1114 Watson Street - Old Town - Key West - Legal Duplex

If you are looking for an affordable house in Old Town Key West with income potential, covered off street parking, and room for a pool, the new listing (not mine) at 1114 Watson Street just may the answer to your dreams. And if you are an investor looking for a legal duplex with upside potential, this new listing may just entice you to take a look. The listing Realtor describes this property this way:

"So many sunny living areas in this move in ready duplex! From the enclosed front porch to the open living room, to the kitchen/living room combo to the outside porches and decks, you'll have plenty of room to spread out! The downstairs is a large 2/1 with bamboo and hard wood flooring. All bright rooms freshly painted from crown molding down. New ceiling fans, upstairs is 1/1 with spacious loft and large private porch with Epay decking, up and down. Marble counter tops, double sink with garbage disposal and new faucet all in a large island perfect for entertaining! Plus, it's wired for speakers for surround sound. Gas stoves, updated electrical and a fenced backyard with room for a pool. All located in old town and in an X500. 2 legal units."

I found an old photo of this property taken in 1965 (below).  The note on the back of the black and white photo states that 1114 Watson Street was built in 1890.  I will be the front porch was added or remodeled to add the stucco siding sometime in the 1950s or early 1960s.  Compare the black and white photo t with the color photo I took a couple of days ago. The shed addition to the right has been transformed into a carport - a novelty for the Old Town area. Just behind the carport is an extra large storeroom which a new owner might attempt to convert into an extra bathroom or put to some other use.

The main level living area is located at the rear of the home. A recent kitchen and family area open out to the covered IPE deck.  This is the area of the home where most living will take place - especially if the new owner adds a pool to the backyard. This house is laid out like many cigar maker cottages with rooms the run from front to back off a side corridor.

The front two rooms are spartan now. I bet a new owner could re-think the use of space and develop a creative use for these rooms.  The master bedroom and then a second bedroom follow.

The backyard has room for a pool.  There is plenty of room. A newly installed stairway to the second floor legal apartment could probably almost disappear with the addition of landscaping to mask the intrusion.  The listing Realtor told me the seller is going to install a privacy fence between 1114 Watson and the property to the south.  That will give 1114 Watson the privacy a new owner would require.

The removal of the shed storage area and the replacement of the tattered canvas awnings would enhance the views both of and from the main level and second level living areas.  The second level apartment is an updated and contemporary one bedroom with a great deck with sunny views.  The living area has a vaulted ceiling and new kitchen. There is even a small loft for that occasional over-night guest.

I think the second floor apartment would be a big hit and would rent in a New York minute.  It has its own private outdoor area with a really great view.  Locals would love to have living space like this.  I would imagine the second floor unit would rent for $1400 to $1600 per month.  If the new owner did not live on the premises, I would estimate the ground floor two bedroom would rent for $1500 to $1800 per month.  Rentals are scarce in Key West.  This property is located in the South of Truman area of Old Town. It is within walking distance to the shops and restaurants of upper Duval and the gyms and yoga studios that are located nearby.

 I took the photo above which is for rentals our office has available and for potential renters seeking a new place to live. The Looking to Rent side had about six lookers a couple of days ago and only one rental. I mention this because the rental market it Key West is Smoking Hot.  There is a real demand for short term (less than six months) and long term housing.  We have a lot of people who move here who fall off the world and think they would love to live in Paradise. Some stay. Others fall  deep into oblivion and find there way back to where they came from.  That's only one group of renters. Another group are people with good paying jobs that move here and lots of people in the military. We have a very strong military presence with both single people and married couples who do not want to live on base and in military housing.  We have a lot of government contractors who provide services to the military or other agencies.  We have doctors, nurses, and attorneys who rotate in and out of Key West on a weekly or semi-weekly basis.  All of these people need housing.  If you check the local Key West Citizen newspaper you won't find many places for rent in Key West proper. You may find places up the Keys but you probably won't see many there.  Craigslist has become a cheap and easy vehicle to post and find rentals in Key West. Go there and see what is available and what the rates are. You may be shocked at how expensive good clean apartments and houses rent for. That is why I think a place like this could function quite well for an owner who wants some supplemental income or for an investor looking for a legal duplex.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to see listing photos of this property. Or you can CLICK HERE to view more photos that I took of the property.

Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this legal duplex or any other property in Key West. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

623 Thomas Street #D - Key West, Florida

Just listed, but not by me, 623 Thomas Street #D in Key West, Florida. This one bedroom second floor unit has front balcony that overlooks Thomas Street where passersby walk from the Truman Annex to nearby locations like the Green Parrot Bar, Blue Heaven Restaurant, the Ernest Hemingway House, or the Southernmost Point.  Ft Zach Taylor State Park and Beach are located within easy walking distance from the corner of Thomas Street at Southard Street which is only one block to the north.  The asking price on this 584 sq ft condo is just $365,000.

Please view the photos that show this clean one bedroom unit that has both a front porch and rear balcony plus a third level loft with additional square footage not used in the condo square footage  calculation.  The loft would be an excellent second bedroom for the brother-in-law that wants to test the waters in Key West before moving here. 

The door opens out to the front balcony

CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this unit. And CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet on 623 Thomas Street #D.  There are just four condos in this small "complex".  There are two off street parking spaces that serve all four units and are used on a first come first served basis. The are no common amenities which means the condo fees are relatively low, just $300 per month which covers building insurance and maintenance.  That is why I mentioned nearby attractions and hangouts. This is a convenient location for a local who wants clean and affordable living space. It would make an inexpensive getaway place for a buyer who comes to Key West every now and then who wants a home base from which to explore his or her or their favorite haunts.

If you would like to see 623 Thomas Street or any other property in Key West please call 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.

Gay Divorce Court

Frequent Readers may know that many years ago (I started practice in 1973) I was an attorney in Arvada, Colorado which is a suburb of Denver.  I worked in a five man law firm where I handled a variety of types of cases.  My first divorce case was a true learning experience. I landed a lulu. I can't recall all of the details which is good since I might get accused of breaching client confidentiality. But I do recall the lessons I learned in dealing with people who are splitting up, namely - get paid up front and make sure to charge enough money; don't get suckered into the bitterness; try to convince the client not to go crazy and end up in jail for hitting the mother-in-law or the new boyfriend (or girlfriend); charge plenty of money - yes, plenty of money. Repeat charge plenty of money. 

In that first case I represented a woman who lived in Adams County, a suburb north of Denver. My practice was in Jefferson County a suburb west of Denver. The county seat was in Golden, Colorado where Coors Beer is made.  I filed the divorce action in the Jefferson County District Court since all District Courts have statewide jurisdiction. The husband hired an attorney who accepted the venue in Jefferson County.  If he had challenged we would have lost.  But that's the only easy thing that happened in this case. My recollection is hazy on whether my client (the wife) or her husband got arrested for assault on the opposite party. That action landed whichever party in the Adam's County jail.  I know I was there but can't recall why I was there. A couple of weeks later I appeared in the El Paso County District Court in Colorado Springs where the husband had been arrested for fighting with or inside the wife's mothers home.  I was involved in three jurisdictions involving two criminal cases and one divorce case.  I vowed to not let something like that happen again.

But it did. Repeatedly. Within a few months I represent a nice looking young guy in his late 20s who was a Casper Milk Toast banker type guy. Clean cut and handsome. He had a beautiful wife and a couple of really cute kids. He owned a nice suburban house. And his world was falling apart.  He stalked the wifey and found some good looking stud hanging around the house when his kids were there. My client barged in and got himself arrested for beating the other guy up.  Even Casper Milk Toast guys can beat up studs if given good cause.  We ended up in criminal court. The wife's attorney was a woman (which was relatively new in those days).  The attorney took a genuine dislike to me which I found odd. I think I am and have always been like able. I do not now nor did I then consider myself to be sneaky or mean or anything other than professional. But that lawyer and I never did get along. Oh and my client got arrested for beating up the studly boyfriend a second time. The stud should have learned not to mess around with the wife when the kids were home. We eventually got the divorce the couple wanted.  It cost the couple a lot of money.  I wonder if the stud ended up with the wife.  I wonder if the kids ended up marrying and divorcing and fighting with their spouses (or boyfriends or girlfriends). I am a believer that people repeat their parents' lives. 

I represented another guy who got arrested for pushing his wife's head down the toilet during the middle of the divorce. That did not look very good. I think we entered into a plea bargain on that. I don't think I would ever let something like that go to trial.

I represent a general contractor on a couple of matters. He and wife had split a few years earlier.  The divorce decree was in place as was the order for monthly child support. He was substantially in arrears.  The District Attorney filed a motion to hold my delinquent client in contempt of court for non payment of child support. This normally results in the man paying arrears rather than being found in contempt and ordered to jail. I warned my client of his pending doom if he did not pay. He hated the ex and said he would take time off work just to mess with her. The hearing was held near Christmas week. My client was found in contempt of court and taken into custody that day and spent the next week in jail.  The jail sentence purged him of contempt but did not free him of the obligation to pay the past due child support payments. The wife would have to wait a long time before she could prosecute a new contempt of court proceeding.

I stopped doing divorces and went into banking. Twenty years ago I moved to Key West.  A couple of years later I got my real estate license and started to sell houses. Key West has a large gay population and every now and then gay couples decide to call their relationships 'quits'.  Since the State of Florida has never legalized same sex marriage, there is no such thing as a gay divorce. But that does not stop legal battles about property splits or spousal abuse.

I remember showing a house a few years ago where two guys were splitting up. One of the partners got to stay with the house while the other moved to another property the pair owned. The men owned a business over which they were quarrelling in court. The local bank that financed that business got involved in the partnership breakup and got a receiver appointed to protect the assets of the business. Both men hired separate lawyers. The bank hired its lawyer and the receiver hired his lawyer.  The four lawyers took substantial fees from the proceeds of the sale of the business and the house which had a special bedroom that was painted black and that had a sling.

A female couple called it quits a couple of years ago. They hired lawyers in the state where they lived to help adjudicate the property split.  They also owned a place in Key West which had to be sold and the money sent to the home state for final distribution. They had lawyers where they lived and lawyers down in Key West just to make sure the other side did not gain a pecuniary advantage.  Justice costs money. Justice makes some lawyers quite wealthy.

Several states have approved legislation that recognizes gay marriages or civil unions. There will inevitably be gay divorces. I expect gays will do divorces like they do parades - with panache.

And that caused me to envision what we might see on a TV show called GAY DIVORCE COURT. I can just envision the drama we could witness.  There would be tales straight folks could not imagine.  It might be hilarious. It might be tragic.  I can envision ribald tales over the splitting marital property and fighting over such things as the collection of clown plates painted by Red Skelton (really!) or anything the pair mutually collected.  Straight couple fight over custody of the children. Gays will inevitably fight over pets.  And since many gay couple are now parents, there will be custody disputes where the real reason for the split will be aired. A former fellow agent who split with his partner of many years told me his ex beat him up. The guy who got beat up is a big man.  I was shocked but sometimes smaller guys can really mess up bigger guys. Another former fellow agent has been arrested for domestic battery by strangulation - twice.  Women beat each other as well.  I expect nothing less than hilarity or tragedy in each episode. 

Watch for GAY DIVORCE COURT. Someone will produce it.  It ought to be a winner.

630 Elizabeth Street - The House at the Top of Solares Hill - Key West

 

Frequent readers will recall my former listing at 630 Elizabeth Street (above). The house sits at the very top of Solares Hill - the highest point on the Island of Key West. Passers-by could not help notice how badly she looked. The big old girl was in the process of getting a major face lift as well as new dentures, a tummy tuck, hip replacement, intestinal bypass, and breast augmentation. I kid you not (well just a little). I represented the former owner who bought this big old girl when it was bank owned. That owner decided to sell rather than renovate. The new (current) owner started a major renovation and now that owner has put the property back on the market at the asking price of $650,000 or $328 per sq ft which makes it the least expensive property for sale in Old Town on a per square foot basis. 

630 Elizabeth Street built circa 1887, photographed in 1965

This big old building was traditionally a two unit. In the very old days the downstairs unit was a neighborhood store. Presumably the owner lived on the second floor. Judging from the interiors when I had this property listed for sale, I would guess the interiors were updated in the 1970s.  The front porch on the second level was unsafe and it was removed.  The main level had some noticeable foundation issues and it was the probably the cost of fixing the foundation more than any other issue that deterred most of the potential buyers who looked and lusted after this old house.

The listing Realtor describes the property today as:

"Historical renovation project 1.5 blocks from Duval street, built in 1887 located at the highest point in Key West on the top of Solares Hill. The seller began the renovations on a legal duplex and has plans already in place which would convey with the sale. The property also has plans to be turned back into a single family home. The seller has lifted the property up and renovated the footers/subfloor, leveled the home and placed it back down. Inside is now stripped down to just the shell so it is prepared for the floor plan of your choice.2nd floor views looking down Solares Hill are extraordinary. Plans Provide for 2300 sq ft of Living Space upon Completion of Remodel plus Porches&Siding (Exc20%of Existing)."

The photos immediately below show an example of balloon framing where the exterior. Them the second floor is then added. And finally interior framing and part ions are added at the end.  In this instance, the second floor balcony will get replaced and new and the old columns either replaced or repaired.

Early photo showing balloon framing

Something akin to intestinal bypass

I hosted many open houses when I listed this property. Most were lookers - not real buyers. But those that looked and have nerve enough to peer out through the second floor (Dutch door) got to see the views that only 630 Elizabeth Street can offer of Old Town.  Take a peek.

I dug through my old shoebox and gathered lots of photos of 630 Elizabeth Street which you can see if you CLICK HERE. Those photos will give a potential buyer the opportunity to compare the house as it existed with the way it looks today.  The property today is vastly improved from the way it was when it was purchased. The hard work has been done. Plans exist and are in place to complete the renovation. But a new owner could change things - even at this late date. The fun part awaits a new owner.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view listing photos. This property is listed by Scott Forman who kindly gave me permission to write about it in my blog.  If you are interested in seeing this property please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.