1211 Grinnell Street, Key West - Key West Short Sale

If you've been sitting around patiently looking for a buying opportunity in Key West now is the time to pounce on 1211 Grinnell Street. The listing Realtor describes this two story  1360 sq ft home this way:

"Beautiful fee simple home in wonderful Grinnell Gardens compound, a unique compound consisting of 7 units with a large shared pool. Built in 1994 & in great shape, this attached home has two spacious bedrooms & two and one-half baths. Enjoy an open & lovely great room, a kitchen with granite counters & stainless steel appliances & wood floors throughout. The master suite has cathedral ceilings, Jacuzzi bath tub, a loft and a large balcony overlooking the pool. Venetian painted walls, private back porch and a yard complete the picture. Close to the beaches and Duval Street. This is a potential short sale transaction subject to lender approval. Buyer to pay 1.5% short sale negotiator fee. Bring Offers!"

 It's been a while since we've had a short sale in Old Town. Most of the bargain short sale deals got gobbled up a few years back. This property is being offered for sale at a price which is less than the owner owes to creditors. This property was previously under contract and a recent appraisal was obtained. In my opinion the property is appropriately priced and ought to sell at the asking price. Let me take you through the property.

 1211 Grinnell Street is located near the pool. I have shown several of the Grinnell Garden homes over the years and learned that three of the homes actually have private pools. All home owners share in the costs of maintaining the common areas and the pool, but common sense suggests that only four of the owners actually use the pool. The pool view is pretty enticing no matter from which home it is viewed.

You will notice that the homes in the Grinnell Gardens compound copy the revival style architecture found in many Old Town homes. All of the homes are two story residences with first and second floor porches except the one story building located behind the community pool. Each unit has a rear deck or patio.  While each home looks similar to the others, the homes have been modified by their respective owners since the properties were built in 1994.  This owner used a painting technique called Venetian Plaster to paint the interior walls and ceilings.  The owner purchased this home per-construction and added additional insulation between the party wall and floors to provide more sound insulation. There is a half-bath plus storage tucked under the staircase. French doors at the rear lead to the private rear deck and yard.

Home next door treats the loft space a little differently

Both second floor bedrooms are pretty good size. There is a third level "loft" in the master bedroom which is accessed with a ladder. I found a photo of the loft space in the house next door where the space is treated differently.  That owner also replaced the original kitchen cabinets and counter tops. If I bought 1211 Grinnell I would probably paint the interiors a more neutral tone and stain the wood floors a dark color to play against the lighter painted walls and crispy white trim. I would remove the glass blocks from the loft area. These inexpensive fixes would give this home a much more traditional look.

Each unit has its own dedicated off street parking spot. The common area is fenced and is accessed via a gated entry.

Click GOOGLE MAP to see where 1211 Grinnell Street is located. This property is located in the South of Truman area  of Old Town. The beaches are located about six blocks to the south. Upper Duval Street is a five minute walk to the west. The shops and restaurants in the arts district around White Street are a five minute walk to the east. While most of the units are owner occupied, it is legally permissible to rent this unit as a monthly vacation rental.


CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. It's time to bring Tabby inside from the heat and settle down in a new house.

1104 South Street - The Casa Marina Area - Key West

You know the saying "You can't judge a book by its cover". Well in Key West real estate you often cannot tell how incredible a house is by the view from the street. The home at 1104 South Street presents a simple facade. If you are just driving by, you might think the house sits above the garage blow. And you would be wrong.  Passers by have no idea how magical the house is behind the facade.

Two glass panel doors at the front driveway open to a entry where water drips down flagstone walls and delivers you to an intersecting exterior walkway that leads to the main entry or alternately to the pool and garden area. The listing Realtor describes this home this way:

"With a pleasing but unassuming exterior, this house is a dramatic surprise inside. Entrance is through a long cool breezeway with trickling water walls on either side. This leads to a series of interconnected pavilions with soaring cathedral ceilings and walls of French doors. The huge living room, spacious dining room, kitchen and study surround an intimate courtyard with lushly landscaped swimming pool. The secluded master suite has four walls of windows and several inviting balconies. There is a bedroom suite downstairs and a separate guest bedroom and bath upstairs with its own rooftop deck. All this and an enclosed garage too. This unique home is very special."

The living room and adjacent study provide comfortable living spaces. Both rooms have French doors that open out to the deck and pool area. The study area flows into the kitchen which flows into the dining pavilion.

This home is a bit of a contradiction. It sort of looks all glamorous and almost to perfect to live in. And yet it has such an easy flow and genuine relaxed and comfortable feeling when you are there. I immediately "got" this place. I know I would love living here. Even though the house is pretty amazing, it is the easy transition from the architecturally interesting interiors to the simple pool and lush gardens that make this home very appealing.

The large canvas sails over the pool deck area emanate from the second floor guest suite which has its own sun deck which provides the perfect place to get a stunning Key West all over tan. The bedroom with ensuite bath is just adorable.

There is a main level guest suite and bath located on the main level. I took more photos of this wonderful home which you may see if you CLICK HERE.

The master bedroom is located on the second floor of the "carriage house" at the front of the property. This space is both expansive and dramatic.

French doors open from the bedroom and bathroom out to two separate covered second floor balconies. I can imagine sitting out here in the morning sipping coffee and watching neighbors out walking the dog or jogging. At night you could look off to the west and see our magnificent Key West flirted just a bit by the swaying palms that dot the Casa Marina neighborhood.


CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 1104 South Street which is offered by Preferred Properties Key West at the asking price of $2,045,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this special home. There is not another like this in all of Key West. 

2312 N. Roosevelt Blvd. Key West, Florida - Waterfront Commercial

I wrote about 2312 North Roosevelt Boulevard in Key West soon after it was listed in April. It's time for a second look as this interesting commercial property with terrific US 1 frontage remains unsold. This nearly 20,000 sq ft lot (102' X 194')  lot is located opposite the Key West Yacht Club. There is a traffic study available to prospective buyers to study the tremendous traffic flow that passes this location each day as tourists and locals make their way into the Old Town just a few blocks to the west.

I dug into my old shoebox and found an aerial photo from the not too distant pass taken by Ty Symroski and Wendy Tucker.  I have added arrows to point out the location of 2312 N. Roosevelt which is shown just opposite the Yacht Club. The small Hilton Haven residential enclave is located on the backside of the Yacht Club.

2312 N. Roosevelt Blvd. Photo in 1999

The two year long widening and enhancement of  US 1 from its entrance onto the Island of Key West to White Street was completed in 2014. Within the couple of months the renovation of the four large hotels at the US1 gateway onto to the island of Key West will be compete. They will join in the renaissance that is transforming North Roosevelt Boulevard as it winds its way alongside the Gulf of Mexico toward Old Town. The black and white photo above was taken back in 1965. It shows nearby 1704 N. Roosevelt Blvd. back in 1964. The old Dairy Freeze is history now. Today there is a modern office building in that location. The vast open area behind it is now the athletic field at the Horace O'Bryant School.  I point out the old so that prospective buyers can understand that what was in the past does not mean that an existing use must stay that way in the future. Some smart buyer will purchase 2312 N. Roosevelt and may totally change the present use to something quite different.. 

I walked the entire lot while taking photos for this blog. The width and depth of the space is much larger in person than it appears in these photos.  The 102' ft depth is equal to two large modular homes. The frontage is equal to nearly four modular homes. If you are a developer you'll appreciate the size of the lot.  The lot is located opposite the Yacht Club. The existing building could be razed and a new structure built. With hotel rooms in the Key West core hitting $400 per night, this space might work well for a new small boutique hotel of maybe 20 rooms with yacht club views but more moderate prices. Or maybe a new owner would build quality retail or office space down and create several long term residential units on the second floor. CLICK HERE  to view the Key West mls datasheet on the land parcel.

The tire and auto repair business has been established over 40 years and has extensive name recognition plus repeat customers and significant contract work for government and local businesses Real estate also for sale but business will have to relocate if sold separately from real property. The existing Business Opportunity (Banner Tire Company) is also available for purchase separate from the building/lot offer. This tire and auto repair business has been established over 40 years with extensive name recognition and repeat customers including contract work. The building and lot are for sale but business will have to relocate if sold separately from real property. CLICK HERE  to view the Key West mls datasheet on the business opportunity only. 

Both of the above listings are listed by Preferred Properties Key West.  Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, for more information. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.