1101 17th Terrace - Key West - Bank Owned

Just listed, but not by me, 1101 17th Terrace which is located in the new town area of Key West. This three bedroom/two bath home is probably the cleanest and best maintained bank owned property I have seen in Key West.  As I walked thru this house taking photos, I could see the attention to detail the former owners put into this property.  It is comforting to believe that the former owners left this property with their heads held high knowing they left the home in near move-in condition.

The listing Realtor describes the home this way:

"Terrific opportunity to own a 3Br/2Bth home in New Town, Key West, FL. It has a nice sized living room, tiled floors, Florida room and, HUGE rear yard. You bet it has room for a pool, decking and more! Located close to shopping centers, professional offices, schools, restaurants, and more. Desirable family neighborhood with nice wide streets and well maintained homes with good curb appeal having grass and mature landscaping."

The photos below show the living area, kitchen and dining area, family room, master bedroom and bath, and two bedrooms with a shared bath.  All of the rooms are very well maintained. The tile floors are in really good condition. With a couple of minor exceptions, the walls and ceilings are in great condition.  The window in the living room will need replaced, but read on later about that.

The backyard is immense.  There is a screened-in patio plus a giant rear yard that has room for a huge pool.  It's funny that the back yard is mostly concrete and the front yard is so lush and green.  I think a new homeowner could have a wonderful time designing exactly the size and type of pool to add to this lot.  There's an existing little shed and even an old fashioned solar powered clothes line.  The house has off street parking to accommodate two cars.

Any purchaser ought to have a property inspected as part of the buying process. I noticed a couple of water stains on the interior ceiling and some of the fascia needs replaced.  All in all, I think a buyer looking for a family home in a really good Key West neighborhood ought to look at 1101 17th Terrace which is offered at $389,900 or $301 per sq ft for this 1296 sq ft home located on a 6,000 sq ft lot (60' X 100'). CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet.

I took more photos of this home which you can see if you CLICK HERE. This property is one of the least expensive homes in Key West. It ought to sell quickly, especially given the clean condition.  Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to arrange a private showing.   I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

409 Grinnell Street - Old Town -Key West

The two story Conch house at 409 Grinnell Street has been lovingly updated and looks picture perfect  The house first appeared in the 1889 Sanborn Fire Maps for Key West. I was surprised to learn that the adjacent Elgin Lane was named "Hidalgo Alley" in 1889.  As I looked through the old shoe box for photos of the property, I found a photo of a former resident that was taken in about 1918 - during World War I.  The photo shows Lawrence Higgs who was an inspector for the Florida East Coast Railway. The black and white photo below Mr. Higgs was taken in 1965 and shows how the house presumably looked for decades.  The color photo beneath shows the same property as it appeared in April 2011 - before the current owners purchased it. Note the metal louvers on the front and sides.  These louvers were replaced by real windows during the renovation. The owner told me that drywall covered two upstairs windows on the Elgin Lane side. New windows were added, the Dade County Pine walls were sanded, and the floors were sanded and refinished.  Two difficult small bedrooms became one large bedroom filled with light. Little changes were made throughout the house.  Living spaces became a bit more iser friendly for today's lifestyle. But the renovation kept the original character in tact.

The listing Realtor describes 409 Grinnell Street as:

"Beautifully renovated 2-story Old Town home located a few blocks from the Historic Sea Port. This grand Key West home displays Dade County Pine and a picture perfect interior. The 45' deep by 27' back yard includes an outdoor shower & plenty of room for a nice pool, decking, and garden."

I showed this property last week and told my buyers that this home looks quite similar to the way a lot of the older homes looked when I first started selling houses in Key West. That was before granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, and designer baths became the rage. Things were more simple two decades ago.

Drywall from an earlier renovation was removed. Much of the original Dade County Pine walls, ceiling, and floors remained intact and in very good condition.  The original wood walls were sanded and had a clear coat added.  The trim was painted a crisp white to make the wood walls appear more robust.  The floors were all sanded and refinished. The house now has a uniform look throughout without having a "staged" look. Let me tell you there is a world of difference between original floors and some of the stuff retailers are passing off today. The closet under the elegant staircase became a wine storage room sans temperature control. It works - naturally.

The first floor has a bedroom which currently has an overly large bed and armoire that makes the room seem pretty small. The room is fine. It's the furniture that is perhaps too big for the room. The adjacent bath does "double duty" so to speak. The bath doubles as a guest bath. The bathroom is quite large. Notice the Dade County Pine walls and ceiling and the old style tiled floor. The bath tub hearkens bath to yesteryear as well. An opaque window provides lots of light and lots of privacy.

As soon as you enter the house your eyes are through the living area and then past the dining room where you see the kitchen. You see an old refrigerator and smile. Cute. Must be a gimmick - a piece of nostalgia.  Not so. When you look more closely you see the Crosley Refrigerator and the Kelvinator double oven stove with polished chrome top. The original temperature settings still guide the cook as the best method for making real meals (not the nuked kind so many people eat today).

The beautiful stairway leads to the second floor landing which then leads to three bedrooms on this floor. The bedroom on the Elgin Lane side was previously two small rooms where drywall covered the window at the rear. The interior wall was removed to create a new large bedroom.  The front covered balcony is adjacent where you might have your morning coffee while watching tourists and locals stop by the Old Town Bakery just across the street and down on the corner. If I lived here I'd be ever so fat. That bakery ought to be declared a sin for the pastries are sinfully delicious.)

A second bedroom is located on the south side.  The third bedroom is located at the rear. It is smallish and makes a good den for the current owners. There is but one second floor bath. It is, however, quite large.

The rear of this property is still pretty much a blank canvas where a new owner can create his or her or their vision of the idyllic Key West back yard with pool or whatever. The space is quite large and provides adequate room for a pool. There is room for pool contractor to bring in a equipment to build the pool via adjacent Elgin Lane. The laundry and a cute outdoor shower are located here as well.
CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this cute Key West home.

409 Grinnell Street is offered for sale at $1,100,000 or $652 per sq ft for this 1688 sq ft four bedroom/two bath home. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to see listing photos. After you have looked at that, please contact 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.

1411 Olivia Street - The Meadows Area - Key West

Key West is known for its love affair with old houses.  Some places are big; some are small; some are ornate; some are droll; some are expensive; and most others are more expensive! Some homes are full time-residences and others are part-time places where owners hope to retire to in the not so distant future.  Some places are fixer-uppers and others are done to the hilt. Some places historic but a few places are relatively new. It is, however, the older homes that most would-be new buyers seek. The home located at 1411 Olivia Street in Key West is listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that's where I work but this is not my listing.  The listing Realtor describes this home thus:

"This charming Key West home is located in the Meadows area of old town. A vintage iron gate and a wide, sunny front porch offer a welcome entry to the house. Inside are beautiful wood floors, high ceilings and bright rooms. In addition to the two bedrooms and two baths, there are two loft bedrooms not included in the square footage. The Florida room opens through a wall of glass doors to the bricked patio and garden which includes an outdoor shower. The patio area is fenced and gated and very private. This is a must see for those wanting historic charm in a lovely setting."

 I found this black and white photo below (taken in 1965) that has the notation the house was built circa 1926.  I looked in the Sanborn Fire Maps which show the house existed in 1912. The prior Sanborn Map was done in 1899 which suggests the house was built sometime between those years.

The house has 1334 sq ft of living space on one floor which includes two bedrooms and two baths. The listing Realtor notes the house has additional living space in the second floor loft which is not counted as actual living area. 

 1411 Olivia Street is offered at $629,000.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls database and listing photos. Then call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this colorful Key West property.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.