522 Simonton Street, Key West - SOLD

Just Sold - 522 Simonton Street located in Old Town Key West. I represented the buyer who plan  a major revation of the proerty which will take three years to accomplish.  

I wrote about this house several months ago. I had the priviledge of showing this property a couple of times to qualified buyers who love old houses. They were intrigued by the idea of restoring this old house but decided the project and the price was more than they were willing to take on.

But the day I showed this house to the new buyer I could see a sparkle in his eyes. He took his time moving from room to room by flashlight. The house had not been inhabited for several years. The electric power was turned off.  So the only way to see what was "for sale" was by flashlight. What he found was an untouched beauty that had never had air conditioning or heating.  He later told me that it was the craftsmanship and  attention to detail by the original builder that caught his eye.

The newer section of the house was probably added before the end of the 19th Century. The first floor front room was likely the bedroom of the former full time resident who departed the house years ago. Rumor has it the former owner was confined to living on the main level where there are two closets in the front and rear rooms on the south side of the house where some of her clothing still hangs. Two dresses are still hanging in the front closet. They reminded me of college prep English where I read David Copperfield. I envisioned the front room as being the bedroom of Miss Havisham.

A different closet door caught my attention. There was a gaping hole in one of the wood panels that make up the door. I turned on my Iphone flashlight to see if my eyes were deceiving me. They weren't. Termites had eaten their way through much of the wood panel. Good Grief!

This buyer will be taking this house apart and putting it back together board by board.  I invite readers of my blog to check back here over the next three years to watch the progress as the new owners of 522 Simonton Street restore this old house.

I represent people like me who decided that life up north isn't all it is cracked-up to be. Two days ago I received a phone call from a former buyer who told me he and his family moved here as a full time residents. He had been a lawyer up north in a big city. He gave that life up there and found a new life in Key West doing something totally different. He said he didn't regret it one bit. If you are looking to find a new life in Key West or maybe just a condo you can call your second home, please consider working with me, Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers.

522 Simonton Street, Key West - Strategicallly Located Renovation Project

As March winds down to its end I am reminded of my first trip to Key West in 1984.  Back then more of the houses needed renovated than had been done.  I am an early riser and remember walking the streets of Old Town and looking at the old houses and thinking what I could do if I owned one of those old places. I fell in love with this little island town that would later become my home. I traveled back to Key West a few months later and started what would become a nine year vision quest before I finally purchased a place here. Over the following years more and more of the old houses have been purchased and renovated by all types of new owners with varying visions, skills, and budgets. Many of the formerly run down houses have won awards for excellence in renovation. Thirty-three years later there are fewer and fewer large un-renovated homes left.  522 Simonton Street is one of them.

The listing Realtor describes this property this way:

"This is one of the most historic and iconic homes in Key West. Built in the 1860's and the Key West home of Robert Watson, officer in the Confederate Army and later Confederate Navy, and his family. Watson later served briefly as mayor of Key West. There have only been two families to reside here since the home was built. The architecture is unique for Key West with a stepped facade and four separate porches on the front of the house. Perfectly sited with ample sized front and side yards and a large rear yard, there are many options including expansion, multiple off-street parking spaces, lush gardens and pool. The home requires a total renovation and is uninhabitable in its current condition. This is the perfect property for the buyer wanting to create their own architectural masterpiece."

I looked through my old shoebox and found the above black and white photo which was taken in 1965. That photo shows the clean lines of this once great house. I took the color photo immediately above from a similar angle earlier today. Trees and overgrowth obscure the old house that still exists.  While the photos may suggest this place is more grey gardens than great design, I think the original house can come back big time and that whoever buys this place will have an incredible property in the end.

When you look at the black and white photo you will notice the large two story addition to the right. First and second floor porches were added to the side addition after the 1965 photo was taken. Today those porches are in disrepair. The front porch on the original house is in equally bad disrepair. Issues like these are to be expected. The original house probably has not changed much over the past fifty years or longer. The home has not been occupied for many years. It is my understanding the former owner lived on the main floor for several years before her departure several years ago.  This will definitely be a project house.

I showed this property in early January. While much of the house hearkens back to the 18th Century, the renovated property will likely be updated to early 21st Century standards and uses. I envision this house will be converted into some quasi-commercial use. This house is situated one block from Duval Street, our primary tourist destination location. The highest and best use would be a renovation to a large single family home that could be rented monthly as a vacation rental. There is off street parking off the front for at least two cars. There is a very large back yard and good-sized side yards on the south and the north. There is plenty of room for a pool, parking, and lovely gardens. 

CLICK HERE view the Key West MLS datasheet which shows this property as being a 2652 square feet home situated on a 6610 square foot lot which measures 58.5' X 113'.  Simonton Street is one of the longest streets in Key West. It begins at the Gulf of Mexico on the north and ends at the Reef Resort on the Atlantic Ocean to the south - about one mile in length. I would describe most of Simonton Street as being a transitional street. Almost all of Old Town located to the east is residential use. There are only a few single family residences that remain on this street. Most of the properties have become commercial in some respect whether converted into apartments, condominiums, guest houses or boutique hotels, or monthly vacation rental houses. There are a few single family homes which have transient rental licenses. I think any sense of "community" has long disappeared from this street. That is why I think conversion to some form of commercial use makes the most sense with this property. 

Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing of this historic old home with terrific Old Town location.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.