Tales of Covid 19 - Middle Aged Men on Scooters in Key West

A couple of months ago my broker and I drove to look at a potential listing. We left the parking lot behind our office at the same time. I got there in less than four minutes.She arrived about five minutes later. She said she saw someone she knew across the street and decided to drive around the block so she would not be seen going inside our potential listing. It is a known fact if you see a realtor going inside a house something is about to happen. 

Last week I was headed to my office when I noticed real estate photographer Nick Doll taking photos of house on Reynolds Street. An agent in my office sold that house less than a year ago. I knew in an instant the place was going to be for sale soon. It was. It appeared in the Key West MLS the next day.

One of the things that surprised me so much about the pandemic was that people could recognize me even though I was wearing a mask. Sometimes I was dumbfounded. How did they do that? I am coming to m point - soon.

Key West is a very small town. No matter where you go or at what time you are bound to be seen by someone who knows you. If you are a star that can feed you ego. If you are a middle aged man cheating on your wife, it's probably not so good. 

A former customer of mine called me to discuss listing his house. He and the wife had done an admirable job in fixing up an already nice home. We wee standing in the living room discussing the house when he started to tremble and blubber at which time he confessed he had been cheating on his wife and that his marriage was in ruins. 

I don't know how he did it, but he saved the marriage, bought a new place, and lived happily ever after. Except one day I was taking photos for my blog when I saw him exiting Lowe's Lane on his scooter with a woman (not his wife) clutching his ripped middle aged torso (he wished). 

I remember another time I had to shut down an open house I was hosting on Nassau Lane a bit early so that I could meet potential buyers at a nearby house that just came on the market. My buyers spent about an hour looking at the other house. Later I walked back to my car which was parked near Nassau Lane when I saw another former customer exiting Nassau Lane with a woman (not his wife) clutching his rippled torso (he wished). He averted his eyes and tore off!!! 

There is no end to this story. Middle aged me on scooters are dangerous. Especially in small towns like Key West Florida on days when the wives are not home. 

1317-A Catherine Street, Key West

I was looking through the old shoebox and found this photo of 1317-A Catherine Street in Key West that was taken in 1965. I offer this picture to you so that you can get a sense of how this home has evolved into the property that is currently listed for sale at $639,000 which the listing Realtor describes as

"Great little 2/2 Conch cottage with a private pool, comfortable deck area and very lush privacy planting. Nice location for walking to the beach and the White Street restaurants and markets. Parking is on street but generally no problem. It was currently being used as a non-transient vacation rental and has a good history of rentals. Very private with almost no street visibility."
Today a six foot privacy fence hides the house from street view and the open space to the right shown in the black and white photo is where you will find a swimming pool and deck.

The seemingly vacant lot of yore is now filled with the pool, deck, palm trees, and tropical foliage. Though I wasn't in the house fifty years ago, it's safe to say the inside is totally different today than it was then. This house has been recently been used as a vacation rental. Let's take a look at the inside.

The old screened porch is now the dining area which has French doors that open out to the porch where you can sit and watch the kids frolic in the pool. The modern kitchen has a comfortable breakfast bar.  Notice there is room for more than one chef in this kitchen. The two bedrooms are located on the far side of the living room.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this home.

The 843 sq ft house sits on a 2483 sq ft lot in the Arts District just a couple of blocks east of the White Street corridor.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. After you've done that, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this two bedroom, two bath home with a private pool and an outdoor shower. I am a buyers agent and a full time realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. This home has a good vacation rental history that may appeal to a buyer who wants someone else to help pay part of the costs of purchasing a home in Key West.