This past Sunday I watched several episodes of house flipping tv show. I thought the woman had horrible taste in design that was only exceeded by her cheapness. Today's blog is not about that show, but about what a lot of people do in Key West when they renovate or build new. They buy and build as cheap as they can but sell at market price. I think they think the buying public is none the wiser.
I have told this little story a couple of times in this blog. I remember it well. One New Year's Eve day maybe a decade ago I showed a recently renovated home located at the end of a picturesque Old Town lane. The lane dead-ended at this property. The listing broker was also the owner and also the guy who remodeled this house. I could tell he took a lot of short cuts in the renovation of the house just by standing and looking around. He had converted a former garage into a bedroom. He put tiles on what used to be the garage floor and enclosed the garage door opening. The floor sloped to one side and there was a large step-up into the main entry hall. Standing in the entry hall, I looked back at the new double wood door entry. I could see two things: light coming in under both doors and also that the doors were not even on the underside. When we moved to the kitchen there was only one light, a gaudy chandelier complimented by black granite counter tops, and a shiny brass or gold kitchen faucet. I specifically remember calling out the absurdity of the chandelier which looked okay during the daytime. I said something like "How are you supposed to cook by this at night?"
This same real estate agent-developer had renovated a large apartment house in Old Town and converted it into five or six condos. They all shared the same black granite and gaudy brass faucets. Those cheap condos were competitively priced to a much better conversion a block to the south. I cringed every time I showed one of those cheap condos. I would always point out the flaws to my buyers, most of whom were shopping by price.
Another customer of mine who was a Conch (native Key Wester) purchased a single family home on Stock Island a few years ago. The mid-century one story house was quite large. They created an illegal second unit (rental unit) using the former side door as the new apartment entry door. I was invited over to admire the renovation. As I stood in the new and illegal kitchen, the lady said something about not understanding why it had been so difficult to rent the unit. About the same time she pointed out the light fixture they purchased for $2.98 at Home Depot. She was so proud of that puny little light which may have cost her at least a month's loss of income because the room was so dimly lit. Even poor renters have standards.
Several years ago I wrote a blog about the house owned by a friend from my old gym. His house was located across the street from a half-way house and in an area that had not shared in the rising prices of other areas of Key West. They tried realtor after realtor to sell their house. Finally, one of the reality tv make-over shows offered to help. They painted part of the house and installed some cheap gimmick. It did not work. The house finally sold after the owner left town and reduced the asking price to fit the real value of the less-than- perfect neighborhood.
The flipping tv lady said d something like "I don't care what people think" (about her decorating style). She should. And buyers should care even more. They may find odd paint colors and closeout tiles compatible with their lifestyle. But they will have to sell that place someday. After the luster of a has-been tv makeover wears off, the owner may find it difficult to sell a gimmick. In Key West and elsewhere quality endures.
