812 Simonton Street Rear, Key West - The Affordable Escape to Key West

When I was a kid my mom and dad had this dream of buying a camping trailer to drag behind our 1952 Studebaker. We would take it up into the Colorado Rockies where we would fish and live the Life of Riley. We got the trailer but things didn't work out exactly as planned. The reality of Twenty First Century America is that you can no longer stop your car along the roadside or beachfront and set up camp for a few days of camping. There are just too many people and too many rules to allow that anymore. In fact there are too many people and too many rules - period.  For many people the dream to getaway from the job, the city, the job, the day-to-day life and all those damned rules is just that - a dream. People have expectations of what they want and how much they can reasonably afford to spend. When they start checking out prices on the internet or meeting with a Realtor they often decide that the cost of fulfilling the dream is, well, too costly! I have watched the price of Key West properties rise higher and higher year after year for decade after decade. Prices always go up, or so it seems - until now.

812 Simonton Rear sits behind the front cottage. Access is via deeded path to the right of the building.

The listing Realtor describes this 480 sq ft stand alone one bedroom fully equipped cottage this way:
"Lovely Old Town rear cottage for under $400K! This private one bedroom / one bath cottage with additional outdoor bathroom has all the amenities of home. Wood flooring throughout and additional loft space for storage. Spacious outdoor space to enjoy the Key West breezes."

The cottage is a fully contained small home. You enter the small home from the side entry and walk into the living room which has a vaulted ceiling. This gives even this small space a sense of being much larger than it is. The point is the place doesn't feel small. The bedroom is adjacent at the rear. It, too, has a vaulted ceiling. French doors open from the bedroom out to a private rear terrace. The back side of the St. Peter's Episcopal Church is the neighbor. I can imagine going to bed at night with the doors opened. It's that private. The kitchen has been revamped and has all the comforts of home stainless steel range,microwave, dishwasher, and refrigerator. The kitchen door opens out to a covered porch which houses the covered laundry and another bathroom and out door shower. 

For those buyers who want to have a place where their friends can come and stay, you can either plan on spending a lot more money for a larger home or pay for a couple of nights lodging at a nearby guesthouse or hotel. The price will be a lot less and you won't have to babysit your friends.

The asking price on this little charmer has just been reduced to $399,995. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and many listing photos that show each aspect of this home. Once you've looked online, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 and ask me to schedule a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  This could be your great escape to Key West place.

Bank Owned - Key West - Price Reduction - 1417 12th Street

The asking price on 1417 12th Street, Key West just got reduced from $365,100 to $329,900. This two bedroom 3 1/2 bath 1500 sq ft town home is actually a very affordable alternative to renting. If you're a local looking for a new place to live, take a look at this property which was built in 1982.  The listing Realtor describes this home this way:

"2 Story 3 bedroom 2.5 bath fenced town home with a deck and pool. First floor is made up of a kitchen, living/dining room a bedroom and bath, second floor is master bedroom/bath and bedroom with a half bath. Great location, walking distance to shopping. This property awaits your finishing touches." 

The Bank Owned home located at 1417 12th Street in the midtown area of Key West is 35 years old this year. The exterior and interior of this house resemble a lot of homes built during this time era when minimalism was the norm. The exterior structure is the opposite of Key West cottage that many people hope to find when they think about buying a place here.  The thing is the Key West dream house usually comes with a pretty heft price tag.  The building is a town home configuration of several attached units, each with a different facade, elevation, and roof line to break the monotony of sameness. Bahama shutters were added to the front and rear. Each home has a small front yard and an off street parking space. Here, the yard is a combination of pea rock,  ornamental grass, and a couple of palm trees. Many owners have replaced the original windows with impact units. This home would benefit with retro-fitting the windows and doors with modern impact replacements. This would not only add light into the home but also provide for significant wind insurance savings for years to come.

 The windows and doors and the ceilings and floors have pretty much run their life expectancy and usefulness. A prior owner tried to renovate the home a few years back. I think he (or she) failed. The house comes across as being a bit dark, a bit dated, and in need of face lift. I am going to share some photos I took of the house to give you an idea of how the house looks today. I see real potential in this property. Remember it is just a big box. All houses are boxes. Please also understand this house does need to be renovated or even painted. I simply think that it would look so much better and would function better if some of my suggestions were implemented.  There is one section of flooring that needs to be replaced. Otherwise, a new owner could move in and set up house. My suggestions relate how I think this home could be improved and made much more valuable. There is a real difference in making improvements and making repairs.

The front door opens into a hallway that leads to the two story living room at the rear. The first of three bedrooms in this house is located up front. There is an adjacent bath next door which also serves as a guest bath. The railroad style kitchen is next where there is an opening out to the living area. The blue "drama wall" accentuates the small opening from the kitchen. The small opening and darkly painted wall makes the kitchen seem like a cave. In my opinion the kitchen cries out  to be remodeled. I think the space would function much better if the upper walls at the front of the kitchen were removed. I would relocate the refrigerator to the rear and remove the wall opposite the stair. 

I found a photo of another unit in the same complex where both the kitchen and the second floor bedroom were opened up to create more vibrant living and sleeping spaces. See the photo below. It is the same space but looks totally different. Both spaces seem so much more interesting. 

Each of the bedrooms and bathrooms have differing floor surfaces. I think it makes more sense to have one floor system run throughout the house. It would give unity of design to the entire house. If I owned this house I redo the master bath. The door is a bit narrow and the bidet is a European affectation. At a minimum I would ditch the bidet and add a vanity with dual sinks. 

The primary reason I wanted to write about this house is the pool at the rear. It's a Charlie Brown Pool - it's a bit on the small side, but it has potential!  The prior owner installed a surrounding deck with a man-made material similar to Trex decking. The deck is non-slip and resistant to insects and water damage.

While I was taking photos of this home I noticed the clean and contemporary lines of a neighboring house two doors away. The exterior was painted a cool Caribbean color that contrasted with the brown of this home. The original windows in the neighboring property were replaced with impact glass. In fact most of the neighboring  homes now have impact glass. I could not help to imagine how much cleaner this home would look if the old brown French doors and shutters were removed. This home could look equally as nice. CLICK HERE to view all the photos I took of this home.

1417 12th Street  is a bank owned property with 1500 sq ft of living space that includes three bedrooms, three baths, off street parking, and a pool. The asking price is $329,900. You can't buy a studio apartment in Old Town for that.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing. Bring your imagination and a calculator. Figure out how you might tweak this place. There's a bargain to be had here.

634 Louisa Street #5, Key West - An Affordable Home at Last!

Locals and maybe even buyers who are looking for an affordable retirement home in Key West ought to consider looking at 634 Louisa Street #5.  This is a two story town home built in 2007 with lots of money saving construction features that will save a potential new home owner money year after year.

Loyal readers know my penchant for searching through the old shoe box to find photos of old homes. Well, I found one for this property - sort of. The black and white photo was taken of 634 Louisa Street back in 1965.  It looks to me like the property in existence then had been converted to some sort of commercial use.  The black and white aerial photo taken in the 1920s shows the approximate location of the Louisa Street property back then. Note the old water tank located between Catherine and Louisa Streets. Most of that entire block is now the Suburban Propane property. And the half block just east of 634 Louisa Street is a trailer park today.  Times change and buildings and uses change. For now the propane facility and trailer park are the neighbors. This helps explain the affordable price on this very nice newer construction.

The listing Realtor describes 634 Louisa Street this way:

"Two bedroom one and half bath townhome located two blocks from Duval Street on quiet street. Stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, high efficiency washer and dryer. Located on X zone (no flood insurance necessary). Small HOA of only 5 units with very low association fees. 2007 construction."

634 Louisa Street is a 756 sq ft town home. As the owner you would be responsible for all insurance and maintenance on your home. This home was built with Hardiboard Siding. The windows are all wind impact resistant glass. That means your long term maintenance costs will be less as Hardoard holds up to our intense sun and water better than wood siding.  The impact windows qualify the home for substantial windstorm mitigation credits.  Flood insurance is not required. Homeowner insurance is just $461, and windstorm insurance is only $768.

 CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule your private showing of this affordable Key West home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

623 Thomas Street #A - Key West Bank Owned Condo

Just Listed, but not by me, 623 Thomas Street #A, Key West, Florida . This is a Bank Owned condominium located opposite to the entrance to the Shipyard Condominiums in Key West, Florida.  Now this unit is nothing like the nice little condos over at the Shipyard, but it isn't priced like those units either.

I dug down deep into my old shoebox and found a photo taken about fifty years ago of this multi-unit building.  The building was converted to condominiums around 2002. (The online property records do not show any records other than siding replacement. That does not mean permits were not taken out. It just means the records for this property are not shown online.)

This unit is a one bedroom. There is no closet for the bedroom. The living room and dining area are quiet spacious. The kitchen is at the rear as is the bathroom. It appeared to me that the original floors were replaced when the property was converted to  a condominium. The floors for the most part are in very good condition. 

A single door in the kitchen and French doors in the living room open out to a long deck that wraps around the back of the house. The side and rear yard are totally unsuspected. 

The listing Realtor describes this property this way: "Fantastic Old Town Location! Make This Your Own With Your Personal Touches Needs Some TLC. This One Bedroom And One Bath Offers High Ceilings And French Doors Leading To Your Open Porch. Common Area Offers A Private Fenced In Yard." I do not know if the unit owner has exclusive use of the outdoor space. However, it is the only unit with access to the yard. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this unit.  This 454 sq ft first floor condominium is offered for sale at $244,900. 

I took more photos of this unit that show the rooms and exterior from many different angles. CLICK HERE to view more photos.  Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this economically priced condo.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. This place needs some TLC but it has a lot of upside potential.