812 Windsor Lane, Key West - Now a Short Sale Buying Opportunity

Loyal Readers may recognize this beautiful home located at 812 Windsor Lane in Key West as having been featured in my little blog a couple of times during the past couple of years. The house did not sell and is now offered as a short sale. 

The simple home at 812 Windsor Lane in Key West did not always look so neat and proper.  I remember driving past that house several years ago on repeated occasions when someone would ask "How much is that house?"  I would always respond "It's not for sale" to which they would reply something like "We'll I want to buy it when it is for sale." The house looked pretty rundown back then. The front yard was over-grown. The place looked like it had been abandoned. But then in 2008 the family who had owned this house since it was first built undertook the renovation of the original house and construction of a new cottage at the rear plus the addition of a pool.

812 Windsor Lane, Key West - 1965

 Today the property is available for the very first time to the buying public at the short sale asking price of $1,350,000.  The listing Realtor describes the property thus:

"Front of main house built in 1883. Rear cottage built and entire property beautifully renovated in 2005/6. Both buildings are 2Bed/2Full Bath with connecting covered breezeway. Kit, DR and LR in main house. 442 sq.ft unfinished attic space; clean, dry and open in main house is not part of the 1892 sq.ft. Finished Living Area. Pool, brick patio, lush tropical trees and bricked off-street parking. Interior is Dade County and knotty pine. Exterior is 85% hardyboard. Same family in property since 1912. Fully and nicely furnished. Heart of Old Town. This is a potential Short Sale subject to lender approval."

The front porch is just for show these days. The formal entry to the main house is located just beyond the fence at the end of the driveway.  You enter into the great room in the new rear addition to the historic house.  The living area is at the back of this house.  It has French doors that open out to the covered rear deck and which overlook the pool with waterfall.  The two front rooms are used as bedrooms. Both bedrooms have large bathrooms. The master bedroom has access to the old front porch which as a view of the Key West cemetery across the street. The Royal Poinciana Tree located directly across the street will be full bloom with a million red flowers come May.

The guest cottage at the rear has two very large bedrooms and baths. Both bedrooms have vaulted ceilings and ample closets. Each room has a loft inside for the grand kids to play or sleep.  A covered breezeway connects the guest cottage to the main house. 

The two houses have a combined living space of 1892 sq ft under air conditioning. This does not include any of the covered or non-covered deck areas or interior lofts. The lot is 5880 sq ft lot which  is quite large for the Old Town area. There is bricked off street parking for 2 cars. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet.

The house needs a fresh coat of paint and some minor repairs which will make it all pretty again. I think a bit of fairy dust would do a heck of a lot of good myself. If I bought this home I might splurge and re-tile the baths and replace the dark granite counter tops with quartz or some more contemporary hard surface. The color schemes are okay but I think a new owner could pick colors that are less Caribbean and more chic. The pool, rear decks, and grounds need some new plantings which would make the spaces more welcoming.  None of the things I have suggested are expensive.  I believe they would make this property show so much better.

This home has a successful rental history as a vacation rental.  The property is located just a few short blocks to Duval Street. The historic Key West seaport is located six blocks to the north. Most of the gyms and yoga studios are within an easy walk as well. Repeat vacation renters love being within walking distance to the gym or yoga studio. Returning guests follow patterns of behavior by going to their favorite haunts year after year. This is an area of family homes with no nearby commercial activity. There is no parking on the opposite side of the street - ever. This location is central to just about everything. Guest and owners will always get a sound nights sleep here.

I view this property as a real buying opportunity because of the location, historic and contemporary architecture, the successful rental history as a monthly vacation rental, and the new pricing which is much lower than previously offered.

CLICK HERE to view more photos I took.  After you've viewed the photos and the mls datasheet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a showing of this Key West home with lots of potential.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

812 Windsor Lane - Sitting Pretty in Old Town Key West

The simple home at 812 Windsor Lane in Key West did not always look so neat and proper.  I remember driving past that house several years ago on repeated occasions when someone would ask "How much is that house"?  I would always respond "It's not for sale" to which they would reply something like "We'll I want to buy it when it is for sale." The house looked pretty rundown back then. The front yard was over-grown. The place looked like it had been abandoned. But then in 2008 the family who had owned this house since it was first built undertook the renovation of the original house and construction of a rear cottage and pool.

812 Windsor Lane, Key West - 1965

 Today the property is available for the very first time to the buying public at the reduced asking price of $1,450,000.  The listing Realtor describes the property thus:

"Historic Treasure in the heart of Old Town. First time on the market! Fully renovated in 2008, this historic home has been in the same family since the 1800s. 2BD/2BA main house has a beautiful mix of original Dade County and heart pine walls and floors in the bedrooms. Updates include vaulted ceilings and a modern kitchen with granite counter-tops and stainless appliances. A 2BD/2BA guest house is connected via a Caribbean style covered walkway. Both homes are lined with French doors that open onto a spacious deck overlooking the tropical gardens, bricked courtyard, and private waterfall swimming pool. Fully fenced with a locking gate, the property has off street parking for 2 cars. This is Key West tropical living as it was meant to be!" 

The front porch is just for show these days. The formal entry to the main house is located just beyond the fence at the end of the driveway.  You enter into the great room in the new rear addition to the historic house.  The living area is at the back of this house.  It has French doors that open out to the covered rear deck and which overlook the pool with waterfall.  The two front rooms are used as bedrooms. Both bedrooms have large bathrooms. The master bedroom has access to the old front porch which as a view of the Key West cemetery across the street. The Royal Poinciana Tree in the front yard will be full of a million red flowers come May.  The site will be glorious!

The guest cottage at the rear has two very large bedrooms and baths. Both bedrooms have vaulted ceilings and ample closets. Each room has a loft inside for the grand kids to play or sleep.  A covered breezeway connects the guest cottage to the main house. 

The two houses have a combined living space of 1892 sq ft under air conditioning. This does not include any of the covered or non-covered deck areas or interior lofts. The lot is 5880 sq ft lot which  is fairly large for the Old Town area. There is bricked off street parking for 2 cars.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet.

The house needs a fresh coat of paint and some minor repairs which will make it all pretty again. I think a bit of fairy dust would do a heck of a lot of good myself. If I bought this home I might splurge and retile the baths and replace the dark granite counter tops with quartz or some more contemporary hard surface. The color schemes are okay but I think a new owner could pick colors that are less Caribbean and more chic. The pool, rear decks, and grounds need some new plantings which would make the spaces more welcoming.  None of the things I have suggested are expensive.  I believe they would make this property show so much better.

This home has a successful rental history as a vacation rental.  The property is located just a few short blocks to Duval Street. The historic Key West seaport is located six blocks to the north. Most of the gyms and yoga studios are within an easy walk as well. Repeat long term vacation renters love being within walking distance to the gym or yoga studio. They follow patterns of going to their favorite haunts that are within easy walking distance. This location is central to just about everything.

CLICK HERE to view more photos I took.  After you've viewed the photos and the mls datasheet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a showing of this Key West home with lots of potential.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

812 Windsor Lane - Key West - An Old Town Home with Lots of Potential

For years and years as I would drive potential buyers through Old Town someone would see 812 Windsor Lane and ask "How much is that house"?  I would always respond "It's not for sale" to which they would reply something like "We'll I want to buy it when it is for sale." The house looked pretty a bit "tired" compared to the way it looked in 1965 when the above black and white photo above was taken.The trees and foliage overwhelmed the lot and the house had not been painted in decades. All that changed about six years ago when the house was renovated.

 Today the property is available for the very first time to the buying public at the asking price of $1,560,000.  The listing Realtor describes the property thus:

"Historic Treasure in the heart of Old Town. First time on the market! Fully renovated in 2008, this historic home has been in the same family since the 1800s. 2BD/2BA main house has a beautiful mix of original Dade County and heart pine walls and floors in the bedrooms. Updates include vaulted ceilings and a modern kitchen with granite countertops and stainless appliances. A 2BD/2BA guest house is connected via a Caribbean style covered walkway. Both homes are lined with French doors that open onto a spacious deck overlooking the tropical gardens, bricked courtyard, and private waterfall swimming pool. Fully fenced with a locking gate, the property has off street parking for 2 cars. This is Key West tropical living as it was meant to be!" 

The front porch is just for show these days. The formal entry to the main house is located just beyond the fence at the end of the driveway.  You enter into the great room in the new rear addition to the historic house.  The living area is at the back of this house while the two front rooms are used as bedrooms. Both bedrooms have large bathrooms. The north bedroom has access to the old front porch which as a view of the Key West cemetery across the street.

The newly constructed guest cottage at the rear provides two large bedrooms and baths. Access to the guest cottage is protected via covered porch connected to the main house.

The two houses have a combined living space of 1892 sq ft under air conditioning. This does not include any of the covered or non-covered deck areas. The lot 5880 sq ft lot is fairly large for the Old Town area. There is bricked off street parking for 2 cars (according to the listing Realtor). CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet.

The house has been neglected just a bit. It needs a fresh coat of paint and some minor repairs which will make it all pretty again. I think a bit of fair dust would do a heck of a lot of good myself. If I bought this home I might splurge and retile the baths and replace the dark granite counter tops with quartz or some more contemporary hard surface. The color schemes are okay but I think a new owner could pick colors that are less Caribbean and more chic. The pool, rear decks, and grounds need some new plantings to make the spaces more welcoming.  None of the things I have suggested are super expensive.  I believe they would make this property show so much better. 

This home has a successful rental history as a vacation rental.  The property is located just a few short blocks to Duval Street. The historic Key West seaport is located six blocks to the north. Most of the gyms and yoga studios are within an easy walk as well.

CLICK HERE to view more photos I took.  After you've viewed the photos and the mls datasheet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a showing of this Key West home with lots of potential.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.