It's a Crying Shame - Key West

Longtime readers will recall that I have written several blogs that have chronicled some of the ongoing renovation or remodeling of older homes and the infrequent construction of new homes.  I have been taking photos and have been planning on doing an update in the very near future. To my deep dismay I saw an item in Thursday's Key West Citizen that totally shocked me. The newspaper reported that one of our lovely remodel projects had been damaged by fire. I drove past the house twice that day and went back this morning to take a couple of pics to share with you. What happened here is a crying shame to those of us who love the old houses of Key West.

I wrote about 319 Grinnell Street many months ago when it was offered as a bank owned property. Many buyers looked at the property. I showed it several times during the short time it was available.  The house had been turned into three separate living units, illegally, of course. That happens a lot here.  I remember the back half of the house had a newer kitchen and a couple of sets of French doors that looked out to an old cistern that had been converted into a plunge pool. A little shed was in the backyard. It might have made a cute cabana for some new owner.

 

 

Several months passed between the time it was listed for sale and the time it actually closed. I would drive past the house on occasion to see what, if any, activity had begun. Then one day I was surprised to see that the house had been jacked up and the old failing piers were being replaced by new ones. That to me was the first signal that the new owner was going to do a substantial remodel. Hooray!  Too many people cheap out and do a minimal fix and leave things undone (and unsaid).

Last week I took the photos below. Was I impressed? Yes I was! Look how crisp and clean the old girl was looking. I was so excited to see the place being treated properly.  Lovingly.

 

 

I took the photos of 329 Grinnell Street on March 29th, the day after the fire. So sad. 

It looks to me like the majority of the damage was in the front part of the original house. When I took photos last week I did not see any drywall so I assume most of the damage was to the wood framing.

Whatever the cause, I hope the owner will be able to salvage the building and complete the renovation.

Key West Vacation Rental Scam

I got an email a couple of days ago which read "I was reading your information about KEY West housing renovations and I saw 319 Grinnel ST.  Could you tell me if the renovation is complete.  I believe I saw it on a Forcloser list and I  am wondering if it is in liveable condition." 

I had actually walked past that house last week as I was taking photos for an upcoming blog. I wrote about 319 Grinnell Street on September 13. 2011 when it was listed as a bank owned foreclosure.   It sold very quickly. But nothing has happened since the new owner took title. At least nothing noticeable other than a "No Parking" sign that was posted by the driveway. 

I sent the email writer a response and said the house had not been renovated and told him to be weary of any rentals on Craigslist or most other non-realtor websites.  I suggested that he actually call and speak to a live person and not pay any money on anything that he could not verify.

The email writer was in fact doing his own due diligence by contacting me. A day later he sent me a new email with the link to the website which supposedly has 319 Grinnell Street in Key West available for rent.  The web address is:

I went to that link and found addresses, photos, and descriptions of the four properties shown there as available for rent. Just below you can see photos of the actual properties.  If you go to that website, your browser will reacting if you click the photos and search info for too long. So beware.

319 Grinnell Street - 2011

319 Grinnell on 9-26-2012

803 Olivia St on 9-26-2012

The supposed property rental site shows an address of 805 Olivia Street. There is no such address. See the adjacent vacant lot. It belongs to 803 Olivia. The next house to the east is 811 Olivia Street.  Google the address for yourself.

The fake website show interior photos of a Meadows townhome located in the 1500 block of Petronia Street. Our office sold out those properties a couple of years ago. I recognize the interiors. CLICK our website for proof.

510 Frances St on 9-26-2012

510 Frances St actually exists. However, this is not the same property shown on the fake website. If you bother to look at the fake website photo for this property you will see a large rectangular pool. Fraud!  The actual pool is shown immediately below.

Pool at 510 Frances Street

213 Julia St on 9-26-2012

213 Julia Street appears to be a large multi-unit apartment building in the Bahama Village area of Key West. 

I have no idea who the internet frauder is or where he or she is located. It could be some person in Key West, but I doubt it.  The supposed website has a telephone number listed. The email writer told me he has made numerous phone calls none of which get answered.

I recommend people who plan to rent a private home or condo rent through a local property management company with a physical address in Key West such as Rent Key West, Compass Realty, Historic Hideaways, At Home In Key West, Preferred Properties, and others.  Be wary properties you see on Craigslist or other sites.  It's your money and your vacation you are gambling with. Whatever you do, do not send any deposit by Paypal or Western Union.

319 Grinnell Street - Bank Owned - Key West

319 Grinnell Street - Old Town - Key West - Bank Owned

Just listed, but not by me, 319 Grinnell Street near the Historic Key West Seaport. This house is Bank Owned. I expect multiple offers on this very interesting property because of its low offering price of just $299,500, and the fact that it has three key features most second home buyers want in a Key West house: (1) style, (2) pool, and off street parking. The listing Realtor describes this house this way:

"Fantastic Location In Key West! Walk To The Water, Water Activities, Shops, And Entertainment. Boasting 944 Sq Ft This Two Bedroom Two Bathroom Single Family Home Sits On A 3220 Sq Ft Lot. Quaint And Cozy. This Fannie Mae Property Is Approved For A Homepath Renovation Mortgage. Owner Occupants Close By October 31 2011 And Request Up To 3.5% In Seller Paid Closing Costs. Restrictions Apply."

319 Grinnell Street in Old Town Key West as it appeared in 1965

319 Grinnell Street in September 2011

The Monroe County Property Appraiser's property card on this house says it was built in 1924 and that it has 944 sq ft of living space. I question both the year of construction and size. This house has design and structural elements that suggest it is much older, probably in the late 1880s. It is located a little over a block away from the seaport near other houses built in the 1880s which have similar features. I did the math and checked the square footage using the Appraiser's house map and found the square footage was actually 1594 sq ft vs the 944 sq ft shown on the property card. If my 'math' on the square footage is correct, the asking price on a sq ft basis would be $187 per sq ft instead of $317. The lot is 40'x80.5' or 3220 sq ft. I mention the size not to question the listing Realtor's data because it is automatically extracted from the Property Appraiser's database. Instead, I use the size to alert Readers that this house is bigger than the data suggests and warrants serious consideration. CLICK HERE to compare the architectural elements and construction date of a very similar house also just listed and located only a couple of blocks to the west at 311 William Street . It was constructed in 1852. (The dormers on 311 William Street are not original to the house. And 311 William Street has been meticulously renovated to the highest of standards. Otherwise, the similarities between the two houses are remarkable.)


Here's the bad news. This house has been screwed around with by some past owner that carved the house into three living units. The main floor has a very interesting Victoriana front room with a kitchen located at the end. The front room and the adjacent bedroom have Dade County Pine walls, ceiling, and floor. A bathroom is tucked off to the side. It has a glass block walled shower and disassociated hippie 'style' elements. Someone created a passage way by removing drywall to enter into a second living space at the rear. This space is one big living area more typical of a studio apartment. It has a large newer kitchen and an open living area with lots of windows and doors that look out to the pool at the rear. Oh, it has a functional toilet that sits in the corner, but there is no sink or shower. Nor is there any walls or partition to provide any privacy. A third living space is accessed from a side doorway located on the north side of the house. The stairway is narrow and steep and probably not constructed to code. It looks like this space was another studio apartment with a mini-kitchen, bath, and bedroom. Two scuttles on either side of the bedroom date this space to pre-1924 vintage construction in my opinion.

I mentioned that this house has a pool. It does. The pool has 'hippie roots' if ever I saw one. It sits out of the ground a bit. I doubt that a building permit was pulled on the pool when it was built. In fact I doubt any permits were pulled when any of the 'renovations' were done to this house when it was carved into three living units. Because of this I suspect much if not all of the electric and plumbing will need to be replaced to bring this house to code. There is no air conditioning. I can tell you I was sweating when I took photos you can see if you CLICK HERE.

The hippie pool

If you think I am suggesting that potential buyers avoid this house the answer is I am not. I think this is a great project house. It needs new windows and doors. The old roof looks great but a new roof would mean lower windstorm insurance rates. The clapboard siding looks pretty solid but needs some repairs. The windows need replaced. And the HVAC needs checked out. I suspect all will need replaced. The front could be dolled up by replacing the odd concrete front porch and adding shutters. A white picket fence and editing the overgrown foliage would sharpen the look of this place. The back yard could be wonderful. I would eliminate the pool and put a new one in but that is a matter of choice. There is an old out building that could become the new laundry room or maybe a pool house bar. There is an old fish pond that looks intriguing as do some huge tropical plants. This space could become something very special. Oh, there is off street parking on the side.

If you are interested in buying a place like this, please consider working with me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or by email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Reatly, Inc. in Key West. Don't dilly dally on this because you will lose out. Don't make a mistake and try to get this place on the cheap. I expect the house will sell quickly and above the asking price.