Back to Nature - 811 Carey Lane - Key West

811 Carey Lane - Old Town - Key West

I have written about 811 Carey Lane before. It really is one of my very favorite homes in Old Town. There is something so quaint, so cool, so unassuming, and so welcoming that just about anyone will feel at home. The house is nested under some very large trees that give it a protected feeling. It is located on a quiet lane removed from the hubub of Key West and yet it near everything.

A few years back another owner got permission to change the street address from Carsten Lane to Carey Lane in part so that a potential new owner would be able to add a pool to the area on the north side of the house which at that time was the front side of the property. (You basically can't build pools in your front yard in Old Town.) Carey Lane (the street or lane on the rear) is one of the very best addresses in all of Old Town, so the change of street address was a positive change for this property. But neither the prior owner nor the current owner installed a pool. The space awaits its final fate.

The listing Realtor describes 811 Carey Lane this way:

" Located in an area of high end properties, this charming home has an exceptional location on one of Key West's most desirable lanes. You'll find peaceful tranquility and the Key West ambiance you're looking for in this home. Open living and renovated kitchen, dining room, good storage, outdoor shower, covered porch for lounging and lovely gardens complete with inground hot tub. House opens beautifully to the outdoor areas. Architectural plans for 2nd story addition available. Fall in love with this fun and artistic quintessial Key West cottage."

The covered porch allows gracious outdoor living space

Remove the brick pavers and add a pool

The ceilings in the living room and kitchen & dining area show off the historic wood shingles. Metal shingles cover the old wood shingles, of course. The wood shingles add so much character to this living space. The doors are always open which visually expands the interior living space. And the outside of this particular house is so comforting that the comfy-cozy outside permeates into the inside.

One of the two bedrooms

Notice the outdoor shower? Back to Nature!

This great cottage style home is offered at just $589,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. And CLICK HERE to view a slide show of photos I took of this property. If you would like to see 811 Carey Lane, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West. You might agree that this is the place where you could get back to Nature.

1216 Knowles Lane - Key West

1216 Knowles Lane - Key West

I have written about life on the slow lanes of Key West many times and even mused about some lanes being so hidden that it became necessary for one Key Wester to write a directional pamphlet to give to firemen and policemen so they would know how to find some of the smaller lanes.

Knowles Lane - One of the Slow Lanes of Key West

The FedEx man needed help finding this slow lane

I just listed the charming two bedroom two bath cottage home at 1216 Knowles Lane. The owner mentioned that a couple of years ago he had to go up to the corner at United Street to repaint the street sign that designates Knowles Lane so that it would be visible to the world. It seems that a FedEx delivery driver had been walking around United Street banging on doors trying to find Knowles Lane. My muse was not imagined. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property.

Knowles Lane is located one and one-half blocks west of White Street. An old white cinder block fence marks the west edge of the tiny lane. Click GOOGLE MAP to get an aerial view of the location. The lane is only one block long and runs north and south from United Street to Catherine Street. The lane is narrow but cars are permitted. Parking is impossible on the lane so I suggest you park either on United or Catherine and walk to your destination.

Gated Entrance opens into the cloistered garden

1216 Knowles Lane is a sweet cottage home that sits behind a privacy fence. A good sized yard invites you to the property.Part of the reason people move to Key West is to have outdoor space. This home has space, sunshine, shade, and abundant serenity that emanate from the cloistered garden and move through the house. Inside you will find two bedrooms, two baths, a nice sized kitchen and dining area that expands into the office. The dining area has a vaulted ceiling with skylights that bring diffused sunshine into the space. All of the rooms in this home look out to the garden except the office and it has a view of the rear side deck. The kitchen window lets the cook look out to the garden. The master bedroom has French doors that open outward to the garden beyond. There is a deck opposite the guest bedroom and another small deck adjacent to the laundry area. Another small deck at the back of the house permits you to go up to the rooftop deck where you can watch the fireworks that are shot off over at Higg's Beach. CLICK HERE to view a slide show of photos of this property.

Master Bedroom

Second bedroom is used as a den by this owner

Dining and Kitchen share a large common space

Cheerful Kitchen has view of the garden

Outdoor living room

Rooftop deck offers celestial viewing nightly

1216 Knowles Lane is offered at $399,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property. Better yet, please give me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. If you want peace and quiet, think about living in a place so hidden the FedEx man needs directions to find you.

The "Good" Samaritan - 626 Samaritan Lane - Bank Owned - Key West

626 Samaritan Lane - Bank Owned - Key West

Just listed, but not by me, 626 Samaritan Lane in Key West. This BANK OWNED property ought to sell in a flash because it is priced at just $119,000 or $222 per sq ft. The listing Realtor describes the property thus:

"This home is a hallow shell, all of the plumbing and electrical has been removed. There are no interior walls, ceiling, floors, bedrooms, bath or kitchen. This will give you the opportunity to design your own layout and finish this home with your own personal touches. Home is located in a very private drive in down town Key West and is 1/2 block away from the very famous Duval Street."

The house is located on Samaritan Lane which is accessed off Southard Street just behind the rear of Mangoes Restaurant. The lane makes a right hand turn and ends up on Whitehead Street. Most readers probably never heard of the lane and more never walked down it. The house and lot are further removed from view as they sit behind another property which fronts on Samaritan Lane.

The property is landlocked but has access via deeded walkway. The neighbor to the south and east is Bourbon Street Pub which fronts on Duval Street. bourbon Street Pub''s garden bar is the neighbor for the Samaritan Lane property. That means you may hear music and some commotion at night. Click GOOGLE MAP for an aerial perspective of this property.

Maybe enough room for a pool?

The listing remarks refer to the house as being a shell. It is. But it's nice shell. It looks to me as the house has almost all new novelty siding, new windows, and new doors. The house needs new electric, plumbing, HVAC, interior drywall, etc. to complete the little house. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet.

Interior is ready for completion

If you would like more information on this interesting bank owned property, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw11101v@aol.com. I have more photos to share with an interested buyer. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

1230 5th Street - Bank Owned - Key West

1230 5th Street - Bank Owned - Key West

If you are looking for a "Fixer Upper" may I suggest that you consider the new listing at 1230 5th Street in the midtown section of Key West. I showed the property last week one day after it was listed. My buyer was looking for a place he could fluff and make all nice. The challenges this property presented were more than my buyer anticipated.


The listing Realtor describes the 5th Street property this way:

"Spacious 4 Bedroom 3 Bathroom 2 story home on a large corner lot. Huge pool w Guest cottage in back with a one bedroom one bath living area. Bank owned."

The pool area as it appeared in 2005

This property sold in 2005 for $715,000. Nude Greek statues adorned the e pool area at that time. Two years later in March 2007 it was listed for $997,000 as a "A very large single family two story home located two blocks from the Gulf." When I showed it last week the property was divided into at least three living units with separate entrances, kitchens, and bath facilities. The pool was covered by a contraption to prevent accidental drowning and the Greek statutes were gone. It had all the earmarks of a bank owned property. Today the offering price is $331,500 or $129 per sq ft.

The pool today

The house has 2573 sq ft of living space based on the info on the Monroe County Property Appraiser's website. That site does not include the guest cottage so the actual size may be a bit larger. The house is located on a 50' x 100' lot at the corner of Fogarty Avenue at 5th Street. That's a feeder street for this part of town. Click GOOGLE MAP for an aerial view.

Main level bedroom opens out to pool

Entrance to main floor north bedroom

I entered the downstairs unit and first walked into an odd little foyer and then into the kitchen. This level had several different floor surfaces and floor levels. It was as if someone kept adding or altering spaces to provide more living space and used whatever cheap building materials were available. CLICK HERE to take a slide show photo tour of the property.

There is a steep and narrow interior stairway to the second floor. It looks like there was some water damage in one of the rooms as the wood floors there are quite warped. Again, there are multiple floor levels and multiple small rooms.

Second floor kitchen

I think a smart buyer would go inside this large property and demolish the interior walls and establish floor levels for the main floor and second floor and then build new interiors to the needs of the new owner. It would be silly to try to re-use the small and dysfunctional spaces. This property has a lot going for it, but not based on its current configuration. It will take a knowledgeable builder to fix this place. No amateurs should apply. But it is fixable and it could be once again a nice large home with a sunny pool and guest cottage.

If you would like to see 1230 5th Street please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

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800 Fleming Street #A1 - Old Town -Key West

800 Fleming Street - Old Town - Key West

800 Fleming Street - The William Fleming House - Key West

The listing Realtor describes the new offering at 800 Fleming Street #A-1 (The William Fleming House) this way:

"The perfect home for someone who wants carefree condominium living but desires the charm of a historic Old Town Key West home. The William Fleming House was constructed in the mid 1800's and is located in a premium location - the corner of William and Fleming Streets. Beautiful renovated home includes a new kitchen, two new baths, wood floors and ceilings. The kitchen includes granite and butcher block countertops, stainless steel appliances and new cabinetry. Baths are beautifully outfitted with polished chrome fixtures, tile shower enclosures and stone floors. There are only 9 units - each with assigned offstreet parking and a very large tropically landscaped common area with free form pool, sun deck and covered bar."

The facade at 800 Fleming Street looks much different today than it did during the previous century. I found two old photos showing the building as it looked when it was the Peacon Grocery and later as Long's Furniture. Peacon was the owner of the grand house at 712 Eaton Street which was briefly owned by Calvin Klein. I like the way the developer added balconies around the perimeter of the building, but I doubt that a developer would be able to make such a bold change to a similar building today. Those balconies provide lots of exterior space for the owners to enjoy their homes and to watch the world go by.

800 Fleming Street in 1965

800 Fleming Street November 2011

CLICK HERE to view the listing details and photos of the interior of this two story in town condominium located in the heart of Old Town Key West. This 1281 sq ft unit occupies two floors of the building and has views of the pool and gardens. The units in the building feature Dade County Pine walls, floors and ceiling and have that "old Key West feel" that many buyers want. The ceilings are very high and the doors and windows open to decks overlooking the pool below and the pristine homes on William Street. This unit is offered at $625,000 or $488 per sq ft. The condo is located on one of the best blocks in Old Town and is a convenient walk to everything. The property is located three blocks east of Duval and three blocks south of the Historic Key West.

If you are looking for a pied-a-terre or just a plain old condo, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or by email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

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