918 Southard Street #105, Key West, Florida - Just Listed

Just Listed 918 Southard Street #105 which is located in the Southard Square Condominiums in the Heart of Old Town Key West. The listing Realtor describes this unit thus:

"In the very heart of Old Town and convenient to everything Key West has to offer! Nestled amongst lush tropical foliage, adjoining the pool, is this newly renovated two-bedroom two bath condo corner, one level unit on the ground floor. Surrounding the unit is a wraparound private patio. Entering you are greeted with lots of windows and sliding glass doors revealing bright sun light. Open living /dining area with a built-in bar. The custom kitchen has bright white cabinets with stainless appliances. The guest/tv room is directly across from a large bathroom. Leading down the hallway is another large bathroom, built dressing area and master bedroom. This unit has abundance of storage and large closets. Beautiful community pool and club house. One designated off street parking space."

Let's take a look.

Southard Square it located four blocks east of Duval and three blocks south of the Historic Seaport. This unit is located at the rear of the compound and across from the pool and community room.

The check mark in the aerial photo above shows the location of this two bedroom two bath unit, Ithas 1,034 square feet of living space located on one floor - no stairs. And since it located at the rear of the complex it is very private. There is assigned off street parking. The monthly condo fees are $600 which covers all insurances, building maintenance, pool and common area maintenance.

The pool is large and sun blessed. The deck has lots of space for tanning and some shady areas as well. The community room has a small kitchen and gathering area plus restroom. Five Brothers is located about 200 feet or so to the east of the complex. If it's not your favorite spot to get cafe con leche, it probably will be once you move here.

918 Southard Street #105 is offered for sale at $875,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos 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. 

Key West Real Estate Trivial Pursuit - Part Three

Key West has changed so much since the first time I visited in 1984. I have lived here since 1993 and drive up and down the streets almost every day. I can go for months not seeing a particular area on the island, see that something has changed, and try to remember what was there before. Let's look at a few "before" photos to see if you know where the property is located. They will be easy this third time as I am placing a current photo under the property.

Number 1

 I took the above photo around 1998. I searched my old shoebox and found a photo of the same properties in 1965 - see below. There were two buildings bridged together to for what looks to be an apartment complex. If you closely it appears that first and second floor porches were enclosed with louver shutters to expand the interior living space. It also looks like the exterior had new fashioned asbestos siding added The center building may have been a laundry area.  I searched the Sanborn Fire Maps which showed buildings on both sites dating back to 1889. The building on the far right is too large to be the building on that site in 1889 and appears to have been added prior to 1912.

I also found an aerial photo of the Army Barracks located across the street. I added check marks to show the two still unidentified buildings.

This is the same location photographed a couple of days ago. Everyone will get this one.

Number 2

I remember sitting in my car at one of the few four-way traffic light intersections in town looking at the ugly one story "modern" CBS building blocking the view of some older building to the rear. I kept wishing someone would by the place, tear it down, and restore the building in the rear. I took a photo of the building but have not been able to find it. I did find the two above photos in the Monroe County Library collection. I took the photo below of that same location a couple of days ago. It is one of the more remarkable renovations in town. I am sure you will agree.

Number 3

I took photos of the side by side properties around twenty years ago. Both properties have changed immensely. The top photo was four apartments which were converted into condominiums. I took new photos of both properties yesterday. The condos are surrounded by palm trees so that photo is useless. I sold the house next door. I remember sitting inside the kitchen watching television coverage of the the US invasion of Baghdad on the day we did the home inspection. The place is beautiful today.  I think a lot of people drive by houses with peeling paint and think the insides must be awful. That is not always the case.  Some owners continue to let the outside look bad to fool the taxman. That is why I tell potential buyers to take a look. You never know what you may see.

Number 4

I borrowed a couple of photos from the Monroe County Library which show this location before there was a building and when there was a car sales lot. In recent years the property was a car rental business. That location sold in June 2020 for $7,025,000. It will become a parking lot. That was a steal.

If you are looking to buy a house in Key West consider calling me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. I'll tell you lots of colorful stories about the way Key West used to be and how wonderful a place it is to live today.

725 Poorhouse Lane, Key West, Florida

In his book The Streets of Key West: A History Through Street Names author J. Willis Burke informs us that "Over the other side of Solares Hill a couple of entries are self-explanatory. Galveston Lane is named for the Texas gulf coastal city that was served by the Mallory Steamship Company, and off Windsor, on Poorhouse Lane, a poorhouse was once tucked away." You may ask yourself why anybody would want to live on a street with such a desperate appellation. Most of the houses on Galveston and  Poorhouse lanes were modest in construction and it was the price of rent or ownership that made houses on these lanes desirable. Over the past three decades most of the houses on Poorhouse have been or are being renovated to some degree. Let's look at 725 Poorhouse Lane, Key West which will surprise most readers. It certainly did me.

I have a customer who is actually "renovating" a house a hundred feet or so to the east of 725 Poorhouse Lane shown above. I often park my car in the neighborhood parking area across the street. I have walked or driven past this house dozens and dozens of time. I thought it probably dated back to the 1890s. I attended an open house yesterday afternoon when the listing Realtor told me it was newly constructed in 1997. I went to my old shoebox and found two photos which explain what happened. The first photo shows the house that originally sat on the lot followed by another photo of it and the house next door destroyed by fire in 1992.

The Monroe County Property Appraiser records show the original house was demolished in 1996 and a new house built in its place in 1997. Jay Fairbanks was the general contractor. He has built some of the best homes in Key West.

The above photos show the new house as it appears today. Notice the old cement fence was not destroyed by the fire nor was the Cuban tile front porch. The new house was built to match the original house. I entered the door still thinking the place was old. It looks it, but that look is intentional. Unlike so many new houses and renovations, the character of this house reflects the aesthetic of generations long passed. It is so simple. It is solid. It is functional. The Location is incredible.

The listing Realtor describes the house this way:

"Substantial price reduction on replica of an Historic Old Town home. Built in 1996 and a Gold Star Recipient of the Historic Florida Keys Foundation Award for Excellence in New Construction, this 2 bedroom 2 1/2 bathroom home is being offered for sale from the original owner. Some of the features are Shutter Hung windows, hardwood floors throughout, Hardi board siding, off street parking, separate utility shed with power and water, large covered porches front and rear, custom kitchen cabinets, freshly painted inside and out, spacious closets in both bedrooms, drop down attic stairs, central AC, irrigation for plants, fully fenced, brick paver patios and room for a pool. Great as vacation rental or primary residence. Walk anywhere in Old Town from here."

Like most first time guests to a house in Key West, my eyes and then my feet were drawn to the covered rear porch and rear garden. The irregularly shaped 3,000 sq ft lot is large enough to add a small pool if one wanted one. Not every  owner wants a pool. Having the space gives a new owner th opportunity to do whatever he or she or they, them, etc. want.

All of the louver-style windows are/were new as construction. They were used in several large homes in Old Town, Truman Annex, and The Meadows in the 1980s and 1990s. A simple twist of the know opens and shuts the louvers. There is screen as well. I was immediately drawn to take a closer look and was sold on the views. They are keepers. The front bedroom looks across Poorhouse lane as it wraps up toward Olivia Street. You can also look out to Bill Butler Park. The rear bedroom also looks out to the park and also to the backside of a major home on Upper William Street. There are two major homes on that street and that is all I will say about that! You gotta see the views!

There are potential buyers who would see the falling down cottage across the street and down a piece as revolting. I beg to differ. I know someday it will be renovated and made all new and fancy. Until then I revel is its glory. There are so few of these original houses left. That's part of the joy of living on Poorhouse Lane. You can walk your dog down the lane to do its duty or let you kids or grandkids play in the park next door. All the stuff on Duval and the Seaport is within easy walking distance. And yet is so far away as it is like it doesn't matter at all.

The park is under renovation. Hurry up City of Key West. Kids need this finished.

From August 2018 Progress Takes Time

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 725 Poorhouse Lane now offered at $960,000. Then 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. You are going to like this house and love this quiet location.

This Happened Today in Key West

A fellow Realtor told me about a soon to be listing which I drove by last week. The light was bad so I decided to go back earlier this afternoon. I took some "before completed" photos to contrast with the finished house. I stepped back a few feet to get a distance shot when this guy photo bombs my shot.

This is real life in Key West with million dollar views. I cherish these views. This is real life.

You could live in some plastic version of you life in New Jersey.  You could. You may be doing so right now. But why?  You get one chance of life. Do what this guy is doing, but with more planning. If you have the money, do it.