205 Golf Club Drive - Bank Owned - Key West

205 Golf Club Drive - Key West

The Sanctuary at the Key West Golf Course is that special section reserved for primarily grand homes with great golf course views amid lush tropical foliage. Large iron gates separate The Sanctuary from the rest of the development. Once you pass the entrance you will see small lakes to the left and links to the right. Then the great houses come into view. Large homes line Golf Club Drive as it loops around to return to the gated entrance. Homes on the inside of the loop are referred to as spa homes. Those homes are a bit smaller in size, sit on smaller lots, and have a spa type pool. No matter the size of the house, you know you are in a very special place that is just so relaxed and inviting. The street and the houses are picture post card perfect. Even if you are not a golfer you will say to yourself "I could live here!".


The house at 205 Golf Club Drive is Bank Owned provides an affordable opportunity as it is priced to sell at $452,000. (This house was initially listed at $499,900 and it has been periodically reduced to the new price. The house was taken off the market and offered for sale in a national auction. The home did not sell and was returned to the market on June 6th) The house has 1600 sq ft of living space divided between two floors. Downstairs you will find a large open living area with a bank of French doors at the rear that open out to the terrace and pool below. And beyond that is the golf course view that is just "killer". The kitchen is located up front. It opens onto the living area so the cook can be a part of whatever is going on in the living area . A "bump out" addition with a pyramid ceiling is at the left rear. That space would make a great study, den, or guest room. (There is a guest bath on the main level as well.)

Off street parking for two cars and a picture perfect front entrance

Bump out den or extra bedroom above

Beautifully landscaped rear yard with pool overlooking the golf course

Upstairs you will find two bedrooms each of which has a door to the front second level porch. They share a bath. The master bedroom is at the rear and it has an en-suite bath. The master bedroom also has a vaulted ceiling and a set of French doors that open onto its own large second floor rear porch with views of the pool below and the golf course beyond. I can imagine sitting out there in the early morning drinking coffee and watching the birds wake up as the sun rises and the sky turns from gray to orange and eventually to blue.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this Bank Owned property.

Both bedrooms share this second floor front porch

Master bedroom suite is at the rear

Enclosed rear porch overlooks the pool and golf course beyond

The Key West golf club community has two pools, a fitness center, and lush landscaping. While the houses here are relatively new (205 Golf Club Drive was built in 2000), the densely landscaped streets and Conch style homes give this community the appearance as being of an earlier era.

Everybody wants a bargain these days. Some people think they can get a bargain by buying a bank owned property where they can work and spend money to fix it up and make it livable. Some bargain. Some fun! This home needs a new refrigerator and a washer and dryer. This house has so much to offer and the price is competitive with two bedroom one bath condos at the Shipyard in Truman Annex which the same developer built. Those condos are about 1000 sq ft less in size. This property is a bargain in my opinion. It is close to Key West but it is far enough away to appreciate the distinction.


If you would like to see this Bank Owned home or any other property in Key West, 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, Florida.

618 Petronia Street - Old Town - Key West

 618 Petronia Street - Old Town - Key West

The house at 618 Petronia Street is worth looking at if you are a budget shopper looking for a perfectly livable house that can be moved into the day you close but that could be upgraded and improved upon as well. That house has been on the market for quite some time. I have told buyers that found it that I thought the property was 'over-priced' and we never looked. A new Realtor recently listed the property at a new and much more realistic asking price of $474,900. I showed the property last Saturday.  I have changed my mind about the house being over-priced and I now think this place is worthy of consideration.

The house sits on Solares Hill and is near the highest point on the Island of Key West. The other houses in the immediate area were built around the same time.  It looked to me as though the original house was a typical wood frame construction that can be seen in many old Key West homes. It looks to me as though the original house was expanded by the addition of a CBS structure at front which includes the front porch and what is now used as the third bedroom. I believe a second addition was added at the rear where the kitchen is located. The kitchen has a different floor level and a different floor surface. Finally, another 'room' is at the rear. This 'room' appears to have been a porch that was enclosed creating a family room.  The original house is still intact and consists of the living room, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Besides the various floor levels and surfaces, the house seems dated but not quite as quaint as most buyers expect when purchasing an older Key West home.

 Front porch

The kitchen

Family room

It looked to me as though much of the original house got a stucco exterior when the front addition was added many years ago. The house next door is almost identical and it has "novelty siding". I think the houses are the same and I expect 618 Petronia would have had the same siding were it not for the stucco. I'm a believer in wood and I think this house would benefit immensely from the removal of the CBS front addition and maybe removal of the kitchen and porch enclosure. I would replace the front with a period correct front porch. I'd restore the wood siding all over the the house. I would remove the clam shell awnings and replace with shutters that are more in keeping with the way Key West cottages look today. I would finally replace the kitchen and add a new rear porch.  I think you could come up with a might charming home to keep to yourself or that you could easily rent as a vacation rental. There are several homes in the immediate area that are used that way.

That's when the creative part kicks in. The rear yard is immense. (The Monroe County Property Appraiser's map shows the lot as being 32 feet wide by 189.33 feet in depth.) There is room for a huge pool and an accessory unit (a mother-in-law cottage).  This space is just incredible. Below are some photos I took on Saturday which was a gray day. 

I spotted huge an avocado tree, a lime tree, a key lime tree, and a sour orange tree in the rear yard. The space is inviting.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet on this property. A new owner doesn't have to do any of the remodeling I suggested. The place works just fine the way it is. But it could be so much better. And at the asking price of $474,900 it is worth looking at.

If you would like to look at this property or any other house in Key West please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

1111 Watson Street # D - Bank Owned - Key West

The single family home at 1111 Watson Street#D is located in a compound in the South of Truman area or Old Town Key West was recently listed at just $359,900. The house is Bank Owned.  This might be the bargain property you have been waiting to find.

The  home is located at the end of a meandering brick pathway that winds through lush tropical foliage past the other cottage style homes in this compound. The shared swimming pool and spa are located just to the front of this home.  I had not been to this compound before this past Saturday. I was immediately taken by the quaintness of the compound.  The gardens and open spaces are immaculate.

The meandering pathway leads to the front door past the community pool

The home is, as bank owned properties often are, in need of some TLC. A good scrubbing and a new coat of paint would do wonders to this house that sold in 2007 for $700,000. I looked at the listing photos of when the house was last offered for sale and can easily understand how it sold at the high price point: it was really charming.  It can be again. The photos I took were snapped quite quickly and Saturday was a rainy day in Key West. So my pics will likely seem more depressing than impressive. I urge buyers to judge the place in person and see what a bargain this home might be.

The listing Realtor describes the listing this way:

"Cute 2/1 home in a well located, well known Key West compound. Your front door faces the shared pool! Your living room and one of the bedrooms have french doors to your private walled, landscaped wooden deck. You bath and shower are glassed in within its own private space for communing with nature. Great house for entertaining. Priced right to live in Old Town."

Living room and kitchen as they appear today

Living room as it appeared five years ago.

The mls states the home has 1137 sq ft of living space under air and sits on a 2967 sq ft lot. The house is basically a 35' x 29' box plus some additional spaces that add dimension and variety that make this house really unique. Two of the features that come to mind are the wall of French doors in the living area that open out to a private garden area and the once amazing bath with an indoor/outdoor shower that lets you shower under under the sun and the stars. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet to view listing info. The agent says this house does not have off street parking, however the prior mls does show that parking is included. This is something to verify if interested. Other units do have parking as well.
 

 Private decked and garden area five years ago.

  Private deck and garden area of this home today. It could be beautiful again.

Indoor/outdoor shower as it appeared five years ago. 

Same scene today. It needs to TLC! It can be magical again.

If you would like to see this home or any other property in Key West, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

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620 Mickens Lane - Short Sale - Key West

 620 Mickens Lane - Key West, Florida

Just listed, but not by me, a new Short Sale at 620 Mickens Lane in Key West, Florida.  This 1237 sq ft house was completed renovated in 2004 and looks in really good condition today. I recently got a chance to show this house and was personally surprised to see how much of house is available at such a really attractive asking price: $339,500 or $274 per sq ft.  The listing broker describes this property thus:

"Great CBS home on a quiet lane in Old Town. Just needs some TLC, but was completely renovated in 2004. This three bedroom two bath home has a very bright and open floor plan with French doors that lead out to the private back deck and yard. This is a potential short sale transaction subject to lender approval."

The renovation included all new kitchen, baths, flooring, paint (inside and out), central a/c, roof, windows, doors, plumbing and electrical. The home has a light, airy and open floor plan. Upon entering the house my eyes were immediately draw to the rear where French doors open and continue the flow of the home to a nice size deck and yard that was once landscaped for easy maintenance. The front and rear landscaping is overgrown and out of whack right now but that's an easy fix.  The interior is in move-in condition.

Rear area today

The same area a few years ago. It can look this nice again!

Mickens Lane is a small lane that dead-ends off Angela Street between Thomas Street and Whitehead Street. Duval Street is less than a five minute walk. Ft Zach Taylor State Park and Beach is an easy bike ride or a fifteen minute walk. Mickens is just a half block east of the Shipyard Condominiums for additional point of reference.

Ft. Zach Beach - minutes from home

CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to see the listing photos.  This is a really nice house that does not need any work (other than some new plants) that will sell within a matter of days. If you are looking for a property that won't put you in the poorhouse, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to arrange a showing.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

315 William Street - Old Town - Key West

315 William Street Old Town Key West, built circa 1899

 315 William Street (foreground) as it appeared in 1978

315 William Street as it appeared in1978

315 William Street, May 31, 2012

Buyers who are looking for a large renovation project in the Old Town area may want to look at 315 William Street. I dug through the old shoebox and found some old pics of the house over the years. The Monroe County Property Appraiser says the house was built circa 1899. That would jive with some nearby houses that are among the earliest built in Key West and that survived the Great Fire. The location is just one block north of the Key West Seaport.

The listing Realtor nails the description of this property:
"Architectural gem perfect for the buyer wanting a renovation project. Currently configured as a 3 unit property it offers many options. The main level is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath with decked backyard with pool. Upstairs are two units both one bedroom, one bath - one with a large porch overlooking William Street. New owner can occupy the main level and rent the upstairs apartments or convert the entire property into a wonderful single family home. The main level is currently a monthly vacation rental renting for approximately $4500 per month while the 2 upstairs apartments rent for a total of $2000 per month long term. Outstanding location within walking distance to the waterfront and Duval St."

The Property Appraiser's website shows building permits were taken out in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the pool, decks, and fencing were added and the roof replaced. The kitchen has the 1980s-1990s look which is typical of many built in that era. Today there is lots of granite and stainless steel. Back then kitchens played off the more traditional old Key West look. 

The house works "okay" as currently configured but it could work so much better if the downstairs space was better utilized to permit more "living" space at the rear and move the bedrooms forward. The listing Realtor suggested moving the main entrance to the north side of the house which would free up the entry space to become a hallway entrance into the relocated bedrooms at front. The bedrooms would then have access the front porch for people watching. 

The pool area is dated and landscaping is sparse. The existing second floor apartments have access to the second floor balcony but views of the pool are quite limited from there.  A new owner might reconfigure the second floor spaces to provide better views of the pool from a new master suite.

Second floor apartments could be updated but I think a new owner might prefer to renovate the whole house and convert what I fondly call the left-over hippie look into somewhat more refined living spaces for today's lifestyle.

Second floor front balcony overlooks historic William Street. The house needs a fresh coat of paint and maybe some of the trees trimmed back just a bit so that the public can view this architectural gem that is now a bit obscured.

The property is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Historic Seaport and only a few minutes walk to Duval Street. Eaton Street Seafood Company is up at the corner. Old Town Bakery is just a couple of blocks east on Eaton Street.


CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view listing photos. This property is offered at just $829,000.  


If you would like to see 315 Elizabeth Street or any other property in Key West please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.