409 Grinnell St. Key West - Offered Furnished - Open House Today

I will be hosting an Open House Today at 409 Grinnell Street, Key West. You know the location - it is across the street from Old Town Bakery at the corner of Eaton and Grinnell Streets. 

 (Look closely - you'll see a pair a lady's shoes hanging from the telephone line stretched across the street.)

The house sits up the street just a bit adjacent to Elgin Lane. The historic house has a plaque at the front door stating it is on the National Registry of Historic Places and a Ceramic Star awarded for historic restoration in 2014.

First time guests and returning visitors stop as soon as they enter this house. They pause for a few seconds to take in the views. This isn't some old place with a new white kitchen with stainless steel appliances and Tony Lamonica furnishings (I made that name up). The reason this house was award the Ceramic Star was because the renovators preserved the genuine character of this old house that dates back to before 1889.

The current owners expanded upon the prior renovation and added the new heated salt water pool with waterfall. At night an LED light show reflects up to the coral stone wall and patio. There is a private shower tucked in the right rear corner. The front and rear grounds are irrigated and illuminated.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and see listing photos.

OPEN HOUSE

409 Grinnell Street

12:00 to 2:00 PM

Offered Fully Furnished except Art

$1,249,000

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Just Listed: 1409 Grinnell Street, Key West - Casa Marina Area

Just Listed, but not by me, 1409 Grinnell Street, Key West. This Casa Marina Area home was originally built in 1972. It has just been totally renovated and is now available for sale.  The Casa Marina continues to grow in popularity with second home buyers who often seek contemporary homes on large lots with cost saving features such as impact windows generally not permitted in Old Town homes.

I love referencing the 1930 aerial photo of the Casa Marina Area where I added arrows indicating the locations of 1409 Grinnell Street and one of our premiere waterfront restaurants, Louie's Backyard. Today the scruffy area at the bottom right is Higgs Beach. A long swimming pier now extends out into the water. There are tennis courts, a playground, and a much more affordable restaurant, Salute on the Beach. It is this location near the beach that also makes homes in this area so attractive to new buyers. 

Take a moment and consider the scarcity of housing in the Casa Marina Area in 1930. Most of Key West's population was then concentrated in the Old Town area particularly near the historic seaport. As the population grew, other parts of the island saw new housing added. Most of the houses in the Casa Marina Area, midtown, and new town area were built after the end of World War II.  I moved into the area in 1995 when there were still a couple of never built upon lots. Most of the lots in the Casa Marina Area, like 1409 Grinnell, are larger than 4,000 square feet. Many lots are 10,000 square feet. Most of the streets, like Grinnell, do not have curbs and gutters. This "rural" feel is the opposite of the more densely populated Historic District where many of the lots are just 2500 square feet and heavily shaded by abutting two story buildings or ancient canopy trees.

This 1168 square foot home has four bedrooms including one located behind the kitchen. That room may also be used as a home office or media room. The fourth bedroom is located in the rear cottage. The house has new tile floors, impact windows and doors, a new kitchen, and three new bathrooms plus new HVAC. There is room for a pool adjacent to the covered patio and rear cottage.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 1409 Grinnell Street offered for sale at $1,149,000. 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.

2907 Seidenberg Avenue, Key West

Just Listed, but not by me, 2907 Seidenberg Avenue in sunny Key West, Florida.  I got to see this home a couple of days during Realtor caravan and immediately asked the listing agent for permission to blog about it. This home was built in 1958 and has 1963 square feet of living space under air conditioning and a pool plus a guest cottage. What separates this house from so many other mid-century homes in Key West is the thoughtful real-life livability of this house coupled with the incredible rear outdoor living area and pool. 

When you enter this home it feels like a brand new house as opposed to a house that is half a century old that has a new kitchen or baths or both. The ceiling in the open concept living area was vaulted. Then my eyes were drawn past the kitchen where French doors opened to the water feature. I knew this house was going to be different.

The four bedrooms and four bathrooms share similar features yet each is distinct. Unlike to many houses of this era, these bedrooms are large offer more space for the way we live today. Each bathroom has new fixtures and tiles. While I am a fan of those cute mid-century tile bathrooms, this house is on point with current styling. You will notice contemporary baseboards and trim throughout the house. Even the closets are lighted and prepped for storage. And ceilings were vaulted as allowed.

The 49 foot pool includes side "benches" for chilling while others swim. It is genuinely inviting. The new Trex deck wraps the pool and joins the main house with the guest cottage that offers self-sufficient living space for the guest who refuses to go back up north where he or she belongs.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and lots of listing photos of 2907 Seidenberg Avenue. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this contemporary revival of a mid-century home. I am buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. I think you will really like this home. I did.

And no that is not me in drag. I detest drag.

62 Front Street, Key West - Commanding Truman Annex Property

The 600 block of Fleming Street in Key West during the 1920s

Front Street in the Truman Annex, Key West in the 2010s

The two photos above show how much Key West has changed in the past 100 years and how much things remain the same. Last week I wrote a blog about the big house at 923 Fleming Street where I remarked about notation on an early Sanborn Fire Map that Fleming Street was bricked. That remark was noteworthy because many streets back then were dirt. Bricked streets signified that the houses belonged to the wealthy. Followers of my blog know that the houses on Fleming Street today are still among the most expensive in Key West. The color photo above shows Front Street in the Truman Annex addition to Key West which was developed in the early 1990s. Most of single family homes located on Front and Emma Streets are owned by the wealthy as well.

The new listing at 62 Front Street, Key West is a modern day Eyebrow House with widow's walk.. This 2486 sq ft home was built in 1998 and varies greatly from the historic eyebrow houses built more than a century earlier in that the living spaces on the main floor wide and open and the bedrooms on the second floor are quite large as compared to the bedrooms found in historic homes. The house has a commanding presence on this street on this street of fancy homes. The listing Realtor describes this property this way:

"Located in the Key West Truman Annex is a very prominent Eyebrow home,custom built in 1998 for the President of the company that developed the Truman Annex. A large front porch allows you to enjoy the beautiful manicured landscaping of the Truman Annex. Opening the front door to this 4 bedroom 3 bath home, you are mesmerized by the size of the open floor plan and soaring ceiling heights and light. The Kitchen has custom cabinetry with granite counter tops with access to the outside living and pool area. On the main level is a full bath and bedroom adjacent to the living room with French Doors leading to the covered deck and pool. A custom staircase leads to 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with oversize closets. Another highlight is 2 covered Parking spaces. Transient License."

Two sets of French doors with clerestory windows above open out to the covered deck pool beyond which are two separate carports

For some reason that I do not fully understand, a lot of potential buyers want to buy a house that they may rent for income when they are not using it. I understand the idea and have written about the ability to do it. What I don't really understand is why someone who can afford a house as expensive as this would want to rent it. But if you do, you may, as this house has a valuable Truman Annex Transient Rental License which permits an owner to rent the property for 25 weeks each year plus as many 30 day months as one wants. Remember this house has four bedrooms and three baths, a sunny pool, off street parking, as is within easy walking distance to Ft Zachary Taylor Beach and the dining and entertainment on nearby Duval Streets. Renters will love it!

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos on 62 Front Street, Key West which is offered for sale at $3,570,000. 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.