Live Your Dream! Lose Your Virginity!

 

 

Above photo taken October 24, 2014 across the street from Bourbon Street Pub. That's somebody's mother. It has nothing to do with real estate. Just wanted to post it in remembrance of that day.

I started today's blog on February 14, 2011 but did not post it. I found it while searching the word "auction" because today, October 28th, is the anniversary of the day I purchased my first property in Key West. Take a brief read. What I wrote then is playing again.

I hosted an Open House yesterday. Quite successful, in fact. I had 107 plus people.I got so busy I lost track while talking to potential buyers. I kept hearing similar remarks about how much the market has recovered and how much so many people want to buy a place here. There were, of course, the neighbors and lookie-loos who show up at any open house. I recognize many of them when they walk past the front door. Those folks are usually in and out in just a few minutes. They are semi-pros. They watch the mls and read blogs about Key West real estate (copycats all).  But the virgins, the people who have been to Key West once or many times who finally decide they think they want to buy a house, they are the people that get my attention. It's as if they are back in high school and ask their friend (me) to see if its safe to ask that certain someone if they liked the other person. Only in the case of real estate, is it okay to look, to touch, to buy? Will I fail? What if I fail? What if I pay too much? Will my life be better if I buy a place in Key West? Yes to the last question. As for the other questions, if you don't take the step and lose your virginity, you will never know the joy of sex, I mean the joy of living here. 

I have written several times that it took me nine years to finally buy a place here. I made many ill fated offers prior to that. My offers were usually too low in price or too harsh in terms of requiring the seller to warrant this or that or some other legal mumbo jumbo. I lost my virginity at a public auction with a bunch of others in a competitive bidding. I got the nerve to make the bold move to out bid the others and ended up getting the grand prize. Instead of bidding lowest, I bid highest. But I got the prize everybody else wanted. 

In Key West real estate most places are one-of-a-kind. The real estate market in Key West is really brisk right now. Town is full of people and many of those people go through the thought process of wondering if they could or should buy a place here. Some look at the signs on real estate company front porches or boxes attached to listing signs. Some contact an agent and go look at houses to see how much things cost. 

New: That's where I stopped. That blog never got published. Ten years have passed. The place I bought sold twice after i sold it. It is making a mint. All guest houses are. Real estate prices are beyond crazy. The thing that holds true is there is only one Key West. I have heard but never visited other coastal areas that have old towns kind of like Key West.  But they are not the same because they have old houses. The thing I don't like is also the thing I have become a part of - looking at real estate as being a cash register. I can't change that. Money in. More money out. That's the way it works. Virgins welcome.

 

Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday - No. 33

from 2015  Nothing to do with real estate.

 I confess: I Wore Blackface That's little me sitting in the right bottom corner of the photo of my first grade class at Mountain View Elementary School in 1954. All of the children in my class and all of the other students and staff and even the entire town were white. Mountain View is located on west side of the Denver County line in Jefferson County, Colorado where it was illegal for Negroes and other non-whites to live in the 1950s. I returned to Denver in 2015 to attend my fifty year high school reunion. On the day of the reunion I drove over to see my old school, went inside, and learned that my old school was a private school for primarily underprivileged Hispanic children. My former lily white suburb had turned Asian and Hispanic and underprivileged. The school administrator allowed me to walk through the school.

When I was a student the school cafeteria was also used as the gym and auditorium where Cub Scout and PTA events were held and where an occasional play was performed. In June 2015 I stood on that stage and looked to my left and remember my part in the school Christmas play that took place in 1954 or 1955 right after school on the Friday afternoon just as we began our Christmas recess.

The setting was an orphanage at Christmas where all of the orphans were white except for one. Students from each grade had a part. Santa Clause was played by an adult male who must have been a parent because we did not have a male teacher until the sixth grade. At some point Santa spoke to me. I think I must have been the youngest to have a speaking line, a line I do not remember, but a line I will never forget.

Earlier one of my teachers burned a cork and smeared the burnt ash all over my face and hands to make me look like a Negro. African Americans or Black People were called either Colored People or Negros in the 1950s. That is why I use that term here. I remember having to learn and speak in a Negro dialect. I seem to recall one of the teachers taught me the diction. I cannot remember my line, but I remember the entire audience laughed out loud at what I said and how I said it.

Put what I did and what my teachers did in context. They painted me in black face and taught me to speak a line in such a way as to make fun of black people - for a gag laugh. This was a school event where all of the teachers and students were present. This was acceptable behavior in my all white community in the 1950s. I was a kid. I did what I was told. I didn't see anything wrong with what I did. Then.

The thing is I remember this event sixty-five years later. How many readers remember events when they were seven or eight years old? I would venture most recollections would involve some type of trauma like losing a family member or extreme joy like getting a puppy. While I now smile at what I did back then, I can't help but think what I did was very wrong. But it was culturally acceptable. That is why I don't agree judging social conduct from years ago by the community standards of today.

Throne Room of Former Key West Royalty

I was searching thru my old shoebox for a specific photo when I came across the pic above. This is or was the bathroom of former Key West royalty - two older gay men who lived the lifestyle of the Wish-I-Were-Famous. The vintage metal louver window is a dead giveaway that this bathroom is located inside a Mid-town or New-town Key West home built in the late 50's or 60's. 

I actually remember meeting the owners about twenty-five years ago. They were old then and were preparing to move up north. My broker at the time was going to list the house. I got invited along to see it. They were very nice, nah gracious to me. Inviting. They were proud of their home. It showed. I am making fun of it now and not so much of them. Well, I am. But it is pretentious. A lot of people are very pretentious in the way they decorate - pretending they live the lifestyle of the Wish-I-Were-Famous.

 

401 South Street, Key West - Landmark Property For Sale

"Through the crystal-clear air Lori could hear the ringing of the agent's bell...that had begun when the package had first been sighted, carefully picking it's way past the outer reefs toward the lighthouse at Whitehead's Point."          - Thelma Strabel, Reap the Wild Wind

Preferred Properties Key West just listed 401 South Street, Key West. This home sits opposite what was once called Whitehead's Point. Tourists from all over the world come here to take photos as a remembrance of the best vacation of their lives. Were you to buy this one-of-a-kind home I would suggest that you must really like people because people will stand across the street from your home every day to take photos of themselves for as long as you own the property.

But at night when the tourists have moved down to Mallory Square to view the amazing Key West sunset, you will have the view of the old Whitehead's Point to yourself.  You can watch the nightly sunset from your main level or second floor balcony with a view nobody in Key West can ever have. The balmy breezes from the Atlantic Ocean will brush the palms that flank this corner property.  At night after the tourists are gone you will hear the sound of tiny waves as they lap the coral rock where South Street and Whitehead Street meet at the place now called the Southernmost Point. This is the yin and yang of this property.  

The original house is constructed of Indian Block, a man-made material similar to modern concrete block except that Indian Block has a finished decorative carved-rock aspect. Over the years the original front porch and second floor balcony were modernized as is shown in the 1965 black and white photo.   What you may not see unless you look at all the photos with care is that 401 South Street has three bays: The front bay is obscured by the enclosed front porch. The east side bay is not visible from the street whereas the west bay is quite prominent as it can be viewed by all.

The immediately above photo shows the front bay on the main floor. The house plus the rear bungalow have been divided into three legal living units. The first floor and second floor currently used as separate apartments and are pretty much carbon copies of each other as to interior layout. The original interior staircase has been removed, but a portion of the stairs still remains. Re-installation of a staircase would be fairly simple were a new owner want to restore this home back to a single family residence.  Note the extra large crown molding that wraps the front bay. The crown molding can be found in all first floor rooms. I did not take a tape measure with me when I photographed this house. My guess is that the ceiling height on the main floor is at least ten feet tall.

The above photo was taken in the dining room on the first floor. The west bay window is seen on the extreme left. The front porch is enclosed with screen. Even the screen can't diminish the view of the ocean.

The west second floor bay shows the superior condition of the Indian block construction. The next photo shows some of the original detailed stone work that is still in excellent condition. It would be interesting to see how a current day architect might reinterpret the original porches to restore some of the historic appeal of the house while retaining privacy for a new owner.

The views from the second floor deck are pretty impressive.  Imagine sipping your morning coffee from the second floor balcony before the tourists arrive.

A simple bungalow is located at the back far east side of the lot. This space is a basic Old Florida bungalow with grassy yard, palm trees, and louvers that keep the sun and rain out but that allow air and sunlight in.  Ralph Lauren would have a field day decorating this little gem. The bungalow would make the perfect guest cottage. There is plenty of room for a pool and still retain off street parking for two cars.

The main house and bungalow total 2845 sq ft of interior living space. The lot is 76' wide and 100' deep. There is room to expand the main house and bungalow. I took more photos and share historic photos I found which you may view if you CLICK HERE. 401 South Street is offered for sale by Preferred Properties Key West at $3,100,000.

CLICK HERE to view the mls datasheet on this Key West Treasure. Better than looking at photos or reading a blog, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to arrange a private showing of this special home. Today's blog is an update of one I wrote in 2014 when this house was for sale then. The current owner updated the house after that purchase. But it still remains three units. It deserves more. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

 

In Honor of PRIDE MONTH - Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday No. 24

From August 14, 2013

GAY DIVORCE COURT

Frequent Readers may know that many years ago (I started practice in 1973) I was an attorney in Arvada, Colorado which is a suburb of Denver.  I worked in a five man law firm where I handled a variety of types of cases. My first divorce case was a true learning experience. I landed a lulu. I can't recall all of the details which is good since I might get accused of breaching client confidentiality. But I do recall the lessons I learned in dealing with people who are splitting up, namely - get paid up front and make sure to charge enough money; don't get suckered into the bitterness; try to convince the client not to go crazy and end up in jail for hitting the mother-in-law or the new boyfriend (or girlfriend); charge plenty of money - yes, plenty of money. Repeat charge plenty of money. 

In that first case I represented a woman who lived in Adams County, a suburb north of Denver. My practice was in Jefferson County a suburb west of Denver. The county seat was in Golden, Colorado where Coors Beer is made.  I filed the divorce action in the Jefferson County District Court since all District Courts have statewide jurisdiction. The husband hired an attorney who accepted the venue in Jefferson County. If he had challenged we would have lost. But that's the only easy thing that happened in this case. My recollection is hazy on whether my client (the wife) or her husband got arrested for assault on the opposite party. That action landed whichever party in the Adam's County jail. I know I was there but can't recall why I was there. A couple of weeks later I appeared in the El Paso County District Court in Colorado Springs where the husband had been arrested for fighting with or inside the wife's mother's home. I was involved in three jurisdictions involving two criminal cases and one divorce case. I vowed to not let something like that happen again.

But it did. Repeatedly. Within a few months I represented a nice looking young guy in his late 20s who was a Casper Milk Toast banker type guy. Clean cut and handsome. He had a beautiful wife and a couple of really cute kids. He owned a nice suburban house. And his world was falling apart.  He stalked the wifey and found some good looking stud hanging around the house when his kids were there. My client barged in and got himself arrested for beating the other guy up. Even Casper Milk Toast guys can beat up studs if given good cause. We ended up in criminal court. The wife's attorney was a woman (which was relatively new in those days). The attorney took a genuine dislike to me which I found odd. I think I am and have always been like able. I do not now nor did I then consider myself to be sneaky or mean or anything other than professional. But that lawyer and I never did get along. Oh and my client got arrested for beating up the studly boyfriend a second time. The stud should have learned not to mess around with the wife when the kids were home. We eventually got the divorce the couple wanted. It cost the couple a lot of money. I wonder if the stud ended up with the wife. I wonder if the kids ended up marrying and divorcing and fighting with their spouses (or boyfriends or girlfriends). I am a believer that people repeat their parents' lives. 

I represented another guy who got arrested for pushing his wife's head down the toilet during the middle of the divorce. That did not look very good. I think we entered into a plea bargain on that. I don't think I would ever let something like that go to trial.

I represent a general contractor on a couple of matters. He and wife had split a few years earlier.  The divorce decree was in place as was the order for monthly child support. He was substantially in arrears.  The District Attorney filed a motion to hold my delinquent client in contempt of court for non payment of child support. This normally results in the man paying arrears rather than being found in contempt and ordered to jail. I warned my client of his pending doom if he did not pay. He hated the ex and said he would take time off work just to mess with her. The hearing was held near Christmas week. My client was found in contempt of court and taken into custody that day and spent the next week in jail.  The jail sentence purged him of contempt but did not free him of the obligation to pay the past due child support payments. The wife would have to wait a long time before she could prosecute a new contempt of court proceeding.

I stopped doing divorces and went into banking. Twenty years ago I moved to Key West. A couple of years later I got my real estate license and started to sell houses. Key West has a large gay population and every now and then gay couples decide to call their relationships 'quits'.  Since the State of Florida has never legalized same sex marriage, there is no such thing as a gay divorce. But that does not stop legal battles about property splits or spousal abuse.

I remember showing a house a few years ago where two guys were splitting up. One of the partners got to stay with the house while the other moved to another property the pair owned. The men owned a business over which they were quarreling in court. The local bank that financed that business got involved in the partnership breakup and got a receiver appointed to protect the assets of the business. Both men hired separate lawyers. The bank hired its lawyer and the receiver hired his lawyer. The four lawyers took substantial fees from the proceeds of the sale of the business and the house which had a special bedroom that was painted black and that had a sling.

A female couple called it quits a couple of years ago. They hired lawyers in the state where they lived to help adjudicate the property split. They also owned a place in Key West which had to be sold and the money sent to the home state for final distribution. They had lawyers where they lived and lawyers down in Key West just to make sure the other side did not gain a pecuniary advantage. Justice costs money. Justice makes some lawyers quite wealthy.

Several states have approved legislation that recognizes gay marriages or civil unions. There will inevitably be gay divorces. I expect gays will do divorces like they do parades - with panache.

And that caused me to envision what we might see on a TV show called GAY DIVORCE COURT. I can just envision the drama we could witness.  There would be tales straight folks could not imagine.  It might be hilarious. It might be tragic.  I can envision ribald tales over the splitting marital property and fighting over such things as the collection of clown plates painted by Red Skelton (really!) or anything the pair mutually collected.  Straight couple fight over custody of the children. Gays will inevitably fight over pets.  And since many gay couple are now parents, there will be custody disputes where the real reason for the split will be aired. A former fellow agent who split with his partner of many years told me his ex beat him up. The guy who got beat up is a big man.  I was shocked but sometimes smaller guys can really mess up bigger guys. Another former fellow agent has been arrested for domestic battery by strangulation - twice.  Women beat each other as well.  I expect nothing less than hilarity or tragedy in each episode. 

Watch for GAY DIVORCE COURT. Someone will produce it.  It ought to be a winner.

June 10, 2021 Update. Gay marriage is now legal. Gay divorces are real but there is no Gay Divorce Court TV show yet. There will be. It would be better than Drag Race.

812 Fleming St #4 Key West - Old Fashioned Fully Furnished Condo

 

I remember the first time I stepped inside the doors of the Seafoam Condominiums at 812 Fleming Street in Key West. I stopped. Looked up. And saw a three stories  atrium bounded by Dade County Pine wood walls trimmed out by stark white wood railings. I think I called it plane geometry. It is so simple and so perfect. It is genius you can touch and feel and appreciate every time you see it. 

Back in the days before civic groups and city planning gurus who know what's best for everybody, Key West had a more hands-off approach. Owners and re-modelers were permitted to do things to uplift the old homes and buildings in what was becoming the Historic District or Old Town Key West. The former mercantile building at 812-814 Fleming Street was in 1984. The original covered walkway was extended upward to the third floor. It was boxed in so to speak. Five openings on the second and third floor became doors that opened out to the covered porches. The center door entered the porch off the hallway. Two sets of French doors opened from respective units. There are similar decks on rear facing units. The ground floor units are commercial. Today the City of Key West charges fees and requires indemnification and insurance for structures "like" this or any other that invades the city right  of way. Progress. I digress.

The covered porch offers 200 square feet of  extra living space to each unit. And it really is living space. Except on the hottest days, expect owners to leave the French doors open so that they may move in and out with ease for it is the fresh air and ambience of Old Town that drew them to this island home.

The listing Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West describes Unit 4 this way:

"This beautifully appointed one-bedroom, one bathroom condominium is in the historic Seafoam building. It has a 200 square foot balcony overlooking vibrant and picturesque Fleming Street. The owner is a professional interior designer and has recently completed a very stylish renovation of this charming unit. The kitchen boasts quartz countertops, a backsplash of custom designed Moroccan tiles, and stainless steel appliances including gas range, dishwasher and disposal. The bathroom has been updated and this home has central air conditioning, lots of warm Dade County Pine and a hand-painted mural. The Seafoam has a sunny and pretty swimming pool and a dramatic three-story entry atrium. This jewel box is offered furnished."

Jewell box indeed. There is a second set of stairs at the rear which lead down to the pool and laundry area at the rear. When your friends up north in America are complaining "Baby It's Cold Outside" you can be laying by the pool - in January. Condo fees are $559 monthly and include building insurance, maintenance, and water.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 812 Fleming Street No. 4 Key West Florida. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this FULLY FURNISHED OLD FASHIONED unit offered at $629,000. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.