702 Catherine Street, Key West - Potential Vacation Rental

Just Listed. but not by me, 702 Catherine Street, located in Old Town Key West and about two blocks away from upper Duval Street where the cool people hang out. There several near by places like Frenchcies, Bab Boy Burrito, and the infamous LaTeDa where you can eat, drink, or be entertained, and walk home within a few minutes.  South Beach is nearby as well. Your guests can walk to a fun beach and not get lost nor get blisters on their feet for having to walk a couple of miles. South Beach is only three blocks away. At the same time you can just as easily walk out to the back porch and watch the kids have fun in the pool. This 1450 sq ft two bedroom, two and one-half bath has it all. And its priced to sell at just $959,000.

The listing agent describes 702Ctherine Street this way: "This pristine home sits in a wonderful Old Town compound consisting of 9 beautifully maintained homes clustered around a 45' shared pool with lush landscaping. The prime, quiet location is only 1 1/2 blocks off of Upper Duval St. The interior has gorgeous white-oak wood floors, a spacious floor plan, high ceilings, and abundant natural light in every room. Experience indoor/outdoor living at its best with french doors leading from the living room to a sun deck overlooking the swimming pool, a covered & screened living/dining area outside of the kitchen, a front porch and a second floor balcony. The kitchen has rich granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances and is open to the dining area. Living area is spacious and bright with a half bath located near the stairs. Full-size laundry is inside of the house. The two upstairs bedrooms each have two full bathrooms ensuite with ochre travertine floors and matching tile & glass shower enclosures--one of which has a bathtub. This solid home has hardie board siding, a metal roof and hurricane shutters. Outdoor areas have premium composite decking. There is off-street parking for one car. HOA fee is $192 per month paid quarterly and covers pool maintenance and landscaping."  This is s town home which means the homeowner is responsible for all building maintenance and building insurances. The HOA fees are modest and cover only pool and common area maintenance. The good thing is this home appears to be in superior condition.  It looks great in all areas - indoors and outdoors. That means a new homeowner will not need to start fixing things once title has passed. This home looks like it has been treated like a baby - a pampered baby.

The covered porch at the main floor rear provides abundant private outdoor dining and rest areas. Even though the area looks out to the communal pool, you cannot see inside from the outside French doors at the back of the living area open onto the rear porch that leads down to the pool area. There is also a small landing area where you could you chairs to have private a private sitting area. But it is the semi-enclosed porch where your family and friends will likely spend most of their time. 

The second floor hallway provides nice separattion between the two bedroom wings. There is even access to a small second floor balcony overlooking Catherine Street. The real wood floors shine throughout this house. The walls currently display bold art work everywhere. A new owner could just as easily minize the art work and still make the walls look great as they provide ample contrast to the beautiful wood floors.

Both bedrooms have en-suite baths and adequate closets. I always tell potential buyers that they won't need as many clothes in Key West as they need up north, but they still need clothes and places to store them. This home had both room to live and adquequate storage spaces on both living levels.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datesheet and more photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. A new owner can legally rent this home as monthly vacation rental. It's prime location makes it a sure winner if that is your choice. However, not all owners rent their homes here. This home is affordably priced such that a new owner may not need to find rental income to help pay the cost of ownership. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1400 White Street Key West - Price Reduction

The Asking Price  was just reduced on 1400 White Street #A in Key West was just reduced to $649,000 or or $479 per square foot. This lovely home is located in the Casa Marina Area just a short stroll to the Atlantic Ocean.

Historic Cuban Tiles will impress your guests as they enter your home

Be the first to live in this freshly renovated two story, three bedroom Casa Marina Area condominium. There are just three units in this sharp building located near Higgs Beach. You will be greatly impressed by the grand new designer kitchen with breakfast bar and adjacent dining area. The kitchen features shaker cabinets and carrara marble counter top plus stainless steel appliances. There are two new baths featuring travertine marble floors and designer tiles. A new laundry is located on the second floor. New Brazilian cherry hardwood floors were added to all other areas of this classy home. Wind impact glass windows and doors were added to many areas of the house as well. A new whole house air conditioner was added in 2016. And there is large 22 foot by  14 foot completely private deck off the dining area where there is room for hot tub or maybe a swim spa. This home is offered fully furnished as shown. 

You'll be surprised at the height of the ceilings and the size of each of the rooms. This places is spacious. It looks and feels like a private home and not a condominium. That is really important for full time living.

Main floor bath

There is a spacious first floor bedroom located opposite the stairway. The kitchen and dining area are at the rear. The kitchen features shaker cabinets and carrara marble counters and under counter glass tiles. Stainless steel appliances complete the look of this beautiful space. The new glass sliding doors in the dining area are impact glass and are built to resist winds up to 185 miles per hour.

The rear deck is totally private. There is room for a hot tub and maybe room for a swim spa. City building code is too strict to allow a pool without a variance, however.  There is a small side yard to the south where your dog could run to keep an eye on the front.

The large master bedroom easily can accommodate a king size bed. Note there are two large closets each with closet organizers (all closets have closet organizers) in the master bedroom. This is a bright and cheery space with partial views of the back yard.

1400 White Street is located just a few short blocks to the Atlantic Ocean to the south and two blocks to the new city hall and our Dairy Queen to the north. There are several nearby gyms and yoga studios. I imagined that the buyer for this property would be a local - you can't buy a single family home this nice in Key West for this price.  But many of the people who have looked at this property are seeking a second home that they can rent either on an annual basis or as a vacation rental. This property would definitely work either way. Low condo fees of just $500 per month includes all building insurances and weekly yard maintenance.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this never-been-lived-in renovation now offered at $649,000. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

410 Catherine Street, Key West - Just Listed

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 410 Catherine Street in Key West Florida.  The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Half a block from upper Duval Street this three bedroom, two and a half bath home is within walking distance of all the restaurants and attractions of Key West. This charming historic home has been completely restored and offers every modern amenity such as a gourmet kitchen, modern baths, a wide covered porch overlooking the pool and electronic gated parking."

When I looked at the house from the street I had no idea that it was an historic home. It doesn't look all that old. In fact it looks pretty crisp and modern. I am not suggesting the recent renovation took away the charm, it simply spiffed the place up with aplomb. The house is located one-half block west of Duval Street in an area once known for the cigar maker cottages where factory workers lived. I reviewed the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps to determine the approximate age of this house and was surprised to see that it appeared on the 1889 map when it was then identified as 235 Catherine Street. The house identifier was changed to 410 Catherine on the 1892 map. True to form the Villamil Pino and Co cigar factory was located at the corner of Duval and Catherine Street. A small lane identified as Doe Alley separated the factory from the nearby cottages. That lane curved behind the cigar maker cottages and ended at Whitehead Street.  The portion of Doe Alley that ran parallel to Duval Street became Riehl Court on the 1912 Sanborn Map, and the rear alley was then identified as Louisa.  Today what was Doe Alley (Riehl Ct is known as Thompson Lane. However, GOOGLE MAP shows it as Thomas St. GOOGLE MAP is incorrect!)

410 Catherine Street, Key West - 1965

408 Catherine Street razed in 1968

Our history lesson is almost over.  I looked into my old shoebox and found the above black and white photo taken in 1965 which shows 410 Catherine Street as it then appeared. I found a photo of the former next door house at 408 Catherine Street which was damaged by fire and finally razed in 1968. In 1969 a then new CBS (concrete block structure) replaced the old house at 408 Catherine St. That house still exists today on a block where most of the homes are updated versions of the historic cottages which like 410 Catherine Street date back to the late part of the 19th Century. 

Today's house is much different than the original version of this house - that's pretty much a truism for most of the old homes in Key West. The front porch is now a small veranda off the front bedroom. The main entry was relocated to the east side of the home pictured immediately above. The interiors are all refined. The kitchen is a chef's delight. Exterior changes can be seen in the black and white photo of 410 Catherine St  which show a sapling Royal Poinciana tree once stood where today at the driveway an electronically operated gate exists.

You enter into the comfortable living area. There is plenty of Dade County Pine to lend an historic feel to the living space. Modern French doors and new windows bathe the interiors with abundant ambient light during the daytime. The kitchen and dining area are located to the left where there are views of the pool and guest cottage.  This property has been rented as a monthly vacation rental. The location one-half block from Duval Street makes this an ideal vacation rental location. The house and all the amenities will seal the deal.

There is a pool house complete with bath adjacent to the pool which runs much of the rear width of the of the property. There is a small waterfall at the far end of the pool. Native coral rock and tropical foliage and palm trees set the backdrop for the pool. The balcony complete with hammock provide outdoor entertaining area protected from the sun and those occasional days when we have rain. This is a very pleasant and spacious area to spend idle hours doing not much of anything.

The large master suite is located behind the Dade County Pine wall in the living room. French doors open out to rear covered porch and pool for a late night swim. The ceiling is vaulted giving this bedroom area a more spacious feel. 

The front bedroom is an equally restive spot. Bahama shutters provide muted daylight to enter the bedroom area as well as to provide privacy. What was the original front door is now a door to the front porch which has no entry from the yard - the Fuller Brush Man won't accidentally enter the bedroom. The porch will give the occupant a nice private outdoor space to read a book or to contemplate the meaning of life.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 410 Catherine Street, Key West. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a personal view of this new listing which is offered at $1,485,000. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.