1607 Sunshine Drive, Key West, Florida

The asking price on 1607 Sunshine Drive in Key West was just reduced to $919,000. The listing Realtor describes this home this way:

"The perfect Key West home in an excellent, quiet neighborhood close to the beaches, and just a short bike ride to all Old Town has to offer. Boasting 1,672 sq. ft. with three large bedrooms, and three full baths, 9ft ceilings with custom crown moldings, ceramic tile floors, amazing free flowing layout, gourmet kitchen, and with every attention to detail taken care of. Tropical heated pool with lush landscaping and lots of privacy, with irrigation system, and two off street parking spaces. Definitely a must see!!"

I have had the opportunity to show this sharp three bedroom home a couple of times during the past few weeks. I liked it.  The house is one of several built in this small enclave of homes built in 2012-2013.  The community is located one block west of White Street and just a stone's throw from the Atlantic Ocean. Each home is a 1672 sq ft two story home with three bedrooms and three baths. While all homes have the same layout, each home is unique on the inside and also the exterior. Buyers who purchased before or during construction were able to outfit the interiors the way they want. Others, like the owners of this home, did some retrofitting after they purchased the home. This home is more custom than it is common. It has lots of upgrades, and it shows very well. You can definitely see pride in ownership in this home.. Everything looks perfect.

Let's start at the front yard and work our way through this home. Sunshine Drive is an extra-wide street. The first thing you notice upon arrival here is that the front yard is totally fenced. There are separate gates to the two off street parking spaces. The front yard is minimally landscaped which means less time gardening and more time doing fun things.  You will see that there are first and second floor front porches that look out to Sunshine Drive.

The house has Hardiboard siding and impact glass windows and doors. These features and the metal roof mean that windstorm and homeowner's insurances will be very low cost as compared to traditional stick built homes in our area.  The first floor front porch photo (above) also shows the Trex decking which the homeowners installed after purchase. Trex decking will stand up to our intense sun and humidity.

The front door opens into a center hallway which leads to the great room at the rear. Among the features are porcelain floors, crown molding, Plantation Shutters, down lights in the ceiling, custom cabinets in the kitchen. The kitchen island also has a built-in elevated breakfast bar for casual dining. Every thing looks just perfect. They did not miss a beat on this place.
The first of the three bedrooms and baths is located at the front of the first floor. The current owners use this "bedroom" space as a den. There is a full bath across the hall.

The current owners use the second floor front bedroom as a combination office and guest suite with a Murphy bed. This provides an efficient use of space which I think works well for owners who want to actually use rooms in their homes which may occasionally be used by guests. The door opens out to the second floor front porch which has sunset views.

The master suite is located at the rear. This bedroom opens out to the second floor rear deck that looks down to the private pool. The master bedroom includes an ensuite bath with shower and soaking tub.

The backyard is more lush than the front, but you won't need to spend all that much time attending to it since there is a sprinkler system. Note also the Trex decking was carried to the rear as well. If you were to relocate to this area you may fall into the routine of a morning or evening walk around the area. This will inevitably take you a couple blocks away to the White Street pier.  I dug down into my old shoebox and found an aerial photo taken of the pier back in 1987. I took the photo below it a couple of weeks ago. I think the Key West waterscape is just amazing. It changes from day to day and hour by hour. Whether you have a dog to walk or a gut to reduce, walking or biking along the ocean will add so much joy to your life in Key West. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and also to see all of the listing photos of this home which is now offered for sale at $919,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. I recently sold a nearby home in this same area. I think think this is a good value for a homeowner who wants a place that is new, does not need "fixed or updated", and that will be economical to maintain and insure for years to come. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1430 Albury Street, Key West - Build Your Own Dream House

Just Listed by yours truly, 1430 Albury Street in the quiet Meadows Area of Old Town Key West. I wrote about this location a couple of years ago when there was a CBS house located here. Back then the address was 901 Pearl Street. The owners took down the old house, cleared the lot, and added the nice tall white picket fence shown below.

The owner in collaboration with architect Carlos Rojas designed a two story 'Conch' Style home with about 1900 sq ft of living space on a 50' X 70' (3500 sq ft) lot. All plans have been HARC Approved and all City Planning  Department requirements met. You can apply for a building permit the day you close. The hard work has been done. The house will have four bedrooms, three and 1/2 baths, four porches, a pool and deck, and off street parking. The house can be constructed with new and efficient building materials including Hardiboard siding which is easier to maintain than traditional wood siding. The home will include new wind impact resistant windows and doors. This means your wind insurance will be a fraction of what you would pay for a house with regular windows. The new house is FEMA flood compliant which will result in lower insurance costs. Your regular home owner's insurance will be less costly because it will be built to the highest building standards in Florida again as compared to old construction. These savings will be significant in the short and long term. A new owner could revise the plans and build a different version of his or her dream house. The approvals are done. The hard part is over.

The new house is located within easy biking distance to Duval Street and all of the noise and commotion over there. I know a lot of potential buyers think they want to live no more than two blocks from Duval. Believe me, you'll be much happier not having to hear folks walking back to their hotels or rental houses at 3:00 AM or listening to Conch Train conductors re-telling stories about old Key West twenty times a day - every day of the week. 1430 Albury Street is located one block from Bayview Park. You can go there to walk your dog or play tennis.

1430 Albury Street is offered with approved architectural plans at $750,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. I can provide more detailed information on the plans to interested buyers. Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1522 Patricia Street, Key West - Price Reduction

The asking price on 1522 Patricia Street in Key West was just reduced to $1,295,000. This listing of Preferred Properties Key West was recently renovated and expanded and is now ready for a new owner to move in and start to live the good life.  Everything has been done to make this new home user friendly, easy to maintain, and inexpensive to insure.  Flood insurance is quoted at $1,900 per year, Windstorm is quoted at $2,500 per year.

The listing Realtor, not me, describes this home this way:

"Built to last, this spacious split-level home is situated on a sunny corner lot in the neighborhood that is Key West's best kept secret. The lower level has three guest bedrooms with shared bath and a spacious master suite with ample closet space and a private entrance via the large covered lanai. The upper level consists of a open great room with 9 foot ceilings, multiple windows and French doors opening out to the swimming pool and tropical gardens. A chef's kitchen features Decora cabinets, stainless steel appliances and Corian counter tops. Features such as storm-rated windows and doors, Colombian barrel-tile roof rated for 200 MPH, and color-tinted stucco, result in low insurance and maintenance costs. Come see today what's going on!"

Locals may recognize the area as being within easy walking distance to Higg's Beach or Smather's Beach.  Most of the homes in this area have been updated. This is an area where most homes are owner occupied as opposed to parts of Casa Marina, the Meadows, and Old Town where many of the houses are second homes, some of which are used as vacation rentals. You won't be seeing any Conch Trains going up and down these streets with speakers barking out information on the houses. This is a quite neighborhood.

As I walked inside the foyer my eyes were drawn upward to the great room that was filled with late morning sunshine. I could not help but notice the elegant travertine marble floors and baseboards (which are carried throughout the house). When I reached the top stair my eyes were then drawn through the impact glass doors and out to the sunny pool. Pools and outdoor living spaces are among the prime reason people move to Key West and this home has a lovely pool and outdoor entertaining area. The rest of the yard is very nicely landscaped. 

The master bedroom with en-suite bath and large walk-in closet is located on the lower level along with three other bedrooms.

CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this lovely 1950 sq ft four bedroom, two and one-half home that is now offered for sale at $1,295,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this recently expanded and updated Key West home that is now offered at just $1,295,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send to schedule a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. This home has not been lived since renovation and expansion.  This just could be your home buy Christmas.

1513 Pine Street - Key West - Value for Your Money

1513 Pine Street - Key West - Offered at $1,195,000

If you are an active home buyer that is looking for quality and value up front plus affordable insurance costs and low maintenance fees year over year, the recently built home at 1513 Pine Street located in the Meadows Area of Key West is certainly a home to consider. I'll depart from the way I write most blogs and instead do a list of features that make this home standout.

(1) Date of Construction and Location. This home was built new in 2008. It is one of eight homes built just off Eisenhower Drive in The Meadows Area of Key West. The Garrison Bight Marina is located across the street. Key West's main city park, Bayview Park, is located two blocks to the north where today the city Christmas Tree will be lit. The hubbub of Old Town Key West is a long walk (ten minutes or so) or short bike ride (maybe six minutes) away. Key West's three shopping centers are a five minute car drive to the east.

(2) Size and Construction. This home is 1717 sq ft and sits on a fee simple lot 2628 sq ft lot (37.27' X 70.52'). This home is a corner lot which is sited adjacent to a community owned and maintained tropical landscaped nature basin.  The lot seems larger because the nearest neighbor to the east is located over a couple of hundred feet away. The architecture of the house evokes memories of a Grand Victorian with a turret and main level and second floor porches. The house was wood frame built on site. The siding is Hardieboard, a man made cement and fiber siding that looks like traditional wood lap siding, but which is rot and insect resistant. It is made to resist elements like our driving rain and hot sun. It will be years before the house needs to be repainted. Compare Hardieboard to traditional wood which takes a beating in the Florida Keys. And it is 90% fire resistant.  All windows are wind impact resistant. This home does have shutters, but they are decorative. The roof is metal. Gutters take water to rain water away from the property.  This home was built in accordance with Florida's stringent building codes after Hurricane Andrew. This means this home will qualify for the best discounts on wind and home insurance policies.

 (3) Interiors. Interior features include a gourmet kitchen with a home office tucked away in the turret. The ceilings rise 11 ft  high where they are wrapped with crown molding. The living room includes a built in media (includes cat 5 wiring with wifi technology) center plus a wet bar and wine cooler. There is a guest bath on the main level. A prominent stairway leads to the second floor where the guest bedroom is located in the rear. This room has a coved ceiling plus a en-suite bath. The master suite is both spacious and luxurious. The bedroom has a soaring cathedral ceiling which gives the room the sense of size, but it's the turret that gives the room a most comfy feeling. And who doesn't want to fee comfy in the bedroom? The bathroom rivals one you might find in a five star hotel with Jacuzzi tub, separate shower, boudoir lighting at the vanity, plus several closets which automatically light when the door is opened. A door leads from the bedroom out to the second level front porch.

(4) Pool and Parking. Two massive sliders open out from the living room onto the rear garden and pool area. A tall fence and landscaped yard add privacy to this space that includes a pool with waterfall plus a spa that overflows into the pool.  There is a landscaped side yard on either side of the house which allows the pool man easy access to maintain the pool. The west side yard is where you will find the pool equipment and two new air conditioners - this home has separate first and second floor A/C systems. There is a propane tank which fuels the gas range in the kitchen. (Lot's of houses in Old Town do not have gas but this one does.) There is even covered parking in the rear which is accessed via private gated driveway.

Buyers often use the Internet to do price comparison shopping. I entered four search cafeterias to compare 1513 Pine Street with other active listings in our mls. Those criteria included (1) location in the most desirable areas of Old Town, Casa Marina, or the Meadows; (2) properties sized between 1600 to 1800 sq ft; (3) must have a pool; (4) must have parking. Eight such houses are available as of November 29th. CLICK HERE to see those homes. The cost to insure this house are Citizen's Wind Insurance $753; Flood Insurance $766; Fire & Liability $1,867.  Compare that to the other houses. It won't be close.
 
 I am really excited about this new listing. The housing and rental market in Key West is on fire. There is so much demand for so few houses. To have such a beautiful and well-built home for sale is a true privilege.  Please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this home. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.