630 Elizabeth Street - Open House - Sunday - Key West

I will be hosting an OPEN HOUSE on Sunday, December 18th at 630 Elizabeth Street between 12:00 to 2:00 PM. I will be providing hard hat tours of this wonderful old Key West property that is ready for renovation. This property has received HARC approval to convert this current "legal duplex" into a 2300 sq ft single family residence.

1118 Olivia Street - Old Town - Key West Cottage

This is how the listing Realtor describes the Key West cottage located at 1118 Olivia Street: "Bank Owned. REO. Bank Foreclosure. Easy to see! One of a 7 unit condo compound on Olivia Street in Old Town Key West. It is a stand alone structure with vaulted ceilings, tiled floors, stained glass, and a covered rear deck. Brick walkways, large heated pool, landscaping, and a great entertainment area pool side add to the charm of this compound . It is located within biking distance to the beach and the downtown area. Located less than one block off White St where you will find restaurants, gym, galleries, food stores, many local shops and the famous, monthly Walk on White. Parking! Qualified Buyers may be eligible for Seller financing at below market rates, FHA, and other incentives available where applicable. Fast response from Bank."

The cottage is located in the Lionsgate Condominium Compound. The compound is a group of five houses that share a common pool, a small common area, and off-street parking. With the exception of two buildings that are "duplexes", the other properties were single family homes that were incorporated into the compound.

This house has 851 sq ft of living space under roof and has two bedrooms and one bath. However, one of the bedrooms is on the second level and would be more appropriately called a bonus room rather than a bedroom. French doors lead from the living area onto a private covered read deck and orchid garden. There is an enclosure for the washer and dryer. The house also has hurricane shutters. CLICK HERE for more information and photos of this house and the common area and pool. CLICK HERE for a rear view of 1118 Olivia and the house next door to the east. CLICK HERE to see the front view of the other homes that make up the Lionsgate compound.

The property is five minute walk due west to Duval Street and maybe five minutes to the Historic Seaport. Nearby neighborhood hangouts include the Coffee Mill studio, Key West Island Gym, Faustos Food Palace, Dion's Gas Station and purveyor of great fried chicken (no kidding!), Dog 30 (pet store for pampered pups), a fresh fish place, a bike shop, some Realtors, and lots of small restaurants and Cuban coffee joints. It is a real Key West neighborhood.

1118 Olivia Street has what many second home owners dream of owning: a charming Key West cottage in a good location and a pool. The asking price on this charmer is only $359,000 or $422 per sq ft. This property will not last long, not at that price.

Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or e-mail me at kw1101v@aol.com to arrange a showing or to provide more information.

Water-Blogged in Key West

I was watching a new episode of HGTV's National Open House last night. The episode featured homes in Minneapolis, Charleston, S.C., and San Francisco, at price points of $250,000, $500,000, $750,000 and $1 million. CLICK HERE for more info on that episode. In the middle of the program there was a gay couple in Minneapolis that bought a home in a deteriorated neighbor hood about ten years ago. As I recall they paid somewhere around $100,000 for their home. They worked their magic on the house and made it absolutely shine. I was just amazed at what they accomplished without spending a helluva lot of money. I think the announced said that in today's market the house is worth $750,000. I may be wrong on the number, but that is not the point. The bought a good house in a somewhat bad neighborhood and turned it into a showcase that is now worth a lot of money.

The camera veered outside to show other houses on the block that were also re-vitalized. House after house had the gay flag flying. All the lawns were mowed and all the facades were crisp and clean. It made me think about what happens when gays move into an area. They play house. They build and re-build and decorate and re-decorate. Just like their heterosexual counterparts, they nest. Sometimes they just build more fancy nests.

When I bought my first house in Denver in the 1970's I decided to find one in the Capital Hill area. That part of town was the area developed after the first generation of miners settled in Denver. A couple blocks from my house you will find the Governor's Mansion and the home of the Unsinkable Molly Brown. But back in the 1970's a lot of the grand homes were split into apartments and many had deteriorated. The wealthy moved on to greener pastures. When that happened, prices went down. My generation of gay men and women did what the unthinkable in earlier times: they bought homes together. In fact the City of Denver had an ordinance which forbid unmarried people from owning homes together in specific areas of Denver. I remember looking a property one time and my Realtor told me "Gary, you know that you cannot buy here." I told her "Oh, yes, I can!" The city eventually abolished that arcane law. Denver's Capitol Hill area is now one of the toniest parts of town.

When prices were low gays moved in and bought the houses nobody else wanted and brought them back to their former glory -- just like the guys in Minneapolis in the National Open House episode last night. That made me think what may happen now that prices are returning to levels where normal people (as is not rich) can buy a permanent home or second home in Key West.

There are some good deals in the Old Town area as compared to prices from a few years ago. Prices are still high as compared to other areas of the U.S. But you cannot find the architecture or lifestyle that is Key West in Minneapolis or San Francisco. If you are gay you can find many gay neighborhoods. But you'll have to deal with other issues like having a real job, commuting, long lines, buying clothes to impress others, things like that.

I think the people that have homes on the market in Key West today really need to sell. So if you are a serious buyer and you want to buy a place in Key West you should spend some time and see if you can find a place that meets your needs. CLICK HERE to checkout single family homes in the Key West area on the water (canal to open water) that are priced between $700,000 to $900,000. You will be surprised what your money can buy today. And, remember, these are asking prices. If you see something you like call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or e-mail me at kw1101v@aol.com.