529 Grinnell Street - Old Town - Key West - New Lower Price

Bring your toothbrush, some comfy shorts and tee shirts, and prepare to enjoy the "rest" of your life at 529 Grinnell Street in Old Town Key West. You won't need to do a thing as this home is move-in ready. So you won't need to spend time or money fixing things, painting, or trying to get someone else to show up. Instead, you can spend your time living the life you have dreamt of living in Key West.

The listing Realtor describes 529 Grinnell Street this way:

"Beautifully renovated historic home on one of the most desirable streets in Old Town Key West. Located in a neighborhood of multi-million dollar homes, this historic treasure exemplifies the best of Key West living. High ceilings, open floor plan great room, modern and elegant kitchen, three spacious bedrooms with ensuite baths. Hardwood floors, bright and airy rooms. Fully renovated in 2006 to the highest quality standards. Stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and split bedroom floor plan. Bedroom downstairs with ensuite bath. Off-street parking and pleasant pool with waterfall. Located near restaurants, theaters and Key West Seaport. A Historic Jewel For Comfortable Tropical Living."

I did some searching through the old shoe box and found a photo of 529 Grinnell Street that was taken back in 1965. When I looked at it I noticed that the second floor front porch extended out past the balcony of the house. I then saw a stairway that extended down the left side of the house. That suggested to me that the second floor probably had been converted into an apartment.  Well, folks, the apartment is long gone.  I went to the historic 1889 Sanborn maps and found what I believe to be this house. The map numbering is different today but the location of the large house on Southard (immediately south of 529 today) and the smaller cottage to the right (next door at 525 today) places 529 Southard Street  precisely where it sits today. And that strongly suggests to me that 529 Grinnell was built prior to 1889.

When you first enter this house you immediately know it is as clean as a whistle. The house is arranged for modern living. If you have been inside many of the larger homes in Old Town you will  immediately see that the typical box rooms associated with many old houses has given way to modern living with an open floor plan. The updated space created a great room that is bright and cheery. The house is Key West "casual". There is no pretense of formality here. This house was renovated with comfortable living in mind.

French doors open from the great room out to the deck where you will find a dipping pool and outdoor kitchen. The day I took the photos the outdoor kitchen was getting a bit of a face lift. The owner was not happy with the way the cabinets looked in the listing photos. They have since been refinished to look like new again.

The main floor has a powder room tucked under the stairway to the second floor. And just to the rear of the kitchen you will find a good sized bedroom with en-suite bath. (The laundry is also tucked into this space.) The bedroom is large enough to work as a master bedroom should the stairs someday become a challenge.  Note that the bathroom has a door that opens out to the deck so that swimmers can come right into the house to shower off if need be.

There are two bedrooms located on the second floor - a guest bedroom with en-suite bath with access to the covered second floor front balcony and the master suite with en-suite bath and private rear sun porch.

There is a small coffee bar located just off the door that leads to the second floor balcony. I might add a small refrigerator to hold some late night snacks or chilled wine to make morning and evening people watching all that more enjoyable.

The above photo shows Five Brother's Grocery and Sandwich Shop located at the corner of Southard Street. Both of the two cottages across the street have been featured in national magazines. 532 Grinnell Street (the cottage with the crows on the roof) was in Architectural Digest and 530 Grinnell Street was in Coastal Living Magazine.

The master suite is located at the rear. The bedroom chamber has a dramatic high pitched ceiling. The room is already large and spacious but the volume ceiling makes the space seem extra large. The en-suite bath is totally refined and offers both a pool and a tub.  Just off the bedroom you will find a rear sun porch for some au-natural tanning opportunities.

The off street parking is visible in the photo immediately above. Also visible, but probably not appreciated via the internet photos, is the recently completed exterior paint job. This house glistens. The interior floors were also refinished or replaced. They are remarkable!  This entire house looks so clean and very well maintained.

I think 529 Grinnell Street could be a very successful vacation rental. It has the Key West charm, the pool, parking, location that sophisticated returning vacationers demand.

The  asking price has just been reduced to $1,195,000. I took more photos which you can see if you CLICK HERE.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet which provides more info on this quality Key West residence. I truly expect that this house will sell rather quickly. The housing supply for quality homes in the Old Town area at this price point has shrunk to a few properties. This one is a standout.  Please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to arrange a private 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. 

1601 White Street - Key West - Price Reduction

Preferred Properties Key West (that's where I work but this is not my listing) just announced a price reduction on 1601 White Street, Key West, Florida from $835,000 to $795,000). What's more, the owner had the interiors repainted so that the home would show off its true potential.

The 1568 sq ft two story house sits on an 8750 sq ft lot (70' wide x 125' deep) at the corner of Johnson Street at White Street - just one block from the Atlantic Ocean. A large fenced City Park is located directly across the street. The house sits quite high on the property and is located toward the north side of the lot. There is bricked off street parking for at least two cars. The lot is extensively landscaped and provides privacy from both White Street and Johnson Street. Yet you can sit on the large front porch and watch people as they walk the dog, jog, or ride a bike. At night you can walk down to the White Street pier to watch sunset. Maybe you might stroll down to the pier to do some night time fishing - I have.  There is an almost endless parade from early morning until sunset  and later when all quiet breaks out.

The listing Realtor describes 1601 White Street this way:

"Come take a second look at this terrific 3 bedroom 2.5 bath house is situated on an exceptional corner lot, just a few blocks to the Atlantic Ocean. The house has great bones... just needs some updating... Owners just recently painted the entire interior, installed new flooring, and will continue to make improvements until the house sells. The lot has beautiful native landscaping that is easy to maintain. The swimming pool with expansive decking and outdoor shower are all elevated. The house has many great qualities... central air, lots of windows, plenty of storage, and a unique floor plan. Other features include off-street parking, privacy/security fencing and a lot with room to grow."

The main floor is divided into conventional rooms with the living area on one side, a formal dining area up front on the other side and the kitchen at the rear with a breakfast bar in the middle.  A set of stairs leads to the second level where the master bedroom and en-suite bath occupy the south side and two guest rooms with a shared bath are located on the opposite side.

I personally think the master bedroom is dated. But the good thing is that there is so much room that a new owner could revamp the space and update the bath without breaking the budget.  The same goes for the two guest bedrooms. The spaces work find but could be tweaked just a bit to make the spaces just a bit more appealing.

The freshly painted interiors will give the new owners time to live in the property and figure out what they really like and what they would like to change to make the spaces function to fit the new owners' lifestyle.  I tell buyers to do this before they start a major renovation. Most do what they want anyway. I understand the urge to splurge but it is not always necessary.

I think the rear of the existing house is under utilized and could be expanded without spending too much money. I think the kitchen could be expanded to include what is now a covered rear porch. I would add more space to the master bedroom for bedroom area (or add a second floor deck overlooking the pool).  I would definitely expand the second floor bedroom at the rear which could then permit enlarging both bedrooms a bit. That might create enough space for each bedroom to have a private bath.

The back yard and side yard are huge and provide ample ground for expanding the main house or adding a guest cottage at the rear. A couple of colleagues have suggested tearing down the house and pool and rebuilding all new - not because what exists is bad but because the space is so large and so well located that the land value itself makes such a project thinkable.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this property.

Whether a new owner does some remodeling or keeps this property the way it is, I think 1601 White Street could make a great vacation rental.  The house is located one block from the Atlantic Ocean and the White Street beaches. 

The new price on 1601 White Street is $795,000.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view listing photos. After you have done that, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this property.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise. 

Things That Have Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen or How to Get Over the Key West Cemetery and Enjoy Life

Do not take life too seriously – you will never get out of it alive. - Elbert Hubbard

The quote is funny, and yes it is true.  The tragedy of the quote is that many people live in a pretend world where they do not die.  Or maybe it is just that they prefer not to think about it or talk about it.  Vacationers come to Key West and take Ghost Tours or walking tours that often end up at the Key West Cemetery. They take photos of the graves and sometimes even post ghoulish photos of themselves or the tombstones on the Internet.  I, for one, have never been inside the Key West Cemetery. I'm not afraid. I just have had no reason to go there.  And as I understand it, there is no room for me should I need it.

I can report that locals have a long lived "love affair" with the cemetery.  I found the two photos below that portray the events of a funeral in 1934. If you look carefully between the two monument pillars on either side of the gate and look up to the house at the top of Windsor Lane you can barely detect 630 Elizabeth Street about which I have recently written.  (You can click any photo for a larger version.) The ceremony of funeral parade through the streets of Key West continues today.  I have not seen one in a couple of years.  Let me tell you that it is mighty powerful stuff. The last one passed by old city hall on Angela Street. A former colleague led the process swinging a scepter as the mourners paraded up Angela Street which then becomes Windsor Lane and that eventually leads to the final resting place in the Key West Cemetery.  A small choral group passed by singing. They were followed by a brass band that had had me clapping and crying at the same moment. It was an awesome experience to witness the passing of someone whose name I did not know but who had so many loyal friends to take him to meet the Lord.

It seems like I am forever writing about houses that are located on or near the cemetery or one of our busier street like White, or Eaton, or Whitehead, or United, and even Southard.  Potential buyers normally shy away from all of those streets except Southard.  Those streets do experience a good amount of daytime traffic.  But traffic dissipates to a trickle after sunset when the delivery and service trucks stop and the office workers return home for the evening. When you really think about it, a huge number of our Old Town houses are located on one of these named streets or on streets that face, abut, or have view of the Key West Cemetery. And for some buyers, the location of a house with any cemetery view is an absolute no-no. For them, what has been seen cannot be unseen. To those buyers I say get over the Key West Cemetery and enjoy life.

Look at all the homes that border or are located within eyesight of the cemetery

I was recently working with some buyers who want a cute Key West cottage. I told them about a particular house that is located near the cemetery.  The wife refused to look. I implored her just to look - to give the place a chance. Nay! She said. I told her about a customer of mine to whom I sold a big house a few years ago. The house is located on a street near the cemetery. He also did not want to look at it because of the location. He said his twin daughters would be afraid to walk by the cemetery. I eventually got him to look. Then he discovered the value of this place, and then he bought it. The girls are in college now. I recently asked him how his daughters responded to living near the cemetery. He said it did not phase them.  He said they love their house, their pool, and their ability to come to Key West to chill.  End of story.

Sometimes so of the very best deals in Key West are houses that are located on the busier daytime streets or that have views of the cemetery.  To buyers that want a deal, do not be afraid to look where some fear to look. If you are among the people who wanted to buy a house in Key West when the prices were really low when it looked like the market was still going to tumble further but didn't, consider looking at a home located on one of our busy daytime streets or one that is near the cemetery.

Having the cemetery as a neighbor will mean quiet nights with no parties. You will enjoy more sunshine and breezes. And you just may get a bargain in the process.  Oh, if you are looking to buy a place in Key West and if you are not working with a Realtor, call me, Gary Thomas. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.