221 Golf Club Drive - The Sanctuary - Key West

221 Golf Club Drive - Key West

If you are looking for a large house with three bedrooms, a den or fourth bedroom, a pool, covered off street parking, that comes fully furnished, and that is as pretty as a picture, may I suggest that you consider 221 Golf Club Drive which is located in The Sanctuary at the Key West Golf Club.  All you have to do is bring your toothbrush to this great home which the listing Realtor describes:

"Located in the Sanctuary, an enclave of homes at the Key West Golf Club, this pristine 3BR/2.5BA Great House has an open concept floor plan and first floor den which can be used as a fourth bedroom. Easy indoor/outdoor living with four covered porches, private pool, lounging decks and gardens. Off-street parking and carport. On site gym, clubhouse and twenty-four hour manned and gated security. Easy to show. Come take a look!"

The house has 1600 square feet of living space under air. This home has first and second story front porches and first and second floor covered porches at the rear. The homes and grounds in The Sanctuary look like something you'd see in a movie of an idealized place to live except this is real.  The photos above were taken on the porch located just off the two front bedrooms. These bedrooms have vaulted ceilings that add to the spacious feel of the rooms. They share an adjacent bath. The master suite is at the rear where it has a vaulted ceiling as well plus an en-suite bath and its own private rear porch which looks down to the private pool.

Master bedroom with en-suite bath to the rear

French doors open onto rear balcony overlooking pool below

The main level of this home includes a comfortable kitchen that opens onto the dining area and living room. A powder room is located opposite the kitchen. 

A potential fourth bedroom (or guest room or den) is located just off the living room. The space is quite large and offers lots of utility to any homeowner. French doors open out to the main level deck that descends down to the ground level deck and pool. CLICK HERE view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and view listing photos. 221 Golf Club Drive is offered at just $549,000.  That makes it the least expensive Grand Home at the Golf Course. This is really worth seeing!

I have become a big fan of many of the homes at the Golf Course, in part, I guess, by the lush vegetation that has grown and flourished there. The streets really are picture perfect. The houses resemble the grand Conch Houses you would see in Old Town Key West. The development as a whole is really attractive.  And once you pass the gated entrance into The Sanctuary you see a host of similarly elegant homes on a the one way street that loops back to the gated entry. The golf course community has two heated two pools, one which is enormous, and a small gym that is available to owners at no additional cost. Monthly homeowner fees are $333 per month (includes cable tv, common area and pool maintenance, and security).

CLICK HERE to view more a small slide show of photos I took of this really attractive and super clean Grand House at The Sanctuary.  Better yet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this wonderful home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.  

611 Margaret Street - Old Town - Key West

If you are looking for Old Town charm, location, and a small guest cottage, you ought to consider  611 Margaret Street recently listed by Preferred Properties Key West (that's where I work but this is not my listing).  This old Conch house first appeared in the Sanborn Fire Map of 1912. That would indicate 611 Margaret St which was built sometime  between the 1898 and 1912 editions of the Sanborn Map.  (The large building adjacent to 611 Margaret Street also appears in the Sanborn Map and was identified as Cigar Factory No. 353.  Today the former cigar factory is a residence.)

611 Margaret Street in 1965

611 Margaret Street in 2013

611 Margaret Street was updated several years ago with a kitchen and bath room renovations, the addition of central air, IPE decking, and a small pool (about 11' x 8'). The cottage in the rear was updated around the same time. 

The front porch provides a nice perch for people watching.  Inside, a hallway leads from front to rear where the great room is located. The guest bedroom is located on the first floor front. A guest bath is off the bedroom. It has a second entrance off the main hall just off the entrance to the great room.

The master bedroom is located on the second floor. It runs the length of the house and has a contemporary feel.  A rear Juliet balcony was added.  It offers a view of the rear deck, pool, and guest cottage at the rear. I was taken by the treetop views of the surrounding homes in this neighborhood.

The rear cottage  has a small bath and a loft. The cottage would make a great artist's studio or can be used as a guest bedroom. It has a small bath.  There is also an outdoor shower.

611 Margret Street is offered at $749,000.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view listing photos. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise. Fulfill your dream of owning a home in Key West.

2 Fletchers Lane - Hidden Old Town Treasure - Key West

The good thing about owning a house on a lane that hardly anybody even knows that it exists is that you probably will not have many drop in guests, Fuller Brush salesmen, or other ne'er do-wells knocking on your door. You probably won't be serenaded as the bars close when locals and tourists find their way back to their homes, apartments, guest houses or hotels. You'll miss out on lines like "Babe I love you!" or "I hate you! Get out of my life!".

The newly listed home at 2 Fletchers Lane in Key West is hidden away on just such a little lane that few people even know exists.  If you have a big ego and want everyone to see your big house and talk about how much money or whatever that you may have, this is not the place for you. However, if you want a slice of Old Key West that has been updated and tweaked just ever so nicely, this may be the place you have been looking for.

As frequent readers know the Key West mls is auto-filled with data that comes from the Monroe County Property Appraiser database. Unfortunately, the historic property records were destroyed in the great fire many years ago. Members of the WPA recreated those records but made guesses as to when many of our old homes were built - including 2 Fletchers Lane which the official record says was built in 1924.  I looked at the Sanborn Fire Maps for Key West and found what I believe to be this property which I have marked with an "X" on the map below. That map was made in 1892 which tells us the house and rear cottage existed prior to 1899. You will note that the house appears to be placed on an angle.  That was not uncommon in olden days. Some houses still sit like that. This house has been re situated so that it now sits parallel with the lane.

I dug into the old shoebox and found a photo of 2 Fletchers Lane taken back in 1965. Compare that with the photo which I took yesterday.

The black and white photo shows 'scuttles' located on the roof. Those were vents used in old construction to allow the hot air that reached the second floor to vent out to the world. Those scuttles are always an indication to me of old construction.  The first house I sold in Key West was built around 1824. It had scuttles. I will never forget that house because of its rudimentary but beautiful construction. Also, the front porch still functions as such but the main entrance has been relocated just past the gated side entrance which is barely visible in the above photo. 

The main living area is at the rear of the home.  The kitchen, dining, and living areas form one great room that has sets of French doors on two sides that provide ample daytime light that is filtered by the palms and tropical foliage on this and nearby properties.  The rich cherry floors and warm custom cabinets in the kitchen make the main floor living space extra cozy and comfortable.

The ceiling in the living room soars two stories where you will be amazed to see a glass walkway that extends to the second floor reach deck that looks out to the pool and guest cottage at the rear. What an ingenious mix of old school charm with contemporary design.  I seriously doubt that our current HARC would ever permit something so genius to be built today.  

There are two bedrooms on the second floor. The master suite is located at the rear of the house. The space is evenly divided between sleeping area, sitting area, dressing room and bathroom. It's almost like the place is a small luxury hotel.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. This property is listed at $1,123,000. Terri Spottswood is the listing agent and she gave me her permission to write about her new listing.

What must have been the original living room in the olden days is now used as an office. The space reminds me of an old house that has been treated with care for generations. The second bedroom is accessed from a stairway from the office area.

The front porch is still a fine place for sitting and watching - pretty much of nothing. Only a couple of other homes share this tiny little lane. There is no off street parking here. You can drive your car up the lane to unload groceries and things. But you will need to park on nearby Eaton or Grinnell Street. The listing Realtor tells me the owners have parked in the same spot on Eaton Street for as long as they have owned this house.

I don't know if the guest cottage is the original cottage shown on the old Sanborn map or if it was built new. But I know it is pure genius. I have never seen any structure like this in Key West. You enter the cottage by stepping down a step from the pool deck level into this small space that is dark and rich and which almost feels like a cabin in the woods except it is located in Key West, Florida!
Windows on two sides open out from the bar to the pool area where you and your guests can lounge in luxury. I exaggerate not: I want this! This is just too cool.

CLICK HERE to view more photos which I took of this really charming Key West property. But better than that, 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 Key West. This is a truly incredible home. Don't miss this.