The One That Got Away

Obviously those trout didn't get away. Late afternoon this past Valentines Day a duplex located in the Case Marina Area was listed for sale at what I thought was a bargain price. I quickly drove over and took a couple of exterior shots and then contacted the listing agent to ask permission to write about the new listing. She asked me not to blog because one of tenants was giving her grief. So I didn't. I did send the listing to some active buyers who considered the property. The structure sat on a 5,300 Sq Ft lot which made it very worthy of consideration for a developer or a person who wanted to just buy it and bank it. The value of the location will only go up.

A few days later the agent allowed me and other agents to see the front unit which was tenant occupied. The prospect of a remodel was feasible but I felt the lot was worth far more than the present structure. I found a photo of it in my shoebox dated 1965. It looked pretty good back in the day. But times are changing and duplexes like that are not worth as much as a fancy new home in the tony Casa Marina Area.

The property was listed at $829,500 and formally went under contract 14 days later. Other "tear down" properties in the area have sole in the past year for well over $1,000,000. That is why I consider this is the one that got away. It hasn't closed yet. It will probably be in my year end recap of sales. 

 

317 William Street, Key West - Classic Old Town Home

Just Listed, but not by me, 317 William Street, Key West, Florida. Buyers looking for a classic Conch House (revival) at an affordable price need look no further. This 1944 square foot home is currently configured as a duplex where the upper unit has one bedroom, two baths, and a loft. The main level unit is a one/one but has access to the rear yard. In my opinion, the best use of this home would be to restore it to a single family home.

Locals and frequent visitors to Key West knows that the 300 block of William Street was the equivalent to the cradle of civilization as far as Key West history is concerned. The historic seaport was located just on the far side of Caroline Street.  Businesses lined Caroline Street. Merchants and seamen lived in the nearby houses and boarding houses. I looked in my old shoe box and found the black and white photo of 317 William taken a little over fifty years ago. I also found a photo of the 300 block of William Street in 1885. I took a similar photo on June 5, 2019 from that same location - basically in the middle of William Street and in front of 317 William. The old street appears much wider, but there were no cars and few trees. The legendary Red Doors is located at the right side of the photo.

Many things have changed over the years including the redevelopment of the historic seaport. That revitalized this entire section of Old Town. There are multiple restaurants and tourist related businesses at the seaport and on Caroline Street. The boardwalk or esplanade now rims the north end of the seaport and wraps around to the south and ends at the new Truman Waterfront Park. Most of the homes in this area (bounded by Eaton to the north and Caroline to the south) are second homes many of which are used as vacation rentals. 317 William is one of the original surviving houses that has not been significantly updated and it is for that reason that this house is priced at just $799,000.

 I also found the historic interior photo of the parlor at 317 William Street. Millennials and even us old baby boomers don't live like this any more. A restoration to single family house would include installing a new interior staircase, new kitchen, and baths and removal of the existing exterior stairs. The restored home would add to the legacy homes that line this historic block. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos.

 The photo two above shows the Red Doors at 800 Caroline Street in 1975. The Red Doors are also visible on the right side of current day Caroline Street. The waterfront area is a draws thousands of visitors to this area all year long. Vacationers love to stay within easy walking distance to the seaport and Duval Street located just four blocks to the west. 

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. There will be a lot of interest in this classic Conch House. Don't wait!

621 Elizabeth Street, Key West

Just Listed but not by me 621 Elizabeth Street, Key West. Buyers who are looking for a charming second home with the opportunity to maybe rent it on occasion to help pay for the purchase should continue to read on. Buyers who are concerned about finding a home in the X Zone for flood insurance purposes should definitely read on. And buyers who just want a place where they can walk out the door and walk to all of the hot spots in Old Town should continue to read today's blog.

I dug down into my old shoebox and found a couple of air view photos that show the location of 621 Elizabeth Street taken a few decades apart.  The black and white photo shows the house as it sits atop Solares Hill, the highest point in Old Town. The houses on Elizabeth Street and neighboring streets and lanes have changed immensely since then. I snapped the color photo immediately above around 2010 when I listed the big fixer house at 630 Elizabeth Street. The small house with the rusted roof in the foreground in 629 Elizabeth St. It was recently totally renovated and is now on the market at $1, 550,000. I mention that house because the old view is now totally different as is much of Old Town that existed in an almost virgin state 25 to 30 years ago. That is about the time when the original house at 621 Elizabeth Street was renovated and a second cottage at the rear added.

1965

2012

I found the above black and white photo of 621 Elizabeth Street that was taken in 1965. The interior of the original house was dramatically altered from the way it used to be. Houses like this typically had a long hallway on one side that led to the back door withe a series of rooms opening from hall. The old hallway was removed entirely and that allowed the old rooms to get rearranged. The once flat ceiling was vaulted and two lofts added - one at the front of the house (which is actually the area over the front porch) and the other at the back which spans the area above the kitchen and bedroom.

A new kitchen was added (way back then) as well as a new bath and glass sliding doors in the back bedroom. Period correct replacement windows were installed as was new interior drywall partitions and wood replacements for interior side walls which resemble Dade County Pine but are not. There may be some original Dade Pine under the drywall - operative words are may and be.  I assume the existing rear deck and rear two story cottage were added at the same time. The Property Appraiser records do not show when that approximate 800 sq ft two story building was built.

The listing Realtor describes the current property this way:

"Excellent Opportunity to purchase Historic Duplex on coveted Elizabeth St., just two blocks from Duval St. and all Old Town attractions. Two separate cottages divided by large deck. Rear cottage has it's own entrance. Lots of opportunity here to turn this into a stunning complex. Plenty of room for a pool. Interior of both cottages need updating. Front unit has one bedroom and one bath with two additional loft spaces and rear cottage is a two story one bedroom/one bath. x-zone, vacant and easy to show."

I recently showed this property and feel very positive about it now that I had a chance to see the inside once again. I had remembered the spaces to some degree, but I did not recall the potential both buildings have. The Seller is in the process of replacing and painting the wood clapboards on both houses. There may be some opportunity to get the seller to make other minor changes if some buyer acts quickly.  

Many potential buyers tell me they want a place they can stay for a few months and rent the place the rest of the year. Well that does not happen in real life for a variety or reasons. But this place presents a unique opportunity to do just that. The front cottage is compact and has good spatial layout for a couple to use and still have the occasional bedroom space for the kids or guests who must climb the ladders to the loft bedroom spaces. The lofts would work best for an occasional user.  

I do not have any photos of the back cottage which is basically a two story rectangle with a living room and kitchen on ground floor and a bedroom on second floor. The most recent tenant in this space paid $2100 per month.I think a new owner could rearrange some of the interior just a bit and goose the rental rates upward. Also, the listing agent told me a new owner could remove the existing deck between the two houses and replace with a small pool. 

You cannot beat the Solaris Hill location for ease of mind when it comes to worrying about hurricane season. Our little island is safe from rising tides but potential buyers who have watched too much of the Weather Channel believe otherwise. So this top of the island location will not need to worry about this house floating away. It will not happen. And if you were to finance the purchase of this house, your lender will not require flood insurance. 

Moreover for point of reference this house is located two blocks east of Antonia's Restaurant on Duval Street. Mallory Square, the Mallory Square Theater, and Sunset Celebration are about a six to ten minute walk, the historic seaport is about a five minute walk to the north. The gyms and yoga studios around White Street are a ten minute walk. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 621 Elizabeth Street which is offered for sale at $899,000. Then call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to arrange a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

828 Elizabeth Street, Key West - Just Listed Old Town Duplex

Just Listed, but not by me, 828 Elizabeth Street in Key West, Florida. This two story house is shown on the 1889 Sanborn Fire Map so we know it is at least 125 years old. It is also located on Solares Hill - the highest point on the Island of Key West. That means if you finance this property your lender will not require that you purchase flood insurance. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet.

The black and white photo above was taken half a century ago. That photo shows the house in a way that is impossible to see today. The  house is still the same, but it is hidden behind the palms and canopy trees that now envelope this property which takes up nearly one city lot. That's a big space for Old Town. (Lot size is 50' X 95.73 or 4865 sq ft. The old photo shows that even back in 1965 there was an exterior stairway to the second floor and that the north side of the main floor front porch had been enclosed. The stairway and enclosed porch still exist today but both can be removed in my opinion.

The property is a corner lot located at the corner of Elizabeth Street which is a one-way street headed north from Truman Avenue and Olivia Street which is a one-way street headed east from Simonton Street. This is a residential neighborhood but there are a couple of businesses located within one block of the property. Those businesses include a flower shop and day spa on Simonton, a couple of guest houses at the corner of Truman and Elizabeth, and Seven Fish Restaurant across the street. Several of the nearby houses have been converted to small apartments but the majority of the houses in the area are single family. And I think the trend for the area is definitely moving toward more single family houses. That is why I am writing about this property today because I think it is an excellent candidate for renovation into a single family home.

The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows the house as being 1871 sq ft. The front section of the house is two story. The rear one story appears on the Sanborn Fire Map so I am not so sure its an addition as much as it may have been attached to the original house. At least it was back in 1889. That space is the current kitchen and bathroom for the first floor two bedroom apartment. The house is set back from the front lot line by about 18 feet. The rear lot line is about 25 ft from the back of the house. The north side lot line is a little over 8ft. The south side lot line is a little over 6ft.

I mention the open spaces because the excess land means a new owner might be able to add onto the existing house if so desired. And it also means a new owner could add a pool. There is ample room for both a pool and parking. There is already parking provided. A new owner might want to re-arrange the parking as it takes up some otherwise really valuable space.

There front entry hall is being used as the "living room" of sorts. There are two doors on either side of the hall where you will find smallish bedrooms. The kitchen is at the rear. The laundry room is located off the back door in an enclosed area. The current usage makes no sense in a future renovation. Walls will need to come down and new space created. I assume there is Dade County Pine located in this house. The windows are old fashioned metal louvers. Both units have window unit air conditioners.

CLICK HERE to view more photos of 828 Elizabeth Street which is offered for sale at $859,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this property. I think this property is an excellent candidate for conversion to a single family residence. A new interior stair way will need to be added. Most of the existing room partitions will likely be removed and spaces re-purposed. But after all the work is done, this could end up being one very sweet house on a large and lovely lot in Old Town Key West. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

909 Pohalski Lane - Key West

Just listed (by me, for a change) 909 Pohalski Lane in Old Town Key West.  The original front room is all that remains of the cottage which stood here until only a few months ago. In its place is an entirely new building designed by Tom Pope, one of Key West's premier historic architects.  Care was given to blend the historic facade with new and expanded living space in the new rear addition.

 This home will be featured in the Olde Island Restoration Foundation Christmas Home Tour on December 27th and 28th (CLICK HERE for information) which has described the property as:

"In 1886, an entire village for cigar makers was developed in one corner of Old Town.  This remnant of that era has just been totally rehabilitated and expanded . . . although thoroughly modern, this cottage honors its historic origins in choice of materials and style."

The Pohalski and Co. cigar factory was located at the corner of White and Truman. Cottages lined the nearby streets and lanes as was typical of the other areas where cigar factories were located.   In his book The Streets of Key West, J. Willis Burke writes about Pohalski Village: "On the other side, off the western [should be eastern] side of the cemetery are Havana Street and Pohalski Avenue, byways that echo the area's once thriving cigar-making industry.... In the late 1880s, cigar magnate Pincus Pohalski, a transplant from Texas built a factory and then established an entire village within this block." If you get a chance to visit this home you will see that it has a rear entrance from Gerome Avenue (which is a City of Key West walking lane about eight feet wide). Nearby Nichols Avenue, which is only about five feet wide, runs perpendicular to Pohalski Lane. Back in the old days most of the people who lived in these cottages did not have cars (or horses).

Today Pohalski Lane is a one-way street accessed off Truman Avenue that runs exactly one block long where it ends at Olivia Street. Locals and frequent dance and yoga enthusiasts know that Coffee Mill Dance and Yoga is located across the lane and up a bit. The lane is narrow and that prevents Conch trains and trolley cars from making the Pohalski Village into a tourist attraction: hooray for small lanes! Some of the houses on the lane, like this one, do have off street parking.

The original cigar makers cottage was  built circa 1889. The renovation was completed in early December 2012 and the original cottage was expanded to 1120 sq ft. The historic exterior wall and facade were preserved in front. Otherwise, the house is entirely brand-new construction including all new foundation,  Hardiboard siding, V-crimp metal roof, vaulted ceilings, Dade County Pine feature wall, Castilian Oak hardwood floor system, and custom made hurricane rated impact French doors and windows.

The new house has two bedrooms and two and one-half baths. The property was designed and built with the flexibility to be used either as a single family home or as a legal duplex.   The new living area at the rear consists of the large living room with generous garden views.  There is a half bath nestled under the stairway to the second floor bedroom. Adjacent to the bath is the laundry area tucked away under the stairs.  The kitchen also has a vaulted ceiling which many will find not only dramatic in design but also captivating in its execution.  The kitchen features Martha Steward Luxury cabinetry, Bosch and Samsung stainless steel appliances (including a professional stainless steel gas range, a rarity in Key West), granite counter tops, subway tiles, and Grohe and Kohler fixtures.   The house also has energy-efficient Mitsubishi “split” A/C systems and ceiling fans in every room. CLICK HERE to view more photos.

I was able watch the construction progress on this property from the beginning. Once the second floor bedroom was framed and the window openings were cut, I remarked the place was like a tree house. And what a luxurious tree house it is. You will find vaulted ceilings here as well.  Windows open out to the east and south where you will see roof tops of quaint little Pohalski Village cottages and palm trees. There is even a bitter orange tree with fruit growing within arm's length (if you have arms the length of and NBA player that is). You won't find rooms with this much space and this much 'altitude' in many Key West homes. Just off the bedroom is an en-suite bath. You just gotta see this bathroom. It will make you want to at least shower here and maybe entice you to buy this place. 

Palm trees of various types and some fruit trees, like the bitter orange above, are located nearby and give the master bedroom the feeling of being in a tree house.

The interiors were designed by Ben Teague who with his partner, Jeff Leap, have appeared on HGTV's House Hunters episode filmed in Key West. The interiors are subtle and sophisticated.

 The second bedroom is shown below. It is located at the front of the original cottage which has been substantially rebuilt from foundation to the new roof. A Dade County Pine feature wall was added. The bathroom is located to the right in the photo below.

The front bedroom was designed to be used as a studio apartment at the option of a new owner. Electric service, water supply, and waste lines were added adjacent to the closet whereby a new owner could easily install a drop-in mini kitchen with a cook top, refrigerator, and sink. See photo below. The cost of the unit is about $1250.

Prior to construction the owner/developer asked my opinion about what might appeal to a wide audience of buyers. I told him an often stated wish of so many would-be buyers: a place which could legally rented for income to help pay some of the costs of ownership and personally use on occasion.  909 Pohalski Lane is licensed by the City of Key West for use as a duplex if a new owner decides to use it as such. The back unit is a stunning single family home by itself. There is a lockout door between the rear and front unit which, if opened, allows the front bedroom and bathroom to become a second bedroom for the whole house. Alternatively, the front unit can be used as a studio apartment which would likely rent at $1200 per month. I estimate the back unit could rent for $2000 per month. Both front and rear units have separate electric and other utility hookups.  

CLICK HERE to view 909 Pohalski.com for photos, site plan, floor plan, and general information.  Note there is city approved off street parking large enough to accommodate a small car. Additionally, the developer added electric and water supplies at the rear for a new owner to add a hot tub or spa. Please CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet for additional information. This property is offered at $595,000.

Better yet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of 909 Pohalski Lane. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  This really could be your home by Christmas this year if you act quickly enough.