A Nesting Place - 4 Lowe Lane - Key West

Why is it that so many home owners in Key West get attracted to little lanes in Old Town? Lanes are small and difficult to maneuver if you have a big car. Strangers have difficulty finding your house and friends can't park in front because there is no place to park. Guys with big egos who like to showoff to the world how rich they are can't impress anybody with a house on a lane that nobody can find. And houses on lanes aren't big anyway. What is the attraction?

Author Thomas Sanchez (Mile Zero) wrote " I live on a lane called love. Love Lane's behind the library. Key West is filled with little lanes with cute names." The lanes of Key West are quaint but they weren't made for big egos and big cars. The attraction might be the small spaces and seclusion that lure some buyers into becoming owners who can then build a nest that they can fluff and call home.

Such is 4 Lowe Lane in Old Town Key West. I found another old photo of 4 Lowe Lane that was taken in 1965. (See above.) An adjacent house to the west no longer exists. In it's place you will see a new addition (see photo at top of this blog) that is now the living room with vaulted ceiling and double sets of French doors. A white picket fence and tropical foliage separate this home from the lane. Other houses on this lane have evolved into hidden gems as well. Each home is different from the next but all share the common lane dead end lane and have a mutual appreciation for living on a road less traveled.

The listing Realtor describes this property thus:

"This charming & elegant cottage is situated on a quiet & secluded Old Town lane. The house is approached through an inviting bricked & lushly landscaped courtyard. The dramatic vaulted ceilinged great room has two pairs of French doors opening to the front porch overlooking the garden & two more sets of French doors in the rear overlooking the solar heated swimming pool. The large sunny kitchen also has two pairs of French doors opening out to the pool and terrace. Downstairs are two bedrooms, one with a vaulted ceiling & the other opening to yet another shady porch. There is a full bath downstairs and a large laundry which could easily be another bath. The master suite is upstairs with a skylit bathroom and a sundeck. One parking space."

4 Lowe Lane is offered for sale at $995,000 by Preferred Properties Coastal Realty. It is located near where everything seems to happen, but it is not amid all the hub-bub. The Historic Key West Seaport is only a couple of blocks to the north. Duval Street is a five minute walk to the west. Five Brothers Sandwich shop is up on the corner. Life's necessities are within an easy walk no matter which direction you take. CLICK HERE to checkout the mls datasheet and listing photos.

Living on Lowe Lane is like living on an island within the island of Key West. The rooftop deck off the second floor bedroom provides sunlight and seclusion. It is your own private little place to veg out, read a book, take a snooze, or whatever-whenever!

Secluded deck

CLICK HERE to view photos I took of this property. I could have done better. I wish that I had. Better than looking at photos, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to arrange a showing of this home. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties in Key West, Florida. Let's see if this is the place where you want to build your nest.

Veteran's Day - Key West

Key West - November 1918 - Victory Parade

The WW I victory Parade in the 100 block of Duval Street in November 1918.

Photo from the Monroe County Library Collection.

Photo from the Monroe County Library Collection.

The 300 block of Duval Street during the Armistice Parade on November 11, 1918. Photo from the Monroe County Library Collection.

Navy and Marines on Eaton Street for the WW I victory parade. Photo from the Monroe County Library Collection.

1106 Packer Street - Old Town - Key West

1106 Packer Street - Old Town - Key West

It's been 26 years since my first trip to Key West. Back then I would just marvel at some of the "Key Westy" houses. Many of these homes were places gays and left over hippies bought and redid on a shoestring and a lot of imagination. They were testaments to thrift, ingenuity, and art, but not necessarily in that order. As the lore of Key West became the lure of Key West and the masses started to come here to see what the fuss was all about, more people started to buy up the old houses and redo them except for many "shoestring" budgets were replaced by gobs and wads of moola, and, unfortunately, many re-dos lacked ingenuity nor were they artistic.

If you are looking for a one of a kind Key West home that rocks you ought to consider 1106 Packer Street. The listing Realtor describes this listing this way:

"Naturally beautiful home with two bedrooms and two full baths down. Upstairs are additional guest quarters with an adjoining artist's studio loft. An extra-high front fence provides great privacy, hiding a wonderful, inviting front porch. There is ample off-street parking on two sides of the property. High ceilings and an open floor plan provide a natural indoor outdoor flow to porches and a private pool with tropical gardens. A romantic master suite with charming bath has multiple French doors leading out to a totally unique free-formed swimming pool with coral rock waterfall. There are many architectural and artistic surprises in every corner of this property. Come for a visit and you will want to stay for a lifetime!"

Looks can be deceiving. The facade at 1106 Packer Street is very pleasant to look at, but you have absolutely no idea how wonderful the inside is. There is nothing normal or expected here. But everything here is terribly irresistible. This 1789 sq ft home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (that's what the mls listing says). And it sits on a 4000 sq ft (40' x 100') lot. When you enter the front door you step0 into the living room that has an unexpectedly high vaulted ceiling. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the rear of the past the ingenious kitchen and dinging area where the pool and garden beckon you. But getting there is pretty difficult because every square foot of the space has something so interesting to see, that you can't just breeze through.

If you watch all of those HGTV shows that tell you the heart of any home is the kitchen, well, it's true, at least here. The kitchen and dinging area sit midway between the front and rear. It's as if the house and yard are flipped upward and the livingroom is the feet and legs, the trunk of the house if you will. The pool and garden are at the top and are more like the head or cerebral area of the house where all of the important thinking and pleasure thoughts are created. The kitchen and dinging sit in the middle and this is the area that literally feeds the body and makes it content. On the Food Network they teach us that the way food looks makes us want to eat it. Well, this kitchen is so original it wins the Iron Chef competition for being spot on.



1106 Packer Street is a listing of Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. (that's where I work but this is not my listing). CLICK HERE to checkout the mls datasheet and to view listing photos of this property.

To see more photos that I took of this really lovely home (it is not a house!) please CLICK HERE. Better yet why don't you call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, and let's set up a showing of this really great home. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida. 1106 Packer Street is offered at $698,000 or $390 per sq ft. You just gotta see it! It'll make you want to find your bell bottoms or put flowers in your hair.

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.

315 Amelia Street - Old Town - Key West

315 Amelia Street - Key West

Just listed, but not by me, 315 Amelia Street in Old Town Key West. This two story 1280 sq ft home sits on a 1996 sq ft lot (25' x 79'). The listing Realtor describes this home like this:

"This quality constructed Old Town home was built in 2001 and is in perfect condition and shows beautifully. No detail was overlooked including tile and bamboo floors throughout, 2 zone central ac, security system and heated pool. The spacious den includes a gourmet kitchen with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances including a Viking gas stove, and French doors to the private decked rear yard with pool. Upstairs are two large light-filled bedrooms with vaulted ceilings. Additional features of the home include lots of storage space and off-street parking."

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CLICK HERE to checkout the mls datasheet and to view listing photos of this property. I took the two above photos this morning around 8:30 AM. Lots of bikes and some motor scooters just two blocks away at Blue Heaven and La Creperie. Santiago's Bodega is a block further to the west. The Southernmost Point is a couple of blocks to the south on Whitehead Street and South Beach (the beach) is one block further to the east. The entrance to Ft. Zachary Taylor State Beach and Park is a few blocks to the north. (It's a quick bike ride and a 15 minute walk.) Of course Duval Street is just a couple of blocks to the east so you can be a part of the action there at the drop of a hat.

Blue Heaven is just a couple of blocks away

Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park and Beach is a quick bike ride or nice walk

If you would like to see 315 Amelia Street please call me, Gary Thomas, 305.766.2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

Short Sale - Key West - Waterfront

Look at the view of the tiki hut and the private boat slip that await the owner of 30 Hilton Have Road (Unit 1) in Key West. The asking price on this 2 bedroom 2 bath 1136 sq ft first floor condominium was just reduced to $325,000. It is offered as a Short Sale. This is how the listing Realtor describes this property:

"Waterfront in Key West, spacious pool, beautiful private sandy beach and 20' boat slip in a secluded residential neighborhood only 2 miles from downtown. Two bedrooms and two full bathrooms. Large master bedroom has private breakfast garden. Separate office. Airy, well maintained.Beautiful sandy beach. How many people in Key West have their own beach?"

CLICK HERE to checkout the mls listing datasheet and to view the listing photos. The listing agent has some very good photos that show the front (main entrance) to the building and the parking adjacent to the unit on the south. There is a rear gate that owners can use to access their homes from the rear when bringing home groceries or walking down to the waterfront pool. The agent missed one critical pic and that shows an octagonal shaped room at the southwest corner. That room is currently used as a third bedroom but it would make a great study, den or fishing trophy room.

This property was built in 1999. The unit is on the first floor so you won't have any stairs to climb. The unit is thoughtfully laid out and makes good use of the interior space. Based on the new asking price of just $325,000 this unit is offered as a short sale at just $286 per sq ft.


If you are looking for a waterfront dream home at an affordable price, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305.766.2642, to schedule a showing of this unit. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida. All that is missing at that tiki hut is you.

625 Louisa Street - Old Town - Key West

Attention Snowbirds: the asking price on 625 Louisa Street, the really nice two story stand alone townhome in Gato Village, was recently reduced to just $519,000 or $360 per sq ft. This home has 1440 sq ft of living space with two bedrooms, two baths, gracious screened-in rear porch overlooking one of the most beautiful pools in Key West. This is the way the listing Realtor describes this home:

"Gato Village is a complex of 9 Single family homes with a beautifully landscaped pool area located just 2 blocks from Duval and 1 block from some of Key West best dining. This is a spacious 2 bedroom 2 1/2 bath two story home with a fantastic screened in porch. The perfect property if you are looking for low maintenance and the possibility of producing some income. Complete with off street parking and hurricane shutters. This unit can be purchased with the furniture..."

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CLICK HERE to checkout the mls listing datasheet and to view listing photos. The listing photo shows this home from Louisa Street. The photos at the very top and very bottom of this blog were taken from the rear which overlooks the inviting pool.

I like to suggest that buyers compare features and locations with similarly priced units in Key West to find the place that makes the best economic sense and that provides the amenities buyers are seeking. CLICK HERE to SEARCH the Key West mls. Do your own search using features important to you as a buyer and compare the results with this property. This property is a listing of Preferred Properties. I didn't write about it until now because I thought it was priced too high. But now I think it is priced very competitively. And you must admit that pool is pretty special.


If you are looking for your place in Paradise, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida. Our office is the Exclusive Lower Florida Keys affiliate of Christie's Great Estates. Get over being a snowbird: become a local.

1006 -1008 Fleming Street - Old Town - Key West

1006 Fleming Street in 1965 sat right on Fleming Street

1008 Fleming Street sat further back and anchored a huge undeveloped lot

1006 Fleming Street (2010)

I remember showing the two house assemblage at 1006-1008 Fleming Street when it was offered for sale in 2001 at $899,000. I remember one particular couple who loved the property and appreciated the rarity of having two houses located on such a large lot on one of the best blocks in Old Town Key West. The were lookers-not quite ready to buy. More about them later.

The house at 1008 Fleming Street had been redone. The renovation was less than professional in my opinion. Let's just say the place had its faults. I remember urging buyers to look beyond the mistakes of that existing renovation and instead to consider buying the property because of its great location and upside potential.

1008 Fleming Street in 2001

The front door of the second home at 1006 Fleming Street was located almost on the front sidewalk. That place was then used as a long term rental. I urged buyers to consider that building as a good spot for a guest house. Although the front is only 50 feet wide, the lot is deceptively large for Old Town. (It is 150 feet deep and includes a back parcel for a second Guest Cottage. The total lot is 9108 sq ft.) But the lot did not have a coherent flow between the houses or the pool at the rear. The pool was quite large. Palm trees sheltered the pool from the adjoining properties on the east, south, and west. The rest of the garden was pea rock and a few straggler plants. The large pool and yard had the potential to become a great Key West garden.

Fast foword ten years and a couple of intervening renovations. The house at 1006 Fleming Street is now the guest house I envisioned except it is totally fabulous. Treat your guests to a stay in this place and they will not want to leave. A front door still opens onto Fleming Street, but the real entrance is located at the rear where the guest house and The Great House meet at a common elevated deck. The front facade of 1006 Fleming Street has been dramatically altered. The front porch is more gentile and refined. The facade fits the character of the compound as a whole and blends with the other homes in the area.

1006 Fleming Street in 2010 as The Guest House

The guest house living room (or library) is a large rectangular room with vaulted ceiling and bookcases on three walls. Window seats have been added as delightful perches where you can read or contemplate the art of living well. The bedroom is another delight. Large pocket doors create the illusion that the two spaces blend together as opposed to a typical door that closes one space off from the next.

The Guest House Living Room or Library

Built in window seat

The guest house bath is extra large. The walls are covered with incredible Czechoslovakian iridescent green glass tiles made in the 1950's. These tiles catapult an otherwise common space into another dimension. The glass tiles, bath fixtures, and lights make this space truly one of kind. In a town where so many styles are repeated and re-created, this is a space that will be forever unique. A Pullman kitchen rounds out the guesthouse which has a rear door that actually opens onto the welcoming raised courtyard which marks the entrance to the Great House.

The Guest House Bath
Czechoslovakian iridescent green glass tiles made in the 1950's

Recall my criticism of the original renovation and how there was no cohesive flow between the houses. That problem has been resolved by the creation of an elevated courtyard that brings the two original houses onto a common platform where residents can go from Point A to Point B without walking on ground. Moreover, the buildings now share the same simple geometric design and work in harmony with either as a compound instead of as dysfunctional seemingly unrelated buildings sitting next to each other. The lines of the original house at 1006 Fleming were totally different from 1008. The new master bedroom addition mimicked the lines of 1008 and 1006 was changed to look compatible with 1008. The Guest Cottage at the very rear adopted the architectural look. The result is a unified design made simple by geometry. Moreover, even though the houses are old, they look totally modern even from the outside. It is as if time doesn't matter when you are creating something eternal.

New Master Suite addition

The Great House was featured in Metropolitan Home Magazine a few years ago after the current owner renovated the property the first time. I mention this because the property just went through a new upgrading to make it more special and more fresh. So if you saw this home before, you must see it now.

You enter the Great House though large French doors into a very formal entry hall with a one-of-a-kind chandelier that attracts your eyes ever so briefly, that is until you look down toward the living room and then though the wall of French doors that open onto the large pool and garden beyond. A second guest cottage is secluded away at the far end of the garden.


The freshly renovated kitchen is located to the left. The kitchen is bright and modern and is almost too pretty to cook in. (Why cook when you can walk for a few minutes and get great food and won't have to clean up after yourself later?)


A custom fireplace and entertainment cabinet anchor one end of the living room. A wall of French doors frame the pool and garden area but also help to create the special feeling you get being "inside" this incredible living space. Huge architectural columns are almost dwarfed by the soaring height of the fifteen foot ceiling in this truly great room.



The main house has two bedrooms. The master bedroom is quite large and has traditional Key West six over six paneled windows framed with bright white trim and crown molding. The master bath is larger than many master bedrooms in other homes. A second bedroom(with en-suite bath) is located in the front portion of the original 1008 Fleming Street house. This space has a subtle opulence.

The Master Bedroom

A second smaller Guest Cottage is located at the back end of the property. A private porch provides sitting space where you can watch the people in the pool or the goings-on in the main house. But sitting there, you are away from the to do up front. This is a private space for the lucky duo who get to use this special space. The extra bedroom has a sitting area and dining area plus high vaulted ceiling. This cottage has another special bathroom and an outdoor shower. In my opinion, it is the view out onto the garden and pool that make this little retreat so neat.

The Guest Cottage adopted the same lines as the Great House and the Guest House

View from the secluded Guest Cottage toward the pool and the Great House

This incredible Key West home is offered for sale at $2,999,999. CLICK HERE to view the mls datasheet and to view listing photos.

If you read my blog often you know that I like to remind readers about the importance of location in Key West. This property is within a few minute walk to the Historic Key West Seaport or Duval Street. There are neigbhorood eateries like Azur and Cafe Sole. Michael's is a Key West favorite and it is located just around the corner. The A&B Lobster House is a few minutes walk. The new Old Town Bakery is down on the corner of Eaton and Grinell. The Monroe County Library is only three blocks away. The Tropic Cinema, The Red Barn Theatre, the San Carlos Institute, and The Waterfront Theatre are less than a ten minute walk. Various pubs and watering holes are nearby. Music is free most nights in many Old Town venues. And you can walk to almost every place you really need to go.

I took photos of this property that you may want to view. CLICK HERE to see more photos of this incredible Key West Property. Better yet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule your private showing. This home is listed by Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida. Our office is the Exclusive Lower Florida Keys affiliate of Christie's Great Estates. Remember the couple that I showed this home to ten years ago. I run into them from time to time. Their kids are almost out of college. Maybe they've sold that investment property in Connecticut and now have the money to buy their Key West dream house. This place will cost them more today than it would have ten years ago. But it was worth the wait, and it is well worth the price.