11 Birchwood Drive, Key West - Just Listed!

Just Listed, 11 Birchwood Drive, Key West, Florida. This is a brand new and never been lived in home located in Key West's official bedroom community located on Stock Island Key at Mile Marker 6.  This community evolved as an alternative to Old Town which became very expensive for young locals to afford. And most of the lots here are located on canals which have relatively quick access to open waters. This is a single family area where there are not condos or multiple family situations. And other than the gas station up on US 1, there is no commercial activity here. I dug down into my old shoebox and found a photo taken in 1987 that actually shows the site where 11 Birchwood Drive would be built 29 years later - 2016. The lot had never been built upon until now. CLICK HERE to to see a Google aerial view of the lot and the area as a whole. You will see that this house is located across the street from a "pond" which has canal access to the ocean. I will discuss more later.

As I drove through the neighborhood I appreciated the evolution of this area. Some of the original one story ranch style houses still look pretty much like they did in the 60s and 70s. The architecture changed in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Several of those homes are two story and are of concrete block construction. More recent houses located on premium waterfront lots are mini-mansions.

The listing Realtor describes 11 Birchwood Drive this way:

"Brand new and ready for you! This spacious home is a custom modular with many upgrades including 9ft. ceilings on both floors,double 3/4 plywood sub-floors, crown moldings, built to 180 mph. wind loads, impact windows & doors, built 2 ft. above required grade, all of which result in a very low cost of living. This home has an open floor plan with a bright kitchen that features solid wood cabinets, granite counter tops and stainless appliances. A breakfast room could become an office or study. Lots of storage on both floors. The downstairs has a deck overlooking the lush backyard. Upstairs is a huge master en suite with a large garden tub and separate shower plus a walk-in closet. There are two more bedrooms and a full bath upstairs plus a laundry area with W/D hookups. The bright and sunny yard is sodded and landscaped with mature trees and plants. This home is across the street from a lagoon which is used for boating access. This beautiful home is easy to see!"

The modern open living area concept is clearly evident in this home. The space surely seems larger with the nine foot ceiling. The kitchen is a real family kitchen with room to make more than nuked fast foods. I suspect the view from dinging area at the front of the house will create some anxious moments as it has a great view of the the lagoon across the street. There is a deck off the living room at the rear. The one thing the builder missed was installing a stairway to the back yard.

The master bedroom is immense. It has a large en-suite bath with tub and separate shower. There are two more large bedrooms which share a second bath.

The house has 1920 sq ft of interior living space. The exterior is easy to maintain Hardiboard siding which is pest resistant. The impact windows and doors meet Florida's newest and toughest building code requirements which means your fire & liability and windstorm insurance costs will greatly reduced as compared to what you might expect in an older home. But I suspect a new owner will be contemplating building a small dock on the pond across the street where the family boat will be parked.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of the exterior and the lagoon.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet with lots of excellent photos of this home including some drone photos. I need to buy one of those drones. These pics are too cool. After you've looked at the photos, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

11 Boca Chica Road, Geiger Key, Florida

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about a waterfront property on Saddlebunch Key.  A few days later a fellow Realtor mentioned she read that blog and asked if I had packed a lunch before I ventured the few miles outside of Key West to take the photos. Then last Tuesday an agent in my office asked if I would photograph his new listing on Geiger Key. I said, "Sure".  As we crossed over Cow Key Channel (the span of water between Key West and Stock Island) he made a similar remark about  me venturing so far out of Key West.  Just because I love living in Key West doesn't mean I get weepy when I leave. The truth is I love Key West so much I don't feel the need to go elsewhere. And when I do go away, I am grateful when I return. I have found my own private paradise, and that's the truth.

I am not totally unfamiliar with real estate sales in the Lower Keys. I sold a nearby home on Geiger Key in 1997 which the same gay couple still own. I have written several blogs over the years about other properties in the Lower Keys. A couple of the listings I wrote about were absolute bargains.  Many readers know that most of the islands of the Lower Keys are fairly small which often means that many of the homes may be located directly on the water. Some of the islands have been subdivided into building lots with backsides that abut canals that lead to deep ocean waters. The most coveted homes often have either waterfront views or are located on a canal.

Just Listed at 11 Boca Chica Road is a 1152 sq ft two bedroom, two bath home with a screen enclosed rear porch with a great canal view. As I roamed the 60' X 125' lot while taking photos, I immediately understood why some buyers prefer this type of home versus living in Key West - the water. There's a big boat parked out back on the canal - waiting. Just waiting like a big dog waiting to go for a walk. Waiting to motor the five minutes it takes to reach deep water and then explore the Atlantic Ocean. In the meantime, the boat sits patiently at the sixty foot seawall. As I snapped photos I could hear the water lap up the side of the boat as if it was kissing it - tempting it to go out to the sea. I got why people buy this kind of property. I got it.

The first thing I noticed about this particular house was all the adult toys about the property - toys like motorcycles, travel trailers, kayaks, and so on. People that live in houses like this spend a lot of time outdoors enjoying their time on earth. In my blog I often write about the first thing I see when I walk inside a new home. In most of the homes in Old Town and the Casa Marina areas, the view I most often see is that of  pool and garden located just French doors that open out to the pool or garden. At 11 Boca Chica Road I saw the family boat bobbing in the water.

The house sits above a large semi-enclosed parking and storage area. The house is bright and nicely updated. The two bedrooms are located at the opposite end of the living area which opens out to the screened porch that overlooks the boat and the canal. CLICK HERE to view all the photos I took of this lovely canal front home.

The ground level has kick-out walls in the event storm waters were to rise to that level.There is 1152 sq ft of storage space under the house which includes a legal bathroom located on the other side of the door shown above. This area would be great for an owner who is a fisherman, water sports enthusiast, or maybe a carpenter who likes to tinker on his time away from construction jobs.

Ultimately, it is the view from the porch where I imagine an owner would spend most time drinking early morning coffee, planning how and where to spend the day, making plans for new adventures or simply planning to catch dinner for the evening meal. Later in the evening, the owner would likely be in the same seat again, maybe drinking a beer wile musing about the fish that were caught and the ones that got away. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 11 Boca Chica Road which is listed at $549,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this nice elevated family located located a few miles outside of Key West but only located five minutes from deep water access to the Great Atlantic Ocean. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

24 Arbutus Drive, Key West - Bank Owned Home on the Water

Just Listed, but not by me, is a Bank Owned home located at 24 Arbutus Drive in Key West, Florida. This 1832 sq ft home was built in 1964 which sits on a 6,000 sq ft (60' X 100') canal lot in the Key West suburb known as Key Haven.  I found an aerial photo taken by Cory McDonald in 1968 to which I have add an arrow to point out this house. More telling in the photo is the relative newness of all of the houses located there and the lack of trees.

I found the aerial photo below which was taken 19 years later (1987) which shows 24 Arbutus Drive from a different angle. In this photo you can see that the subdivision has more homes and more trees. I point out the addition of more trees for good reason. If you are a follower of my blog you have probably seen a lot of photos of Key West that were taken around fifty years ago. Perhaps you have noticed that there was a relative scarcity of trees in Key West at that time. I think it was the "discovery" of Key West in the 1970s that led to the renovation of the houses in Old Town which included the addition of pools and tropical gardens. In the forty or so years that followed, the island has become lush with vegetation. When I went to the Key Haven house to take photos I could not help but remember how much that area has "greened up" since I first saw Key Haven 20 some years ago.

The aerial photos also help us understand the lure Key Haven. In talking to long time Key West residents I learned that the younger generation of locals moved out to Key Haven as the older homes in the Old Town and Casa Marina areas were being purchased by out of area buyers looking for second homes. Most of the Key Haven houses are located on man made canals that provide relatively quick ocean access for boaters. These houses were also modern in construction and built for families as opposed to the cigar maker cottages that make up part of the Key West housing stock. Today many of the original homes have been expanded in various ways. Some have what I can "pop tops" while others have additions to the rear or side. The house at 24 Arbutus Lane appears to have had a carport enclosed for more interior space.  Just below you will find photos I just took of this home. I can report this house has been freshly painted in neutral tones. New floor tiles have been added in some areas of the house. The kitchen and baths have new counter-tops and new cabinet facings. There are new wall unit air conditioners throughout the house. Also, it appeared to me that the roof was replaced. (I did not get up there to verify, but the metal flashing on the sides is certainly new.)

This home has a screened patio overlooking the canal plus a large area for the kids and the pets to play. There is a dock that needs a little TLC to make it usable. The view is pretty neat. CLICK HERE to see all the photos I took of this home.

 I think this home would appeal to both a family looking for clean, affordable housing in the Key West area as well as a second home buyer who wants a Key West address but does not need to be located in Old Town. You can buy so much more of a home if you get out of the core area. This is worth a look.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 24 Arbutus Drive which is a Bank Owned property that is offered for sale at $549,900. 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. Let me help you find your home in Paradise.

246 Key Haven Road - Key West, Florida

Some readers may recall that I used to own a guest house in Key West. Once a prospective guest called to ask about room rates, what we served for breakfast, and asked if Key West was surrounded by water.  I kid you not.  That was more than 20 years ago.  The mystique of Key West has spread across the globe.  Today when I ask potential buyers what their preferences are in a house, many say they want a house on the water.  Although Key West is an island, there are very few homes (or condos) that are on the water or that have water views. Those that do exist are usually priced fairly high. The house at 246 Key Haven Road offers an alternative to the little shack on the beach or a palatial home with commanding ocean views. This property is a family home that sits on a canal where the owner has deep water access within a couple of minutes after leaving your own private dock. You can be in Old Town in about ten minutes after leaving your front door. Click GOOGLE MAP for an aerial perspective.

246 Key Haven Road is an elevated home with 2407 sq ft of living space on the second and third floors. The second level is the primary living space which includes the living room, dining area, and kitchen. Four glass panel doors totally retract into a sidewall which then opens the interior living space to the outside. Likewise, the covered and screened second floor porch become part of the inside living space.  We experience the same affect in homes in Old Town and the Casa Marina Area, but here you look out to your boat and the water as an added bonus.   

If you're a cook, you'll love this kitchen. The solid maple cabinets are elegant and provide lots of storage. A single slab of the prettiest granite God ever made tops the island and the base cabinets. The laundry room is located just off the kitchen.

The master bedroom with en-suite bath are located on the far side of the living room. The bedroom space is extra large and provides space for a sitting area or office.  This room along with others in the home have plantation shutters that provide a sense of continuity of style throughout the home and also allow the occupant to control the amount of light that flows into the house.

A large cedar lined walk-in closet is located between the bedroom and bathroom. Bathroom fixtures include a large spa-tub, shower, and dual glass vessel sinks. (The bedroom, closet, and bathroom are probably larger than some of the smaller condos in Old Town.) The second bedroom and second bath are also located on this level.

The third floor can be used as a third bedroom or perhaps as a den/office/solarium.  A spiral wood staircase on the second level winds its way up the third floor to a space that is perhaps 10' X 20' that has clerestory windows on all four sides of the room.  The windows when opened will allow natural ventilation to move cool ocean air through the space.  I took photos looking down the Evergreen Canal and also looking west toward the Florida Keys Community College. On a good day you can see some of the large cruise ships at Mallory Square from this room.  This space would be great for a writer or an artist, a yoga devotee, or just somebody who wants a private place to be away from the world.

The ground level includes an entry hall and a huge storeroom. You cannot legally use ground level areas for living spaces because of FEMA regulations. The store room complies with government requirements. There is abundant under house parking as well as covered space off the back deck area. There is room at the rear of the property to build a pool.  Finally, this home comes with a davit and hoist for storing a boat out of water.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos of 246 Key Haven Road that is offered for sale at $799,000 or just $331 per sq ft.  I took more photos which you can see if you CLICK HERE.  But better than looking at photos on the internet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this home. I am a buyers agent and full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  If you want an home on an island surrounded by water and a place where you can have a boat to get quick access to either the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, this may be the place.