Canadian Leftovers in Key West

All of the stories I write about Key West are true. I change names and places to protect myself from lawsuits. This is a true story. I hope my former neighbor don't read this or sue me.

I moved to Key West in December 1993 to own and operate a guest house. I quickly met many of my neighbors and many locals who stopped in to welcome us to Key West. I was amazed at how friendly and welcoming the locals were. Every single person told me the property had a great location. Eaton Street is own of two streets that lead from US 1 directly to world famous Duval Street. My guest house was located about 100 feet east of Duval Street. I quickly learned the value of that location when tourists without a room reservation showed up. This was before the Internet but is probably as true today. People get in cars and head to Key West not knowing exactly what to expect. Some never leave.

I learned the guest house was the former home of Dr Warren and his wife Genevie pictured above. They lived in a grand house which later became a guest house - one of the prettiest homes on the Island of Key West.

We soon me the owner of the one level house a few doors to the east. His house was located between to guest houses, one being the former restaurant which I wrote about a few months back - the restaurant that had dead cats hidden behind the refrigerators.The Canadian's house was in pretty sad condition. The house sat on a 4,800 square foot lot 300 feet eat of Duval. The land was worth more than the house.

At the end of season our Canadian neighbor invited us to Sunday Dinner. Neighbors from a nearby lane were also invited - he was a real estate agent and his wife a ballet instructor. We chatted and then feasted upon leftovers from the Canadian's refrigerator. He told me that he was cleaning out the refrigerator before heading back to Canada for summer. How thoughtful! And frugal too!

This story has no ending except to add the fate of the little house. The Canadian purchased in in 1972 for $25,000. He sold it in 1998 for $295,000 and was re-sold in 2005 for $1,300,000. The old house was razed, a small cottage added, but the lot was and still is used as a parking lot for a nearby guest house. You can't make this stuff up.

CLICK HERE to read the story about the dead cat.

Key West Border Patrol Incident

This is a true story.

Sometime during the spring of 2007 the US Border Patrol started to aggressively round-up illegal aliens in the Key West area. I remember one episode that made the front page of our local paper, The Key West Citizen.  It involved the raid on a hotel next to the Home Depot which was being renovated. The contractor had many illegals working on the site. This raid got a lot of locals riled up because of how aggressive it was. And it made illegals very cautious.

That same week I had workers making some repairs at my house. The workers included a man from South Africa, a carpenter from England, two day laborers from Nicaragua (who did not speak English),  an electrician from Ireland, a painter from Poland, and a tile setter also from Poland.

It was around lunchtime a few days after the Border Patrol raid.  The workers were sitting under the palm trees outside by my pool eating lunch. Like many of the homes in the Casa Marina Area where I live, my house has a large privacy fence.  Someone opened the gate without ringing the bell.  All of the workers eyes looked to the north end of the pool and saw male wearing a uniform enter the yard. Everybody but me scrambled and ran out the gate on the south side of the pool where we were congregated.

It took me a minute to figure out that the workers had confused the Orkin Man with a Border Patrol agent. The workers finally made it back to work, but checked over their shoulder for days to come.

Pot Luck in Key West

A few days ago I was showing properties to prospective buyers. The custom in Key West is for the listing agent to be present the property and explain the features. Many of our homes are historic or unique. The photo above is not the house. The gent was sitting on the front porch. The listing agent asked him if we could go inside. He was an affable fellow said yes. He asked me if I would like an orange slice. I replied "with vodka". He said we drank it all last night. It was a small cottage. My buyers peeked their heads into the single bedroom, moved over to the kitchen, and prepared to exit. The listing agent asked my lady client if she looked into the bathroom. Oh, she forgot. She went back into the bedroom and opened the door finding the Mrs. on the pot. 

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408 William Street, Key West - Ronny Bailey's Homage to the Old Bahama House

The thing that makes Key West different from every place else in America is that it is not like everyplace else - not the people, not the climate, not the rat race, and certainly not the houses. Some current local business people may want to change that.  We know who they are; where they live; and they better just not get too far out there if they know what's best. In the meantime let's celebrate our rich heritage of old homes saved from wrecking balls and developers.

408 William Street, Key West, was brought to Key West from Green Turtle Cay in 1847, and settled into its current home on one of the best streets in Old Town. It has received numerous local and state historic preservation awards. All rooms have windows and or doors to provide natural ventilation (there were no air conditioners in the mid 1800s). 

Local folk artist Ronny Bailey created his artistic homage to the "Old Bahama House" also known as the "Richard Roberts House" which I recently photographed on the back of Ronny's pick-up truck.  Ronny is a multi-generation Conch who retired from the carpentry trade several years ago.  He never lost the joy of working with wood. He started messing around with left over pieces of Dade County Pine from old houses. He cut the old boards into tiny pieces which he used to build replicas of real houses in Key West. He created windows, doors, roofs, and shutters using tiny pieces of the salvaged wood which he meticulously painted.  Note the attention to detail even showing variations of the wood actually used in the real house. See also the peeling paint and evidence of potential wood rot forming at the base of the building. This effect was achieved through paint technique.

Ronny told me this project was too important for just one folk artist to undertake. So he enlisted his grandson to paint the picture of the fish which hangs on the inside wall of the house.  Even though the green painted Bahama shutters have a few failing slats, you still cannot see inside the front windows. However, Ronny left the red door ajar where we can see the inside is equally detailed. All of the interior is also painted  including the walls, ceiling, floors, baseboard, and door trim. Look carefully at the grime on the red entry door framed by green trim and weather-beaten yellow siding.

Note the scuttle visible atop the roof above. It can be seen in both the lithograph and in the 1934 black and white photo taken by a WPA photographer who photographed many of the old houses in Key West during the Great Depression. Scuttles were retractable metal boxes on top of roofs which allowed warm air to rise to the outside. This house house has porches on the south and north sides with windows and doors which allows natural air to cool the inside. The metal roof shows signs of age and rust. Remember this is a tiny replica. Ronny taught himself how to bend old metal to the same shape as real roofs. This ain't easy folks. One time Ronny told me that some of his carpenter friends saw his work and decided to emulate (better word for copy) him. He said they gave up. They could cut and put pieces of wood together, but they could not create any piece that resembled his works. I suggest we nominate Ronny to go on America's Got Talent, but we'd all get bored to death because these pieces take months to create. 

You'll also see Ronny's watch words "joy, peace, and love" painted on the house. Ronny's watch words appear on each of his works. See if you can find them.

Ronny's homage to the Old Bahama House will be on display at the Key West Custom House.

The Key West/Bahamas Connection

January 18 - April 7, 2019

Custom House Museum | Bryan Gallery

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In the Key West Closet

I check the Key West MLS hotsheet constantly throughout each day. It is important to know about each new listing and also be aware of price reductions and houses that go under contract. Just as important are new solds as they indicate what has sold, at what price, and identify the agents who listed and sold the property.

A few days ago I was drawn to the sale of little home a few miles outside of Key West. I seldom drive that far to show a house as most of my buyers want to be in Key West, and, more particularly, in Old Town. But for some reason I had to look at that listing.The main photo was a violation of our MLS ruls in that it showed the water. Rules dictate that the main photos should be of the house. The agent broke a little rule but that is why I looked at that listing. I hit the photo button and started to view the photos of the modest two bedroom home located at water's edge. I thought what a pretty view this owner had. The interior wasn't that much to look at but that was just the snob in me being judgmental.

I paused when I saw a photo of the living room where I noticed both a weight bench, an abs machine, and a treadmill. The owner or a tenant was perhaps a man who was into fitness.  Best not be too judgmental after that earlier remark I made.  I looked through the rest of the photos and saw a niche off the living room where various items were displayed including a ONE HUMAN FAMILY sticker which is seen on cars and in homes all over the Key West area.  Key West is a very welcoming community to all people.

Then I spotted the closet. No big deal; it's a closet. But then I looked at contents. What a snoop I was, and a snitch I am. Now I am telling and showing others far and wide about the contents of that closet. Look close at the shelves where you will see two pairs of stiletto high heels. The only girls in this town that wear heels this high are drag queens. How do I know this or why do I know this, you may ask. It's because Key West is so laid back that there are not that many places for women to wear high heels. Except...

The Key West House I Did Not Sell

I made my first trip to Key West as a visitor thirty-four years ago this month. I have written in my blog about that life changing trip several times over the years and won't bore readers to tell that tale again.  I fell deeply in love with Key West and decided to make this my home. It took a few years, but I made it happen. During the time of the first trip and my move to Key West, I stayed at several different guest houses. Those experiences taught me how difficult it must be for a home owner to lived next to or even near to a guest house.

(The business card above is from years ago and is not the guest house or the location I am writing about today. Besides, most places in Key West now have hot and cold running water.)

I found a particular guest house I really liked and stayed there on almost every trip I made to Key West. The guest house eventually grew from nine rooms to over forty rooms. The owner  purchased adjacent apartment buildings and a couple of single family houses which he illegally rented nightly. He paid the state bed tax and got away with it.

Several years ago a fixer-upper house located very near my favorite guest house was listed for sale. I wrote about that property in my blog and showed it to prospective buyers. It was purchased by couple from New York who had renovated other properties before. They did a total renovation on this well located house for which they were awarded a ceramic star. They sold the place a year or so later and moved on to a new project.

I showed their renovated property to several potential buyers. One couple really liked it. We looked at the place at least twice and maybe three times. They were considering making an offer. I suggested they check out the house at different times of the day and night. I sensed something was not right but did not want to sabotage a sale in the event I was wrong. They ultimately decided not to make an offer and later bought a home through me in a totally different part of town.

Some other buyer bought this particular place. And another bought it a couple of years later. And another someone else bought it. Three different buyers bought the place in a seven year period after it was renovated.

Last week I saw the photo at the top of today's blog on the internet. The photo shows a DJ spinning records at my favorite old guest house where college kids were enjoying spring break.

The real estate axiom "location", "location", "location" is so true. I am so happy I did not sell the single family with the problematic location adjacent to a sprawling forty unit guest house complex to my customer. They would be listening to the music along with the spring breakers and probably the rest of the year as well.

Key West - A Couple of Days Before Christmas Story

This is true. I don't make stuff up. Sometimes my memory plays tricks on me and I get things a little screwy, or I can't add correctly, but for the most part if I write it in my blog soon after I experience something, it will come out true. This is the case here. And it should make my Dear Readers laugh or at least chuckle. We all need to chuckle.

I recently met with a couple that I sold a place to a few years ago. I was sitting in their living room petting the family dog and swapping stories about Key West real estate - what else? We were discussing all the changes they made to their home. Then the man's eyes darted to the left as if looking through the bedroom wall - the one with the Comcast box.

He mentioned the time when the contractors were working on the house.  He recited a laundry list of little changes they made to their Key West getaway. I perked up when he started to talk about the porn bill.  It seems that the contractor or one of his workers had racked up a $300 Comcast bill for  porn videos that were viewed the month the contractor was supposed to be remodeling the house. I think that's when the Mrs. remarked there was one day someone watched three porn movies. I think porn movies last about two hours so that means somebody (or somebodies) charged the owners a lot of money to watch the porn the owners had to pay for. Talk about over-billing.

I then asked who the contractor was. The man said the contractor's name. I'll call the guy "Mort" because I might get sued if I said the real name. I know Mort. I may have recommended Mort to this couple. I have recommended Mort to other people who wanted a contractor who would take on smaller projects. I said "He's so old, I didn't know he still had a dick!" The lady looked at me like what did you just say?

You Never Know What You'll See in Key West - A True Story

Two of the things I love about Key West are our wonderful weather and that life here never is predictable. Take for example an incident that occurred a few years back when I was riding my bike to the old Club Body Tech on upper Duval Street. It was riding west in the 800 block of Washington Street around 6:00 AM. I remember it was still pitch black outside. Just after I passed the El Patio Motel I saw a young man in his early twenties walking down the middle of the street. There was nothing special about that, per se. This part of the Casa Marina Area does not have sidewalks. Many people walk in the street. But this guy was different. You see he was totally nude. He walked to my left. I looked back. Yep, he was buck naked. No doubt about it. I thought to myself that's too odd even for Key West. I circled the block and found a public phone at the youth hostel on South Street where I called the police. The operator asked me to describe the naked man. How was I supposed to answer that?

I got back on my bike and headed over to the corner of Reynolds and Washington Street which was the area where the nude dude should have reached by that point. I saw a young woman at the bus stop and asked if she had seen the nude man. She said she had. She said he disappeared behind some apartments on Washington Street.  I looked back and saw no sign of the guy. The young lady asked me to wait with her until her bus came.  I told her I had called the police and agreed to wait.

About 5 to 10 minutes elapsed before the police finally arrived. The nude man had totally vanished by this point. I flagged the cop's attention  He got out of his car and started to approach me. I started to describe what  I had seen earlier. Then I noticed the unclad lad emerge from between two apartment buildings. As I write this I just recalled the guy was then carrying a baseball bat. He did not have the bat the first time I saw him.  The cop saw him and walked toward him with his flashlight drawn and said "What in the hell do you think you're doing?" He put the guy in his patrol car and took him to the pokey. Later that day I looked at the Monroe County Sheriff's office website. The naked bat boy was being held on a mental health hold.

 You never know what you will see in Key West. That's just part of the fun about living in Paradise.

If you are thinking of buying a place in Key West please consider working with me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, email: kw1101v@aol.com.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Something Big is Happening in Key West Real Estate

If you're one of those would-be buyers who spends too much "work time" sitting in front of your office monitor searching new listings or back-on-the-market listings on the Key West Association of Realtors mls website or scavenger sites like Zillow or Trulia, you may have noticed two separate phenomena.  First, many of the recent higher priced listings have gone under contract within a matter of days after being listed. Second, many of the listings that have seem to have been "one the market forever" have also recently gone under contract. I think we are going through another "I'm gonna get my Key West house before they are all gone" phases. There is a paucity of listings, especially of nice homes in good condition in the best locations. People with money are grabbing up the few places on the market. This is especially true of homes priced in the million dollar price range or higher.

There are a total of 29 houses priced at $800,000 or higher that are classified as contingent or pending closing at a median price of $1,299,900. Just this week our office placed 620 Elizabeth Street (offered at $4,595,000) under contract after just 44 days on the market.  Two blocks down the street 809 Eaton Street (offered at $1,995,000) went under contract in just four days. 1021 Washington Street which has been on the market 1749 days (offered at $2,750,000) went under contract. 1109 Windsor Lane (offered at $2,175,000) went under contract after 2075 days on the market. The new listing at 824 Fleming Street (offered at $2,499,000) went under contract in 36 days of the listing date. Two new developments are selling multiple units in lighting speed - Southermost Cabana Resort Townhomes in the 1000 block of Simonton Street (offered in the $800s and $900s) and Old Town Villas in the 100 block of Simonton St (offered at $1,599,000 and higher).  CLICK HERE to see what is being purchased.

If you have been sitting on the sidelines it might be time to take some action. I don't think prices are going to go down. I'm pretty confident they are going to go up. If you are not able to purchase a property right now, don't fret. There will always be new properties on the market because life events like divorce, job changes, foreclosure, and so on. The thing about buying now versus waiting until the future is you don't know for sure what will be available nor when or at what price. As a buyer you are in control of how you deal with the present. Just keep in mind there a lot of people just like you sitting in front of their computers looking at the same listings ready to pounce. If you snooze, you may lose. It is a good time to buy in Key West.

522 DuPont Lane # 1 - Key West - Transient Licensed Single Family Home

Just listed by Preferred Properties, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 522 DuPont Lane #1 in Old Town Key West.  If you have been dreaming of buying a place in Key West that you could rent when you are not using the property, this home may be the answer to your dreams.  The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"TRANSIENT LICENSE! One half block from Duval Street with PARKING and a great pool and outdoor dining pavilion. There is one bedroom downstairs with an en suite bath and there is also a half bath downstairs. The living room has two pairs of French doors opening to the pool and deck. Upstairs are two bedrooms with en suite baths, vaulted ceilings and appealing balconies."

522 DuPont Lane is located at the end of what used to be called Titanic Lane.  The lane is located about 120 feet east of Duval Street on Petronia Street. It is the proximity to Duval Street that makes this property so appealing to returning visitors to Key West who want to be near all that Old Town has to offer.

 The property is completely gated and fenced. The two story house has 1568 sq ft of living space that includes three bedrooms, three baths plus a half bath, large living area with French doors that open out to the pool and deck. The pool is surrounded by tropical plants bathed in color French doors int he living room and bedroom open onto the courtyard. There is a separate poolside pavilion for alfresco dining.  And there is off street parking (adjacent).

 CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view listing photos  This property may not be toured until March 15th.  But don't let that prevent you to consider purchasing this money maker.  This property has a valuable transient rental license and can be legally rented on a daily basis to a different vacation traveller every day of the year. That's not practical, but it is important to understand that this property can provide a steady income stream to you as an investor. There is one drawback to owning a property like this: you can't use it as often as you want because when you use it, you are not making as much money as you could.  What a darned plight to have!

If you would like more information on this house or if you would like to see it as soon as we can get inside, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Let me help you fulfill your dream of owning a home in Key West.