Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday No. 41

from January 16, 2014

3529  Sunrise Drive,  Key West, Florida

Matthew Broderick and Tom Cruise were born in 1963.  3529 Sunrise Drive in Key West Florida was built in 1963.  Each will become 51 years old in 2014.  The two movie stars take good care of themselves and probably look better than a lot of people their age.  Men and women who workout and take care of their bodies, skin, and hair normally look better than those who don't.

A lot of my buyers are in their fifties. Many probably grew up in a house built in the 1960s when contemporary design was the trend.  The house at 3529 Sunrise Drive was custom built by the owner who has lovingly maintained this property ever since.  The house is big. The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows this house as having 3378 sq ft of interior living space. The house sits on an 8937 sq ft lot (138' X 65') just across the street from the Riviera Canal that ends a few blocks to the east where water flows into the Atlantic Ocean.  The houses across the street benefit from being located on the water.  This house is every bit as nice or nicer than most of the original houses in the area.  And the houses across the street all cost a whole lot more than this house.

The home at 3529 Sunrise Drive incorporates many of the features of large suburban homes built during the early 1960s including multiple living levels, large rooms, vaulted ceilings, and large outdoor living areas. The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Everything you want in Key West living. Plenty of room both inside and out for entertaining or just relaxing with the family. Vaulted ceilings and large rooms make the interior exceedingly livable. A walled lot, lush landscaping, large pool and several covered outside seating areas along with offstreet, covered parking make this an ideal property. This is a home that you can live in tomorrow or add personal touches to create your own island oasis."

Events, styles, trends, fads, they all last for a while but many impact our lives for years or decades into the future. When you are young, you tend to live in the moment. As you get older, you learn that not everything in the world revolves around you. As you get much older, you may learn that what you do or say or think is of no consequence to anybody. That's sort of what happens to styles, trends and fads-they get ignored or displaced or even replaced. Styles that were hip become passe. Maybe that's why for many people buying a house in the Old Town area of Key West is so safe: old is always popular there. Even cherished.

If you are old enough to remember the 1960s you will recall the space race and the New Frontier. You will remember the forward thinking we embraced. Our TV, our culture, our furniture and home goods, and our architecture reflected the hopes and dreams as aspirations of that time. Some homes today still have fallout shelters that were built in the 1960s, a different and sad face of the culture of that time.

The home at 3529 Sunrise Drive incorporates many of the features of large suburban homes built during the early 1960s including multiple living levels, large rooms, vaulted ceilings, and large outdoor living areas. It is time for buyers to consider houses like this that have plenty of good years left as alternatives to much more expensive homes in the Old Town and Casa Marina areas.

The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

" Everything you want in Key West living. Plenty of room both inside and out for entertaining or just relaxing with the family. Vaulted ceilings and large rooms make the interior exceedingly livable. A walled lot, lush landscaping, large pool and several covered outside seating areas along with off street, covered parking make this an ideal property. This is a home that you can live in tomorrow or add personal touches to create your own island oasis."

3529 Sunrise Drive is a big house located a on a large lot on the east side of Key West- just about four blocks from the Atlantic Ocean. It is far removed from the hub bub of Old Town. This is a family area and this is a very nice family home that has been well maintained during its lifetime.  CLICK HERE to view a slide show with lots of photos of this home. This property is listed by Preferred Properties, but it is not my listing. It is offered at $899,000. And CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls data sheet.

If you would like to see this blast from the past, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a visit. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida.


UPDATE

This truly was one of my favorites house in Key West. I wrote about it many times because it was such a wonderful example of 1960s American architecture. It was listed for sale by several different agents starting in 2004 when the asking price was $1,699,900; It finally sold in 2021 for $1,080.000. I don't know if I mentioned the reason it took so long to sell. The owners had dozens of trophy animals they killed from around the world. They had rugs, mounted heads, and stuffed animals.They killed many of th animals with bow and arrow. I guess that made it "sport"except the animals were defenseless.

If any actually read the post I hope you pick up on how I deal with aging. I had no ireal appreciation for what happens to you as you age. i thought I did. But i was younger then when I wrote it. Count that up to not knowing what you are talking about. 

Key West Investment Propety - Price Reduced on 1122 Southard Street

The asking price on 1122 Southard Street in Key West was just reduced to $995,000. This is the really interesting property with upside potential. The listing Realtor describes this investment property this way:

"This historic building includes 5 licensed apartments. There is a large 2BR/2BA, two story unit at the rear ideal for an owner, a 1 Bedroom, an efficiency and 2 studio units. Lot's of the original Dade County Pine and architectural details including the original staircase are intact. Excellent Old Town location. The property is currently owned by a non profit organization for their use and so rents are currently well below market value"

Frequent readers of my blog know that I have a shoe box where I sometimes find old photos of actively listed properties. I found just such a photo of 1122 Southard Street that was taken five decades ago when this property was a laundry of all things.  I searched the historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine when 1122 Southard Street was built. The 1889 Map ignored this area entirely but I know for a fact that there were multiple homes and businesses in existence in the immediate area at that time. then. It was not until the 1892 map that a building was cited on the lot and the address given at that time was 1018 Southard St. The address of 1018 Southard was changed to 1122 Southard Street on the 1899 map.  That map indicated a small cut-out a the right rear of the lot where a water tower was located. That cut-out exists today which is now a part of a large adjacent property to the rear. My conclusion is that 1122 Southard Street existed at least as of 1892 and probably earlier which I will explain later

 The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows this building as having 2515 sq ft of living space plus porches. The irregular lot measures 40 ft wide by 82 ft deep minus the cut-out for the old water tower in the rear which I mentioned earlier. The building is located next door to the historic Key West Armory which is owned by the State of Florida which suggests to me that it will always be maintained and not become a nuisance neighbor. Southard Street has two of the most expensive listings in town. Most of the single family homes on Southard are priced over the one million dollar mark.

As the listing Realtor indicates this property currently is owned by a non-profit organization which was providing housing to local artists. Today the building is vacant except for two tenants. I think whoever buys this building has several options to take advantage of the low occupancy by re-renting the vacant units at market rate without spending any money.  These units are small and ideal for single occupancy tenants. There is a real housing shortage in Key West. These would rent in a heartbeat even .  A buyer who wants to do some "fix-up" could do some improvements to the units. I  am not sure the updated units would rent for a lot more money but a fix-up may make the buyer feel  better about the building itself. The building is well maintained. I just know that many buyers feel compelled to spend new money whenever they buy something. Below are a few photos of the four units in front.

These apartments would be easily rented to new people moving to the area or to people who have lost their long time residences to be displaced by someone who bought a home that they plan to renovate.  This building is located within easy walking distance to Duval Street or the seaport where many locals are employed. There is adequate on street parking but the fact of life in Key West is that many locals do not own cars but use bikes or scooters or their feet as primary means of getting around.

The two story unit at the rear has so much potential for either an owner-landlord or as a place to actually spend some money to increase the rental on this particular apartment. I think any money spent on the rear unit is money well spent. This space is worth the price of the building in itself. The income from the apartments in front would pay all taxes, insurance, and upkeep on the building.

CLICK HERE to view some not-so-good photos I took with my small pocket camera on a recent showing of this property. They provide some simple views of the units and the grounds.

The asking price on 1122 Southard Street was just reduced to $995,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule an appointment to see this property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

415 Amelia Street, Key West, Florida

New to the market is 415 Amelia Street, Key West, Florida. Frequent readers of my blog know I like to dig in the old shoe box to see if I can find any old photos of houses I write about.  In the case of 415 Amelia Street I found a great black and white photo taken fifty-one years ago (see below). I recently took a photo from the same location.  If you look closely you will notice many similarities but some marked differences as well.  Three boys shown in the photo standing in the driveway in the old photo. I'd love it if a local happens to read this blog and sees his photo and would share what he remembers about this house and this block in the mid 1960s.

Today 415 Amelia Street is offered for sale at the asking price of $1,095,000.  According to the listing Realtor, not me, the house and separate guest cottage total 1164 sq ft of living space and sit on an irregular 3960 sq ft lot (47.75' X 83.85') that is located about 200 feet west of Duval Street in Key West.  The house and cottage have a total of three bedrooms, two baths, a sunny pool, covered off street parking, comfortable interior spaces, and lots of charm. Combine the location and amenities, and you have a money maker vacation rental if that is part of your plan in purchasing a Key West property.

The listing Realtor describes 415 Amelia Street as

"A MUST SEE! Rare opportunity to own a beautiful Conch home featuring two bedrooms and one and a half baths plus a spacious loft with room for a guests and/or an office. Situated in the heart of the Historic District of Upper Duval and perfectly positioned near the Southernmost Point and Hemingway's House, this unique cottage is a blend of eclectic style and color. Nearby are some of the finest restaurants and bars, and the Southernmost Beach, where you can relax on the sunbeds while sipping your pina colada. The rear of the house is an oasis of elegant charm, with the benefit a 'cabana' guest house and tropical outdoor shower. A glorious Moroccan tent provides a relaxing outdoor retreat overlooking the large, heated, saltwater pool. The carport and driveway comfortably accommodates two cars."

 The gated front entry leads to a charming front porch marked by what I refer to as dental structure gingerbread trim. Looking out from the front porch you see a charming Old Town street. When you open the front door your eyes dash around in anticipation of discovering which bedroom will be yours. And you eagerly await the vacation of your lifetime.

Kids, singles, or fun couples will like the room at the top of the stairs. A built-in window seat overlooks the pool and guest cottage below.

French doors in the master bedroom open out to the pool and deck. There's a waterfall with trickling water - what a wonderful sound to hear as you go to sleep or when you wake up. It's easy to see why vacationers fall in love with Key West when they can stay in a place like this.

I wrote about this house a few years ago when it was for sale. The current owner added the above "Moroccan" tent and totally transformed the deck area into something utterly charming at a minimal cost. I thought to myself this is ingenious. Previously the deck was just a big sunny space. All of a sudden there was shaded space to lounge while the kids play in the pool and later to have smart cocktails while planning where to dine at night. I had never seen something so inexpensive transform a space. I give this Seller an A+ for design smarts.

The guest cottage or "cabana" as the listing Realtor describes it is a long and narrow building located at the far side of the pool. It's got a bedroom and bath. An outdoor shower adjoins on the side.

 Remember what I wrote at the outset of today's blog - this home is located about 200 feet east of Duval Street. That's a great location for owners or vacation renters who want a place that is close to the action and attractions of Duval Street, yet that is located far enough away not to be swept up in the noise and commotion. And don't forget this home has its own off street parking.

Please CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet which includes lots of daytime and nighttime photos of this delightful property. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.