Follow Us to the Open Houses in Key West - today - April 24th

None of the following listings are mine. I do hope that you will go and checkout the new listings and see what you can get for your dollars. I know prices are high. Nobody ever expected them to get this high. But I never expected a $100,000 cigar maker cottage in Old Town selling at $500,000 either. They are fetching over one million dollars today.  Let's venture around  the island including Key West by the Sea, Old Town, Casa Marina Area, Casa Marina East, Mid-Town, the Key West Golf Club, and the waterfront house located on the former Key West drive-in theater site. Yew we had a drive-in and bowling alley. We used to have cheap eats, cheap drinks, and cheap --- Well, we still have those. 

1014 Truman Avenue #3   12 - 2 PM

$995,000

Two Bedroom Two Bath Centrally Located Contemporary Condo in an Historic Building

1230 South Street    12 -4 PM

$1,995,000 

Legal Duplex Fixer-upper

Great Location in Casa Marina East Area Among Many More Valuable Homes

 

1410 Reynolds Street - Casa Marina Area   1 - 3 PM

$3,750,000

Three Bedroom Three Bath Casa Marina Area One Level Masterpiece

630 Elizabeth Street  11 - 1 today

$3,100,000

Incredible Move-in Ready Legal Duplex or Single Family Home Stunning Either Way 

906 Frances Street   12 - 2 PM

940,000 

I wrote about this listing last week. Newer construction located within a gated

compound community with delightful pool.

174 Golf Club Drive

$750,000

Two Bedrooms Two Bathrooms Gold Course Home

 6 Kestral Way   11-1

$740,000

Two Bedrooms Two Baths  Shop and Compare this Golf Course

On your way out to the Golf Course stop by

 

5020 5th Avenue #7

$2,590,000    11 - 1 PM  Text agent for gate code 305-766-0585

These homes were built new in 2017.  This home has direct water access. Check it out. 

 

2609 Staples Avenue  12- - 3  PM

$1,099,000

Three Bedroom Family Home   I was in this home last week. SUPER CLEAN. Lots of ROOM. Good family home.

2609 South Roosevelt Blvd #304C  KEY WEST BY THE SEA CONDO    12 - 3 PM

$850,000

Two Bedroom unit in the C building at rear. No ocean view but great price. Vacant.

613 Margaret Street  12 - 4

$4,995,000

Six Bedrooms Six Baths Beautiful Renovated and Expanded Home in the Heart of Old Town. Simply Stunning!

Tell the agents you read about this open house in my blog. I won't get a nickle out of it. 

The Least and Most Expenseve Homes Sold in Key West in the Past Week - No. 1

 

Since there are few new listings to discuss, I thought it would be interesting to note the sale of the least and most expensive single family home sales in Key West during the prior seven days. I got this idea from a Realtor I just started to follow on TikTok who by the way discussed the concept of slandering particular neighborhoods. I understand exactly what he said and meant. I try not to do that but sometimes fail miserably. Anyway, let's see what happened last week.

Only four single family homes closed during the past week. The least expensive was 312 Amelia Street, located in the Bahama Village area of Key West. See the photo I found of it taken in 1965 and compare it to the current photo in the Key West MLS. This home was listed at $1,169,000 and sold at $1,159,000 or $897.06 per sq ft. This is the same house after being renovated.

The most expensive home was located at 533 Petronia Street in the Old Town area of Key West. It was listed and sold at $3,495,000 or $1,868.98 per sq ft. This is the same house after being moved forward on the lot and renovated from ground to rooftop

I will continue this feature until we get some new listings. And maybe after. 

Julia

 

A few weeks ago I saw the trailer of Julia on HBO. I knew in an instant it would be must see tv for me. I binged the first two episodes and have been seen all four as of now. 

I was a Publix on Friday afternoon. I was waiting for the bagger to load groceries. The clerk asked "What are your plans this afternoon? " I played along. I said I would probably watch something on Netflix. He said something and then I asked "Do you have HBO?"and suggested he watch Julia. He had a puzzled look on his face. I said Julia Child. He still did not get it. Of course he didn't. He is too young to get anything before the iPhone. 

Julia Child introduced French cooking to American television audiences in the1960s and offered us a classy alternative to diners, drive-ins, and dives  

A few months ago I had dinner at Prime Steakhouse. The server was a beautiful girl with flowing blonde hair. She was so sweet - I told her she reminded me of Phoebe. She, too, had a puzzled look on her face. I said Phoebe from Friends. I was binge watching Friends at the time. That show ran from 1994 to 2004. My server was in her twenties. Of course she didn't know Phoebe or Friends

 

 

317 Whitehead Street, Key West - Dream Small

Robert F. Kennedy said "Some men see things as they are, and say why. I dream of things that never were, and say why not."

Senator Kennedy was not talking about houses. I know that. Nor was Martin Luther King Jr when he said "I have a dream."

Neither was talking about real estate. They were exploring what might be, what could be, what should be. Aspirations. 

I applied for a job one time. The lady interviewing me asked me why I was not involved in more civic activities. I told her I was doing the best I could taking care of myself and my house. I thought making a nice home with a nice yard was a good contribution to society. Wouldn't the world be better off if we all did that? And keep out noses out of other peoples business (or what they do with their houses).

I have two old movies that really inspired me over the years. They both focus on giving new life to old and abandoned buildings - which in turn gives meaning to the lives of the people involved in the change and their progeny for years to come. 

The first is Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House. I have blogged about this movie a couple of times. It is as inspirational as almost any world War II movie. You must watch - thee are so many sub plots.

The second is The Egg and I. It is the forerunner of Green Acres only with real stars, real humor, real sense of family, and areal sense of accomplishment.

Enough talking. I want to sell you 317 Whitehead Street, Key West. I have often written here that houses are just boxes. I think about those boxes when watching movies or TV shows and even more so when I see new homes or buildings in real life. I sometimes marvel at the genius of artisans who create wonderful boxes in their minds and the craftsmen who turn dreams into realities.  

Some people who have looked at 317 Whitehead Street can't figure out what to do with it. They ask me the price and cringe when they hear it. $2,000,000. I show them all the info, discuss the lot, and so on. They think I am daft or that my Seller is Mad Greedy or all of the above. I am not nor is my Seller. 

Consider 317 Whitehead Street as a box. The owner has obtained permission from our Historic Architectural Review Commission tear down the large concrete block appendage on the south and to build a new structure there. That is a big deal in itself. That does not mean a buyer must do that or anything. It means a new can take down that hideous building and must renovate the wood building.

I know the building looks like hell right now. It won't when it is renovated. And it won't cost an Arm and a Leg to do the renovation I am suggesting. 

 

This is the concrete block building after it was constructed. It had a wood clapboard facade added. 

I say take it down. Focus on the actual small wood cottage that measures 38 feet by 25 feet. It has 10 foot ceilings and can be made into a really wonderful two bedroom house with pool and parking on a lot that measures 67 feet by 100 feet. 

This is a post card from a hundred years ago showing the houses across the street. They are still there and look like - let's say more than a few million dollars today. Imagine how much they will be worth in ten or twenty years. Imagine what 317 Whitehead will be worth.

 "Some men see things as they are, and say why. I dream of things that never were, and say why not."

If you think I am nuts, you should see what some recent buyers are spending for houses all over Key West. They are the nut jobs. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet for 317 Whitehead Street, Key West. Then click on the DOCUMENTS tab which includes the HARC approved plans, Survey, Flood Elevation Certificate, and Warranty Deed which includes permissible residential and commercial zoning uses for this site. The tab does not work on Zillow or Realtordotcom. Give me, Gary Thomas, Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West a call. Have a Dream. 

Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday No. 45

from May 26, 2017

5 Brothers Key West - An Homage

My friend Ronny Bailey dropped by my office a few days ago to show me his latest piece of folk art, a wood cutting depicting 5 Brothers Grocery and Sandwich Shop located at 930 Southard Street in Key West. Ronny is a native Key Wester, a multi-generation Conch. He was a carpenter by trade until he retired a few years ago. He hung up his saw, stowed the hammer, and began the second phase of his life as a folk artist. I don't think he started out to become an artist as much as he used his skills as a carpenter to create miniature versions of the facades of the old houses of Key West - the way they used to be - before the gentrification that is forever erasing memory of the past imperfect houses and their conversion into perfect tiny million dollar cottages. Later Ronny depicted larger homes and then added some commercial buildings. Most recently Ronny added added wood carving to his repertoire.

The 5 Brothers piece is Ronny's homage to the place and the people that go there each morning. If you drive by this place on any weekday morning you will invariably see a couple of cops, several healthy looking men who obviously work for a living (as opposed to guys who sit at a computer or who sell houses), some older guys who look like retirees, and some tourists. There are a couple of benches which are usually occupied. Many others stand and swap stories. A former neighbor of mine (who I will call "Norm")  told me what really goes on at 5 Brothers. Norm was also a general contractor. He said he and other contractors would meet there to discuss what projects they were working on or going to be making bids on that day or that week. He told me the same guys would meet after work at a bar and discuss the projects and prices they would quote so that they could distribute the work among each other and not get into bidding wars. I have to live here and can't tell the rest. Imagine "collusion".

Notice the three officers inside the store, two sitting on the bench, and the guy in the patrol car. Look carefully at the license plate which reads "SWEET H2O". The cop driving the car is Officer Sweetwater. Ronny chuckled with glee at his cleverness.

Ronny's depiction is more generous than Norm's narrative description. The wood cutting is three boards made into one larger piece which was then painted black. Ronny carved out layer after layer to create the building, the streetscape, the sky with helicopter, and the Key West people - each a real life Key West character.  Ronny referred to each person with the word "mister" before each person's name followed by some descriptive sentence about who that person was and why he is on that piece of art. You will notice the helicopter on the upper right side. The wood cutting depicts the real life helicopter pilot "back in the day" on a special ops mission for his Cuban coffee and cheese toast! When I saw the helicopter I was reminded of the scene in the the 1989 James Bond movie License to Kill which was filmed in Key West when Bond and his pal parachuted from a helicopter down to St. Mary's Catholic Church on Truman Avenue to attend Bond's pal's wedding. Ronny told me about the many "stories" that the pilot described from his life. I added an arrow directing your attention to the word Peace on the helicopter. Ronny adds the words Love, Peace, and Joy each piece of art he creates.

The building at 930 Southard Street has remained pretty much the same since the black and white photo below was taken in 1965. Note the cutout police figure in the lower right hand corner. The prop-cop was used to alert drivers to the Harris School located at the next corner. I found a similar roadside cop in a photo taken at 1200 White Street which warned drivers to slow down for the old Key West high school one block to the south.(Look at the far left side of the road to see the policeman) In today's Key West there are real life cops standing guard at every school in town, each adorned with bright neon yellow vests and whistles. I personally like the less expensive and more clever cutout cops. I'd slow down if I came upon one and smile for a block or two.

I looked through my old shoebox and found some photos I took over the years of 5 Brothers. I rarely go there myself. I drink way too much coffee when I get up. But I know a lot of people who do go there regularly. I stopped by 5 Brothers on my way to the office to snap a couple of photos of 5 Brothers. Those pics are at the bottom of this blog. Stop by the next time you are in town. Go inside where you will find the original Ronny Bailey wood carving. Smile to yourself as you see the Key West characters and the place that made them famous.

Photos taken May 26, 2017 below. The scene never changes. The characters do.

906 Frances Street B, Key West

Just Listed 906 Frances Street B, Key West. This is one of six a sweet single family homes located in the picturesque Maxwell Gables Compound in Old Town. Each house is different.  The listing agent describes this home thus:

"Experience the ultimate, hassle-free island living in this beautifully updated townhouse ! Privately tucked away in an enclave of only 6 units, yet centrally located, in the X flood zone, the home is offered turnkey just awaiting its new lucky owner. It features impact doors and windows, hardie board siding, a metal roof. The airy, light and open living room boasts cathedral ceilings, skylight and French doors leading to your private deck. Kitchen with quartz countertops, custom tiled backsplash, stainless appliances and wine cooler. New window treatments, hardwood floors, stylish furnishings. Primary bedroom with ensuite bathroom on the first floor, with guest bedroom and bathroom on the second. Sit back and relax in the community heated saltwater pool surrounded by lush tropical gardens and chill vibes."

The Maxwell Gables Compound was created in the late 1980s. This house was built new in 1987 and sits behind 906 Frances Street shown in the photos below. There are several other compounds created around the same time in other parts of Old Town. Single family  homes were joined together is associations with a shared pool or other amenities that individual home owner's might not otherwise enjoy because of the size of the building lot. In this instance, 906 B Frances was constructed behind an historic home shown in the photo below. The photo show vacant space upon which this home was built.This is the only new home in the compound. The others were preexisting that were renovated a the same time. The units share a common secured entrance, courtyard grounds and swimming pool right out of a storybook.

 

The master bedroom and bath are located on the first floor. The guest bedroom and bath are located on the second floor. This is officially a town home. The association fees are just $275 per month anc cover pool and common area maintenance and security. Thee is no of street parking. Most of thee other properties on the block do have off street parking so there is usually space available in this block to park.

The property on the opposite side of the fence is one of the secretive and magical homes on the island. I wrote about it before and won't belabor it here. It sits on Watson Street midway between Truman Avenue and Olivia Street. Watson is a one way street terminates a the cemetery with this view.

These little homes make Key West so different from the rest of Florida - heck The Rest of The World. You need to take a look and think about what is possible and not dismiss it because it does not have parking. CLICK HERE to view he Key West MLS datasheet for 906 Frances Street B offered at $940,000. 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