1117 Stump Lane - Old Town - Key West

1117 Stump Lane - Key West

 Just listed by Preferred Properties, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 1117 Stump Lane in Old Town Key West.  Budget buyers who are looking for a place they can move right into and do a little bit of fix-up over time or a buyer who wants to do a major renovation ought to take a look at this home.  The listing Realtor described this 1541 sq ft three bedroom two bath house this way:

"Located in the heart of Old Town Key West, on one of the best lanes between Frances and United sits this 3/2. On the ground level there is a living room, dining area, kitchen, bedroom, bath and laundry room. On the second level there are two bedrooms, bath and a large walk in closet. There is enough room in back for a small pool and patio. Just waiting for someones touches."

This is a property that will probably go under contract as soon as you can say "Jumping Jack Flash" because it is priced to sell and there are a lot of buyers who are getting desperate for a deal.   Click on GOOGLE MAP for an aerial perspective of the location and then us the toggle switch to do a GOOGLE WALK down the block. Check out the other homes on this quiet little lane that runs one direction from White Street to the east and ends at Frances Street on the west. Stump Lane is situated between Southard Street to the south and Fleming Street to the north. You'll pass the residence of a famous writer and individuals who are famous to their families and friends.

The lot is 28.5' x 100'. There is room for a pool in the rear.  Right now the back area is pretty much paved concrete plus some ornamental trees. There is no room for off street parking, but that is not a problem for this area as most of the houses on this little lane are single family homes that are owner occupied. There is no commercial activity competing for parking spaces.

I dug into the old shoe box and found a photo taken of the house in 1965. Compare that pic to the one just below which is quite recent. Not much has changed.

1965

2012

  When you walk inside it's almost like taking a step back in time. The interiors have not changed in decades. They worked well for the prior owner. Please take a look.

Yes, the concrete is 'tinted' green!

CLICK HERE to view more photos of this property and CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. Do not delay on this property. Asking price is just $619,000.  If you would like to see this property or want more information 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.

All You Need is Love - 712 Love Lane - Key West

If you are a hopeless romantic you'll probably fall in love with today's home when you read the address: 712 Love Lane.  But if you're a pragmatist it will probably require that you pass through the gate at the end of the walking lane and enter into the front yard before you fall in love. And after that all hope is lost for you will surely be truly, madly, deeply in love with this wonderful Key West home.

Today's home rests at the very end of Love Lane in Old Town Key West.  You'll fall in love with this place as soon as you pass through the gate and enter into the front yard which Leslie Linsley described in her book Key West Houses as "an enchanting environment with a brick-and-stone patio and overhead trellis laden with cascading bougainvillea."

The listing broker describes this wonderful home this way:

"One of the island's best kept secrets. This 4 bedroom, 3 bath all-on-one-level triple saw tooth shotgun proved inspirational to many. Harry Roberts was the model for Harry Morgan in Hemingway's Key West novel To Have and Have Not''. Bill Wright, Russell Baker, and David Halberstram have all been inspired by this gem, secluded behind the library palm garden. Judith Kazantzis immortalized the home in her poem, Love Lane, Key West''. The main home and separate guest cottage with bath open to the private deck and 9 foot deep heated lap pool with outdoor shower. Cypress shutters and cypress cabinets with travertine tops in the kitchen and dining area. Located off Fleming Street at the end of Love Lane with off-street parking."

Let me first tell you why it is so "secret" - it's because it is so difficult to find. I have mentioned before somewhere in this blog that there are three "legs" to Love Lane. If you walk of drive on Southard Street you will find a Love Lane sign midway between William and Elizabeth Streets on the north side of the street. If you walk down the lane which is wide enough to accommodate a car you will see that the lane abruptly ends where a house sits. And if you are walking or driving on Fleming Street between Elizabeth and William Streets you will find an unmarked walking lane that begins at the edge of the Monroe County Public Library (which has been referred to as the Pink Library). This, too, is Love Lane. And if you went back to Southard Street and looked to the south side of the street you would find a tiny little strip of ground not much wider than the sidewalk on which it occupies, a lane also called Love. In his book The Streets of Key West author J. Willis Burke explains the confusion about Love Lane:

"Love can generate some confusion - and Love Lane is no exception. Some maps show to Loves, one coming off Fleming and another off Southard, but not meeting mid-block. Other maps indicate Gwynn Street, named for a former mayor and cigar tycoon E. O. Gwynn, is the lane that runs off Southard. And yet another source cites Johnny Cake Lane as making up the northern half of Love Lane. At one time perhaps it did... As confirmed by the loving couple who lives on the Fleming Street side of the lane, both are now called Love Lane. It seems they don't meet because the bungalow that bisects the lane was built on the sly, and over the decades, has been grandfathered and let stand."

Like so many places in Old Town, this home has been added onto over the years. Rooms, multiple decks, a pool, a guest cottage are pieces that slowly became the whole. What was once a small cottage is now a 1309 sq ft home with three bedrooms in the main house plus the guest cottage or pool house. I started to write which of the rooms is my most favorite and then realized I couldn't decide which one that might be. So instead I'll throw up some photos I took and you can decide which you like most.

When you enter the home you see the dining room on the right. It's a magnificent space with soaring ceiling, a library wall crammed with books and windows that look out to the library garden and front porch, and the quiet little reading nook.

On the opposite side of the room is the living area with walls that seem to reach to heaven. Cedar shutters line the French doors on the south side which filter the view of the pool. Art has found a home on these walls which themselves become a piece of art. Look through the open door and view the first of three bedrooms in the main house. Notice the pickled wood flooring that is light and practical and in harmony with the house.

Pine walls were whitewashed which allowed the pink tones of the wood to show through. Louvered cedar doors open out to the pool.

See what I mean? You can't pick a favorite spot because each room or space is so precious in its own right. I love the spartan room with the single bed. It has a window that looks out to library garden. The shutter lined master bedroom made me want to jump on the bed and take a nap and the gauzy front bedroom made me want to peer through the shutters out to the pool. And then there is that insane kitchen with the soaring ceiling and handmade cedar cabinets. Nothing store bought from Home Depot or IKEA here. This kitchen was created with LOVE in mind.
The pool is located on the south side of the property. It should stay sunny most of the day throughout most of the year. Sometimes buyers miss things like that. It's always nice to have a pool with some sun and some shade. Not all people are bronzed gods and not all gods need to bake all day.

The pool house (guest cottage) is located at the far end of the pool.  I walked inside and looked at the room and my jaw dropped. Who wouldn't love to sleep, or take a nap, or do other stuff in this place? It is just too awesome.

I was nearing the end of taking photos when I snapped the above picture. I told the listing agent that Ralph Lauren must have created this space - it is just perfect!  He didn't, but I think you get what I mean. CLICK HERE to see all of the photos I took of 712 Love Lane.

Kevin N. McCarthy's book The Book Lover's Guide to Florida: Authors, Books and Literary Sites notes that author William Wright lived at 712 Love Lane (for about ten years). The present owners purchased this home from Wright in 1987. They created a masterpiece.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to view listing photos. If you would like to see 712 Love Lane with me, Gary Thomas, please call me a 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Property Key West. You'll fall in love with this one!

16 Kingfisher Lane - Key West - Bank Owned

 The recently listed two bedroom, two bath townhome at 16 Kingfisher Lane in the Key West Golf Club may just be the answer to your dream if you live for golf or at least dream of owning a very affordable home in Key West.This conch style townhome is located in a tranquil section of the golf club. The 900 sq ft home was built in 1999 and features first and second floor front decks and a large rear deck  the overlook the second hole lagoon and tee box.  The side yard has tropical landscaping which includes a sprinkler system.

16 Kingfisher Lane is Bank Owned and priced at just $289,900 or $322 per sq ft which makes it the second least least expensive townhomes on the market in the Key West golf course. (The least expensive is 42 Merganser which I previously wrote about.)  If you look at the views of the course inside and outside this home, you might just fall in love with this place. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet on this home.

Like a lot of Bank Owned houses, this one has been neglected a bit. But it was not abused. I think it needs a few of the windows replaced. The whole house needs a thorough cleaning and a paint job would make the place look even better. The landscaping has been neglected for several years. I would give the overgrown tree in the front yard a major haircut (or even cut it down). I would spruce up the front yard , side yard, and redo the back yard to add a bit of privacy but still maintain that awesome view. CLICK HERE to view photos that I took of this property.

Amenities at the Key West Golf Club Community include two pools including the pool shown below, a fitness center, beautifully designed and professionally maintained grounds,  gated and monitored security. The monthly home owner's fee is $333 which includes security, grounds and pool maintenance, cable television,

If you would like to see 16 Kingfisher Lane 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 buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

Gobble This!

Happy Thanksgiving to my Dear Readers!

I know you are out there because I do get phone calls and emails from people from all over the United States that dream about buying a place in Key West. I am thankful for those that come to my adopted home and buy from me.  Many of us have become friends after the sale and that is a second benefit of writing this little blog.

I have told this story before, but it is worth repeating on this day when I remember things and people for whom I am thankful.  I am so thankful that I read about Key West for the very first time in my life in a cover article in a long discontinued magazine called After Dark.  The author extolled the virtues and vices of a little island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean called Key West, Florida. The article was such a good read that I had to get out my atlas to find the place. It took me several years to actually make it here. After two weeks of baking my skin in the March sun and eating and drinking into the wee hours of the night, I had to return to my forever home in Denver, Colorado.  I did not want to leave Key West, but I had to go back to the cold and snow. If only, I thought. If, only. It took me years before I did it, but I eventually managed to buy a place in Key West and it is a decision that I have never regretted. 

I am thankful that I got to see many parts of Key West before so much of our town got so gentrified.  I love the old houses that still do not have air conditioning, or stainless steel, or granite.  I miss the days when dogs could sleep in the middle of Fleming Street.  I remember walking down a sidewalk one night under big mahogany trees. I noticed big old palmetto bugs lying crushed on the sidewalk. Those bugs are almost extinct now thanks to continuing spraying by the Mosquito Control District. I guess the juice they use kills more than mosquitoes-hope its safe for humans and family pets. 

Pool was relocated to waters edge

I am thankful I got to spend hours and hours laying by the pool at the old Atlantic Shores Resort. That place was a hoot!  For those who never got to go there, I'll explain the place like this. Atlantic Shores was located on South Street just a few feet west of Simonton Street. It was an "old Florida" motel with little rooms that extended out toward the waters edge where a huge pool and bar were located. People who stayed at the motel got to use the pool, but so did locals who would buy a lounge chair for the day or who would belly up to the bar and buy drinks and tells stories for hours. There was a long pier that extended further out into the water as well. On Sunday nights Atlantic Shores would host Tea By The Sea between the hours of 8 to 11. Music would blare and guests would dance on the pool deck and smooch on the pier. You could stand out on the pier and watch the lights on shrimp boats and pleasure boats twinkle. And you'd thank God you were in Key West.

I am thankful I had the nerve to leave my comfort zone and buy a place in Key West. I lived in Colorado my entire life, most of the time within a ten mile radius of where I was born.  Some people have no roots. Mine were too deep for my own good. 

 Finally, I am thankful for having met Judge Frank Jamison and his wife Joyce many, many years ago when I was a nerdy seventeen year old kid.   Joyce was the Secretary of the Jefferson County Democratic Party. Frank was running for judgeship along with Charlie Flett and Daniel Shannon.  I started the Jeffco Teen Dems in 1964 when Lyndon Johnson was running against Barry Goldwater.  We ended up having over a hundred members who participated in many different political events. We did a lot of door knocking for the three judicial candidates in addition to LBJ. Jamison and Shannon won, Flett did not.  Five years later after I graduated college Frank offered me a job clerking for him when I started to law school. That job helped make it possible for me to pay my way through law school.  I learned more from that man about being a man than I did the law. I learned how people in stress sometimes do dumb things and live to regret it, and how a man who judges their conduct does not have to judge them as people.  I called Frank and Joyce the day after the recent election. They were very excited and we talked about the old days when they and I were much younger.  I will be forever grateful they became a part of my life because without them, I would have never achieved the things I did in life.