1202 Seminary Street, Key West - Back on the Market

I first wrote about 1202 Seminary Street, Key West right after it was listed  It quickly went under contract and the process of loan qualification began. Sometimes that can take months. Sometimes loans do not get approved. This property is now back on the market.  Let's take a look.

This home was renovated about twenty years ago. The entry was relocated from the front of the house through a gated portico that opens into the pool area. Multiple sets of French doors on both sides of  the living room allow abundant daytime light to bathe the area with ambient light. This place is cheerie. The kitchen was recently updated and new floors added. 

French doors from the family room (located center) and both bedrooms open out to the rear deck with recently added Trex decking. The two bedroom, three bath home has 1,502 Sq Ft of living space under air conditioning and sits on a large 4,698 Sq Ft lot.The home was built in 1928, nearly one hundred years ago. The renovations give the place a much more contemporary feel.

The house sits across the street from the National Weather Service Building located at the Corner of United and White Street. I remember the old trailer park in the same location until after 2000. The top photo shows the Ruth Hargrove Methodist Seminary and below its well groomed and behaved Methodist children. The black and white photo with trailers is dated 1963. Seminary Street runs west to Reynolds Street and east to First Street. The MARC House is located one block to the east.That is where we all go to buy tropical plants and Christmas trees. This is a very quiet location except Saturday morning when people to to the MARC House to buy plants.

There is a real benefit from having the National Weather Service as the neighbor across the street - no pool or house parties and the yard is always well maintained. 

Fausto's Grocery and the DQ are located one block to the north.

 

The White Street Pier and Higg's Beach are located a short stroll or bike ride to the south.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet for 1202 Seminary Street, Key West is now offered for sale at $999,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. i am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. I have lived in this area for 25 years and love it. Let me introduce you to the neighborhood.

 

Short Sale - 1307 Elizabeth Street, Key West, Florida

On February 12th I blogged about a then new short sale for a nice house located at 1307 Elizabeth Street in the Old Town area of Key West. I ended the blog by predicting "This will go quickly, at least as far as contract negotiation." It did. It went under contract within a couple of days, But that deal and a later deal both failed. It just came back on the market again.

Buyers seeking a "fixer" that does not look like it needs all that much fixed should consider 1307 Elizabeth Street, Key West. The house looks as though the owner walked away. Palm fronds are scattered all over the driveway and bricked side and back yards. I sold another house on this block three years ago and happened to snap a photo of 1307 Elizabeth Street as it appeared then. See below. It fits in nicely with the other lovely homes on this one block stretch between United Street to the north and South Street to the south. Simonton Street is one-half block away and Duval Street is one block further west. You could not ask for a better location in Old Town for the price - it's close to the action but not a part of it.

A previous MLS listing provided a bit of history of this former cigar maker cottage which was allegedly made in the Bahamas and floated to Key West in the 1880s for use of workers at the nearby Gato Cigar factory. In the 1920s it was used as a bakery. I checked the Monroe County Property Appraiser records and learned the house was significantly remodeled in 1996. It needs updated.

The black and white photo from 1965 shows the original cigar maker cottage together with an addition at the rear. The 1996 renovation added a second addition which is where the kitchen and dining area are now located. This room is a step down from the main living level and has a shed roof. The bedroom is located at the front of the house followed by the bathroom. All rooms have vaulted ceilings except the kitchen. The interiors are modern and do not have any historic character. Not being negative. Just pointing out what exists. A new side entrance on the north side opens into the living room. The old front porch is now a sitting porch off the bedroom.

The renovated house has 812 square feet of living space under air that sits on a lot measuring 40' wide by 81' deep. There is off street parking in front and a shed for the washer and dryer located at the rear. It appears that all of the windows are shuttered including the clerestory windows in the living area at the rear. The north side yard and back area are brick pavers.

 CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos for 1307 Elizabeth Street. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to discuss. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. This will go quickly, at least as far as contract negotiation.

533 Petronia Street, Key West - Back on the Market

I wrote about 533 Petronia Street in Key West in July when it was listed for sale. It went under contract right away, just like I predicted. The house is in livable condition, but it is best suited for a total renovation.  Let's look at the outside and the interior. You can then appreciate the value of this location and this home.

Back on the Market 533 Petronia Street, Key West.  This is the perfect historic renovation project. It appears to be in pretty good condition suggesting that improvements made by the next owner will be more decorative than structural in nature. There is an attractive front yard, gated off street parking, and room for a pool in the rear. However, I do believe other improvements would necessarily include the upgrading of electrical, water, air conditioning, replacement of windows and doors, and the addition of a new kitchen and baths plus the addition of a pool, decking and gardens.  When completed the "old house" essentially would be new.

I searched the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps to determine the approximate age of this property. It first appeared on the 1889 map as 517 Petronia Street. The street number was changed to 529 Petronia on the 1892 map and finally changed to 533 Petronia Street on the 1899 map. This tells us the house existed as early as 1889. I then dug into my old shoebox and found the above black and white photo taken in 1965. Compare it to the present day photo at the top. You will see some gingerbread was added to the porch columns. The white picket fence was replaced by a chain link fence - usually chain link fences are the ones replaced. The charm of the visage is undeniable.

The house sits to the right of center of the 45' X 100' lot.  The entry door is centered in the middle of the house which measures 24' wide by 50'  deep according to the Property Appraiser records. In actuality, the house is longer as there is appear to be two mystery additions about which the Property Appraiser is unaware. More on that later.

This house reminds me of how so many of the houses in Old Town looked like 22 years ago when I began selling houses here.  Many of the original houses had been modernized in the 1950s or 1960s. The were plain Jane in every aspect. But they had what folks refer to as "good bones" or "potential".  As these houses were bought and renovated, the stock of houses with "potential" diminished.  This particular house has a very interesting street presence, lot size, and house size plus structural condition that suggests this would be a great candidate for renovation. The photos above and below show how the current house is laid out. Forget the the way the place looks now instead focus on the size and condition. And then open your mind as to how you might re-create the spaces into what could work for you and your family or partner or whatever.

The existing living room is located at the front and is very large. The adjacent front bedroom and bath are tiny. The room sizes and configuration make no sense for modern day life! The board and batten in the bedroom strongly suggest the walls are Dade County Pine. If the current ceiling were vaulted, the already large space would be dramatic.

A doorway at the rear of the living room flows into the kitchen. A hall on the west side has a bath and closets followed by a second bedroom. While I did not measure the space for accuracy, I am pretty sure that this is the only part of the house on the Appraiser's record which shows the house measuring 24' wide by 50' deep. In fact there are four "rooms" beyond the known structure: a closet, a bath, the TV or family room, and a third bedroom.

The rear "phantom rooms" add 312 sq feet of living space to the known 1200 sq ft. A thoughtful renovation might change the main entry from the front to the west side which would allow the master bedroom to be located at the front where the porch would be private to the master suite. Bedrooms could be located along the east side and a new open concept living and dining area placed on the west side where there is a sizeable open area which could become a tropical garden and/or deck leading to a pool at the rear.  Multiple sets of French doors might be added on the side and rear to bring light into the new open concept living area. The opportunities to create are boundless.

The rear lot has two storage rooms. The west room presently has a rooftop deck of sorts. A new owner might convert this space into a poolside bar. I would nix the space myself. The east rear storage could be kept without interfering with anything. CLICK HERE to view many additional photos of the house and yard.

This property is located about one-half block east of Duval Street. Several of the adjacent homes have transient rental licenses and others are rented as monthly vacation rentals. When renovated this house could become a very popular vacation rental given the size and location. This would be so easy to kept rented throughout the year.  The most successful vacation and transient rentals are located near Duval Street and have off street parking. Guests will love it!

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 533 Petronia Street, Key West  offered at $799,999. Call Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.