1525 Von Phister Street, Key West - Just Listed

Just Listed - 1525 Von Phister Street, Key West. This home was recently totally renovated and now has all the features current home buyers seek including an open concept living area, high vaulted ceilings, impact rated glass windows and doors, Hardiboard siding, new roof, covered rear loggia, pool, off street parking, and a white picket fence.

All that remains of the twentieth century house is some of the original framing as this twenty-first century renovation is au currant. There is a new addition at the rear where the master suite and kitchen are located. The interior flow was reoriented. Now the two guest bedrooms  are located to either the left or right just off the front entry.

The interiors are crisp and clean. Attention to both minimalism and to detail are evident everywhere. The walls are painted a mild gray tone and accented by white. The gray floors contrast the white base boards, trim, doors, sand volume ceilings. New wind impact windows and doors are also framed in white added a bit of "drama" to the otherwise minimalist interior. Inconspicuous recessed lighting is used extensively.

The master suite is located in the new rear addition where the gray and white theme continues. The bedroom is spacious but not too big to be intimate. An alcove provides just the right amount of space for the bed. Opposite there are built-in drawers and media center. You can't see it (that's intended), but the sliding glass door to the covered rear loggia disappears into the wall. Two banks of closets on either side of the hall lead to the spacious en suite which includes a tub, shower, and two sinks. A new impact glass window introduces natural light into the space.

An office nook was added next to the kitchen where another recessed sliding door disappears into the wall with a transom-style window above and large kitchen sink window add more light into this space. Quart counter-tops and stainless steel appliances contrast to the gleaming white cabinets.

Subtle features like recessed lighting, exterior ceiling fans, slate tile floors, drapes, Trex decks, sprinkler system, and solar light system blend together to create two pleasant sitting areas on the loggia. The deck has sunning areas on the east and west side of the long pool. In a town known for its "dip pools" it's nice to see one where you could do laps. This home is located in a neighborhood of both full time and second homes. It could easily be a full time residence or a monthly vacation rental. CLICK HERE to view more photos.

1525 Von Phister Street Key West is offered for sale at $1,595,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and 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.

923 Fleming Street, Key West - Investment Property with Renovation Potential

Not all that much has changed to the house at 923 Fleming Street, Key West during the 52 year time period between 1965 when the black and white photo was taken and 2017 when the color photo was made. The building is a modified Greek Revival which locals refer to as a "Conch House". This just happens to be extra large.  I checked the historic Sanborn Fire Maps and found a much smaller building on this site as early as the 1889 map.  The 1912 Sanborn map shows the side addition and a long more narrow addition at the rear. The 1912 map shows the front porch extending out onto Fleming Street which was noted as being "brick paved". Some of the most beautiful homes in Key West were and still are located on Fleming Street. The listing Realtor describes 923 Fleming St this way:

"Unparalleled 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom, 2,788 square foot, two story home on a 4,500 square foot lot with a gorgeous lagoon style pool and parking. It has three legal units but could easily be converted into a spacious single family home in the perfect Old Town location. The poolside apartment could become a large one or two bedroom guest cottage and the other apartment could become a downstairs master suite. It is beautiful as-is, yet lends itself to capturing your dreams of creating your personal paradise in the heart of Old Town Key West. Your outdoor options include some of the best porches in town and lush landscaping surrounding a beautiful heated lagoon pool. Off-street parking adds to the convenience, but from this location, you can walk almost anywhere. Once inside, your indoor living is framed by Dade County Pine, a fully renovated kitchen featuring exquisite granite counter-tops and hand-crafted Hansel and Bringle cabinets and an extraordinary number of rooms upstairs and down."

The listing Realtor shows the square footage as 2788 sq ft. This is one very large house with two stories of exterior porches (not calculated in the interior square footage). There is also a small cottage at the left rear. The lot measures 45' X 100'. There is a narrow walking lane adjacent to the east property line which is access to a house located at the rear of 923 Fleming but which is not a part of this property.

I saw this property a few days ago on Realtor caravan - a monthly tour or new listings in the Old Town and Casa Marina Areas. I instantly felt at home, but I had never lived here. In 1993 I purchased a similarly large property on Eaton Street. It had been a 13 room guest house, but was closed for two years after it had been foreclosed upon. I was new to Key West and although I had been in a few big houses on various trips to Key West, I really did not appreciate the value of these big old houses nor the value of good location. I do now. Let me share my thoughts. 
1.  This is a big and well built property. It has been well maintained. The photo below shows us that much of the original character has not been mess around with. The metal louvers are still being used. A new owner might want to install new windows, but a purist might prefer to keep the old character in tact.
2.  The house sits right at the city property line. In fact the Sanborn Map suggests that the easternmost porch may extend out onto the public right of way. This fact and the knowledge the lot is 100 feet deep tells the back yard is very large. We can see the pool in the photo, but it is the size of the yard and the potential it offers to a new owner that is the dominant fact.
3.  It has been my experience that a single family residence in a location like this would be more valuable over time than a multi-family. But a multi-family offers a new owner income and different ways to use the property until such time as an owner wants to convert it into a single family residence. The existing apartments are very nice and should command high rents because of their condition and this great location. The photos show the property when fully occupied. The front main floor unit is the only space occupied so a new owner could move in and occupy any of the other spaces and rent the other.
4.  The attic has been updated and offers additional living space that may not be included in the total square footage of the building. This is an amazing space that offers a lot of possibilities.
5.  I usually tell buyers to live in a home for six months or longer before deciding how to change it. Many of our old homes are too small and buyers try to figure out how to create more living or storage space. This place is the opposite. It's pretty big, maybe too big for most buyers. But that size gives a buyer with money and vision opportunities that less wealthy and maybe less visionary folk cannot achieve. 

The second floor front porch wraps around the front of the house to the west. It is a nice place to sit and people watch all year long. Around 5:30 PM on the last Friday in each October that space will be gold as it offers prime time viewing of the People's Parade during Fantasy Fest. Thousands of revelers will pass this location and many will be deliriously jealous of whoever owns this home. I am not suggesting that a new owner convert this so a single family home and rent it as a monthly vacation rental, but if you did the place should be very successful because of the size of the house, number of bedrooms and bathrooms it could have, the awesome pool and garden area, and the perfect location close to everywhere but far enough away from the hoopla. And, oh yes, the proximity to the other very valuable homes in the same block.

I sold two of the larger homes across the street a few years ago. 923 Fleming Street looks mighty pretty from the front porch of 914 Fleming Street. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and all listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

3414 Duck Avenue, Key West - Major Price Reduction

When most things are too big they get reduced - like bellies and high prices. Most things - not all!

Just Announced - Price Reduction on 3414 Duck Avenue, Key West.  The original asking price was $1,620,000. The new price is $1,420,000.  This 5676 square foot office condominium is located in the Poinciana Plaza center in the New Town area of Key West. Other tenants in this center include the Key West Association of Realtors, an alternative medicine clinic, an art and framing store, a real estate closing and title agent, an insurance company, and a land surveyor. The prior tenant in this space was a medical laboratory.

The listing broker describes the property this way:

"This commercial condominium has appx. 5,600 sq. ft.and can be reconfigured as needed. It is conveniently located at Poinciana Plaza with plenty of parking and close proximity to transportation, schools and housing. This large space is presently two commercial units, one formerly a diagnostic center, the other is a private medical practice. Both units front on Duck Ave. and have high visibility. The property lends itself to a variety of commercial uses and is located in the center of new town. This spacious, versatile condominium is ground level and has easy access for customers. Other well established businesses in the plaza. Equipment does not convey. Easy to see."

The Monroe County Property Appraiser website shows this concrete block building was constructed in 1945.  I dug into my old shoe box and found photos of the Poincina center that date back to 1960. It appears to me that the taller structure (Poinciana Food Centre) was added to the original center soon the building was originally built. The building became a commercial condominium in 2002. The facade was updated and a new covered walkway was added. Unit #8 is located at the far west side of the building and occupies 36.2% of the space.   

Customers have plenty of on street parking in front of this complex. There is gated housing community across the street which means which has restricted access. That means there is no competition from residents for on street parking on this section of Duck Avenue. This  building has additional parking on the side and rear for staff. 

While this commercial condominium is offered as one unit, a new owner could divide the spaces into smaller office units. In fact the prior owner created one separate unit at the far west end. There are five doors which open to the covered front walkway.  I took more photos which you can see if you CLICK HERE.

Click GOOGLE MAPS for an aerial view of this location and then use the toggle switch for a street view. The building is located two blocks north of Flagler Avenue and three blocks east of Kennedy Drive. This property can has quick and easy access from Old Town, Casa Marina, Mid Town, and points east.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 3414 Duck Avenue, Key West. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties.