2645 Gulfview Drive, Key West - Waterfront Property on the Gulf of Mexico

2645 Gulfview Drive is a smart looking 1600 square foot home located at Gulfview Point (formerly known as Roosevelt Annex) in Key West where each of the 25 single-family homes and town homes  are located on the water and sited for exquisite views of the setting sun over the Gulf of Mexico. Gulfpoint Annex continues to be an exclusive community with a neighborhood of homes surrounded by water on three sides.  This is the only place of this kind in Key West! Click GOOGLE MAP for an aerial perspective of the property and its relationship to the water.

This development was built by Pritam Shingh who also developed Truman Annex, the Key West Golf Club Community, Parrot Key Resort, and the new Marker Hotel in Old Town Key West. Each of the residential communities have the look and feel of small town America. After you pass the gated entry the road winds through the friendly neighborhood. Many but not all of the homes have covered off street parking (this one does). 2645 Gulfpoint Drive is located near the far end of the private road which means you won't be hearing or seeing other vehicles drive by your home. 

The main living level provides a lot of living space both indoors and outdoors. The family chef will have water views from the kitchen as he or she looks through the living area and out to the Gulf of Mexico. There is a spare room tucked off to the right side of the living room which has pocket doors to provide privacy when needed.  An owner might use that space as a dining room, home office, den, or maybe as a guest bedroom. (There is a half bath on this floor as well.) There is an expansive covered deck with steps that lead down to the larger open deck at pool side. Just beyond the picket fence is a walking trail that wraps around all three sides of the development. This is a great place to walk the family dog. Some owners have installed floating (non-permanent) docks to moor small boats at waters edge.

On the second floor there are two guest bedrooms at the front of the house. The bedroom on the west side has a door that opens to the front balcony which overlooks Gulfview Drive. Both bedrooms have vaulted ceilings which enhance the spatial feel in these rooms. The master bedroom with en-suite bath is at the rear where there is a covered deck that has commanding views of the water. I had a listing that I sold at Gulfview last year. Each time I took potential buyers out to either deck their jaws dropped - the views are just incredibly beautiful and so serene. So many people dream of moving to Key West and imagine the joys of living on an island. The reality in Key West is that there are very few homes that have any sort of water view.  This home is the exception to that rule! Here you can actually see the water every day and watch amazing sea and sky change as the morning turns to day and the day turns to night. You'll see sunny skies and foreboding clouds and even watch and listen as thunder claps across the vast open water. You'll have a view that very few people get to have in our little town.

There is a home owner association which requires payment of monthly fees of $372 which includes cable television, security, and grounds maintenance. The park-like grounds are meticulously maintained. Pets are permitted with restrictions. CLICK HERE to see more photos which I took.

2645 Gulview Drive is offered for sale at $849,900. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. 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. Let me help you find your perfect place in Paradise. This just might be that place!

Small World of Ronny Bailey - Love, Joy, and Peace in a Box

My friend and local folk artist Ronny Bailey dropped by my office on Monday to show me his latest creation - a kit to create your very own Key West Cigar Maker Cottage "Dream Home".  When I was little kid growing up in the 1950s many paint by numbers kits were sold with color-coded drawings whereby the home artist would paint between the lines to paint blue or whatever the color might be in appropriate spaces.  If you painted inside the lines and used the correct color, you would have your very own original copy of a manufactured piece of art. I did several. I wish I had saved at least one. But like almost everything from my youth, it got tossed.

Ronny's box promises to be more challenging and a lot more art worthy in my opinion.  Ronny describes the kit as:
Artist kit creates artwork 12.5"tall by 11.5" wide.Inside the kit you will find all you need to create your own unique work of art. Includes quality wood pieces, handcrafted window, door, attic vent, and mailbox, glue-no nails or screws required, paint 1 oz. each of white, black, red, blue and yellow, paint pallet and color mixing guide, 3 quality paint brushes,hanging hardware, wax paper to protect your work surface, easy instructions, and tips from the artist.

 Ronny opened the box with pride and gently removed the packing material from the door and window. He explained that local custom cabinet maker Hansen and Bringle fabricated the pieces made of poplar wood. The door and window were custom made using individual pieces of wood, just like the real thing, so that the finished cottage would look authentic.

The home artist gets to complete the cottage using the enclosed paints.  If you are a fan of Ronny's original pieces, you'll quickly see that none of his houses has any of the primary colors contained in the little bag. Come to think of it, most artists start out with similar primary colors to create a universe of totally different pieces of art. However, his completed prototype totally disproves what I just wrote.

Ronny created a prototype.  I wonder what you could create. You can give it a try. CLICK HERE
to see Ronny's Facebook Page where you can learn how to purchase the kit.

And remember to call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com if you want to buy a genuine cigar maker's cottage or any other home in Key West. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1401 Grinnell Street, Key West - Afflordable Home in the Prestigious Casa Marina Area

Just Listed, but not be me,  recently built home in the Prestigious Casa Marina Area of Key West. The listing Realtor describes 1401 Grinnell Street as:

"Great location! Corner lot in Casa Marina. Newer 3 bed, 1 bath slightly elevated home in much desired Casa Marina neighborhood." 

The home is a very simple 3 bedroom, 2 bath 1003 sq foot single level modular home constructed in 2003. You could not expect something more plain. It is built on a decent sized lot which measures 45' (on Grinnell) X 96' (on Souht) or 4,331.00 SF. A couple of nearby homes on Grinnell are smallish mid-century CBS construction. A large mid-century home is located next door to the east. The neighborhood has a mix of late 19th Century, mid-Twentieth Century, and relatively recent renovations. There is a stunning 21st Century home 900 block of South which was designed by Tom Pope with landscape and pool by Craig Reynolds.

Most of the homes in the Casa Marina Area sell for more than $1,000,000. That is why I think this home is an attractive buy at the asking price of $659,000 or $653 per sq ft.  The average price per sq ft in the Casa Marina Area was $688.49 during the past six months. This home may not have all the bells and whistles the others had, but it has the location. And since this house is of recent construction, it could be razed and rebuilt or maybe expanded. Or maybe bought as a land hold and expansion onto an adjacent lot at some future date.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 1401 Grinnell Street. Then call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a personal inspection. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

Happy 4th of July from Key West, Florida!

Happy 4th of July!

from
Key West, Florida

1105 Petronia Street, Key West - Petunia & Poppy are Adorable!

Just Listed (but not by me) 1105 Petronia Street which is located in the Old Town area of Key West. The listing Realtor perfectly describes this quaint abode this way as a:

"Monthly vacation rental duplex! Petunia and Poppy are absolutely adorable. Poppy is a one bedroom/one bath sanctum with brand new everything, and a sweet porch perfect for people watching in its quiet Old Town neighborhood. Petunia is a two bedroom/one bath retreat with private covered deck and outdoor shower. Both units have been meticulously renovated and appointed with a unique design aesthetic that is both whimsical and upscale. Both feature modern baths, kitchens, and laundries, and Petunia even boasts a clever Key West Coffee bar. Both units sold completely turnkey with seasonal rentals in place."

 I had the good fortune to show this adorable home a few days ago. I arrived early and sat on the front porch to take in the view. Petronia Street at this location is a one-way street from White Street. It dead-ends at the Frances Street which is the east boundary of the Key West cemetery just about 100 feet or so west of the house. This is a very quiet location. The street scape is Key West perfection!

It would be tough to decide which of the two units is the cutest. Ask any mother which of her kids she likes the most. (Well, maybe that's not the best idea, but you get what I mean.)  The front unit is the one bedroom. The vaulted ceiling in the living room and bedroom gives both spaces so much dimension. You forget you are in a small cottage. The interiors are all new and were superbly renovated and decorated. This place comes fully furnished and includes monthly rentals booked in advance. 

I am sure you noticed the traditional white picket fence at the front. But did you also notice that there are two gates, one which leads to the front unit but also a gate on the side which leads to the rear two bedroom unit?  When you enter the rear unit you immediately see a vestibule with built-in bench and pegs for hanging coats and bags and stuff. Then you turn and enter the living area. Then you say "On My Gosh! I wasn't expecting this!" It is just so damned precious. There is nothing not to like in this house. Not one thing. After you gain your composure and start to checkout the details, you notice that it is the attention to details that makes this place so charming. Everywhere you look you see some little thing that by itself is functional and uniquely attractive.

The rear covered deck is so inviting. Instead of people watching, guests here will experience the privacy and solitude a lot of people who live in big cities never get. If you want to be with people you can walk a couple of blocks to go to Dante's to lay by the pool and drink cocktails all day long  or mosey over to Duval Street at night to eat and party. But if you want to read or write a book, that covered deck might just be the place to do either.

Even the inside of the drawers in this cute little chest are painted. Details. Details. Details. The details are not tedious. They are meticulous. This place is simple. Or should I say "simply elegant!"?  

1105 Petronia Street ought to work well for the buyer who wants a place to use during season and at other occasions throughout the year but who also wants a place that can be rented as a monthly vacation rental that will generate income to help pay for the cost of ownership. I have sold houses to two different couples who have rented their places so often that they can't use the homes themselves because they would lose so much income. (One couple bought a small condo just so they would have a place to stay. And the other couple has been looking for a similar property.) Petunia and Poppy would give a new owner a place to stay and a place to rent. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of the property. 

This charming property is offered for sale at the asking price of $1,100,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view more of the listing photos. The photographer did a bang-up job on this. After you have looked at the photos, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com to schedule your own private view of this captivating property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.