709 Windsor Lane #A - Old Town Key West - Short Sale

709 A Windsor Lane - Old Town - Key West

709 A Windsor Lane in Old Town Key West became an active short sale yesterday.  This 487 square foot one bedroom one bath cottage style abode is a legal condominium (one of three in the small association) located adjacent to the Key West Writer's Compound about which I have previously written. It is not a part of the Writer's Compound, but it does share the wonderful location near the top of Solares Hill.


The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Charming Conch Style Condo in Old Town Key West. One bedroom one bath with loft completely renovated with the finest finishes. Stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops and beautiful kitchen cabinetry. This is a must see! This is a potential short sale transaction subject to lender approval. Buyer to pay a $2750 negotiation fee to Seller's negotiator."

This unit shares a common wall with Unit B which was a bank owned property that sold a couple of years ago. A third condo, Unit C, is located at the rear of the parcel. The condos share a common plot of ground with side access on the west boundary for access for Units B and C. Monthly condo fees are $73.65 per month and include building maintenance and insurance, and common area maintenance. However, the association does not maintain windstorm insurance. The small condo association may make it extremely difficult to obtain traditional bank financing on a property like this. Otherwise, I think this is a bargain property. Read on.


I took the attached photos CLICK HERE for a lender two years ago. I observed that the unit appeared to have been updated in a good and workmanlike manner. The interior space was well arranged and utilitarian. The living room and kitchen share a common space which is normal in most modern Key West properties. The bedroom is off to the right and it is quite spacious. There are windows on two walls so this space is very comfortable as opposed to some bedrooms which appear claustrophobic. The bath is at the rear and it is extra large. A ship's ladder provides access to the loft located over the bedroom area. This is a neat place to send guests you don't want to stay too long or it would make an excellent place to store things you do not use everyday.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to view listing photos.


709A Windsor Lane is a short sale priced at $269,000. If you would like to see this property, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to arrange a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties KeyWest. This is a comfortable small home in a great Old Town location.

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Don't Mess with Norma Bates

A lot of bloggers have written about the creepy A and E series "BATES MOTEL". While some find it campy, most do not find it scary. I guess I am one of the few that really get so disturbed by what I watched that I have had to turn off the TV - kind of like a small child raises his hands to cover his eyes to avoid seeing scary things. (I did go back and watch the episodes On Demand.)

Since I am not a TV critic, I'll leave the critiquing to those who do it best. I do sell real estate, however, and the 9th episode of "BATES MOTEL" stirred up the Realtor inside of me. In an early episode Norma Bates and her son Norman drove up to the newly purchased motel for the first time. We learned that the highway was being diverted away from the motel. That could potentially make the new purchase worthless. But Norma and son proceeded to clean the place up anyway and make it ready for new guests.

Then in episode 9 the specter of financial doom raised its ugly head again. Norma realized that her investment was going to be worthless. She marched into her Realtor's office whereupon the following dialogue occurred:

Realtor:  How's the motel business going?

 Norma:   The motel business sucks, man!

Realtor:   Is there a problem?

Norma:    You never told me there was going to be a new by-pass road that takes all traffic away from my property and destroys my business.

Realtor:    At the time it wasn't official.

Norma:     It was being proposed.

Realtor:    A lot of things are proposed.

Norma:    Do you want to spend the next year squared off against me in court?

Realtor:    Ideally no.

Norma:   THEN GET ME MY MONEY BACK!  I want the motel and house on the market as of today. I want an open house this Sunday! Can you do that?

Realtor:    OK, yest I will re list it.

Norma:    I don't want a sign out front." (I have heard that before myself from sellers who want to keep the sale of the property a sweet secret that we Realtors only share with rich, cash buyers.)

Norma:    I still have to earn a living until it gets sold.

Realtor:    Of course.

Whereupon Norma swirled around, glared at another agent sitting nearby, and the swooped out the front door. 

Later in the episode Norma returned to the Realtors office on Saturday night to discuss the Sunday open house. The agent saw her approach the front door and yelled "Oh shit!". He ran back to his desk and grabbed his briefcase as if hoping he could escape her scorn. Norma zoomed through the office.

Norma:    Matt why didn't you call? I want to discuss the open house.  I could bake some cookies - give the place that fresh baked smell. (This would be advisable to disguise the odors of the homicides that occurred at the house over the past few episodes including the corpse of Norma's dead lover on her mattress with his eye shot out.)

Realtor:    There's not going to be an open house.

Norma:    Why not?

Realtor:    I looked into it.  There's no market for your property, not with the new by-pass road going in.  I can't get your money back.

Norma:    How much can you sell it for?  Is has a value.

Realtor:    You are underwater. The best thing you can do is let the bank take it back.

Norma:    Walk away from my investment?  I can't due that.  I will sue you!

Realtor:    You can do that but I am $30,000 in debt, live with my girlfriend, and my mom owns my car (as if sticking his hands to his ears, wiggling his fingers, and saying neener, neener, neener).

Whereupon Norma charged the Realtor and hit him over the head with her big handbag. He moved to the back of his desk and crouched on the floor. Norma beat him again and again - five strikes in total. What a wimp. She could have kicked him down the street.

The agent really messed up. We do not know from the dialogue what kind of agency may have existed. Even though this was a commercial sale, the agent should have disclosed the proposed relocation of the road. Norma was not without fault. She had time time to complete her due diligence to determine the suitability of a property for its intended us. And assuming the lender had an appraisal done before it loaned new money to purchase the motel, the appraiser should have discovered the "potential by-pass". 

As a TV viewer I felt  sorry for a buyer like Norma Bates who appeared to have been taken advantage of by real estate agent Matt. Matt's "I don't have a pot to piss in" attitude sucks, to use Norma's vernacular. I was rooting for her to beat the hell out of him. She stopped too soon.  Actually, Matt was very lucky. Most people who mess with Norma end up dead.

I'm not offering advise to any Realtor who reads this except this - don't mess with Norma Bates.

1617 White Street - Casa Marina Estate - Key West

1617 White Street - Key West, Florida

If you are a buyer who wants to purchase an estate type property in Key West, 1617 White Street please take a few minutes to view today's blog, the attached photos, and the mls datasheet and then you will surely appreciate the newly reduced asking price of $3,750,000. This designer home with its incredible park like grounds are located one block from Higg's Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

The listing Realtor at Preferred Properties describes this property thus:

"This splendid tropical estate rests on 25013 square feet of land and extends from White Street right through to Sirugo Avenue. The completely renovated elevated residence has ocean views from the cupola and rooftop deck and a dramatic vista across the pool and lawn to the spectacular waterfall. In addition to the luxurious poolside master suite and two guest bedrooms with en suite baths, there is a charming study in the tower and a very efficient office overlooking the pool. This home was featured in the Oct. '01 issue of Architectural Digest. There is a whole-house generator and a hurricane protection system. For additional money, an adjoining property of two units having a total of 3 bedrooms,3 baths and a pool may also be purchased."

The present owner purchased the main house in 1997 and engaged local architect Tom Pope and brought in designer Thomas Achilles (who had designed other projects for the owner). The trio collaborated to transform the original house into something truly unique. The most prominent feature visible from the street is the widow's walk. Historically, widow's walks were places where sailors' wives would climb to look out to the sea to search for the returning ships.  Wireless radio made those roof top perches needless. Since the original house was only built in 1983,  the widows' walk was more a follie than a necessity when built. Yet it was this novel feature that attracted many an eye a block away at nearby Higg's Beach or at the city park across the street. The new owner and his design team expanded the widows' walk by adding a rooftop sundeck.

Sunset at Higg's Beach

The palms at the front of the residence now obscure much of the front facade and widows' walk from public view. But the widows' walk is still the most prominent feature when viewed from the back side of the property.

The owner was quoted in the Architectural Digest piece "Key West has Cuban sensuality and a Caribbean irreverence. At the same time, the island has a distinctly American individualism and a clear-stated preference for charm and history that can only be European. We tried to make sure our home blended all of these elements."

I guess I would describe the house as British Colonial Revival. The front veranda features an elaborate front door, decorative crown pediments, and double sets of windows on either side of the front entry. The interiors are rich in design and color. The designer used used a color pallet of tans, caramels, creams, and magenta that were set off by crisp white trim.

The home has 3259 sq ft of living space under air that includes formal entry, elegant living area and views to the front and rear,  three bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, and the roof top widows' walk with its 360 degree views of the Island of Key West. The entire property is fenced and lighted. There is bricked off street parking for several vehicles.

Although the main entry is Key West casual, you know upon entry this is not s typical Key West property. The front door opens into the entry which then expands to the right where the living room is located. That space is quite large and has multiple sitting areas. The fireplace, one of three in this home, is the focal point of this area.

The rear wall of the living room and adjacent formal dining room is actually multiple sets of French doors that open out onto the covered veranda that wraps around the rear of the home. Note the bay window effect of the French doors.

Bay window off the dining room

Fireplace on south end of the veranda

The master suite (below) has multiple sets of French doors that open out to the veranda as well.  The suite as presently configured includes a large office area which might easily become a media room, the bedroom chamber with fireplace, luxurious master bath, and an adjacent morning kitchen.

View from office

View from the master bedroom

There are two bedrooms on the second floor each of which has an en-suite bath.  And finally there is the widows' walk and sundeck which offer amazing views of the south end of the island, the nearby ocean, and the beautiful park-like garden to the rear.  Guests here will truly never want to go home.

 After completing the renovation and expansion of the main house, the owner purchased abutting properties to the rear. Existing houses were razed to expand the rear of the property where a park-like botanical garden was created complete with massive waterfall plus an nearby bandstand for large gatherings. The resulting property is an irregular rectangle that roughly measures 100 feet x 225 feet.
When you enter the home your eyes are immediately drawn through the house, past the pool and the garden to the sputtering waterfall literally located a block away. You don't see sights like that in Key West nor most places. The effect is quite dramatic.

The waterfall demands attention. It commands first time visitors to walk through the garden to the foot of pond where the water collects. While wandering toward the pool I passed a myriad varieties of fruit and citrus trees, flowering trees, and palm trees of all kinds. The garden is amazing.

Ten foot tall waterfall at the rear of the palm grove

Of course there is a huge swimming pool with its own waterfall, a Jacuzzi, an outdoor shower, a pool kitchen and pool laundry (for pool towels, of course). A sunny deck  surrounds the pool. An expansive loggia provides ample entertaining areas for many guests.  Hilary Clinton was a guest of honor at a campaign event held here a few years ago. I heard there were about five hundred supporters present.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls data sheet on this wonderful Key West property.  And CLICK HERE to view the photos I took. Please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com if you would like to see this home or obtain more information. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

Key West Vacation SCAM - Don't Be a Fool!

Each week I receive at least one phone call or an email from someone who has performed a Google Search on an address of a vacation rental in Key West.  The person normally found a blog I wrote about a particular place and decided to contact me to find out if the ad (usually found on Craigslist) is legitimate.  None of the calls or emails has ever been a legitimate rental.

The City of Key West has fairly simple rules with regard to nightly and weekly rentals of homes and condos.  If an owner has a transient rental license, the owner can legally rent the home on a daily basis - just like a hotel.  Most owners with a transient license require longer vacation stays so they can keep the "turnover" to a minimum.  A house or condo with a transient license must display a plaque at the front of the property so that neighbors and code enforcement know the rental is legal and who the property manager is in case of a problem.

There are only a limited number of homes or condos that have a transient rental license. 

The City permits owners to rent homes or condos on a monthly vacation rental basis. Stays of 28 days or longer are required.  And only one such rental is permitted for the property during that month.  For example, an owner may not rent three weeks to one renter and then rent the fourth week to another renter.

If you see an ad on Craigslist or any other place on the Internet that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  Unsuspecting renters are being victimized all the time by scammers who have stolen photos of real properties and then pass then off as the property they proclaim to offer for rent.  One particular scammer speaks in 'broken-English' to peole who call to discuss property rentals in Key West. He previously required renters to make advance deposits by Pay-Pal. Now he is asking for payment by direct deposit to a bank account.

One couple paid a several thousand dollar advance deposit on a large house with a pool and parking with broken-English speaking man.  When they got to the house they called the number where they made the reservation. The man said he had forgotten they were coming or something to that affect. He said to look in the mailbox or under the floor mat for the key. Sure enough the front door key was in the mailbox. The vacationers went inside and spent three days enjoying the house until the man who is actually responsible for watching the house showed up.  He called the police and had the vacationers evicted because the house was not a rental.  He had left a key where anybody could find it.  Shame on him. And shame on the renters for being so careless with their money.

 

Key West is a wonderful place to visit for a week, a month, or season.  I suggest that you contact any of the Key West property management companies that have identifiable street addresses, land line phones that you can verify as belonging to the company you are calling, and an actual website apart from Craigslist, Homeaway, or VRBO.