1514 4th Street - Key West

The three bedroom two bath family home located at 1514 4th Street in the Mid Town area of Key West became even more affordable with the price reduction to just $359,000 or $245 per sq ft for this 1466 sq ft home. I think the house may actually be a bit larger which, if true, would reduce the price per sq ft a bit. The lot is 54'x96' or 5184 sq ft. Most of the houses in this immediate neighborhood were built around the same time, 1966, and most have been updated since then.


The listing Realtor describes this home this way:

"Room for your family and friends in this centrally located home! This 3/2 plus den needs only a touch to make it yours. The kitchen is redone, and the house has all new windows, doors, and a/c from the airport mitigation upgrades. The rear yard contains an over sized pool with decks and covered area for barbecue parties. The yard is fully fenced and has room for off-street parking, too. Make this your home today!"

As luck would have it my camera went bonkers on the day I showed this house earlier this week. So I don't have any photos that I took except the front shot. The listing agent provided me with the pool photos below. The interior was updated after Wilma. The kitchen is new and the tile floors look quite new. I liked the tile color, material, and size. It ought to go with about any decor. The house interior would greatly benefit from a fresh coat of paint. The exterior trim could use a paint job as well. The front and rear yards could look so much better the areas got some new landscaping.


There is a nice pool at the rear. The pool and backyard are quite large, but the area surrounding the pool is dull. It needs landscaped to provide a tropical look and to add some privacy.


The house was the beneficiary of the airport mitigation program in 2006 which included new windows, doors, air conditioning, and insulation. The house got a new roof in 2009. Those upgraded features should reduce windstorm insurance premiums for a new owner.

If you are looking for a good sized family home at a good price, this home is certainly worth considering. Painting, cleaning, and landscaping are things most homeowners are capable of doing on their own. And you don't have to cost a lot of money to achieve a great result. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet. If you would like to schedule a showing, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc.

2114 Staples Avenue - Bank Owned - Key West

2114 Staples Avenue - Bank Owned - Key West

Attention Bargain Hunters! Get ready to write an offer and be quick about it because the new Bank Owned three bedroom home with a pool located at 2114 Staples Avenue in the Mid Town area of Key West is priced to sell quickly. The previous owner purchased this house in 2005 and paid $675,000. It is now offered as a Bank Owned property at $299,900. That is less than half what the prior owner paid, but it is still the same house in the same location. Other than some cobwebs and some dead foliage in the front yard, the house looks in remarkably good condition from what I was able to observe. I went over to take photos about an hour or so after the property went in the mls. Other Realtors and potential buyers were there before I arrived and after I left. This property will sell quickly, Dear Readers.

The listing Realtor describes this new listing thus:

"Great Property, Great Value. This 2 level home has two private entrances. The main level is 1,141 sq feet and consists of 3 bedrooms and 1 bath. The accessory unit is located on the 2nd level with 980 sq feet and consists of 1 bedroom and 1 bath. (The entire property is 2,121 square feet with 4 beds and 2 baths). The home is located in the center of town and is blocks away from shopping and schools. The backyard has a covered patio, swimming pool, tropical landscaping with a fence for privacy."

The house sits behind a nice privacy fence with a gated driveway and covered parking located on the right. The front yard has been neglected and needs attention. The house is built of poured concrete construction. The floors on the main level are terrazzo which are in good condition. They need a deep cleaning and should be resealed. Many of the ground floor windows have been replaced, but a few jalousie windows still exist and need to go. The living room is in the center of the house. The updated kitchen is at the right rear and the dining room is to the right of the living room. The master and second bedroom are on the left side and a third bedroom is located at the right front. The main floor has only one bathroom.

Living room

Kitchen has been updated - view of pool

One of Three Main Floor Bedrooms

The house is pretty typical so far. Nothing fancy, nothing really bad that I could see. Then I opened the rear door and voila: a really nice pool and a fairly good sized back yard. I thought this is a lot of house for just $299,900. But there is more.

This is what living in Key West is all about - especially in the Winter!

Fugly!

A massive stairway provides access to the living space the listing agent charitably calls an "accessory unit". Sometimes spaces like this are referred to as guest quarters or as a mother-in-law apartment. In Key West mother in laws pay to live in those spaces. The living space is very large and includes a sizable living room, good sized kitchen, a full bath and a decent sized bedroom. The layout is odd but that could be fixed. The floor in th e living room and kitchen is oak. The bathroom has a tiled floor.

The "Accessory Unit" isn't bad but could be a lot better

The house has a total of 2121 sq ft (according to the Monroe County Property Appraiser's records) [which may not account for some construction that I think may have occurred while city officials were asleep one day]. The lot is 50' x 100' (5,000 sq ft). The back of the lot abuts a City of Key West right of way (akin to an alley in most places except cars and vehicles do not use the space. It is a nice feature that separates the neighbors. CLICK HERE to view a Slide Show of photos I took.

I did notice a problem in the carport roof: the roof is failing. I don't do construction but I can identify a big hole in a roof any day. Otherwise, this place looks like you could move in and start redecorating. I would replace the ugly jalousie doors at either end of the living room and maybe open the kitchen into the dining area so that the spaces flow together.

This place will not last the week. Act quickly if you would like to see 2114 Staples Avenue. Please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

2020 Fogarty Avenue - Key West - Short Sale

If I were driving down Fogarty Avenue and saw the for sale sign at 2020 Fogarty, I probably wouldn't give the property a second look. A big old wood privacy fence dominates most of the yard except for the space occupied by the unsightly homemade carport. But I would be wrong to do so.

The house at 2020 Fogarty was just listed as a short sale, but not by me. I decided to take a look at the mls listing photos and saw something I did not expect, a really charming indoor-outdoor space and a beautiful pool. I then compared the house to what it looked like when it sold a few years back and said to myself "Self, this looks like a great little house."

Today

2004

Today

2004

CLICK HERE to checkout the current mls short sale listing information sheet on 2020 Fogarty Avenue. I don't want to confuse you, so blink your eyes and also CLICK HERE to view the mls listing data sheet and photos when this same house sold in 2004 for $650,000. I think a side by side comparison may help those with poor vision to decide maybe they should take a personal view of this property. Even the old comparison photos show the ugly fence can look great. Who would have thunk!

This house was built in 1953 and is typical of other houses on the same block (in fact on other blocks in this mid town neighborhood). Some of the houses look pretty much today like they did when they were built. But others have been dolled up and look really nice.

I guess houses sometimes reflect the personalities of the people who live inside of them. Some are well maintained and have a very charming facade just like the one next door at 2016 Fogarty CLICK HERE. Others like one across the street CLICK HERE look a little unkempt.

You pretty much need to look at each house individually. I guess these houses are like the people who live in them. Some are fancy and some less so. They all provide shelter. Some are in better shape. Some like the house at 2020 Fogarty might get overlooked simply because of the ugly fence. Like I said, that would be wrong. I often refer to "the vision thing" and suggest to buyers to conjer up a vision of how a house would look if they owned it. I think the house at 2020 Fogarty Avenue would look a lot more inviting if that fence and bricked front yard were removed and a new lush green lawn and some delicate palms framed the yard instead. Replace the gravel driveway with brick pavers and maybe put up a white picket fence.

The house at 2020 Fogarty Avenue is 1496 sq ft of living space comprised of 3 bedrooms and sits on a 5000 sq ft lot (50' x 100'). The star feature of this house has to be the indoor-outdoor living space. Look at the photos above to see how Key Westie this house feels where the outdoors appears to be part of the indoors and vice-versa. This is what Key West living is all about. And when you consider the asking price is just $329,000, you just might want to look at this property to see for yourself how you might enhance this property.

If you are looking for a nice Key West family home at a modest price, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a showing of this property. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida. Invoke that vision thing.

2327 Harris Street - Key West - Short Sale

Just listed 2327 Harris Avenue in the midtown area of Key West. I don't do many listings, but when I do, I sell them. Usually quickly. We shall see if this APPROVED SHORT SALE is an easy sale.

2327 Harris Avenue was constructed in 1979 and has 1920 sq ft of living space on two floors. The houses sits on a nice 4758 sq ft corner lot at Harris Avenue and Sixth Street. Click on the MAP. The yard is framed with a nice white picket fence in the front and a higher privacy fence on the sides and rear. There is a beautiful 30' x 12' free form pool surrounded by slate tile deck. The front, side and rear yards are nicely landscaped with a variety of tropical foliage.

The house has three normal sized bedrooms on the second floor plus a large master bedroom with en-suite bath (Jacuzzi included). French doors open off the master bedroom to a second floor front balcony that wraps around the house.

The main level has an inviting entry that opens into the large combined great room with adjacent dining and kitchen. There are two sets of French doors at the rear that beckon yo out to the covered patio and the inviting pool. There is a built-in grill off to the side and a hot tub.

CLICK HERE to read the mls data sheet and if you follow me on TWITTER you can see more exterior and interior photos.

Better yet, please call me to schedule a showing of this family home that is priced to sell at $345,000. Remember that bank has approved the sale at $345,000. Don't delay. Call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

1322 Thompson Street - Mid Town - Key West

This is how the listing Realtor describes 1322 Thompson Street: "Captivating Key West home is the result of collaboration between designer & artist Debra Yates, renowned landscape architect Raymond Jungles & the current owners. The outdoor space is perfection with a spectacular pool with mosaic mural waterfall, large dining pavilion & meandering paths through the exotic tropical gardens. The interior has a style of simple elegance with cool white walls, travertine marble floors & an abundance of windows & pocketing glass doors. The 2 bedroom 2 bath main house has an open living space and a large master suite that opens to its own private porch and adjoining sundeck. The separate guest cottage is bright and consists of a bedroom & bath. Enter the gate of this private oasis and you may never want to leave."

Let me add this: it is better than that! CLICK HERE for more detailed info and lots of photos of the property.

I've shown 1322 Thompson Street twice in the past three weeks. It is one of those places that just knocks you over when you enter the property. I was stunned by the pool and gardens. And I fell in love with the simplicity of the design of the interior spaces. The living and dining areas flow into the kitchen which is a step down. That step breaks the visual continuity into two separate yet contiguous spaces.
The sliding glass doors in the living room open onto the pool area and that makes outside seem to be a part of the inside.

The master bed and bath is just killer. Oh, WoW! The bath picks up on the mosaic by the pool and elevates the shower to an art statement. Unbelievable. Your friends are going to want to come and shower with you when they see this space. (That could be a good thing or very scarry, depending on your friends.) The bedroom again is very simple. The covered outside lounge just off the bedroom looks more like Bali than Mid Town Key West. What a pad! There is a separate garden on the master bedroom side of the house.

The guest cottage is located near the master suite at the back of the garden on the south side of the house at the rear of the private garden on the master suit

The asking price on 1322 Thompson Street is just $875,000 or $564 per sq ft for this 1552 sq ft home that sits on a large 5610 sq ft corner lot. Let me add that sometimes people from up north fail to understand the value of landscaping.

A yard designed and installed by Raymond Jungles is normally out of the price range for most buyers. So to be able to purchase a house with a yard he designed for himself ought to make a serious buyer really take note. The gardens are lush with specimen plantings and trees. The plants and trees are mature and beautiful.

This place is really pretty. The super chic modern interiors may not work for those with a yen for an Old Town Conch House. But if you are open to new ideas and want a really beautiful place to call your home in Key West, please call me,Gary Thomas, 305.766.2642. Let me show you this truly remarkable property.