1307 Eliza Street - Key West

1307 Eliza Street - Key West

What images come into your mind when you read of hear the term "Key West Cottage"? Do you think of a cozy little house with small rooms and tropical foliage? The newly listed Key West cottage at 1307 Eliza Street has the tropical foliage, but the rooms (and living spaces) are not small by any means. This place is Key West chic! To the nines. The listing Realtor describes this property this way:

"Wonderful architect designed house that has lots of character and a great Key West feel. Open high ceilings in the living and dining room and an excellent floor plan. Multiple sets of French doors to the patio and plunge pool. Indoor and outdoor dining and a lovely orchid garden. 2 BR/2BA plus an office and parking for two cars off street."

The house has 1350 sq ft of living space under air plus porches and deck. The 3773 sq ft lot (46.17' x 81.75') lot is located a little over one block east of White Street in the area some locals call the Arts District. The largest and most familiar neighbor is Bayview Park which is located one block to the north. This home is typical of many others in the immediate area which have been updated and refined. I would say most of the homes in this area are owner occupied. There is a small mix of rentals in the area, and there is limited amount of commercial confined to White Street.

1307 Eliza Street was built circa 1920s

1307 Eliza Street as it appears in 2012

The house was substantially renovated from its original design. Windows and doors were obviously replaced. The main entry was relocated to the side of the house, typical of many Key West homes which use front rooms for alternate living purposes. In this house, the master bedroom and bath are located at the front and the old front porch is now a private outside area. The ceiling was vaulted and French doors were added as was the pool. The roof was replaced in 2008. The house sparkles from every direction.

Vaulted ceiling and open areas abound in this chic Key West Cottage

What a great kitchen - it even has a pantry!

Guest bedroom has an adjacent office

Master bedroom with en-suite bath

Private outdoor sitting area off master suite

It's a sad fact that many of the Key West cottages in old town sit on tiny lots and do not have the space for a pool, or parking, or luxuries like an orchid garden. But this Key West cottage has all three.

Pool

Orchid garden - all that is missing is you!

CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors datasheet and listing photos on 1307 Eliza Street that is offered at $659,000. I took more photos which you can see if you CLICK HERE. Better yet, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this lovely Key West Cottage. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. You will glad you took the time to see how much of a house you can get for the money.

920 Terry Lane - Old Town - Key West

920 Terry Lane - Old Town - Key West

Just listed by Preferred Properties (that's where I work, but this is not my listing) 920 Terry Lane in Old Town Key West. This house sits opposite the foot of the Historic Key West Lighthouse. I doubt that the view from 920 Terry Lane will change within the lifetime of anyone reading this blog. And that ought to mean long term neighborhood stability for any buyer of this property.

I found a photo of the property taken in 1965, above. Compare the facade in 1965 to the way the house looks today.


The listing Realtor describes 920 Terry Lane this way:

"A Million Dollar House with a Million Dollar view in one of the best locations of Old Town Key West. Just 1 block from the Hemingway House and 2 blocks from Duval,is this Historic three bedroom 3 bath home with a cocktail pool and off street parking. No expense was spared in this renovation. On the first level there are 2 bedrooms, one of which can be used as a master, vaulted ceilings, Brazilian Hardwood flooring, and a great open living/dining area. The kitchen has glazed maple cabinetry with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, large pantry with washer and dryer. Down a few steps is a great family room which opens to the pool. The master suite on the second level is the entire second floor with fabulous lighthouse views."

There 'stays' the neighborhood! This historic landmark isn't going away.

Great room

Large open kitchen towards the rear

The old house with an incredible location has been updated and expanded to meet the needs of modern day living. Gone are the small one-purpose rooms. Instead, the first floor has an open great room with soaring ceiling. The kitchen is a big open area with rich custom wood cabinets and large windows that let sun shine in to brighten the space. Off to the rear and down a step is the family room with a set of French doors that open out to the small garden and pool. Two large bedrooms complete the main floor. As the listing Realtor points out, one could use the down stairs bedroom as the master suite. Potential older buyers need to consider options like that. As we get older, stairs can become more challenging.

Great room

920 Terry Lane has 1807 sq ft of living space and sits on a 41'x79' (3212) sq ft lot. The living space is nicely divided by room function. The main living area provides access to the bedrooms on the main level. The kitchen area double functions as a core living area and as access to the stairway to the second floor and lower level family room or access to the pool. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to view listing photos on this property.

Pool with quick access from the adjacent family room

If you would like to see 920 Terry Lane or any other house in Key West, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. You will be pleasantly surprised by this lovely home.

Love For Sale - 728 Love Lane - Key West

728 Love Lane in Key West is a must see for anyone who desires to purchase a home with the best in location, privacy, security, top notch construction, and superb attention to every detail. Some features include bricked off street parking, heated custom reverse infinity edge pool, two zone A/C, whole house back-up generator, professional chef's kitchen built by a custom furniture maker with Wolf, Sub Zero, and Bosch appliances, a spacious loft to accommodate extra guests, extensive storage, covered veranda with wet bar, ice maker and under counter refrigerator, impact windows and skylights, floor to ceiling marble and decorative tile in all baths.

Great room, covered lanai and pool beyond, and master suite off to the right

This is the kind of house that you fall in love with as soon as you cross the threshold. Everything was done "right". The formal entry is set back from the edge of the lane in the new addition at the rear. You walk into the great room which has a vaulted ceiling. Your eyes are drawn to the infinity pool beyond the French doors at the rear and the tropical garden. Just off the pool is a covered outdoor lounge area and the outdoor kitchen to the right. The master suite is located at the right rear. It has French doors that open out to the pool making a midnight dip so enticing. There is a second master suite at the front of the main house. or attention is the special loft accessed by a ship's ladder. (The loft provides a third bedroom for guests and other strangers.)

Front bedroom (with exit to front porch to watch the hibiscus grow)

Middle bedroom

Master suite at the rear

This home has 2100 sq ft of living space under air plus the covered rear lanai and front and side porches. The lot is 4508 sq ft (46' x 98') and is located near the end of Love Lane which is a dead end lane. The home was totally renovated in 2006 by licensed contractors. No funny business on this redo. Every thing was done correctly. And it shows when you look at the end result.

Chef's kitchen

It's what you don't notice that sets this house apart from many other places that have been redone. I am referring to glitches and mistakes. Shortcuts that nobody will ever notice. The owners took their time and did this renovation correctly. The doors between the great room and the lanai, for example, are wind impact resistant pocket doors that disappear into the walls. They don't take up living space, that's the cool thing. But they cut down on windstorm insurance and that is even cooler. All of the windows and doors provide the maximum windstorm insurance credits available.

Outdoor kitchen

728 Love Lane is offered for sale at $1,795,000. CLICK HERE the virtual tour provided by the listing agent, Maya Thomas at Sellstate Island Properties (no relation). If you would like to see this beautiful Key West home, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc.

99 Calle Uno - Rockland Key

99 Calle Uno Street - Rockland Key, Florida

Today's blog has nothing to do about the charming little cottages nor grand conch homes of Key West. Instead, I decided to write about a very large commercial property located five minutes east of Key West on US 1. (I timed the drive by the way.)

US 1 looking toward 99 Calle Uno Street

99 Calle Uno Street fronts on US Highway 1 and is located at Mile Marker 9 or just a bit east of the entrance to the Boca Chica Naval Air Station. According to the mls listing the 17,862 sq ft metal building was built in 1982, and it sits on an irregular 87,119 sq ft lot.

Three covered bays with roll up doors

The building has 18 Ft. high free span with dock height floors and 3 roll up doors. Offices have acoustical ceilings and are carpeted and air-conditioned with 2 bathrooms. Thee is a 1600 sq ft loading dock, 43 paved, striped, and lighted parking spaces. The entire south side is fenced and landscaped.

Fenced and lighted parking/storage area

We don't have a lot of commercial buildings like this in the Key West area. Nor do we have a lot of warehouse space. A new owner might consider creating individual storage units located inside the larger space. The listing agent (who is also the owner) states "Creative opportunity abounds! Great US1 frontage. Empty and ready! Building was high and dry during hurricane Wilma. Some owner financing, in terms of a second, possible for the right situation."

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CLICK HERE to view a small slide show of exterior photos. And CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this commercial property that is offered at $1,900,000.

If you would like to see this property or any other property in Key West, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc.

If you are in Key West today, February 12, 2012, and are not planning on going to the beach and don't want to start the Duval Crawl right after church let's out, please think about stopping by my Open House at 630 Elizabeth Street to see the house located at the tippy top of Solares Hill. Take a look inside at the Dade County Pine walls and ceilings. Look at the ancient forged window hangers and peer through the rippled glass. Take a peek out to the little houses below from a view nobody else in town can ever equal. Imagine what you could do to this Old House.

600 Block of Elizabeth Street

Windsor Lane heading towards to the Historic Key West Cemetery

Simply, Elegant! 522 Grinnell Street - Old Town - Key West

522 Grinnell Street - Old Town - Key West

The listing Realtor describes 522 Grinnell Street as:

"There is an exceptional opportunity to continue the renovation of this beautiful home in a highly sought after location. This historically significant home built prior to 1884 has always been admired for its beautiful architecture including Dade County Pine walls and ceilings throughout, grand proportion room sizes with twelve foot ceilings on the first floor and eleven foot ceilings on the second floor. The current owner has completed all of the demolition work and this wow factor potential home is ready for completion by a new owner with the style and manner they desire. This property is licensed for two units."

522 Grinnell Street as photographed in 1965

Peeling paint of yore - now gone

Restored bay window on opposite side of the house

I have shown this property numerous times over the past several years. I fell in love with the place before I ever went inside. It has looked sad and forlorn for years. The paint was peeling and chipping away, but I knew that could be fixed. A window on the south side was broken and covered by an Al Gore for President sign, but I knew it could be replaced. An odd looking carport on the right side diminished the grandeur of the house, but I was sure there would be a way to deal with that issue. The rear of the house had a cobbled addition that looked awful, but I imagined that wreck could get removed and a new two tiered rear porch could be added in its place.

First floor front porch

Rear addition has been removed - what will take its place?

The former owner's family had lived in this property for generations. The current owner is not related to the prior owners. My remarks about the prior owners are not intended to disparage anyone. Contrarily, I relish the somewhat odd experiences I had when I showed the house. I recall the story the former owner telling that this house, like so many of the grand old homes in Key West, was built by ship chandlers. That means the house was built by the men who built great sailing vessels that could withstand strong winds and the elements. I will never forget standing with her on the second floor front porch as she recounted having watched a storm coming across from the Atlantic side of the island as it made its way toward the Gulf of Mexico a couple of blocks to the north. She remarked about how strong her father was during that storm and how well the house withstood the winds and rain.

The current owner purchased this property in 2006 after the house was marketed by not less than four different agents over a four year period. The prior owner never allowed any listing agent to show the property. The owner did it. She took charge and told and re-told the family's history in the house. I imagine she did not want some Realtor to get the facts wrong or to fail to state an essential point about the property. After one showing I remember my buyer saying something like "No wonder she hasn't sold the house..." and then said something unflattering about the owner. But I got why the former owner was so proud of the house. It is, as the current Realtor says, "admired for its beautiful architecture".


If you look at the photo of the house above you would expect the front door to be the door on the front porch. You would be wrong. The main entry is actually located on the side porch to the right. The entry hall is rather unassuming. The stairway, however, is ever-so-graceful. I love the thin stiles and deep dark and delicate handrail, especially as is curves and makes a you turn toward the top handrail. Once inside there are multiple large rooms with twelve foot ceilings. Rooms of this size do not blend easily with the way live our modern lives, but there are people who crave the sophisticated single purpose rooms of yesteryear. This house has many such rooms for that buyer. One such room is the formal dining room with a fireplace. It looks sad now, but most houses look sad while they are 'under construction'. I'll bet you that it won't look sad by the time the renovation is completed.

The ever-so-graceful stairway

One of two bay windows in this home

Originally the main parlor - would this become your Great Room?

Dining room with fireplace - would this be your new kitchen?

Renovated front and side porches with new doors

The rooms upstairs have been stripped away as well. The family kitchen was located at the rear of the second floor. I remember the former owner's mother sitting at the kitchen table coddling a box of new born kittens during one showing. The older woman always sat in that kitchen and always smiled as potential buyers passed by her table. The memories of the ancient matriarch and her progeny are all that remain of the events that occurred during the hundred years her family lived in this old house

Photo taken where an old shed used to stand

Room for a pool in this large rear yard

The current owner has removed the old addition at the rear and cleaned up the interior. It will be up to the new owner to complete this house. While I am not a builder, I have a good sense of the work ahead which will include installation of all new electric throughout the house, new water and sewer lines, new HVAC, installing new bathrooms, a kitchen, a pool, and landscaping. I heard that the approved plans call for the addition of a new two story rear porch. I remember telling perspective buyers that is what I would do if I owned the house. The house did not need the old falling apart addition. It is gone and now there is room for a porch where I can imagine there will be space off the master suite at the second floor rear where the new owners can sit and ponder the meaning of life (or anything else).

The thing is a new owner can finish off the interior of this beautiful home in the way he or she or they may want.

522 Grinnell Street is offered at $1,450,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to view the listing photos. Better yet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida.

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