2645 Gulfview Drive, Key West Waterfront Property

2645 Gulfview Drive is a smart looking 1600 square foot home located at Gulfview Point (formerly Roosevelt Annex) in Key West where each of the 25 single-family homes and town homes  are located on the water and sited for exquisite views of the setting sun over the Gulf of Mexico. Gulfpoint Annex continues to be an exclusive community with a neighborhood of homes surrounded by water on three sides.  This is the only place of this kind in Key West! Click GOOGLE MAP for an aerial perspective of the property and its relationship to the water.

This development was built by Pritam Shingh who also developed Truman Annex, the Key West Golf Club Community, Parrot Key Resort, and the new Marker Hotel in Old Town Key West. Each of the developments has the look and feel of small town America. After you pass the gated entry the road winds through the friendly neighborhood. Many but not all of the homes have covered off street parking (this one does). 2645 Gulfpoint Drive is located near the far end of the drive.

The main living level provides a lot of living space both indoors and outdoors. The family chef will have water views from the kitchen as he or she looks through the living area and out to the gulf. There is a spare room tucked off to the right side of the living room which has pocket doors to provide privacy when needed.  An owner might use that space as a dining room, home office, den, or maybe as a guest bedroom. (There is a half bath on this floor as well.) There is an expansive covered deck with steps that lead down to the larger open deck at pool side. Just beyond the picket fence is a walking trail that wraps around all three sides of the development. This is a great place to walk the family dog. Some owners have installed floating (non-permanent) docks to moor small boats at waters edge.

On the second floor there are two guest bedrooms at the front of the house. The bedroom on the west side has a door that opens to the front balcony which overlooks Gulfview Drive. Both bedrooms have vaulted ceilings which enhance the spatial feel in these rooms. The master bedroom with en-suite bath is at the rear where there is a covered deck that has commanding views of the water. I had a listing that I sold at Gulfview last year. Each time I took potential buyers out to either deck their jaws dropped - the views are just incredibly beautiful and so serene. So many people dream of moving to Key West and imagine the joys of living on an island. The reality in Key West is that there are very few homes that have any sort of water view.  Here you can actually see the water every day and watch amazing sea and sky change as the morning turns to day and the day turns to night. You'll see sunny skies and foreboding clouds and even watch and listen as thunder claps across the vast open water. You'll have a view that very few people get to have in our little town.

There is a home owner association which requires payment of monthly fees of $372 which includes cable television, security, and grounds maintenance. The park-like grounds are meticulously maintained. Pets are permitted with restrictions. CLICK HERE to see more photos which I took.

2645 Gulview Drive is offered for sale at $849,900. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. 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. Let me help you find your perfect place in Paradise. This just might be that place!

2412 Linda Avenue, Key West - La Belle Vue Cottage

The listing agent of 2412 Linda Avenue invited me to stop by and take a couple of photos of this new listing for use in my blog. I am a bit familiar with the location as I wrote an offer for on a nearby bank owned property a couple of years ago. I had no idea how radically different the two properties were. Today's blog is a short narrative with photos I took and listing photos. I must tell you from the outset that I was so amazed by what I found. It truly is a La Belle Vue Cottage!

2412 Linda Avenue is located on the edge of the Key West Salt Ponds. The Salt Ponds run parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Bertha Street eastward past the Key West International Airport. I estimate the ponds take up about 25% of the land on the Island of Key West. A good portion of the land mass is composed of mangroves and the balance by shallow salt water ponds that are navigable by canoe or kayak.  CLICK GOOGLE AERIAL MAP for an aerial view. Use the toggle switch to zoom in for a closer look or pull back or move the map around to gain a better perspective of the location as it plays into this house and the features here.

2412 Linda Avenue was built in 1950. Although the home has been updated, it retains a good bit of the original character of the construction while important features like windows, air conditioning, and electrical service has been replaced or upgraded. The front entry welcomes you into the home where your eyes are immediately drawn through the house to the water view at the rear. First, however, you must pass through the historic living room which is located at the front.

Just past the living room is the dining area and kitchen. A was the case for many homes built in the 1950s there is no "formal" dining room because lifestyles were evolving from one purpose rooms to multiple purpose spaces. The kitchen is as clean as a whistle and still has the original wood cabinets from back in the day. What I like to call a 'drama wall' was added to the dining area. A similar
'drama wall' was added to the guest bedroom. The inclusion of wood into the home brings more texture and life to these spaces.

The large master bedroom has an extra large and renovated en-suite bath and closet area. I was surprised by how large this space was as it is atypical of what you would expect in a vintage 1950s home.

The family room and adjacent office is located opposite the dining area. This is where the un-serious living occurs in this house. The office is tucked away in the right corner. A sofa occupies space where a new owner might put in a bookcase or maybe even a Murphy bed. I could see an artist using this space as a studio, a stockbroker or business executive using the space to do deals, or a writer as his/her writer's workshop. I myself would find the views too distracting for any serious purpose!

The family room is a big, open space with lots of windows plus two French doors that open out to the rear deck. These wind impact windows and doors were just added a few years ago. The rear deck is on the same plain, but the world out there isn't what you'll find in most houses in Key West or anywhere else for that matter. While there is no pool here, there is a semi-covered spa with serene water views.  There is plenty of room to add a pool, however. This space is magical and works well for this owner.

As I was taking pictures I noticed a pelican perched on a nearby canoe. He stayed there a long time as I inched closer to take photos of him. I live a couple of miles west in the Casa Marina Area and sometimes see egrets and herons walking around the area. I have never seen a pelican in my backyard. What a joy that must be.

I love Old Town Key West even though much of it is congested and the more open feel of the Casa Marina Area, but I gotta tell you the feeling at this home is something very unique. If you are a nature enthusiast I'm sure you would love watching the mix of of colors as the sky and clouds play against the waters. It is a kaleidoscope of never ending colors and shapes. CLICK HERE to view the photos I took. Click any photo to enlarge. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. This home is offered at $725,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up  private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Let's plan on a few minutes extra so you can contemplate nature in this special Key West property.

1711 Atlantic Blvd. Key West - New Lower Price - New Higher Height

1711 Atlantic Boulevard in Key West was originally offered at $680,000 just before Christmas in 2013. The price was reduced to $630,000 in April 2014. The asking price on this mid-century modern home was just reduced to $590,000. 

The listing Realtor, not me, describes 1711 Atlantic Boulevard this way:

"40,000 PRICE REDUCTION! Motivated seller! This solidly built concrete home is unique on Atlantic Blvd. as it was built on top of 5 feet of fill making this the most elevated lot on Atlantic Drive. A nature preserve is the only thing separating this home from the Atlantic Ocean and ensures privacy from the front.This home is large and currently has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and was built in the mid-century modern style of architecture. The home is surrounded by a concrete wall with iron access gates at the front. There is a two car garage and as an added bonus, there is a very large shed/workshop in the rear yard that could be converted into a guest bedroom or artist studio. Even with the shed, there is room for a nice sized pool."

The house sits on a large lot  8050 square feet (70' X 111') across from the City of Key West Nature Preserve which is located between the Key West Beach Club Condominiums to the west and 1800 Atlantic Condominiums to the east. Nothing will ever be built on the nature preserve - no houses, no condos, no nothing.

It is all the land, all 8050 square feet of it, that makes this property so intriguing either as a renovation project or as a tear-down and build new site. While most of the houses in the Old Town and Meadows Area  cannot be torn down to create a new building, there is no such prohibition in this area of the city.  Key West voters passed a referendum that now allows property owners to build houses up to forty feet height limit which would give a new house on this location an unparallelled view of the ocean. I was not in favor of the law, but now that it is the law, developers are sure to exploit lots like this so build dazzling homes with water views. And with the nature conservancy located across the street, there is never going to be something built to interfere with the water view.   CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of the house and grounds. The entire house is a total redo in my opinion. The photos will help you see what you have to work with. The house is very solid. Don't let the dated interiors deter you from taking a look.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this property.  I am a full time Realtor and a buyers agent at Preferred Properties Key West.

Click GOOGLE MAP for a view of this home.

246 Key Haven Road - Key West, Florida

Some readers may recall that I used to own a guest house in Key West. Once a prospective guest called to ask about room rates, what we served for breakfast, and asked if Key West was surrounded by water.  I kid you not.  That was more than 20 years ago.  The mystique of Key West has spread across the globe.  Today when I ask potential buyers what their preferences are in a house, many say they want a house on the water.  Although Key West is an island, there are very few homes (or condos) that are on the water or that have water views. Those that do exist are usually priced fairly high. The house at 246 Key Haven Road offers an alternative to the little shack on the beach or a palatial home with commanding ocean views. This property is a family home that sits on a canal where the owner has deep water access within a couple of minutes after leaving your own private dock. You can be in Old Town in about ten minutes after leaving your front door. Click GOOGLE MAP for an aerial perspective.

246 Key Haven Road is an elevated home with 2407 sq ft of living space on the second and third floors. The second level is the primary living space which includes the living room, dining area, and kitchen. Four glass panel doors totally retract into a sidewall which then opens the interior living space to the outside. Likewise, the covered and screened second floor porch become part of the inside living space.  We experience the same affect in homes in Old Town and the Casa Marina Area, but here you look out to your boat and the water as an added bonus.   

If you're a cook, you'll love this kitchen. The solid maple cabinets are elegant and provide lots of storage. A single slab of the prettiest granite God ever made tops the island and the base cabinets. The laundry room is located just off the kitchen.

The master bedroom with en-suite bath are located on the far side of the living room. The bedroom space is extra large and provides space for a sitting area or office.  This room along with others in the home have plantation shutters that provide a sense of continuity of style throughout the home and also allow the occupant to control the amount of light that flows into the house.

A large cedar lined walk-in closet is located between the bedroom and bathroom. Bathroom fixtures include a large spa-tub, shower, and dual glass vessel sinks. (The bedroom, closet, and bathroom are probably larger than some of the smaller condos in Old Town.) The second bedroom and second bath are also located on this level.

The third floor can be used as a third bedroom or perhaps as a den/office/solarium.  A spiral wood staircase on the second level winds its way up the third floor to a space that is perhaps 10' X 20' that has clerestory windows on all four sides of the room.  The windows when opened will allow natural ventilation to move cool ocean air through the space.  I took photos looking down the Evergreen Canal and also looking west toward the Florida Keys Community College. On a good day you can see some of the large cruise ships at Mallory Square from this room.  This space would be great for a writer or an artist, a yoga devotee, or just somebody who wants a private place to be away from the world.

The ground level includes an entry hall and a huge storeroom. You cannot legally use ground level areas for living spaces because of FEMA regulations. The store room complies with government requirements. There is abundant under house parking as well as covered space off the back deck area. There is room at the rear of the property to build a pool.  Finally, this home comes with a davit and hoist for storing a boat out of water.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos of 246 Key Haven Road that is offered for sale at $799,000 or just $331 per sq ft.  I took more photos which you can see if you CLICK HERE.  But better than looking at photos on the internet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this home. I am a buyers agent and full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  If you want an home on an island surrounded by water and a place where you can have a boat to get quick access to either the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, this may be the place.