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Showing posts with label duval. Show all posts
Showing posts with label duval. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The Key West Garden Cottage

The Key West Garden Cottage is located at 526 Southard Street, just steps east of my office. It is owned by Dominique Barrera and Laurie McChesney (both of Preferred Properties). A couple of years ago they converted the former real estate offices into a shop that could offer one of a kind items for home or garden including fountains, lattice work, benches, mirrors, fences and gates, as well as hard to find or limited editions of special home and garden items that you will likely not find anywhere else. There are also vintage and new treasures for the home or garden. And of course there are gifts and mementos unlike the kind you'll find at a dozen stores on Duval Street.

Come by, sit down, relax, converse. You are sure to find something that you absolutely cannot live without.

Starting today all holiday items are 50% off the regular price. If you aren't in town right now, make a note to stop by on your next visit and mention that you read about The Key West Garden Cottage in my blog and you will receive 10% off your next purchase. Hours are 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily. Or shop online at Key West Garden Cottage.

And if you want to buy a house to go with your new found treasures, my office is located steps away at 520 Southard Street in Old Town Key West.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Life on Poorhouse Lane - It Ain't a Bitch!

735 Poorhouse Lane - Key West - Short Sale

We all have highs and lows, but for the most part my life is very copacetic. When you are young you plan for the future so much that you sometimes fail to live and enjoy the present. At least I did. I recall years of my life where I planned into the future. Where would I be? What would I do? How much money could I make? That is why so many people, like me, say things like "If I only knew then what I know now". That phrase is usually uttered with a twinge of regret-of opportunities lost.

It wasn't until I moved to Key West and let my life decompress that I stopped worrying about tomorrow. My biggest stress point now is driving behind Conch Trains and Trolleys or tourists driving slowly down a busy street. That's actually not a bad place to be in life compared to all of the real stressful situations that exist in our world. Poor me.

When you actually move to Key West and divorce yourself from your old way of life (office politics, meetings of any sort, business organizations and social agendas) your body and soul find a new balance and a new approach to everyday living. Stuff that is important is important. And stuff that is not important is not worth worrying about. Vacationers sense that locals are actually happy in their lives. Vacationers get a taste of Key West, but they must eventually return to the real world so they can go to meetings and such. They go home and dream about someday, someway, being able to spend sometime, maybe the rest of their lives, in Key West. I did.

If that is your dream the new listing at Poorhouse Lane in Key West may warrant your consideration. The listing broker describes 735 Poorhouse Lane like this:
"Beautifully renovated Conch home in Old Town Key West that features hardwood floors and Dade County Pine walls with room for a pool. This is a potential short sale transaction subject to lender approval."
I dug into the old photo album and found a black and white photo of 735 Poorhouse Lane (also known as 735 Petronia Lane) that was taken in 1965. I took an almost identical photo yesterday. See if you can identify the changes to the house. But for the most part this house and the other houses on this quiet little lane look pretty much today like they looked over half a century ago and beyond that.
735 Poorhouse Lane as it appeared in 1965

735 Poorhouse Lane as it appears in 2011

Poorhouse Lane is located just west of the Key West Cemetery (viewed in photos above). The lane is wide enough for a car or small delivery truck, but large vehicles can't handle the tight quarters. Bill Butler Park is located at the end of the lane. It's a good place to walk the dog. If you walk through the park or past the cemetery to Windsor Lane (its hard to explain but easy to do), you can walk to Duval Street in about five to seven minutes. There is a small corner grocery up at the corner of Olivia at Windsor and another at William and Windsor, but otherwise this is a commercial free area. St. Mary's Catholic Church is located two blocks to the south at the corner of Windsor Lane at Truman Avenue.

Windsor Lane and the Key West Cemetery to the east

Bill Butler Park is located at the end of Poorhouse Lane

735 Poorhouse Lane was built circa 1918, nearly one hundred years ago. The house is built of Dade County Pine and seems most solid to me. The place has been updated, the ceiling is vaulted, and a steep stairway added to the attic which now serves as a loft with separate half bath. Downstairs you will find a good sized master bedroom located just off the living room. One door leads from the bedroom to the rear deck and another door leads to a rear hallway which in turns leads to the bathroom and later the kitchen. The kitchen is bright white and has large skylight and cabinets that are set a bit higher than standard. This place would work great for someone tall. There are multiple areas at the rear for outdoor living. There is room for a pool. An existing cistern could potentially be converted to a cocktail pool as well. I saw remnants of an irrigation system and outdoor lighting. There is even a bricked off street parking spot. Oh, there is even a cat that looks like Garfield that lives on the front porch.

Dade County Pine walls and original floors with new French doors that open to west side yard

Vaulted ceiling adds space and volume to the living room as stairway leads to loft bedroom

Extra tall kitchen cabinets fit well into this very tall kitchen!

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property. Or CLICK HERE to view a slide show of photos I took late Thursday for a potential buyer.

735 Poorhouse Lane is a short sale offered at $469,000. If you would like to see this property or any other house in Key West, please consider working with me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or by email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West. Living life on Poorhouse Lane does not have to be a bitch!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

622 William Street - Old Town - Key West - Short Sale





Here is a great property to keep your eyes on. 622 William Street is located on one of the very best blocks in all of Old Town Key West. And it is now a short sale. I think it is aggressively priced to sell at $750,000 or $538 per sq ft. CLICK HERE to read the mls listing data and view photos of the interior and that pool!

The listing Realtor describes the listing this way:
"This Charming Property Was Lovingly Restored A Number Of Years Ago To Include The Historic Conch Home And Two Pool Houses. The Main Home Has Natural Dade County Pine Walls And Ceilings And Tile Or Wood Floors Throughout With A Master Bedroom Upstairs."


I showed this home about six weeks ago. The interior walls and ceilings are natural and unpainted Dade County Pine. The home has a rich and warm old feeling about it. It has not been all gentrified and slicked up. The kitchen is at the rear and overlooks that wonderful pool in the foreground and the two separate cottages at the rear. Some buyer that just insists on putting in a new kitchen could do it here, but the existing kitchen works just fine.

(I had an inspection on another house on Friday. The certified home inspector commented that the kitchen was old. It is the same age at 622 William Street. Even inspectors are getting critical of this 15 or 16 years old. Perhaps it is time for a new City of Key West Commission whose sole purpose would be to save kitchens!)

To me dealing with the interior of 622 William Street is a no brainer. A new buyer could gut and paint and whatever else he or she or the decorator decides. It is the rear area with the pool and two cottages that make this Old Town home such a buying opportunity. The photos in the mls listing CLICK HERE show the pool area and cottages from several angles. We Key Westers spend so much of our lives outside. This space is just wonderful as is, but a new owner could just as easily go native and do a total renovation on this outdoor space.

There is a spiral stairway between the cottages at the rear that leads to the tree house type sundeck. What a great feature. This is what buyers want. Something so damned precious and unique. And what a place to get an all-over tan.

622 William Street is a short sale. It is in my opinion a buying opportunity. You cannot beat the location. Jerry Herman of Hello Dolly fame redid the house next door CLICK HERE to the south several years ago. And the late Shel Silverstein lived next door CLICK HERE to the north. This particular block has some of the finest homes in Key West. There is a mix of large conch homes and smaller cottages with a mix of medium sized homes added.622 William Street is one block from the top of Solares Hill. The location is close to the Historic Key West Seaport and all of the attractions of Duval Street, but it is far enough away not to be part of the hoopla. This is a real residential neighborhood--accept for the little corner grocery store at the end of the street. That means you are never too far from a con leche, a gallon of milk, or a loaf of bread.

Some lucky person is going to own this great property. If you are looking for a special place in Old Town Key West you owe it to yourself to see 622 William Street. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a showing for you.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

529 Olivia Street with Transient License - Key West



Once there were two. Now there is just one. Yesterday the single family home at 531 Olivia Street in Old Town Key West was sold for $525,000. It had been offered as high as $999,500 in 2006. CLICK HERE to see what you missed.

But 529 Olivia Street is still available. At least it is as of this writing. The listing Realtor describes this property this way:
"'OLD KEY WEST' TRANSIENT LICENSED CONCH HOUSE. GREAT INTERIOR IS UPDATED & STYLISH, DECORATED & FURNISHED TURN-KEY FOR IMMEDIATE CONTINUED RENTAL OR AS A GREAT VACATION HOME. GREAT CENTRAL LOCATION NEAR BOTH DUVAL, TRUMAN & SIMONTON STREETS! FRONT PORCH AND REAR YARD W/HOT TUB, OFF STREET PARKING. SHARES A DRIVEWAY WITH THE IDENTICAL HOME NEXT DOOR."


CLICK HERE for more info on this house and to see photos of the inside. The property is managed by a local property manager and the place stays rented. It has its own parking. And it has just about everything a vacationer wants - except a pool. And I think there may be room for a pool. This property has a transient license which means you can rent it daily, just like a hotel room and get all of that income to help defray some of the cost of ownership. 529 Olivia Street is offered at $550,000 furnished and with the valuable Transient Rental License.

If you are one of the many potential buyers that want to buy a place in Key West and have your place in Paradise help pay for itself, 529 Olivia Street may be what you are looking for. Please considering calling me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or contact me by e-mail at kw1101v@aol.com to discuss purchasing this property.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Pssst! I've got a Deal for You!




The house at 409 William Street is located on one of the best blocks in Old Town Key West. Some of the oldest and most beautiful houses in Key West are located in the three, four, five, and six hundred blocks of William Street. 409 William Street is known as the Gideon Lowe House. Several years ago it became Whispers Guest House. And then in June 2005 the present owner purchased the property for $2,000,000 and began the renovation process.

That's not a typo dear reader. The owner paid $2,000,000. The property is offered at $1,995,000. The owner put over one million dollars in to the renovation. The math is simple. The seller is going to lose a lot of money no matter what the price is paid for this house. Read on.

The house was built in 1908. The Listing Realtor shows the square footage as 3442 sq ft on three floors. The lot is very large: 44.2 x 100 or 4422 sq ft on a great block. The house has four bedrooms with one master suite on the main level, a second full master suite on the second floor, and two good sized bedrooms with one shared bath on the third floor. The ceilings are tall and the rooms large on each floor level including the third floor. There is a front porch on the first and second floors off the bedrooms so the owner can sit and watch the world go by or watch sunset without leaving the house.

The entry way is tall and impressive and immediately lets you know upon entry that you are in a very special house. The great room and kitchen-dining area are located at the back of the house with French doors that open onto the rear deck, gardens, and pool. This house is not for the buyer who wants a Key West cottage. This is far from that type of abode. Instead, this place is for a family that needs a big house. The rooms don't ramble. They are people and furniture sized.

Quaint it ain't. But charming it is. And pricey for all but a few. 409 William Street is now offered at $1,995,000 or $580 per sq ft. CLICK HERE to view an unedited list of eleven comparably price properties in the Old Town, Casa Marina, and Meadows areas. Compare the size, amenities, and location for yourselves. With a couple of exceptions, 409 William Street is priced lower than the majority of the homes on a price per sq foot basis and it is much larger than all but three.

CLICK HERE for more detailed information and a lot of interior and exterior photos of this dramatic property.

If you are in the market for a genuine Historic Key West property or simply a very fine restoration property, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305.766.2642 to schedule an appointment to see 409 William Street. CLICK HERE to search the Key West Association of Realtors MLS database. Who knows, you might end up owning a great property in Key West at a bargain price. They don't make houses like 409 William anymore. And these bargain prices will not be around forever.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

1114 Fleming Street - Old Town - Key West





This is how the listing Realtor describes the new listing at 1114 Fleming Street in Old Town Key West: "This circa 1886 home has cypress siding and contains four bedrooms and four and one-half baths including a separate guest cottage overlooking the pool and patio with covered outdoor dining. The kitchen has a large living area with dining. There is also a downstairs bedroom suite and another room suitable as a den, library or office. There are two bedrooms each with baths ensuite upstairs. The master suite has a walk-in closet and opens to a sunny sitting porch under the Royal Poinciana tree. The property is complete with two off-street parking spaces and much of the designer furnishings are available."

This house was recently featured in the Old Island Restoration Foundation's February House Tour. OIRF described 1114 Fleming property thus: "this two-story home, with its saw tooth additions at the back, was awarded a ceramic star from the Historic Florida Keys Foundation in 1983, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It has maintained its charm while incorporating modern amenities for today's living. Floors are old wide plank pine, doors are old, and most of the large windows are original to the house."

No matter how you describe this house, you can't deny the sheer beauty of the simple lines and the unique pique the Cypress wood siding gives to the property. The house is quite large and boasts four bedrooms and five baths, a guest cottage, pool and patio with covered dining area. The asking price on this 2510 sq ft home is $1,450,000 or $578 per sq ft.

The home is located at the far east end of Fleming Street but it is still a mere stroll to Duval or the Historic Key West Seaport. There are great restaurants such as Cafe Sole and art galleries within a three minute walk. The home is near everything but not in the middle of it all. And that can be very nice.

CLICK HERE for more information on this unique property.

If you would like to see 1114 Fleming Street,or any other home in the Old Town area of Key West, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

1221 Margaret Street - Key West





The large and colorful home and two story guest cottage was built in 1999 and is located between Old Town and the Casa Marina Area. The property is now priced at only $1,249,000 or $417 per sq ft. This is how the listing Realtor described this property: "Beautiful 3 story home located in the Historic District of Old Town with a classic Key West architectural exterior and a striking sophisticated interior that has been professionally designed and decorated. The main residence has 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths with the master suite occupying the entire second floor. The master suite is wonderful - unbelievable bath with one of the largest walk-in shower retreats you have seen and glass doors from the bedroom to a large private deck. The main level living area opens onto a rear covered porch, pool with built-in spa and a separate 2 story guest house with living/dining and half bath down and large bedroom and full bath upstairs."

If you have friends or a large family, this house at 1221 Margaret Street is for you. CLICK HERE for more detailed info an dphotos. the place for you. There is room for living on all three floors of the main residence. The cottage is fully contained so your guest that don't want to leave Key West can stay there and not eat and drink you out of house and home. There are two off street parking spots. The house and cottage total 2996 sq. ft. The lost is 3472 sq. ft. and provides wide access on either side of the main house to the rear yard and cottage. The house has shutters that are easy to shut if we get a storm. There is landscaping, but not so much that you need to spend hours and hours maintaining it. The rear deck area is tiled in slate.

If you love Cuban food, El Siboney Cuban Restaurant is a short block to the north. The White Street shopping and art district is only four blocks east and the restaurants and art galleries of Upper Duval Street four blocks west. You can be wherever you want in minutes by foot, bike, or car.

This house is vacant and very easy to show. It has been on the market for quite a while. This is not a distress situation by any means. But this is a buyers market. If you would like to see 1221 Margaret Street (or any other house in Key West) please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. Let me help you find your new home in Paradise.

Friday, December 12, 2008

701 Elizabeth Street - Heart of Key West






I have written about 701 Elizabeth Street before. What I said then stands. Except now the property is better. The new asking price on 701 Elizabeth Street is $750,000 or $410 per sq ft. The house was designed by Tom Pope and built in 1984 by Erik deBoer. Locals know both names as among the tops in design and construction. The house has 1830 sq ft of living space and sits on an odd shaped lot of 3520 sq.ft.

The new listing Realtor describes the property this way: "Excellent location on top of Solares Hill with a flexible living plan. The main portion of the property has 2BR, 2BA and beautiful reclaimed pine floors, large windows with louvered wooden shutters for easy light control and storm closure and an open living plan. There is a private covered porch and pool in the rear of the property. The smaller unit is a legal 1BR/1BA rental ideal for guests or income. Off street parking and priced to sell."

701 Elizabeth Street sits at the top of Solares Hill. No need for flood insurance here. But more than that the views from the master bedroom are just wonderful. The house is located two blocks from Duval and maybe three full blocks to the Historic Seaport. Seven Fish Restaurant is two blocks to the south. And there is a neighborhood grocery one block to the east. The Solares Hill neighborhood is filled with really big grand Conch houses and smaller cigar maker cottages, many of which have been renovated into quintessential Key West cottages. But some of the other houses retain there untouched in generations charm.

If you anticipate having a lot of company or more friends once they find out you own a place in Key West, this place may work for you more than you can imagine. The legal three story apartment could serve as an excellent private guest suite for your company. Everything in that unit is separated from the main part of the house. So your company can come and go and buy their own groceries and liquor so that you can live your life uninterrupted.

The new price is a great price on a great house in a really good location. This house has a lot of value, not because of its new lower price, but because of everything it offers. Please CLICK HERE to see more detailed info on the property and see additional new photographs.

Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or e-mail me at kw1101v@aol.com.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Just Listed 723 Southard St - Old Town - Key West




Just Listed (but not by me!) 723 Southard Street - right in the Heart of Old Town Key West, Florida. This is how the listing Realtor describes this most charming cottage: "Totally renovated Old Town cottage located in the most desirable location atop Solares Hill. Absolutely stunning 2 bedroom, 2 bath home with a large family room with 3 walls of sliding glass doors opening onto the tropically landscaped yard, large deck and in-ground jacuzzi/dip pool. The gourmet kitchen has granite counter tops, Bosch stainless steel appliances, vaulted ceiling and a dining area with a wall of glass. Crown molding, designer lighting and beautiful heart of pine floors throughout make this one of the most appealing homes available."

723 Southard Street has 1100 sq ft of living space and sits on a 2228 sq ft lot(24'.75 X 90') midway between William and Elizabeth Streets. It sits in an eclectic block of similar conch cottages and larger conch houses. The location is a three minute walk to Duval and five minutes to the Historic Key West Seaport. If you run out of bread and milk, Faustos Food Palace is a five minute walk. Of course you could just walk to any of the dozens of cafes and restaurants within minutes. 723 Southard is offered at $899,000 or $817 per sq ft. CLICK HERE to see more photos and obtain detailed information on this cottage.

If you are looking for a place in Key West, now is a good time to buy. Prices are way down from their historic highs on all types of properties. I am a firm believer that any property that is listed for sale in today's market is listed because the owner wants or needs to sell it. I think all prices are negotiable. Please CLICK HERE to checkout the Key West mls database. If you see something you like please call me, Gary Thomas, or e-mail me at kw1101v@aol.com.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Like a Virgin -- 522 Grinnell St. Key West



I love old houses. I've spent years watching This Old House as the hosts and professionals restored neglected homes from another era. The end product was almost always very appealing and seemed to fit nicely into today's lifestyle.

One of the first houses I "almost" bought was the Croke Patterson Mansion at 428 East 11th Avenue in Denver. Like a lot of large older properties it was converted into apartments and deteriorated somewhat. Click HERE and HERE to see what I almost bought for $90,000 in 1974 or 1975. I was a young lawyer at the time and needed to borrow some of the down payment money from my mother. She didn't say "No" but instead said it was too much work for me to handle. Same thing. So I didn't buy it. Someone else bought it, fixed it up, and resold it a couple of years later for a little over $1,000,000.

A lot of the old houses in Key West got "bought up" in the 1970s and early 1980s. They got restored and the price of real estate in Key West exploded. Some of the very large houses were converted into apartments and others in guest houses (bed and breakfasts). And a few of the big houses just sat there, neglected. They sat for decades and nobody did anything to them. The exteriors did not painted or the gutters repaired. The facades were untouched. The interiors were un-fooled around with.

It invariably happens when I am driving clients around Old Town they spot one of the virgin houses and ask "How much does that cost?" thinking it must be cheap since it looks so run down. Nothing in Key West is cheap. So properties are just priced more affordably than others. And most of the old virgins are not priced affordably. But that may not make them expensive.

The new listing at 522 Grinnell Street belonged to the same family since it was built in the late 1800s. It was purchased from the original owners a couple of years ago. The house now sits vacant and awaits new owners. Potential buyers can look around this great hulk of a house without feeling like you are intruding. (The previous owner insisted that only she could show the house. She always re-told her family's history room by room. I actually enjoyed her showing the house because buyers got a real appreciation for the property.)

As I recall the story the former owner told this house, like so many of the grand old homes in Key West, was built by ship chandlers. That means the house was built to withstand strong winds and the elements. I would not call this house "grand", but I do think it has a very simple beauty that could just shine after a careful restoration. The house is big (2754 sq ft) and sits on a 55' x 100'lot.

There are bay windows on both the south and north sides. There is a large inviting formal entry. The living room and dining room are formal by design. The other rooms are just basically large rooms with tall ceilings. There is a wrap-around front porch on both the main and second floors. You can see so much of the Key West skyline from the second floor.

The rear yard has a small building that might allow you to "renovate" and turn it into a pool house. Yes, there is room for a good sized pool as well. I'd ask for permission to tear off the existing kitchen addition at the back and reconfigure the main rooms downstairs into spaces that meet our current lifestyle. That would mean creating indoor-outdoor living space. Perhaps you could add a first and second floor rear porches overlooking the pool and garden. Certainly you would want to redo the second floor and have the master suite at the rear to take advantage of the pool views. The nice thing is that this house is so large and so sound that you could dream up all kinds of creative ways to renovate it in style and yet retain that simple architecture that we can see under the peeling paint.

Cornish Lane (it's so small there isn't even room for a car) flanks the south side of the property. There are four cottages on Cornish Lane and a good sized house next door to the north. There are a couple of beautiful restorations on the opposite side of the street. And Five Brothers Grocery is on the corner at Southard Street. The Historic Key West Seaport is a three minute walk to the north and Duval is a five minute walk to the west.

CLICK HERE to see more photos and more details on the grand old virgin at 522 Grinnell Street in Old Town Key West. They don't make virgins like her any more.

If you are in the market for a virgin, or maybe a place that's been abused and needs some TLC, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or e-mail me at kw1101@aol.com.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is for discussion purposes only. Under no circumstances does this information constitute a recommendation to buy or sell securities, assets, real estate, or otherwise. Information has not been verified, is not guaranteed, and is subject to change.
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