Key West - Is that all you got?

I think a lot of people think selling real estate is easy. A Realtor simply sticks a sign in the ground, puts pictures in the MLS, and buyers show up to buy a house.  A Realtor then sends the contract to the title company and a big fat check is wired to the agent. That would be great. But that is not what happens.

I remember the time I had a particularly bad day. (Wait, as I write this I had a flash - when is that not the case? I have so many bad days.)  I got a call from my clients. They had decided to follow my advice and asked me to go to their house to sign the contract I had presented to them much earlier. Many things had happened during the intervening time period, none of which were good, and many which were predictable. I decided to meet with them in person to get the contract signed to reduce the chance of change of heart. I got in my car and headed to my clients' house.   

Key West was particularity busy that day. Tourists were everywhere - in cars, on bikes, walking in streets with go cups, jay walking into traffic taking selfies and dragging kids behind. It was bedlam.

I was sitting at a red light behind a car with tourists. The light turned green. The tourist-mobile did not move. The driver had her left turn signal on and seemed to wait and wait and wait for all the traffic from the opposite direction pass. That is the proper thing to do. Then there was no traffic. Yet she waited. Maybe she had not noticed there was no traffic. I gave a short "beep" as opposed to a blast from my horn. She edged forward but paused long enough that I would have to wait for the next light. She finally turned and stuck her left hand out the window with the middle finger pointed toward God. I accelerated and went stragith through the intersection before the yellow light turned red. I simply laughed and said to myself "Is that all you got?"

I got the contract signed and eventually got my commission. I went through a small amount of hell along the way to get that deal done. Some readers will gripe that Realtors make too much money for so little work. When I was a kid I worked hard for every dollar I made. Physical labor is so easy compared to the stuff I go through now.

The Thing I called "The Thing" that Appeared and Disappeard from Higgs Beach in Key West

My generation, the baby boomer generation, grew up fearing Russia and anything alien from outer space which I think was really about Russia - a society totally different than our own. One of the cult classics of that time was IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE.  I liked it so much I bought an 8mm five minute silent movie with subtitles.  When we don't understand something we fear it - well, most people do. Others go out and embrace it and figure out what makes it tick. Scientists and daredevils embrace the unknown.

Below are photos, most of which I took, but some which I borrowed from others who posted on Instagram, of an object that appeared one day at Higgs Beach in Key West.  I live a couple blocks away and would go over there quite often just after sunrise to visit this thing I could not understand. It just materialized out of nowhere one day. Initially there was no explanation as to what it was.

That is the White Street Pier in the background.  The beach is manicured each morning before the tourists and sun worshipers arrive. Those  tracks in the sand belong to the manicuring machine.

The East Martello Gardens is in the background. Maybe the iron fence was built to keep the aliens out.

We have a bit of a homeless problem in Key West. Some do-gooders feed them and that encourages more to come here - and stay. They sleep anywhere they can find a comfortable and safe place. For the weeks after I discover the thing I call the thing, I would drive over to Atlantic Boulevard (funny name for a two way street about only twenty feet wide) to take pics. Then I would see somebody laying in the bottom of the thing and drive back home.

One day I had had enough. I got out of the car and approached the thing. There was nobody sleeping there - just some mass of some sort. The thing looked like a smashed concrete sewer pipe.

Borrowed photo.

 Borrowed photo

On those occasions I show a condominium with a beach view I tell the prospective buyer about how quickly and how often the views of sand, water, sky change. They normally don't get it. These pictures show it to some degree. It's funny how a stationery object with a hole in it can be so mesmerizing. The hole challenges the viewer to look inside to see what is there. As you move around the view of the hole changes. It's remarkable in its simplicity.

Borrowed photo

Now I realize this not a smashed concrete sewer pipe but instead a fossilized giant shark mouth risen from the ocean.

Notice something different?  There is a little monument that tells us this is not a shark nor an object from outer space but instead a work of art.

The last line of the movie was "Well, they're gone!" or something very close to that.

One day I went to the beach and the thing was gone. It disappeared as suddenly as it appeared, without notice. I felt a sense of total loss. Seriously.  I had come to love the thing. It was someplace to go. To photograph and to imagine. And then it was no more.

Key West 1989 - A Depiction of the Past

I found the above photo a week or so ago. It was taken in Key West in 1989.  I love this pic.  It depicts how much of Old Town looked nearly 30 years ago. (I invite readers who recognize the location to comment below. I will go over and photograph the location and update this blog.)

January 9, 2018 update. An anonymous reader sent me a google street view of 525 Louisa Street. I made it over there this morning and took the above color photo.  I think this is the same house with the haunting picture of Steve taken nearly 30 years ago. 

I would guess that more than seventy percent of the homes in Old Town have been totally renovated and that less than five percent look anything like the two above. The old wood telephone poles have been replaced by concrete poles which now include fast internet connection, the once heaving and cracked sidewalks have been replaced, and I doubt that you would find weeds growing anywhere in Old Town in the year 2017.

When I first came to Key West I looked at houses like this and imagined what I could do if only  I bought one.

Prices have risen so high that many wish they had bought one when prices were lower.

If you are thinking of buying a place in Key West and are not working with a Realtor, please think about contacting me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, or by email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Even though prices have gone up and there is not a lot of inventory of available homes for sale, I tell buyers there will always be new houses for sale because people are always dying, getting divorced, or moving away for various reasons.

Just Listed: 1233 South Street, Key West

Just Listed by yours truly, 1233 South Street in Key West, Florida.  I have had an interesting association with this property for the past few years. I wrote in my blog about the home that used to occupy the lot for generations. I refer to the former home in the past tense for a reason: the former home no longer exists. All that remains of the old structure is the foundation upon which a totally new house plus new master wing was built.

The new 1750 sq ft three bedroom 3 1/2 bath is sited on a large 6066 sq ft corner lot at the corner of South and Tropical Street. The photo two above shows he house and lot shortly after the large native palms and other major plants were introduced to the site even before the old house was touched. The reason for planting first ought to be self-evident. The site has matured trees and tropical foliage encased by the ever-so-proper white picket fence.  There is gated entry with intercom to welcome guests. The lot has both irrigation and lighting. There is a side gate on Tropical Street for access to the brick paved car park.

The original house was a typical mid century Conch home built in 1950. It was simple family home on a large lot in a neighborhood of equally nice homes many of which have been rebuilt in recent years.  Some older homes were razed and new houses built in this area as well. 1233 South Street was identified as a contributing structure during the 2004 survey of revised boundaries for the Key West National Register Historic District. The new owner (and now the Seller) took the old house apart bit by bit and rebuilt the house board by board. He reclaimed Dade County Pine lumber found in the attic and used it for accent walls throughout the new home. New engineered wood floors were added in all living areas. If you look closely you will notice the "wood" changes from interior to the deck where TREX decking is introduced. You will also see a slight gap between the interior and exterior floors. The owner created a seamless transition from inside to outside avoid that trip hazard often seen in other houses where sliding wind impact resistant doors are used. Finally, note how the glass doors slide into the little pocket which then creates this immense space we Key Westers absolutely love.  

 Readers of my blog up north who are now confined inside their homes for the next few months may appreciate the ability of folks who live in Key West can live indoors and outdoors throughout most of the winter. The glass doors that disappear into the wall is not a gimmick. Instead, it is a pricey but ever so useful building element that enhances the interior and exterior beauty and functionality of the doors. The outside space becomes an element of the total living experience. This is not some real estate talk. Owners and guests can move easily between the areas. I will be the new owner will make the outdoor kitchen a focal point for family cooking. Note the last two photos above. There is a poolside bath plus an outdoor shower. The decking stands up to sub tropical climate unlike real wood and even high price Ipe decking which requires maintenance to keep it attractive.

The master bedroom wing is all new construction added to the west rear of the house. Another set of pocket doors was added to the bedroom area to provide views of the pool and spa. As the photographer was taking photos of the house, I sat on the bedside bench to tie my shoes. I could hear the waterfall splattering into the water. It wasn't loud. I could just hear it. I thought this is nice. This is what I could hear at night or in the morning.

The progressive photos taken from the bath looking through to the closet will hopefully give you a sense of how large this wing actually is. The five piece bathroom suite includes the spa tub, separate WC, shower stall, and the dual vanities. What you cannot see is the size of the room or the frosted glass side door to the outside or the vaulted ceiling. I think the new owner will spend a lot of time in this resort-like bath.

The two guest bedrooms are located at the front of the house with doorways located just off the front  foyer entrance. Vaulted ceilings in each room add to the sense of volume in these spaces. Note the interplay between the stained engineered wood floors (made to function efficiently in our climate and the Dade County Pine ceiling. Look also at the up and down blinds either of which may be used to limit sunlight into the space. I was really taken by the serene yard views. The nearest house across the street is probably located sixty feet from the window. Trees and foliage lay in the yards between both homes. During the daytime these rooms rock style.

Just about the time the sun goes down, the lights go on and at this home,  And they can go on with a snap of the state of the art Luton lighting system which incorporates programmable lighting from remote control devices or by cellphone. The lights are energy efficient LED lights. The nighttime pool view in the photos is a cool aquamarine, but that can all change with built in lighting system which is also program able and changeable by remote or by phone. An owner can turn on the water feature, check the water temperature, etc. from across the decking or across the world. Another feature not visible in the photos is the Creston sound system. Creston makes home automation technology practical and easy to use. BOSE speakers complete the package.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 1233 South Street, Key West offered by Preferred Properties Key West at $1,795,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private sowing. I am the listing agent on this beautiful now Key West home in Paradise.