909 Southard Street - Old Town - Key West

909 Southard Street - Old Town - Key West in 2010

Just listed, but not by me, is the really interesting home at 909 Southard Street in Old Town Key West. I found an photo of the property taken in 1965 (see below). Compare the way the house looked then with the way it looks in 2010. Old Town Key West has a treasure trove of old houses like this: homes that have been protected from aggressive renovation or teardowns to build something new. There are some differences between the two. Can you spot them?

909 Southard Street circa 1965

The listing Realtor describes 909 Southard Street this way:

"Great Old Town home with location and charming. 2 bedroom 1.5 bath, dining and generous living room with French doors leading out to the back deck, center stair case takes you up to 2 good size bedrooms. This low maintenance home is perfect for sitting on the wonderful front porch to rock away the evening with friends, relaxing and watching the world go by."

The listing Realtor said so much with few words. He noted (1) location, (2) charm, (3) low maintenance, (4) front porch, (5) friends, and (6) watch the world go by. Some people that read my blog often comment about location. Comments about location are normally negative and reflect feelings about traffic or lack of parking. Southard Street is a feeder street in the daytime but it is very quiet after 5:00 PM and on weekends. This house has no parking nor a pool nor room for either. If you require one or both, this place will not work for you.

I like to point out the positive aspects of locations such as this property which is a 5 minute stroll to Duval Street or the Historic Key West Seaport. Second home owners and vacationers love the ability to walk out the front door and take a short jaunt to their favorite restaurant or the theater or maybe a drinking hole or an art gallery. Did you notice the small lane next to the house in the black and white photo? That is Hunt's Lane and there are just a few houses down this walking-only lane.

Some potential buyers say they want a "fixer". That is code for "I don't want to spend much and will do work myself to save money". I get it. But remember buying a place that has been fixed and does not need repairs can save you needless trips to the hospital or having to loot the kids' college fund. The good thing about this house is ready to move in and ready to start living. And it is priced at only $695,000 or $582 per sq ft.

Friends and relatives will visit you as soon as you tell them you bought a place in Key West. But if you are a little out-going, you will meet a lot of very interesting people that live here full time or (maybe like you) seasonally. I have been very fortunate to work with some very nice and most interesting people. They all have jobs and lives and most have kids in school or just about finished with college. A few couples have little ones. As a Key Wester you will meet other interesting people and new friendships will be made. Life in Key West does not revolve around Duval. It happens at dinner parties, cocktail parties, after theatre parties, art gallery receptions, sporting events, fishing, snorkeling, boating, etcetera.

The front porch is a throw back to American culture from long ago-before TV, the Internet, and Twitter. Key West has lots of front porches (like the porch at 909 Southard Street) where you can watch the world go by.

The bigger house across the street has a larger porch guarded by stone dogs but both houses get to watch the same parade.


CLICK HERE to checkout the mls listing datasheet and to view listing photos of the inside. Better yet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a showing of this charming Old Town home. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida.

909 Southard Street, Key West Florida - Bank Owned Property in Old Town

Just Listed, but not by me, 909 Southard Street, Key West, Florida. This is a Bank Owned home located on one of the best streets in Old Town.  My dear readers will be the first to see the inside as the listing brokerage does not have many photos available as of the time I write this.

I remembered having been inside this home several years ago, but I couldn't recall what it looked like. I then dug down into my old shoebox and found the above black and white picture taken in 1965. i wasn't around in Key West then. Study the photo and look at the cottages that appear to the right. Several decades that was a little walking lane known as "Bucks Court". Today it is called "Hunts Lane". The lane is nearly invisible as trees have grown all around the place. And the front of 909 Southard Street almost has been eclipsed by trees.

The above set of photos demonstrate that a second floor dormer was added to the original house sometime before 1965 and what it looks like today. They also show the house abuts the walking lane which also means there is a nice separation between this property and the larger house to the east.
The lane is too small for any motor vehicle. The people who live on these small lanes tend to be resourceful and friendly.

According to the Monroe County Property Appraiser records this home has 1194 sq ft of living space that sits on a 42' X 41' (1503 sq ft) lot.  I could not determine when the interior renovations were done. The roof appears to have been added in 1995 and a couple of other permits were made for improvements in the late 1980s. The interiors look to be of that vintage.

The front door enters into the living area which then flows into the kitchen. There is a divider that separates the two areas. Just to the right of the front entry is the first floor bedroom. It is surprisingly large and has French doors at the rear which open out to what used to be a lovely garden. The first floor bath is accessible from both the bedroom and a hall just off the front entry.

The kitchen isn't quite large enough to accommodate the refrigerator which is tucked away in a small addition at the rear. That room also houses the washer and dryer hook-up plus provides access to a half bath. The half bath has an "escape door" out to the street. I don't quite understand the purpose as being for any other purpose. There is another door off to the east side which provides interior access t the small back yard.

The above set of photos show the two second floor bedrooms which were created during a time before our Historic Architectural Review Commission was created. HARC would never allow a dormer this large to be added to a cottage today. That is not to say that the house looks bad. It only means our minders mind what we do with our houses and won't let us do what we want. We must do what they will allow.  CLICK HERE to view all photos of the interior and exterior.

909 Southard Street sits between 5 Brothers to the east and Mangia-Mangia and Michael's to the west. The historic seaport is a couple of blocks to the north and the cemetery is block the the south. Duval Street is a five minute walk to the west. You cannot get lost. You can, however, get your morning coffee and gossip, a cheap meal, an expensive meal, and maybe a deal if you buy this house by using Gary Thomas.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 909 Southard Street Key West which is offered for sale at $629,000. Then call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to get you inside before somebody else buys this place. It's not perfect but it is certainly livable and it has a lot going for it. Let's take a look. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Follow me on TWITTER for updates and new listings

Recent SOLD Bank Owned Homes in Key West

I have written three blogs since the first of January which discussed bank owned homes in Key West. I thought readers would like to see the actual price the banks received. Let's take a look. Click the address to read the blog. This will help readers appreciate the bargain the buyers got - well that two buyers got.

3222 Riviera Drive, Key West. Offered at $1,190,000. SOLD at $1,225,000. Multiple offers. Sold immediately.

1200 Whitehead Street, Key West. Offered at $912,000. SOLD at $1,351,000. Multiple offers. Sold immediately.

909 Southard Street, Key West. Originally offered at $629,900 and reduced to $614,900. SOLD at $597,000.  This house has a good location on an excellent street. It had a small lot and no off street parking. It needed work - a lot of work.

I realize that a lot of prospective buyers think that they can get a "deal" by buying a bank owned property. Some buyers do get deals. Some actually show up at the courthouse steps and bid on properties when the county sheriff sells them. That's always risky. Very risky.  I don't care how many sales presentations you go to hosted by tv personalities, buying something you have not been inside or have legal knowledge about can be perilous. Banks and foreclosing law firms do make mistakes and buying blindly is fraught with disaster. But sometimes buyers who take big risks get big rewards.

I think it makes more sense to work with a knowledgeable and experienced Realtor when buying any property but especially when buying some other person's loss. There is normally a reason why a person lost a property to a bank instead of selling it himself.

Revenge of the Projects of Key West

It's time for a new update so that my blog followers who have not been to Key West for several months can track the progress (or slowness) of some of the more interesting projects of Key West.

618 Grinnell Street looks quite attractive with its new yellowish color and the new addition at the rear. A pool has been installed, but it is not finished.  A couple of out buildings were added at the rear, but they are no where near complete either.

618 Grinnell St built 1889, photographed 1965

June 2011

September 2012

September 2012

618 Grinnell Street is being substantially rebuilt. The house was elevated and the old peers removed and replaced by new peers that were drilled and placed at cap rock. The back one-third of the house was removed and was rebuilt. New side porches were added to replace the porches that previously existed. The interiors are being re-purposed as well. A structural wall in the original home was removed by a prior owner. The current owner is putting that wall back where it originally was. The work is supposed to be finished by late November. Perhaps I will be able to share some final interior photos with my readers at that time.

911 Watson Street is probably a place you have never driven by because it is off the beaten path. Its notable neighbor to the north is the Key West Cemetery on Olivia Street. Bare Assets is its most famous neighbor to the south on Truman Avenue.  Few locals and fewer tourists drive down this one block street unless they are there for a specific reason. The original house at 911 Watson had several additions and out buildings most of which were demolished after the property was purchased a couple of years ago.  The main cottage was saved and is the focal point for the redevelopment of this incredible 10,000 sq ft lot. Local architect Matthew Stratton designed this project.

I have not discussed the project with the architect or builder. I think we are seeing three different parts of the new house emerge which will have the old house be the focal point where guests arrive. The formal living area and kitchen and dining will likely be at ground level on one side. Perhaps the family or guest bedrooms will be on the upper level. I suspect the master suite will be in the opposite building. Perhaps there will be a stairway from the master suite that leads down to the pool at the rear.

I think the "weathered" look of the front facade is intentional as the boards are crisp and clean. The sides are crisply painted. I like the juxtaposition if that is the fate of this front porch.

909 Flagler Avenue circa 1965

 The former church at 909 Flagler Avenue in the Casa Marina area was destroyed during Hurricane Wilma.  That building and two smaller wood frame buildings were demolished to create a 10,381 sq ft building lot (98' x 106'). The property is located adjacent to the truly historic Reynolds property next door to the left.

July 3rd - notice the firecracker Royal Poinciana Tree at the rear

 909 Flagler Avenue is another project designed by Matthew Stratton. I think the building on the far right will be the master suite as it is separated by what I think is the main living area in the center.  I'll bet family or guest bedrooms will be located to the rear of the garage.

924 Flagler Avenue circa 1965

The house across the street at 924 Flagler Avenue is a restoration of a beautiful Casa Marina home that was owned by one family until the current owner purchased the property a couple of years ago. The house recently had a new roof installed which is being complemented by new copper gutters and copper trim.  The original wood sash windows are being replaced with custom manufactured mahogany windows with hurricane wind resistant glass. These new windows will qualify this home for maximum windstorm insurance mitigation credits but will still retain the charm of this elegant home.

 You probably can't see it, but the original jalousie windows in the upper photograph are now replaced by custom made French doors made of mahogany with newly crafted paladin windows above. It's my theory, but only my theory, that the original paladin windows were meant to compliment the design of the Casa Marina hotel just one half a block away to the west. I found the photo below of the old dining room.

Slowly, but surely, the windows and doors are being replaced.  The original roof has also been replaced by new age materials that replicate the look of the old roof but that provide windstorm insurance credits the former roof was unable to do. Even the double garage got a new roof and copper gutters that will last this Casa Marina beauty well into the next century.

Another Casa Marina area home located at 817 Waddell Avenue has just been completed and is awaiting clean-up of building materials. This beautiful home was designed by Tom Pope. It is located at the corner of Reynolds Street and Waddell Avenue opposite the grounds of the Casa Marina Resort.  I wrote about the vacant lot when it was for sale a couple of years ago.  Construction has taken about one year if my recollection serves me well. I live a couple of blocks away and have taken progressive photos of the space from vacant lot through the stages of development. Landscaping was recently installed. I assume the interiors are complete as plantation shutters protect the interior from prying eyes and there is a nice chair on the second floor front porch for people watching.

December 2010 from Reynolds Street

Changed colors more than twice

817 Waddell Avenue - Key West

The one thing that puzzles me about the property above is why the side yard has not been fenced in.  You can see a new fence being installed about five feet from the pool house at the right rear. The adjacent side yard is probably too small to sell off to some other buyer.  It will be interesting to see how the vacant space is used once the construction has totally ended.

Another new house is the property being built at 615 Thomas Street in Bahama Village, just opposite to the parking entrance to the Shipyard Condominiums in Truman Annex.  An old relic of a falling down house used to sit at this location. Today a substantial new two story home is being constructed where the former cottage once stood. Instead of old school carpentry, this new house is using many modern day building features that will make this home a notable addition to the area.

 

Frequent readers will recall my former listing at 630 Elizabeth Street (below). The house sits at the very top of Solares Hill - the highest point on the Island of Key West. Passers-by could not help notice how badly she looked. The big old girl is getting a major face lift as well as new dentures, a tummy tuck, hip replacement, intestinal bypass, and breast augmentation. I kid you not (well just a little).

630 Elizabeth Street built circa 1887, photographed in 1965

This big old building was traditionally a two unit. In the very old days the downstairs unit was a neighborhood store. Presumably the owner lived on the second floor. Judging from the interiors when I had this property listed for sale, I would guess the interiors were updated in the 1970s. The downstairs was partitioned into several bedrooms with one shared bath and kitchen in the rear. A separate entrance on the left provided access to the second floor apartment which had two bedrooms, one bath and an open living-kitchen area. The front porch on the second level was unsafe and it was removed.  The main level had some noticeable foundation issues and it was the probably the cost of fixing the foundation more than any other issue that deterred most of the potential buyers who looked and lusted after this old house.

The new owner hired an experienced contractor and work has begun on the restoration.  The ground level floor was removed and new foundation built in place. The second level floor and some of the super structure were removed as well. New headers were placed around much of what will re-emerge as the second floor. I included a couple of photos below that permit you to see this great example of balloon framing where the exterior shell is built first. The second floor is then added. And finally interior framing and part ions are added at the end.  In this instance, the second floor balcony will get replaced and new and the old columns either replaced or repaired.  I am eager to see how this turns out. Anticipation!

Early photo showing balloon framing

Something akin to intestinal bypass

517 Elizabeth Street half a century ago

A block to the north the house at 517 Elizabeth Street is being given a new lease on life. Note the fake brick veneer and clam shell awnings that were added to modernize the original house decades ago.

517 Elizabeth Street looked like this in late March 2012 when this house sold in just a couple of weeks. The new owners engaged architect Tom Pope who worked with the new owners to develop a plan to update the house and to provide living spaces that we expect in contemporary Key West homes.

The "new" facade is beginning to appear. Specimen palms have been planted in front. The old garage and part of the rear will be demolished to make way for improvements at the back side and the addition of a pool.

 A couple of years ago I wrote a blog about the then "bank owned" house at 1030 Fleming Street. There was a flurry of interest in that property because of the size, location, and relatively cheap price.  One buyer got a really good deal and started the renovation which has taken nearly two years to get to its present status which appears to be nearly done. 

1030 Fleming before it became bank owned

Before it became bank owned

Renovation in progress December 2011

September 2012 renovation nearly complete

The house at 1030 Fleming Street sold for $530,000 in March 2010. I had a cash buyer who offered just a bit less. My buyer's wife was "iffy" on the project and wasn't committed to spending that much money on a bank owned house. My buyer drew a line in the sand and refused to go higher when presented with a 'best and final' opportunity. I have no idea how much the new owner will have spent on this property to redo the place, but I can guarantee you every dollar spent will have been worth it. The place looks great.  This is the kind of place you drive by and remember that you could have had it if only...

909 Pohalski Lane in late 2010

 I sold the little doll house shown above on Pohalski Lane in early 2011. A few months later most of the house was nearly destroyed by a fire. The owner and I learned the lessons of build back after damage.  HARC and the City of Key West Planning Department have rules regarding how a house damaged by fire or storm can be rebuilt.  The owner engaged noted local architect Tom Pope who designed a new house to fit into the space occupied by the former building. The front facade and part of the front roof were saved. Everything else will be brand spanking new. I will share more details when this house is completed. Until then look at the fire damage below (that section of the house was razed), and look at the front facade and part of the newly built two story house to the rear.

Living room

Dry walling in process

 

Work in Progress

Nearing completion - September 27, 2012

730 Southard St - 1970

730 Southard Street - September 27, 2012

The original house at 730 Southard Street was lived in by the same family for decades. After the matriarch passed a few years ago the property passed to her son who met an untimely demise as well. His widow sold the house in 2010 for $800,000 far short of the original $2,990,000 asking price when first listed in October 2008. The new owners hired Tom Pope as the architect and engaged Todd Kemp as their point person to coordinate the various professionals, contractors, and material men in the renovation of one of Key West's true landmark properties. Maybe someone will write a book about how this house got rebuilt. It is a story worth telling. I'd tell it, but I don't know the facts. I've only heard bits and pieces and watched some of the HARC proceedings on television. The owners deserve a gold medal!

2008

Rear View

 I believe the above photo dates from the 1970s.  Time took its toll on the house at
730 Southard Street. The new owners undertook an ambitious project when they decided to restore this wonderful part of Key West history from the ground up. See the photos below which track a bit of the process.

Original Kitchen being rebuilt from ground up

First and Second story wrap around porches re-engineered and newly built

Insulation under layment for new roof 

 

The restoration at 730 Southard Street has been amazing to watch. I underestimated the time and amount of work that would be necessary to bring
this old gal back to glory. 

The projects of Key West, aren't they something!