1409 Truman Ave, Key West - Another Price Reduction !!! Do the Math!

Go to your calculator on your iphone or go back to high school and use a piece of paper, a No. 2 pencil, and your brain to figure out the new price per square foot on the bank owned Eyebrow House discussed below. You'll be jumping up and down too.

Buyers looking for a great value in Key West should take a serious look at 1409 Truman Avenue. This 1932 square foot two story Eyebrow House sits on a 3213 square foot lot and overlooks Bayview Park across the street. Property records suggest it was originally built circa 1889. It was substantially renovated in 2005 but it could use a new coat of paint and replacement of kitchen appliances and counter-tops.  I did not see any large dollar items that need attention. MY old shoebox contained the black and white photo below showing the house in 1965 when an exterior stairway led to the second floor which I assume was used as apartments then. That stairway no longer exists and the entire second floor is now the master bedroom and en-suite bath.This is a nice space. The ceilings are tall. A big man will feel comfortable in this Old Town house.

I am a big fan of Eyebrow Houses. This is different from any other I have been inside. The central front door opens into a formal entry hall that leads to the back of the home where the living area is located. There are two bedrooms with private baths on either side at the front of the house. The stairway ascends to the second floor master suite.

As this is an historic Key West home, it is not surprising that the walls and floors are of Dade County Pine throughout the house. Both first floor bedrooms are fairly good sized and each has a private bath. There is a guest bath located at the end of the entry hall.

The open concept living area at the back of the home includes a niche for dining, kitchen, and living are with multiple French doors that open out to the covered rear deck and swim spa. We just start our official fall season. All those leaves will be off the tree within two weeks and brand new green leaves will appear immediately thereafter. We do not have a dormant season. Notice the blue tarp-covered swim spa. I did not remove the tarp to take a look but a new buyer can do that during a home inspection. The spa may have been added instead of a swimming pool because much of the rear yard is covered with tree roots. Our Tree Commission has rules directing the types of trees which may and may not be removed to add a pool.  Since spas are not pools, some owners elect to add spas which do not require city approval.

The staircase lands on a well lit landing where daytime light floods the area. Double doors open into the master bedroom with high pitched ceiling that runs the length of the house. The spaces are divide to provide a large bedroom area, a dressing or sitting area, and large bathroom with dual vanity sinks, soaking bathtub, shower, and private toilet. You can see window unit air conditioners in several windows. The house does have central A/C.  It may be that the A/C stopped working properly and the exiting owner or tenant preferred to use cheap Home Depot units than to pay for a costly repair of the whole house system. A home inspection will tell the prospective buyer the cost to fix the system if it is in need of repair. The good thing is the house does have central air.

1409 Truman Avenue is a lovely old Key West home. It sits high across the street from the tennis courts at Bayview Park - the city's largest park. Various events are held at the park throughout the year. A "Farmers Market" is held in the park each Wednesday. Farmers from all over town bring in their corn and tomatoes. I wrote this to see if anybody actually reads what I write. They do bring in food. I have no idea where it is grown. It's all quite civilized.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 1409 Truman Avenue Key West now offered at the reduced price of $699,900 or just $326 per square foot.  Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. The house does not need repaint nor the counter-tops replaced. It would just look better and feel fresher. Take a look and judge for yourself. This is somebodies dream home. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

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1409 Truman Avenue, Key West - Incredible Bank Owned Property

Buyers looking for a great value in Key West should take a serious look at 1409 Truman Avenue. This 1932 square foot two story Eyebrow House sits on a 3213 square foot lot and overlooks Bayview Park across the street.Property records suggest it was originally built circa 1889. It was substantially renovated in 2005 but it could use a new coat of paint and replacement of kitchen appliances and counter-tops.  I did not see any large dollar items that need attention. MY old shoebox contained the black and white photo below showing the house in 1965 when an exterior stairway led to the second floor which I assume was used as apartments then. That stairway no longer exists and the current second floor is the master bedroom and en suite bath.

I am a big fan of Eyebrow Houses. This is different from any other I have been inside. The central front door opens into a formal entry hall that leads to the back of the home where the living area is located. There are two bedrooms with private baths on either side at the front of the house. The stairway ascends to the second floor master suite.

As this is an historic Key West home, it is not surprising that the walls and floors are of Dade County Pine throughout the house. Both first floor bedrooms are fairly good sized and each has a private bath. There is a guest bath located at the end of the entry hall.

The open concept living area at the back of the home includes a niche for dining, kitchen, and living are with multiple French doors that open out to the covered rear deck and swim spa. We just start our official fall season. All those leaves will be off the tree within two weeks and brand new green leaves will appear immediately thereafter. We do not have a dormant season. Notice the blue tarp-covered swim spa. I did not remove the tarp to take a look but a new buyer can do that during a home inspection. The spa may have been added instead of a swimming pool because much of the rear yard is covered with tree roots. Our Tree Commission has rules directing the types of trees which may and may not be removed to add a pool.  Since spas are not pools, some owners elect to add spas which do not require city approval.

The staircase lands on a well lit landing where daytime light floods the area. Double doors open into the master bedroom with high pitched ceiling that runs the length of the house. The spaces are divide to provide a large bedroom area, a dressing or sitting area, and large bathroom with dual vanity sinks, soaking bathtub, shower, and private toilet. You can see window unit air conditioners in several windows. The house does have central A/C.  It may be that the A/C stopped working properly and the exiting owner or tenant preferred to use cheap Home Depot units than to pay for a costly repair of the whole house system. A home inspection will tell the prospective buyer the cost to fix the system if it is in need of repair. The good thing is the house does have central air.

1409 Truman Avenue is a lovely old Key West home. It sits high across the street from the tennis courts at Bayview Park - the city's largest park. Workers are busy decorating the park for the upcoming Christmas holiday. The little village of small houses is being erected. Various events are held at the park throughout the year. It's all quite civilized.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 1409 Truman Avenue Key West now offered at the reduced price of $774,900. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. The house does not need repaint nor the counter-tops replaced. It would just look better and feel fresher. Take a look and judge for yourself. This is somebodies dream home. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

621 Olivia Street,Key West - Elegant Eyebrow Home

Just Listed, but not by me, 621 Olivia Street, Key West. I got to preview this elegant eyebrow house during a broker open house a couple of weeks ago. If you watch Million Dollar Listing New York you are accustomed to seeing sharp dressing brokers who look more like models. While we have a few pretty sharp looking agents, most of our agents have gray hair and dress Key West casual. That was the case on the date we saw this house. We were all awed by the place.

I dug around in my old shoebox and found the above picture of 621 Olivia Street taken back in 1965. A note on the back says it was built circa 1889. The photo contrasts with the current photo above in many ways but it also shows us the basic structure remains intact. The front part is the actual eyebrow house. Note the roof line extends out over the front and rests on four columns. Three sets of windows are located on a higher plane over the first floor door and louver shutters. The second floor windows were designed to allow fresh air to flow into the house even during a rainstorm. A second part of the house can be seen at the rear. The connecting point the two sections is referred to as a sawtooth addition.

Even though there are more than fifty eyebrow homes in Key West, each one is different. Most of the eyebrows, like this one, have been renovated. This home has been thoroughly renovated, expanded, and now includes a separate guest cottage. Today the main house and guest cottage have 1794 square feet of living space under air conditioning plus additional covered porch and lounge areas. The home has four bedrooms and three baths. The front door opens into a central hallway which leads to the new great room at the rear. The first impression is this a very old and lovely home. The Dade County Pine walls suggest this is a very old house, but when we pass to the rear we see large contemporary great room with vaulted ceiling and lots of windows and doors with views of the incredible pool and rear grounds. 

The first floor wood floors are pickled which works well with the contemporary feel of this updated home. The main floor bedrooms have the historic character so many buyers desire. The second floor master suite is contemporary and includes a large en-suite bath. I saw this home around 5:00 PM just as our late summer sun started that long dance into twilight. Windows at the gable ends of the great room offer so many light possibilities throughout the day.  A skylight in the master bedroom brings additional light into that space apart from the eyebrow windows at floor level and the side windows in the bedroom and bath. The natural light in this home is especially keen.

When the first floor French doors are opened the lanai becomes a part of the indoor-outdoor living area. Imagine entertaining in this incredible environment.  The pool area includes a waterfall feature at the rear and a spa at the front.  I took a video of the pool which you may enjoy.

The stand alone guest cottage has a small kitchen and private bath. It has a vaulted ceiling and  multiple sets of French doors that make this space seem much larger than it is. This space would make a great writer's cottage. Are you a great writer?

The attention to detail evidenced in the main house continues into the guest cottage. Everything is perfect. The backyard and pool area are among the best I've seen in Key West. The other agents' eyes were agog when they looked at the pool. This is impressive!

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more photos of 621 Olivia Street, Key West, offered at $2,475,000. 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.