1421 Reynolds Street - Casa Marina Area - Key West

Buyers who want a million dollar address ought to take a look at 1421 Reynolds Street in Key West.  Locals and frequent visitors to Key will likely recognize the value of owning a home located in the Casa Marina Area of Key West. This Mid Century home is located within a five minute walk to Higg's Beach and the Great Atlantic Ocean.  And it has easy access to the rest of Key West as well. The great thing about this three bedroom, two bath home is that it is move-in ready and it is priced at only $649,000. That beats the higher prices you'd expect for similar sized house in Old Town.  The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Lovely Mid-Century Modern three bedroom home in highly desirable Casa Marina neighborhood. Beautifully maintained terrazzo floors, sleek lines and simplicity are hallmarks of the Mid-Century style. Renovated kitchen, open floor plan living room and central air conditioning are recently added conveniences. Great outdoor spaces and room for a pool on this large tropical lot. Entry courtyard provides privacy and relaxation. The 310 square foot screened covered porch not included in the under air square footage but could be easily enclosed. Off-street parking with carport provides convenient parking for at least 2 vehicles. An Adorable Casa Marina Treasure."

Even the newer areas of Key West are not always "new".  The house at 1421 Reynolds Street was built in 1958.  I didn't have to dig all that deep into the old shoebox to find a photo of the house as it appeared fifty some years ago. Today the house sits behind a six foot fence that protects the view from the street. This is typical of many homes in the Casa Marina Area. I do think it looks better today, however.  In fact all of Key West looks better today. There are trees and lush vegetation all over the island. Lots of tourist dollars has made it possible for our little city to provide great amenities for locals and tourists alike.  And things get better each year.  And little houses like this one on Reynolds Street, and the people that own, are the beneficiaries of all the tourist revenue.

The nearly 1100 sq ft house is a ranch with three bedrooms and two baths. The interiors have been updated to compliment the original design which included Terrazzo floors that shine. A new contemporary kitchen was added along with new sliding doors that open out to two different covered outdoor living areas. The property has off street parking at front and room for a pool at the rear.

The former carport is now one covered outdoor living area and a covered and screen enclosed porch serves the backyard area. I think there is room for a pool here.  Of course, you could save the cost of building a pool by walking the four blocks to Higg's Beach and the ocean just four blocks to the south.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datashteet on this property. Or better yet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this house. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. I live in the Casa Marina Area and love it for its convenience and quiet. I work almost all the time so I don't get to use the beach like I used to, but the proximity is truly a plus when guest are in town. If you have a dog, our doggie park is located across the street from Higg's Beach. Your pooch can meet new friends twice a day. 1421 Reynolds Street could by your home by Christmas this year - if you hurry!

The Ghost House of Christmas Past or How Not to Buy a House

This is a true story. 

A couple of years ago just around Christmas I posted a blog about a bank owned house located on a nearby island not far from Key West. Like most of the homes in the Lower Keys, this home was elevated and located on a canal with a boat dock. This particular home had sold a few years earlier for nearly $800,000. It was a spacious three bedroom home with over 2,000 sq ft of living space. The lot was in excess of 15,000 sq ft and had both sunny open spaces and tropical foliage that provided privacy. There was a pool and a hot tub and a cabana. You could tell that whoever lived there before loved this house. The grounds around the house, though overgrown, had been magical. The nearest neighbor was half a block away. The house was offered at less than $300,000.

The day after I wrote the blog I received a phone call from a buyer from an east coast location. He loved the house. He and his wife drove directly to Key West from the frozen north and met me at the house two days later. I told the buyers that other agents and potential buyers were at the house the day I took photos for my blog.  I warned the buyers that what they liked about the house would attract other buyers just as much. I suggested that if they made an offer to make it in excess of the already very low asking price. Instead the buyers offered 85% of asking price all cash with a quick close. A different buyer offered 102% cash of the asking price, a longer close, and got the property.

I happened to drive by that former bank owned property last week on my way to show a different house on a smaller lot on a different canal with neighbors to the left and right in front and behind. There was no pool, no hot tub, no cabana, and no privacy. That house is in much better condition than the bank owned property, but it is smaller in size and priced near $500,000.  

I have seen this scene played out several times. A buyer draws a line in the sand.  He says I will pay this price and not a dollar more. When a seller refuses to meet a buyer's price, the deal ends.  (Sellers draw the same line.)  A variation often arises after a home inspection and "problems" with a house are pointed out. Sellers who want to sell and buyers who want to buy normally work out a way how to deal with whatever "problems" are discovered. Genuine problems require a lot of work by the parties and their agents. Problems can sometimes lead to the break-up of a deal simply because a buyer or a seller refuses to negotiate or cannot find a meeting place that is on the other side of a line in the sand.

Instead of drawing a line in the sand and creating a barrier that makes buying a house potentially impossible, buyers ought to keep their eyes on the prize: owning a home in Key West. No, I take that back. It's not owning "a" home, it is moving to Key West to live your life here. That is the prize. Once you find the house you want to live in, you may need to compromise a bit to get what you want. I am not suggesting that a buyer pay whatever some greedy seller demands. I am saying not to lose sight of what you want to achieve. Sure there are always other houses.  But in Key West, some places, like the house my buyer lost, are really one of a kind. A few thousand dollars over the course of a few years will seem like nothing.

If you are looking to buy a place in Key West please consider working with me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or by email at kw1101v@aol.com.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1212 Watson Street - Old Town - Key West

The asking prices are on the rise again, Dear Readers, for houses in Old Town Key West.  A perfect Old Town house will cost around a million dollars give or take a hundred grand or two. Off street parking, a pool, and perfect condition costs a lot in Key West.  It's no wonder then that some buyers are willing to spend less and do some renovations to get the house they want - hopefully at less than a million bucks.

I found the black and white photo above that shows how 1212 Watson Street looked back in 1965. This house is a typical vernacular style seen on many blocks in the Old Town area. Look at the photo at the very bottom of today's blog. You will see a similar home that has been updated with love and care. That is what 1212 Watson Street could look like by Christmas in 2014.

The house at 1212 Watson Street in Key West offers buyers a chance to create a perfect Key West cottage.  The asking price is $648,000 on this 1606 sq ft house that sits on a 3006 sq ft lot (39.3' x 76.5').  There is off street parking on the side.  The back yard has enough room for the addition of a pool. The backyard as it now exists is covered with brick pavers.  A side gate could be easily removed to permit a backhoe into the rear yard to dig a new pool.  If you have looked at a lot of houses in Key West, you will appreciate the value of this side gate.

A new kitchen was added and the house spruced up a few years ago.  The house currently has three bedrooms, two baths, a large second floor deck on the south and rear sides of the house.  One of the three bedrooms and one of the baths are located on the main floor. The bedroom is located at the rear of the house and the bathroom on the opposite side near the kitchen.  The two second floor bedrooms share a Jack and Jill bath. 

I have shown this house several times. I think a good designer or architect could improve the interior design (room flow, not decor).   I would eliminate or relocate the downstairs bedroom - perhaps move it to the front where the living room is currently located. The current bedroom space could become part of a new open great room with combined living, dining, and new kitchen with sets of new French doors that open out to the new poo. That would brighten up the interior and make this old house come alive.

There is no telling what an architect may be able to create with the second floor space. The two second floor bedrooms work, but they could work better if the rooms could be expanded onto the existing deck. That will not be an easy task, but it may be worth trying.  I don't think anyone could build a deck this large today because of HARC scrutiny. Notice also the decorative trim at the top of the interior stairway. This trim appears to have been copied and included as a side railing on the second floor deck. 

 CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 1212 Watson Street. If you agree with me that this old house has some possibilities, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a showing. Thanks to Monika Turek, listing agent, for providing me with the photos and allowing me to blog about her listing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

1019 Flagler Avenue - The Casa Marina Area - Key West

Just listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that is where I work but this is not my listing, 1019 Flagler Avenue in the tony Casa Marina Area of Key West.  This is a really big property (4055 sq ft of living space) that sits on a 9160 sq ft lot (90.25' frontage X 101.5' depth).  The listing Realtor describes the property as an

"Historic Indian block home just waiting for someone to bring it back to a grand family home on the most prominent part of Flagler Avenue, just steps from the Casa Marina Hotel. Zoned residential/commercial, perfect for a doctor, who needs 4 examining rooms, office space and reception and a place to live. On this incredible property there is also a large pool, a garage that can be converted to guest house or a pool house. Enough room for 3 cars uncovered and one covered. Renovation Project!!!"

I found the above black and white aerial photo of the Casa Marina Area that was taken in the 1930s. The arrow shows 1019 Flagler Avenue.  Two blocks the the west (left) is the historic Reynolds House. Both homes were built of Indian Block, a man-made material similar to modern concrete block except that Indian Block has a finished decorative appearance. Most of the undeveloped lots shown in the color photo immediately above were built upon in the 1950s and 1960s. Unlike many of the Old Town area homes which are built on small lots, the houses in the Casa Marina Area were quite often built on lots of 5,000 sq ft or larger.  As Key West became a destination for a second home and the supply of houses in Old Town proved too costly or too small, or both, buyers looked to the Casa Marina Area.  In the 1990s and later, many of the Casa Marina houses were razed or renovated to provide larger living spaces and to add pools and gardens.  The Casa Marina Area today is an attractive alternative to smaller and often pricier abodes in the Old Town area. The color photo immediately above was taken in 1999. An arrow shows 1019 Flagler Avenue surrounded by homes.

There is a 1960s era addition to the front of 1019 Flagler where it appears the original first and second floor porches were enclosed with concrete blocks covered by stucco.  Wrought iron fences and gates were added to both side yards.  A long driveway leads to covered parking located just off the kitchen. An old garage still sits at the rear of the driveway.  It is used as a home gym but could become a pool house, cabana, or maybe expanded into a guest cottage. 

A one story addition was added on the east side presumably in the 1960s or 1970s.  There is what I call a"disco" bedroom and bath located up front. The real star of the addition is the Florida room which is located at the rear. This room has a cathedral ceiling with impressive wood trusses.  Windows on three sides provide ample light and great views of the large back yard and pool. The Florida room is the only current ground level living space. The kitchen is located at the rear of the house on the main floor. It has two smallish windows with pool views. There is a large covered patio just outside the door. An interior stairway runs from the kitchen to the second floor.

The downstairs front portion of the house is now used as a doctor's office. I was not able to photography any of that space. The second floor space includes a sitting room, bedroom, large bath, nanny suite, and an office. Again, this space appears to have been created when the first and second floor porches were enclosed. The rooms have high ceilings and are a hodgepodge of sizes that beg for some creativity. When showing houses like this I tell my buyers that they should not focus on what exists now because what is will probably removed leaving four outer walls from which a new home will emerge.  This house appears very solid. I guess you could say it has "good bones".

This property is located less than two blocks from the Casa Marina Hotel and two blocks from Higg's Beach. Most of the larger homes in the Casa Marina Area are priced above $2,000,000. 1019 Flagler Avenue is offered for sale at $995,000. A buyer who wants a renovation project ought to hop on this property immediately.  I will bet this house sells in less than a week. CLICK HERE to view more photos that I took of the house and grounds. Remember that what you see now is not what you can create.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet.

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.  If you buy 1019 Flagler Avenue, you could have a Key West home by Christmas in 2014!