True Key West Real Estate Related Stories in the Time of Covid-19 Part Four

I have been selling houses in Key West since 1997 - that's 23 years. I picked up some good stories along the way. Last week I told my dear readers about the old lady who lived in a big derelict house on Southard Street who shooed me away from parking on the William Street side of her house. It was a great house then it became monumental chore for the aged woman to manage. Many of the big old houses in Old Town were in mild to deep disrepair when I started selling homes. The historic district dramatically changed over the past three decades as more and more of the tired old houses have been restored. The house above on Grinnell Street is one of those.

I showed that house many times over the years and wrote more than two cash offers on it, neither of which were accepted. It took that old woman many years to sell because she refused to let any of her various real estate agents show the house. She greeted all prospective buyers and took them through house repeating her life stories - plural.

The former owner's family had lived in this property for generations. My remarks about the prior owners are not intended to disparage anyone. Contrarily, I relish the somewhat odd experiences I had when I showed the house. This house, like so many of the grand old homes in Key West, was built by ship chandlers - men who built great sailing vessels. The houses were built to withstand strong winds and the elements. I will never forget standing with her on the second floor front porch as she recounted having watched a storm coming across from the Atlantic side of the island as it made its way toward the Gulf of Mexico a couple of blocks to the north. She remarked about how strong her father was during that storm and how well the house withstood the winds and rain.

The house looked similar when it was being lived in as it did when I photographed it in its first renovation except there was furniture and curtains. The new owner took down the two story addition at the rear which is where the former owners had their kitchen.

I remember the former owner's mother sitting at the kitchen table attending to a box of new born kittens during one showing. The older woman always sat in that room and always smiled as potential buyers passed by her table. The memories of the ancient matriarch and her progeny are all that remain of the events that occurred during the hundred years her family lived in this old house.

The once derelict house has been thoroughly restored and gentrified beyond the expectations of the former owners.  The house first sold in 2007 for $1,550,000.  Maybe the owner was correct in her marketing strategy after all.

912 Fleming Street, Key West = Price Reduction

The asking price on 912 Fleming Street, Key West, is now $2,250,000. The historic house dates back to the later 1890s and has been updated and expanded. It now has six bedrooms and five bathrooms. There is a 750 SF legal apartment in the front that the owners do not rent but instead store their children's toys and bikes. This space could be renovated into a large main floor master bath by a new owner.

The house sits at the front of the 5,650 SF Lot which extends 115 Feet from the street. The view from the inside looking out to the pool awes just about every single person who sees it for the first time.That's because the house next door is a huge estate with gigantic grounds giving 912 Fleming a sunny and totally private skyline.

The updated kitchen includes a breakfast bar, dining area, large pantry, wine cooler, and lots of cabinets. Glass sliding doors in the living room and kitchen open out to the 30 covered porch that looks out to the gardens and pool.

The master suite is in a newer addition to the house. It includes the bedroom, bath, plus good sized walk-in closet. The vaulted ceiling gives the space a bit a dramatic flair. There are two other bedroom which share a bath.

The current owners converted a former second floor apartment into additional family guest space that now includes a living room, two bedrooms, mini-kitchen, and bathroom. Doors open out to the front covered balcony giving guests a grand view of the homes on Key West's Millionaires Row.  CLICK HERE to view more photos.

912 Fleming Street has two valuable off street parking spaces including a covered space - that is a rarity on Old Town. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. to schedule a showing.  I received a phone yesterday afternoon from a gent who saw the house during an open house shortly after I change the listing price.  I think the new price will loosen up the wallets of many potential buyers who are waiting to buy. This house is poised to sell.

Key West from the Inside Out

Let's take a look at Key West from the inside looking out. And what a better place to start than the end.

From the front door on Passover Lane looking out to the Key West Cemetery.

From the dining area at the rear of a sweet little house in the 700 block of Southard Street.

From an apartment on upper Duval Street.

From a house on Grinnell Street looking down to a cottage on Cornish Lane.

From the master bedroom wing of a unique home across from Bayview Park.

From a guest cottage overlooking the home pool.

Three separate cottages on Fleming Street were combined and enlarged to create a stunning residence.

People all over the world know this location. Only a few ever got to see it from this vantage point.

From inside a bedroom at the front of the house looking out to Petronia Street.

A screened porch overlooking a cool pool on Von Phister Street in the Casa Marina Area.

From the screened rear porch of a Sanctuary Home on Golf Club Drive.

View from the third floor of a home a home Fleming Street artist who used this space for his studio.

 The swimming pool at this William Street home actually flows under this room.

Grand foyer of a home on Eisenhower Drive.

From the outside looking inside looking back outside at a home on Pinder Lane.

I will close out this little picture show of Key West houses viewing from the inside out. This home on Simonton Street is one of the most picturesque of any of the surviving untouched houses. It is being renovated at this time. If you wonder what is going to happen in Key West once people can return, they will. People want to flee the big cities and escape the boredom of mid-America and travel to our little island out in the middle of the ocean.

True Key West Real Estate Related Stories in the Time of Covid-19 Part Three

I was driving a potential buyer to an appointment one afternoon many years ago when he asked to stop at this house and ask the owner if he or she would sell it. I said that is not how it is done. He insisted so we got out of my car, entered the yard, knocked on the door, and introduced ourselves.

I had a "run-in" with the elderly woman owner a couple years prior when she told me I could not park in the public space in the street. I would see her from time to time sweeping the sidewalk as her house seemed to look as if it might fall down. I was surprised that the woman was so friendly that day - friendly to the extent she did not threaten me with her broom that is. She told us the house was not for sale but then retold her life story over the next forty-five to sixty minutes.  It was fascinating to hear the stories of how the Island of Key West had changed. She later passed away without having a will. Her son later tried to sell the house and reap the forturne he thought he had coming. He died and his widow tried to reap it. The house was priced too high and went through several real estate companies and many refused offers before it was sold.

I took photos of the house and wrote about it in my blog. The house appears much larger than it actually is.

I dug through my old shoe box and found photos I took of the master bedroom where there was a broken chair on one side and a table with a wash basin and slop jar. There was a bathroom adjacent. I really don't think the slop jar was for show.

The house was taken apart and put back together bit by bit.  The city hovered over the renovation making sure every dollar that could be spent was spent. And more.

I will never forget the old lady telling me I could not park my car on a public street. I wonder what she would think about her lifelong home.

The new owners purchased the smaller homes on either side and renovated those as well. They are in the final phase of renovating a large house on the opposite side of the street.