206 - 4 Southard Street, Key West - Transient Licensed Shipyard Condominium

Just Listed, but not by me, 206 - 4 Southard Street, Key West. The listing broker describes this extra large two bedroom Shipyard Condominium this way:

"This updated Shipyard condo offers a fantastic investment potential with its Truman Annex special transient rental license. Perfectly located near the community pool, with tropical treetop views, flooded with natural light, updated kitchen & bathroom, and two balconies. The unit is offered fully turnkey and ready to rent. Walk to the beach, Duval St., the Southernmost Point and Hemingway's House."

Returning guests to Key West know the location very well. The gated entrance is located just two short blocks west of Duval Street.  And in the not too distant future, the location will also be know as being near the new Truman Waterfront Park. (More on that later in the blog.) The map below shows the location of this unit just a few feet to the east of the community pool. The map also shows the designated parking space is feet from the front door.

This second floor unit has a front balcony which overlooks the parking lot and a rear balcony with a view of the Shipyard community swimming pool. If you become the owner of this unit and decide to rent it, you will soon learn the value of this location.  There are around 176 units in Shipyard. Some are located near the pool and some are located a hefty hike. Some are located near the one designated parking space while others are located another hefty hike. While most vacationers don't cook a lot of meals, they do buy some groceries and probably some liquid refreshments.

In preparing this unit for sale, the interiors were updated with new furnishings. The place sparkles. I moved to Key West just about the time the last of the Shipyard units were being completed. They were built in phases and not all units are alike. This unit has 680 square feet of living space. Some units are 520 to 580 sq ft. That's a lot of space not to have. And that extra space ought to translate into repeat business year after year.

I walked from this unit over to the new gated entrance to the Truman Waterfront Park still under construction. The place looks great. The photo just above is the direct route over to Ft Zachary Taylor State Park and Beach.  Guests will love being able to walk to the beach or maybe attend a concert at the new amphitheater.  All the restaurants, bars, and shops on Duval Street are a five minute walk in the opposite direction.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet for 206 - 4 Southard Street which is offered fully furnished at $619,000. (Compare that to other units where the seller wants to negotiate the price of their used furniture, towels, and pots and pans.  The price you pay is the actual price you pay and nothing more. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

606 Truman Avenue #9, Key West, Florida - Transient Licensed

Just Listed, but not by me, 606 Truman Avenue #9 in Key West. This is the kind of property many potential second home buyers want to purchase. It has all the attributes of a lovely old style Key West home with advantage of being of recent construction. It has a very valuable City of Key West Transient Rental License which allows an owner to rent the home each week throughout the year. The home owner's association requires a minimum of one week rental This is the only stand alone unit in Windward Park where the other units all share a party wall. And this unit is located at the rear of the development so the owner will have total seclusion when sitting on the porch or relaxing in the private garden space.  This 1152 sq ft two bedroom/two bath home is as clean as a whistle. It is offered completely furnished. The pool is sunny, and since there are only 13 units, you won't have to stand in line to get a lounge chair. Each home has a designated off street parking space. Windward Park is located one block east of  Duval Street and is within easy walking distance to all of your favorite haunts.

 

The entire first floor provides lots of space for relaxation or entertaining. Everything about this space is open and inviting. As soon as I entered this home I knew I would like it. I could smell the clean - not a disinfectant kind of clean but instead the freshness one knows when entering a home that has been spotlessly maintained.  I don't think I have even been inside a rental anywhere that was as fresh and inviting as this.  If you look at the third photo above you will see two closets located adjacent to the refrigerator. One is a "lock out" for owner storage. There are several similar owner lock outs throughout the house.  These lock outs provide subtle protection for owner  necessities such as toothbrushes, suntan lotion, tee shirts, shorts and flip flops.

If you have ever stayed in a dinky two bedroom condo you will surely appreciate the size and spatial layout of this home which has two large bedrooms.

This home sits at the far rear of the compound. It is the only free standing unit in the compound where the other homes are attached duplexes.  Unlike most of the other units which have a side or rear deck for outdoor space, this home sits on a spacious and shaded lot which includes a nice private deck area and a little fountain.  Some of the other homes in this compound have a transient rental license, but not all. Owning a transient rental license is a very valuable extra even if you decide not to rent the unit.  But if you choose to rent, you ought to keep this lovely home rented as often as you want. It has everything a home owner (or renter) could ask for.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this property.

606 Truman #9 is offered at $1,100,000.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet.   Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

PRICE REDUCTION - 611 Southard Street #5, Key West Florida

Years ago, when I owned what was then called Eaton Lodge (guest house on Eaton Street in Key West), a potential visitor called to inquire about making reservations. She asked "Is the island surrounded by water?"

A few weeks ago I wrote 611 Southard Street #5  located at the Hollinshed House Condominiums just one block from Duval Street in Key West. The unit has a highly desired transient rental license which means the unit can be rented nightly without any limitation as to the number of days or weeks that a vacationer might want to spend. The original list price was $525,000. The unit just had an $85,000 price reduction. Now it is priced at $440,000  or more than a 16% lower than the original price. I think this creates a real buying opportunity for a buyer who wants a place in Key West that he or she or they can come visit but that can also earn enough money to pay for itself through legal vacation rentals. The city is cracking down on illegal rentals and imposing extremely high fines to owners who violate rental laws.

This historic eyebrow house was built circa 1874. If you look up a the windows at the top of the house you will understand how the term eyebrow house came to be used to describe homes like this. These old homes were built before air conditioning and even electricity came into use. Back in the old days, houses were cooled through the use of natural ventilation and shading. Windows and doors were left open to allow breezes to flow through the home. The roof overhung the third rooms in this eyebrow house which allowed the windows to remain open in rainstorms. The photo below shows the inside of this unit with the windows shut. Today this space is air conditioned. The charm of the old house gleams through the painted Dade County Pine walls and ceiling. Guests who stay here step back into time just a bit. They pick places like this for a reason - they don't want to stay in a Motel 6 or a Hilton. They want character.

The Hollinshed House Condominiums are located at the tip-top of Solaris Hill in Old Town Key West. The main living area is the top floor of the of the original house. The old building was expanded years ago where the bedroom and bathroom exist just beyond the door at the rear of the kitchen. There is a small balcony off the sitting area at the livng room which is actually the rear fire escape. The views up there are great and totally private. The entrance is located at the top of the two story wrap-around balcony.

Three additional units are located next door at 609 Southard Street. The property has a nice pool in the large courtyard. There are two off street parking spots available on a first come basis. There is also a coin operated laundry for guests.

I just did a quick search of active transient licensed one bedroom condominiums in the Old Town (including Truman Annex) area and found there are six units with an average square footage of 432 1/2 sq ft. The average list price is $485,750.  The average price per sq ft of all units is $1,329. The Hollinshed unit is offered at $652 per sq ft. Three of the units do not have a pool.  The Truman Annex unit is restricted to 25 weekly transient rentals.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos of 611 Southard Street #5. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise. And, yes, Key West is surrounded by water. That's why it is called an island.