1008 Packer Street #5 - Key West

 

1008 Packer Street #5 is listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that's where I work but this is not my listing.  This is a single family home located in a land based condominium. As an owner, you would own the ground under the house in fee simple. The condo association provides deeded parking and walkways between other units, but not this unit has its own parking spot and only abuts on other unit to the rear.

This home has 1491 sq ft of living area on one floor. There are two bedrooms, two baths, a large living area, an even larger great room with combined kitchen, dining, and informal living space with two sets of French doors one that opens out to the private pool and covered porch and the other that opens to a bricked and decked garden area.

The first time I looked at the house I could not tell if the home was newer construction or a renovation because almost everything except some interior finishes looked new.  I thought to myself 'this is good'. I love old our old houses, but I know that new construction or a quality renovation can reduce maintenance expense and insurance costs.  I learned that this house was a superior renovation of an older home that sat at the rear very large land parcel located on Truman Avenue. Then I remembered this home became part of a redevelopment of the entire parcel. In order to circumvent Key West strict new building codes, the new project was redeveloped as land based condominiums which allowed the developer to build houses on much smaller lots than land use laws would require. Since this home already existed, it became a part of the condo development but as as far as I could determine, it has nothing to do with the other units other than being a member of the condo association.

I looked on the historic Sanborn Fire Maps and found 1008 Packer was shown on the 1899 map which means it was built prior to that date. I then looked into the old shoebox and found a grainy photo that shows how the house looked in 1965.  As I said when I entered the house in 2013 I thought it was newer construction. It's not. It is a superior renovation of a solid older home.

1008 Packer Street looks totally different than the house in the 1965 photo. But it is the same place. Today it has new wood siding, wood posts and railings that give the old house and much different look. The front of the house is located near the street.  A new white picket fence and lots of trees and tropical foliage protect the house from the street. The front foliage is so thick that you have to stare to see the house behind the foliage. The lean-to carport is now gone. That space became a apart of the common area of the neighboring property. The private off street parking spot for this unit is located on the south side.  The front entry gate is shown in the photo above.

The old house has been transformed into the epitome of what second home buyers want in a second home in Key West. It has parking, a pool, a beautiful garden, and it oozes charm.  But that's not all. As far as I could see there is no deferred maintenance nor things one could do to make the place more livable.

When you first enter the home you see a very user-friendly kitchen with breakfast bar, handsome cabinetry, high-end stainless steel appliances, and granite counter tops. The tall vaulted ceiling and multiple French doors add lots of light to these spaces.  The living area is located to the right in the photo above. The master bedroom is at the far rear. The dining area is located at the left front and an informal sitting area is out of view on the right front. 

During the cold winter nights up north in America, you and your family can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the deck overlooking your pool.   I'll bet you will be using the outdoor space more than you can imagine. We all do. If its one of those few nights its rainy or chill (very few of those1), you can eat indoors.

The living area is quite informal and flows right back to the kitchen. The front door enters into this room. A stained glass window was added to the transom over the front door. It add height above the door to balance out the adjacent window. A set of French doors on the opposing wall open out to the sun deck. Dade County Pine walls help remind you that this an old house even if it has all the conveniences of being nearly brand new. Note also the use of recessed ceiling lights throughout the house. Lamps are used as accent pieces and not as light providing necessities.

The master bedroom is located at the left front. It has a door that opens out to the revamped original front porch.  The bedroom is quite large by Key West standards. The master bedroom has an en-suite bath. And remember, this home is all on one floor which means no stairs to climb.

The second bedroom is located just off a small hallway. This bedroom uses the Dade County Pine wall to remind us again that this is an old house.  This house may have all the finer appointments of a new home that might be found across America, but it still is an old Key West home that has been preserved and made better than when it was first built. 

You will see that the second or guest bedroom has quick access to the bath which has a second door that enters from the hallway. This home offers a lot of very thoughtful design, large and open living spaces, three different outdoor living spaces, and lots of charm  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this really lovely home. (Click on any photo to enlarge.)

CLICK HERE view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos.  1108 Packer is offered at $865,000. please call me Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule your own personal viewing of this great Key West home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

Real Estate Photography for Dummies...

 This is a true story. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

I get most of my business by representing buyers interested in purchasing homes in Key West. I do list properties on occasion, but I am predominantly a buyers' agent. A few days ago a buyer called me to ask about a new listing she had seen in our online mls. The Key West Association of Realtors mls website is open for all to see. You don't need to send an email to an agent to get details on anything.  But this buyer asked my opinion on this particular new listing and the neighborhood. I knew the neighborhood but knew nothing of the house. So I called the listing agent and set up a time so that I could take more photos for my buyer and to be able to answer more of my buyer's questions.

I arrived at the property the next day ten minutes early.  The listing agent, who I will call Betty Lou, was standing in the street talking to four or five people about the house.  I presumed they were other potential because one person had a camera taking photos of the area. I got out my camera and started snapping photos of the house from various angles. I moved to the front porch and took photos of the porch and the view from the porch looking across the street.  I framed the palm trees for best effect.

The other buyers were walking on the side of the house toward the back. I walked toward Betty Lou who said "Hi, Gary. Go on inside and take your photos. The house is open." "It's open?", I asked. "Yes, go on inside" Betty Lou responded. So I walked back to the front door and walked inside. Betty Lou walked down the side of the house toward the rear. The house was very nicely furnished, but it had a horrible odor from years of cigarette smoke. I immediately liked the house, despite the odor knowing that could be fixed with ease.

I walked over to turn on the lamp next to the sofa. Then I walked toward the dining room to turn on the overhead light fixture when a female voice said "I live here!"  Betty Lou had told me the owners were in town in our phone discussion the day before. She said the owners were supposed to leave by the time I arrived to take photos. I assumed Betty Lou got the timing incorrect and then wondered why she would send me inside when the owner was still there.

I touched the dining room light switch and turned on the light anyway. "I live here!" the female voice said again.  I responded "I'm sorry. Betty Lou is outside. She said to go inside to take photos."  The voice now had a body, the body of a smallish older woman who had emerged from the bedroom as she walked into the living area where she repeated "I live here!".  I repeated myself saying that Betty Lou had sent me inside to take photos. I said "She is showing other buyers the back of the house". The lady said "Betty Lou is selling the house next door!"  My complexion must have turned beet red because I felt like such a dummy. I reached over to turn off the dining room light and then the light by the sofa.  The lady stood her ground. She was not angry. "Miffed" would best describe her countenance.

I headed to the front door to make my exit. I said "Thank God you did not have a gun!" (You know in Florida we have that 'stand your ground' law that gives people the right to kill people in their homes if they feel threatened.)  The lady emphatically stated "My husband does!" whereupon I felt it best to get out of the house - quickly.

I exited and went to find Betty Lou who I told my little story. I was perplexed as to why she would tell me to go inside having seen me taking photos of the house, especially as I had initially walked toward her from the front porch of the wrong house. At first Betty Lou had a shocked expression on her face. She brought her right hand to cover her mouth and then she let out a chuckle. I thought it was funny too, but not that funny because I could have got my ass shot off.

405 Olivia Street - Old Town - Key West

“The first and final thing you have to do in this world is to last it and not be smashed by it.”

                                                                                                                   Ernest Hemingway

I came to Key West in 1984 for a vacation. Town was much different back then. There were not nearly as many tourists, or cars, or motor scooters, or trolleys, or delivery trucks. Dogs could nap in the street.  More houses were broken than were fixed, especially in Old Town.  I remember walking back the guesthouse late one night after a night on Duval Street.  I passed under an old giant Mahogany tree and stepped on a palmetto bug on the cracked sidewalk. Back then most of the sidewalks were cracked and heaving. Palmetto bugs were plentiful. Key West had an eerie feel in the dark of the night. I remember being on guard - not knowing what to expect.  Creepy walks in this foreign land with so many broken down houses and buildings made me suspicious of everything..

Many of the old houses appeared to have sat broken or neglected for years. Nearly thirty years later I would hazard a guess that maybe 20 to 25 per cent of the old houses remain untouched compared to back in 1984 when perhaps 10 percent had been updated. The real numbers don't matter to me that much. I have been able to watch this very quite little town change. I appreciate the changes to the old houses.  Some have been done much better than others. For the most part I like the houses that have been updated, but I don't like a lot of what has happened to our town. But that is for another blog on another day.

The house at 405 Olivia Street (above) is one of the houses that was broken down and pretty sad.  To use Hemingway's phrase, the place was smashed. Some prior owner attached a hideous lean-to carport against the house. The interior was "updated" with saltillo tile years ago - that's the tile they use in New Mexico, California, and Texas. Not Key West!  The floor on the main living level was not level.  The rooms were choppy. There was no "flow" between living areas. The updated kitchen (with cheap cabinets and cheap appliances was located at the back of the house. Unfortunately, the only bathroom in the house was located right off the kitchen.  The three bedrooms were located upstairs.  There was one saving grace to this house, however.  The house was and still is located across the street from the Ernest Hemingway House. 

405 Olivia Street has appeared in my blog a couple of times. It became a bank owned property (no surprise about that). The new owner hired a very well respected general contractor to renovate the property that is now available for purchase at the asking price of $1,295,000. The listing Realtor, not me, describes this property thus:

"Even Hemingway would have loved this place!! Amazing renovation from top to bottom on this mid-1800's historic home located across from the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum."

I checked the 1889 Sanborn Fire Map for the City of Key West and found what I believe to be 405 Olivia Street. The 1892 Sanborn Map shows a rear addition. In more recent times a shed addition was added at the very rear. Today, the entire house has been totally rebuilt from foundation to the roof, from the second and first floor front porches to the shed at the rear, from the removal of the lean-to carport to the addition bricked off street parking for two cars and pool with adjacent cabana. Please look at the photos below that show the totally renovated property.

The front room could easily function as an alternative guest room. The main living area, kitchen and dining area follow at the rear.

There are now just two bedrooms plus a very nice bath located on the second floor. The front bedroom has access to the front balcony that has views of the Hemingway House.  The trees and tropical foliage at the old writer's house prevent Hemingway's ghost from peering into the second floor windows at 405 Olivia Street.

 

Both bedrooms now have separate en-suite baths. The old second floor hallway has new windows that allow more light into what was previously a mostly dim hallway. The front bathroom even has a stained glass window that provides diffused light during daytime hours off of the hallway. I've seen this done in some other houses. It works especially well here. The stained glass window turns a somewhat bland hallway into an interesting space and it certainly adds a lot of pizazz to the bathroom.  It is, however, the view out the second floor window that will make you feel mighty proud as you look down to your pool below. There's nothing so fine as looking down to see something nobody else, no matter how much money they have, can own.

 

If you buy this home you will need to understand that thousands of people will walk by your house over the course of each year. Some passersby will probably stop and take photos of Hemingway's neighbor (your home). Accept that. But remember you are the lucky one that gets be be the neighbor with the front porch that looks over to the Hemingway House. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of 405 Olivia Street.

405 Olivia Street was built in the 19th Century. It was smashed and mishandled in the 20th Century. Now at the beginning of the 21st Century the old house has new life. It offers 1380 sq ft of comfortable living space that includes 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, a bright great room and kitchen area, a beautiful pool, and off street parking that is located one block off Duval Street. This property would make a great second home. And I am confident 405 Olivia Street would could become a very successful vacation rental. The pool, the parking, the quality renovation, the Hemingway connection, and location assure success.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos.

Better than looking at photos on the internet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a private showing of this new 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.