1501 Olivia Street - The Meadows Area - Key West

Just listed, but not by me, 1501 Olivia Street in Key West. The listing Realtor describes the home like this:

"The Meadows Corner Lot Historic Beauty. Distinctive Historic Residence At The Quiet Intersection Of Olivia And Pearl Streets. Wrap-around Front Porch With Gingerbread Architecture. Off-street Parking. Nearly 2000 Living Sqft On 4800 Sqft Corner Lot. Opportunities For Updating, Great Bones. Wood Floors. Heart Shaped Pool And New Landscaping Provide A Very Private Setting. Historic In Every Way."

The Monroe County Property Appraiser says this house was built circa 1906. It has an understated beauty that transcends the decades. I found the photo below taken in 1965.

1501 Olivia Street as it appeared in 1965

Same house but a different view in 2006

Same location in 2007

And the way it appears in 2011

The four bedroom two bath house has 1948 square feet of living space on two floors plus that incredible 443 sq ft wrap-around porch. The lot is relatively large for the Old Town area (64' x 75' or 4790 sq ft). That may not seem large compared to lot sizes up north, but it is larger than normal in the Old Town area. The current owner bought this house in 2007 and added a pool and air conditioning plus upgraded electric and plumbing. The asking price is just $700,000 (or $359 per sq ft). That, dear readers, is a lot of house for the money.

This home is owned by the same owner that has the adorable cottage I wrote about last week that I affectionately called The Love Shack. That place is just too cute for words. It's small and would make a great guest cottage for the main house. (Methinks that is why it was purchased at the same time by the current owner.) Both properties are offered for less than the original purchase price. There is no mortgage so this is not a forced sale.

If you are looking a for a big house or a little house or both, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to arrange a showing of either house. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

Key West - The Cure for VD*

*VD: Valentines Day

1327 White Street - Key West - Open House - Sunday

Follow your heart (and the Open House signs) to a Valentine's Weekend Open House, Sunday February 13th at 1327 White Street in the Casa Marina area of Key West.

1327 White Street - Key West

The listing Realtor describes this Key West property this way:

"This beautiful conch style home offers wonderful architectural features such as gracious front porch, polished hardwood floors, exposed wood walls and ceilings, multiple sets of tall doors and windows and custom crown moldings. This home has a den plus four bedrooms and four baths including a third story bedroom with it's own 350 sq. ft. terrace offering treetop views of the island. The kitchen has solid wood cabinetry and a separate laundry room. The grounds feature gated off street parking and a beautiful pool and spa surrounded by lush foliage and adjoining pool house."

Real Wood Floors - not this new pretend stuff in so many newer properties

Pool, Spa, and Rear Deck made for fun in the Key West sun

View from the third floor sun deck overlooking the Island of Key West

This BANK OWNED 2414 sq ft home sits a on a large 47' x 100' lot. The house is large when viewed from the street. When you open the front door the sense of "family" immediately enters your mind. This is a family home for sure. The interior rooms while large are not cavernous. The interiors have Dade County Pine walls and ceilings and the darkly finished real hardwood floors with bright white trim and crown moldings everywhere. A set of new French doors open onto the large rear deck complete with pool, spa, and a half bath. (That space could possibly be enlarged and turned into a pool bar. The third floor is configured as a very open bedroom complete with private bath and doors that open to a very large widow's walk where you can scan much of the Casa Marina area. The best thing about this home is the asking price: $1,075,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and more photos of the property.

1327 White Street is located at the beginning of the Casa Marina area of Key West, that's where I live. The old Key West High School (photo at top) is a couple of blocks to the north. The new high school is out of Flagler Avenue, within walking distance if you have teens that actually walk. The house is about a five minute walk to Rest and Higg's Beach to the south. A couple of blocks to the north you will find Mo's Restaurant, Sandy's Cafe, and Fausto's Food Palace. Bayview Park is a couple of blocks to the east - that's where the city and various charities hold festivals throughout the year.

Salute on the Beach is located at Higg's Beach - great food, affordably priced and what a view!

A 'different' kind of restaurant

Walk or ride your bike - old fashioned butcher shop inside

If you aren't busy on Sunday afternoon, drop by1327 White Street and see how much house you can now buy for your money in Key West. This is a real deal. I'll be there from 12:00 to 3:00.

The Love Shack - Key West

817 Pearl Street - The Meadows Area of Old Town - Key West

Key West is filling with people who return every year during Valentine's weekend. It's appropriate that this little love shack just got listed, but not by me. It is a really cute and very tiny little love shack (okay, it's really a Key West Cottage) at 817 Pearl Street in the Meadows Area of Old Town Key West. CLICK HERE for a GOOGLE MAP view of the location and street view of the immediate area. See the photos below that I took of the cute houses across the street. Let me tell you this is one cute block. Nothing commercial in this area. Bayview Park is just a couple of blocks to the south. Duval Street is a 10-15 minute walk to the west.

Opposite side of Pearl Street

Opposite side of Pearl Street

Now for full disclosure, I have not been inside yet but I did speak with the current vacation tenant who came outside to ask why I was taking photos of the house. He said he loved the place and the location. There, you have it. End of discussion.

This 400 sq ft cottage is just one bedroom. It is so small that you actually enter the cottage through the bedroom which is located in front. The living room, kitchen and bath follow at the rear. There is a small deck area at the rear. The lot itself is 23' wide by 50' deep. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls listing data and listing photo on this property.

Bedroom is at front of house

The living room sits midway in this home

Kitchen and Bath are at the rear

The rear deck is secluded

By the way, the same owner is offering the adjacent larger corner lot home at 1501 Olivia Street at just $700,000. The two properties would make a great compound for someone seeking a bigger old home with a large lot, a pool, off street parking plus a guest cottage. Each property can be purchased separately. CLICK HERE to see the Olivia Street property.

817 Pearl Street would be perfect for the couple that wants a tiny getaway place far from the madness of Duval but still located within walking or biking distance of all the great things we expect in Key West. And here's the best part, this place is offered at just $250,000. This is not a short sale. This property will probably be under contract within a matter of days, if not hours. It won't appeal to most, but to the few who want something small and romantic, this may be your new love shack in Key West.

I'm serious about this Dear Readers, don't wait. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305.766.2642 if you are interested in seeing this property or making an offer. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida.

846 Olivia Street - Old Town - Key West

846 Olivia Street - Key West - built circa 1908

Just Listed by Preferred Properties (that's where I work) 846 Olivia Street in Old Town Key West. I found an old photo (above) of this old house (built in 1908) showing the way it appeared in 1965. The photo below shows a similar view in 2011. The listing agent says the building was originally a tobacco barn. The agent describes the current use this way:

"There are so many unique properties in Key West and this is no exception. Originally this was a Tobacco Barn which has been renovated to include a two story main living area with 3 bedrooms, two baths and a lock out suite. Most of the materials used in the renovation have been recycled. On the second story addition there are two spacious bedrooms and a spa like bathroom with its own terrace and entrance. On the first level is a bright designer kitchen with the newest energy saving stainless steel appliances. Located on the corner of Olivia and Packer across from the cemetery. Off street parking."

2011 view of 8476 Olivia Street with off street parking

Note the mother-in-law's sitting porch

Main entrance to house is on Packer Street which also has a porch

The asking price on this 1817 sq ft property (sits on a 36'x58' lot) is $529,000 or $291 per sq ft. The house is divided between the main house and what I'll call a mother-in-law suite complete with kitchen and bath. The main part of the house has a slick and sparse look that totally surprised me. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. The galley kitchen is 'arty' and minimalist. The stairs to the second floor seem to float. The two bedrooms and bath are located up there. The mother-in-law part of the house is located on the main level only. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and more photos of this property.

The house is located at the corner of Packer and Olivia Streets. CLICK HERE for a GOOGLE MAP view of the area. Packer is just one block long at this location. Olivia is a one way street that heads east on the south side of the Key West cemetery. Many folks won't consider a house that is located across from the cemetery. But they should. Homes on any side of the cemetery have great open skies views. And the neighbors are ever so quiet at night. There are no guesthouses, apartment buildings or commercial properties nearby so you won't have to fight for a place to park your car. The house has a parking space anyway.

If you would like to see this house or any other property in Key West, please consider calling me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida where today it is 80 degrees.

212 Angela Street - Old Town - Key West

212 Angela Street - Key West

Just listed, but not by me, 212 Angela Street in the Bahama Village area of Old Town, Key West. The listing Realtor sums up this semi-recently construced house this way:

"Location! Location! Location! Owner/Contractor built home on the corner of Angela St and Chapman Ln(across Truman Annex on Angela). You can't get more Old Town Key West than this location. Built in 1995 to Category 5 specs with PT lumber throughout except for finished floor. Bonus items include: interior doors (made out of Old Growth Cypress taken from the Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine FL that Flagler built), Mahogany & Cherry cabinets in dining and living rooms, whole house fan, and a R/O water system. Closet in LR was made with room for a Murphy bed. There is Off-Street parking and plenty of room for guest parking on Chapman Lane. Home is 1 block to Whitehead & 2 blocks from Duval St. X-No-Flood Zone."

Room for guest parking on Chapman Lane

Chapman Lane view

Bricked rear yard

212 Angela Street is offered at $450,000 or $317 per sq ft for this 1420 sq ft (calculated by appraiser) house that was built in 1995.

Blue Heaven is located one block east of 212 Angela St at Petronia & Thomas

You may be semi-familiar with this area of town if you have gone to Blue Heaven for breakfast or dinner. Chapman Lane is one block west of Blue Heaven. Angela Street is the proposed walking-only lane to the new Key West marina that is to be built at the Truman Annex (when the politicians and city folk stop bickering and start building). The photo just below shows the lane with the Shipyard Condos in Truman Annex across the street. Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park & Beach are nearby. And Duval Street is three blocks east where you can walk from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean any day of the week.

Someday you may be able to walk to your boat at the new marina

You can definitely walk to Ft. Zach Beach

There are a lot of buyers looking for a place in Key West that is priced under $500,000. Some are willing to settle for less and may have to do some fix-up to get the house of their dreams. At some point the price of doing major fix-up has to impact one's budget and psyche.

If you would like to see 212 Angela Street (or any other house in Key West) please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

Open House - Sunday - 507 Amelia Street - Key West

There's a Big Event this Sunday, and I'm not referring to the Super Bowl. I'm hosting an Open House from 12:00 to 3:00 PM at 507 Amelia Street in Key West.

$499,000 - Estate Sale

The listing Realtor describes 507 Amelia Street this way:

"Located only a half a block off Duval on a dead-end lane is this sweet conch house with a spacious yard, front porch and parking for two cars. Perfect for a vacation / second home as is but location could support improvement as well. Plenty of room for a pool. If you want to live within walking distance of all that Key West has to offer, this is a perfect home. Zoning allows for transient use with restrictions."

World Famous La Te Da

507 Amelia Street is about 125 feet up on the left side

The 500 block of Amelia Street is a small dead end street located about 200 feet north of LaTeDa. This block has several houses built during the same time and almost all have been remodeled and are now used as transient rentals or vacation rentals. This property is zoned to permit a Transient License.

The lovely cottage home directly across from 507 Amelia Street

The existing house is 1064 sq ft (plus unit in back which has 285 sq ft) which sit on a 3964 sq ft lot (irregular shaped 51' x 87' or so). I see this as a renovation project. The house itself is perfectly livable as is. It's clean and tidy. Many second home buyers want a place that is all fixed up with a pool and tropical landscaping. Come over and checkout this house and decide what you'd do if you had a hammer.

What would you do if you had a hammer?