

Readers up north in America may not appreciate the significance of having a building lot upon which an owner could immediately commence the construction of a new home in Key West or even the significance of owning an empty lot. Key West is a little island located at the far end of the Florida Keys. It is the end of the line so to speak.  You cannot go any further west or south without a boat. Havana, Cuba is closer to Key West than Miami, Florida.

Most of the island of Key West is developed, meaning there is very little undeveloped ground on this little land mass. And of the few undeveloped parcels that do remain, most are not capable of being developed due to environmental concerns or other restrictions on growth or development. Most of the new housing is actually new properties being built on lots where another house previously existed.  Such is the case for 1430 Albury Street. The current owner went through the process to obtain permission to take down the previously existing home which sat on this lot. The owner then engaged local architect Carlos Rojas to design a nearly 1900 sq ft home with 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, a main floor "lock-out" unit, pool, and off street parking. The new house would be built to Florida's strict building code and would be constructed using new energy efficient materials including Hardiboard siding, impact windows and doors, while offering a home that evokes the Key West Conch architectural spirit.

 This lot is located in the Meadows Area of Key West. The lot is located one block north of Bayviw Park, the largest city park in Key West. The park is a lovely place to walk the dog or watch the kids play.  The park is the site of many social events throughout the year including the annual Easter egg hunt, children's Halloween event (post Fantasy Fest), seafood festival, Conch festival, and many more. There are public tennis courts, basketball court, and baseball field. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property that is offered for sale at $750,000.  I understand a new owner would spend between $500,000 to $600,000 to build the home shown in the approved plans. There are a couple of spec homes in the current Key West mls which are offered at a much higher price (combined lot and building).

Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com for more information on this listing. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  

1430 Albury Street, Key West - Dream the Possible Dream

The above photos show the vacant lot at 1430 Albury Street in Key West which is offered for sale with all necessary building plans approved by various City of Key West agencies to construct a new home.  Now in most parts of America that would not seem like a big deal. But in Key West where there are few building lots and especially lots in such a prized location as this, it is a pretty big deal.  That is because the Historic District in Old Town and much of the Meadows Area and the Casa Marina Area fall under the protective HARC (Historic Architectural Review Commission). HARC is charged with the preservation and conservation of the character, integrity and appearance of the historic districts. All changes, alterations, additions, demolitions or relocations to buildings and sites must first obtain a certificate of appropriateness from HARC before any work can be undertaken. That's kinda easy to write but more difficult to obtain in real life. 

As lovely as the old CBS house was, in reality it was not worth saving. The building had spalling in a couple of locations. The owner went through the tedious process of obtaining permission from  HARC to raze the non-historic structure. The owner worked with local architect Carlos Rojas to design a two story 'Conch' Style home with about 1900 sq ft of living space on a 50' X 70' (3500 sq ft) lot. All plans have been HARC Approved and all City Planning  Department requirements met. A new owner can apply for a building permit the day you close. The hard work has been done. The house will have four bedrooms, three and 1/2 baths, four porches, a pool and deck, and off street parking. The house can be constructed with new and efficient building materials including Hardiboard siding which is easier to maintain than traditional wood siding. The home will include new wind impact resistant windows and doors. This means your wind insurance will be a fraction of what you would pay for a house with regular windows. The new house is FEMA flood compliant which will result in lower insurance costs. Your regular home owner's insurance will be less costly because it will be built to the highest building standards in Florida again as compared to old construction. These savings will be significant in the short and long term. If you don't like the approved plans,  you could revise the plans and build a different version of your own dream house. The site approvals and basic structural approvals are in place and should govern any proposed change. A new owner could revise the plans and build a different version of his or her dream house. The approvals are done. The hard part is over.

The new house will be located within easy biking distance to Duval Street and all of the noise and commotion over there. I know a lot of potential buyers think they want to live within two blocks of Duval. Believe me, you'll be much happier not having to hearing folks walking back to their hotels or rental houses at 3:00 AM or listening to Conch Train conductors re-telling stories about old Key West twenty times a day - every day of the week. 1430 Albury Street is located in a much quieter part of the Historic District, just one block from Bayview Park. You can go there to walk your dog, play tennis, marvel at the glorious Royal Poinciana trees, or participate in one of the civic events which occur at the park throughout the year. Of you can go out the back door and sit on the deck and watch the sun rise or walk the dog down lovely Albury Street which is populated with huge flowering and fragrant trees. You will fulfill your dream of living life in Paradise.

1430 Albury Street is offered with approved architectural plans at $750,000. The price does not include the cost of construction of the new home but it does include all architectural plans, surveys, approvals, etc.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. I can provide more detailed information on the plans to interested buyers. Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1501 Truman Avenue, Key West - Transient Licensed Property

Sometimes we need to look backward to see forward. That's the case for the investment opportunity located at 1501 Truman Avenue in Key West. The listing Realtor, not me, describes this listing as a:

"Great Investment Opportunity. High Visibility On Truman Ave. 4 Units Each With Full Kitchen And Private Bath. Transient Licenses, Pool And Off Street Parking For Two Cars.Original Structure Has Dade County Pine.Needs Tlc,Being Sold As Is."

I recently took some photos for a potentially interested buyer which you can see if you CLICK HERE. I used the pocket camera and the pics are not all that good. You will quickly see that the camera would not have made much of a difference. This place needs work! A lot of it. Let's look back to a couple of older photos of this property.

 This photo shows the house much better than we can see it today because of all the trees and foliage that protects the house from Truman Avenue.  You'll notice the broad front porch which angles back on the right side where there is also one off street parking spot. Note also the exterior staircase to the second floor. That tells us there is no interior staircase. And finally we see a second floor front balcony that appears to have been added.

The above photo shows a banner across Truman Avenue welcoming M.W. Davis H. Wilkinson, Mason Grand Master of Florida to Key West in 1960. You can also see that wrap-around porch. The house has a stately look back then. Today, the beauty of the house is more difficult to see party because of all the trees but also because the place has not been maintained.  A good haircut never hurt anybody. It's gonna take more than a paint job to fix this old place, but it will certainly look much better after it gets a spiffed up.

The site is located at the corner of Truman Avenue and Pearl Street. The lot measures 49' X 88' or 4371 sq ft. The Monroe County Property Appraiser records show the main house plus rear first floor addition and a second rear cottage on the Pearl Street side total 2214 sq ft of living space capable of being air conditioned.  The stairs were removed from the main house. Today these areas are used as kitchens or baths for the three apartments that make up the current building. I think any renovation would remove the exterior staircase and relocate it back in the main house. 

Original staircase area now used as a kitchen.

The above photo shows the second floor apartment. The room on the right is where the stairway would have landed. The opened door leads to the front balcony that overlooks Bayview Park across the street. The views from the balcony are actually pretty interesting.

The three photos immediately above show two sawtooth additions appended to the rear of the main house followed by a rear cottage which the listing Realtor describes as an owner's unit. You'll see a nice pool located just off the owner's unit plus the sunny expanse on the opposite side of the tall white fence.  Each of the three apartments in the main house have a valuable Transient Rental License which permits daily rental.  The street photos also show what the listing Realtor describes as off street parking. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet on 1501 Truman Avenue which is offered for sale at $949,000.

The large building lot located on the far side of 1501 Truman Avenue is my listing at 1430 Albury Street (formerly 901 Pearl Street). This lot measures 50' X 70' or 3500 sq ft.  I think a smart investor might be able combine the two parcels into a single lot and potentially relocate one or two of the transient licenses into structures moved from the front portion to the rear or to build a new structure or structures there. There is actually plenty of room to have three stand alone cottages each with separate pool and parking. A land planner and a real estate attorney would need to advise a buyer whether such a combination is legally permissible and politically acceptable.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 1430 Albury Street which is offered for sale at $750,000.

I think that the old house combined with new construction could create a wonderful Renaissance project that could work. The transient licenses and the size of the vacant lot provides all sorts of potential for such a project. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of both properties. Let's look at what exists and explore what might be. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

1430 Albury Street, Key West - Build Your Own Dream House

Just Listed by yours truly, 1430 Albury Street in the quiet Meadows Area of Old Town Key West. I wrote about this location a couple of years ago when there was a CBS house located here. Back then the address was 901 Pearl Street. The owners took down the old house, cleared the lot, and added the nice tall white picket fence shown below.

The owner in collaboration with architect Carlos Rojas designed a two story 'Conch' Style home with about 1900 sq ft of living space on a 50' X 70' (3500 sq ft) lot. All plans have been HARC Approved and all City Planning  Department requirements met. You can apply for a building permit the day you close. The hard work has been done. The house will have four bedrooms, three and 1/2 baths, four porches, a pool and deck, and off street parking. The house can be constructed with new and efficient building materials including Hardiboard siding which is easier to maintain than traditional wood siding. The home will include new wind impact resistant windows and doors. This means your wind insurance will be a fraction of what you would pay for a house with regular windows. The new house is FEMA flood compliant which will result in lower insurance costs. Your regular home owner's insurance will be less costly because it will be built to the highest building standards in Florida again as compared to old construction. These savings will be significant in the short and long term. A new owner could revise the plans and build a different version of his or her dream house. The approvals are done. The hard part is over.

The new house is located within easy biking distance to Duval Street and all of the noise and commotion over there. I know a lot of potential buyers think they want to live no more than two blocks from Duval. Believe me, you'll be much happier not having to hear folks walking back to their hotels or rental houses at 3:00 AM or listening to Conch Train conductors re-telling stories about old Key West twenty times a day - every day of the week. 1430 Albury Street is located one block from Bayview Park. You can go there to walk your dog or play tennis.

1430 Albury Street is offered with approved architectural plans at $750,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. I can provide more detailed information on the plans to interested buyers. Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.