727 Love Lane - Key West - Make this Cottage Your Love Nest

727 Love Lane is located near the tippy top of Solares Hill in the Old Town section of Key West.  This introductory sentence tells us a lot about this particular house starting with the address - the house is located on one of the most coveted lanes in town.  There are just seven houses on this little lane that dead-ends at this property.  That means you won't be having cars, scooters, or Conch trains riding past your home disturbing your peace and quiet. The Solares Hill location assures you that flood insurance will never be required at this property. We all know that most potential buyers and guests prefer the Old Town area of Key West as the place they want to stay on vacation. The other houses on this lane are among the cutest in Old Town which means you won't be embarrassed when your friends or family visit.  Quite the opposite - they will be enchanted as they walk down this little lane.

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I looked through the old Sanborn Fire Maps for Key West and learned that 727 Love Lane was built around 1892.  I determined that a previous structure was located on the lot prior to 1892.  For whatever reason, that home was either razed or destroyed.  The current structure has been added onto over the years.  In 2005 the property was marketed for sale as a legal duplex (see the photo immediately above).  Note the exterior used to have asbestos siding.  The property was thoroughly renovated and the property became a single family residence. (Exterior siding was replaced. New windows, doors,  floors,  and A/C were added. A new kitchen and baths were done in the last renovation. A new roof was added in 1999. The front part of the original cottage (shown in the 1965 black and white photo above) now has four sawtooth additions each of which now has a cathedral ceiling.  A modern addition was added at the rear. Today the kitchen and dining area is located there.  A covered lanai is at the very rear.

The house now has 1989 sq ft of interior living space on one level - no stairs to climb.  The lot is quite large - 40' X 99' or 3800 sq ft.  There is off street parking and room for a large pool. 

The listing Realtor, not me, describes this property this way:

"Desirable Love Lane: Complete renovation just completed from New piers to new roof. Home taken down to the studs and rebuilt! Vaulted ceiling in Living room, private office. Beautiful Kitchen dining area. Large covered patio off Kitchen. Laundry room and storage room off patio. Landscaped and ready to move in immediately. Most desired location in Old Town, walk to Restaurants, Seaport, Theatre and Duval St or enjoy quiet private setting at the end of Love Lane."

The house has been freshly painted and the floors are being refinished. I think a new owner will add a white picket fence and bricked front parking space which will add privacy to the side of the property which is begging to have a pool built. The lot is plenty wide and deep enough to accommodate a good sized pool and tropical foliage.  CLICK HERE to see more photos that I took of this property.

727 Love Lane is now offered for sale at the price of $1,500,000.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet.  Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to show this property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Make 727 Love Lane your love nest in Paradise.

1023 Johnson Street - Key West - Classic Casa Marina Property

Just listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 1023 Johnson Street in the tony Casa Marina Area of Key West.  The listing Realtor describes 1023 Johnson Street as:

"Circa 1938, this architecturally appealing home is located on a coveted street and rare find in the Casa Marina. The impressive columns of the front porch are accentuated by the green expanse of the front lawn. There is a covered carport, detached garage with storage, and lovely shaded gardens. The downstairs consists of a formal living room, formal dining room, kitchen with adjoining breakfast room, a lovely screened porch, and a private study with half bath. Original architectural appointments include unusual crown molding, hardwood floors, original windows and doors. Upstairs is an expansive master suite with private bath and two large guest bedrooms with a shared bath."

The home is 2400 sq ft divided equally between first and second floors. The main level also includes the impressive two story high front porch, a portico off the west side followed by a garage at the rear, and a screened porch area off the living room.  The lot is 7500 sq ft (75' X 100').  This home and the one next door to the east are somewhat of an anomaly for the Casa Marina neighborhood where many of the homes sit behind six foot tall privacy fences. Instead, this home sits behind a wide grass lawn.  There is no fence between the front and rear areas of the lot, but there is a cinder block wall at the very rear.

When you step inside 1023 Johnson Street you are transported to a different, more grand time.  The interiors reflect an art deco style of architecture.  The house appears to have been updated in the 1970s when I suspect the walls alongside the living room fireplace were mirrored and the lime green wallpaper was added to the anteroom off the kitchen.  Touches of chrome were added here and there. Fads such as these come and go, but the timeless beauty of a great house like this never becomes passé.  While the architecture may not appeal to those who faun over historic cigar maker cottages or chic contemporary abodes, it may appeal to a buyer who wants a project property that can either be restored to its former glory or alternatively renovated into a 21st Century reinterpretation of classic design integrated with Key West casual living.  First, let's look at some photos that show what the house looks like today.

The front entry is located in the middle of the house. The spacious living room with original wood floors, unique baseboards and crown molding, fireplace open into a formal dining room. Formal dining rooms are probably a thing of the past.  I still get phone calls and emails from would-be buyers who require formal dining rooms. It seems to me a huge expenditure of money to have a room that is used once or twice a year. But, hey, it's not my money.  Just off the dining room you can see the 1970s kitchen and the laundry room behind it. The formal stairway bisects the house between formal living area and the more cosy den/office to the left where there is a half bath. There is plenty of space to expand the existing bath into a full bath and perhaps create a main level master suite should climbing the stairs ever become a challenge.

The master bedroom with en-suite bath is huge.  The two rooms must be over 500 sq ft.  The plastered walls and massive size are just begging to converted into something smaller and more intimate in my opinion.  A new owner might add French doors at the rear.  Perhaps the current TV area could be transformed by adding book shelves for placement of a flat panel TV, books, and objet de art.

Two guest bedrooms occupy the west half of the upstairs and share one bath.  I have many rooms such as these transformed into neat nesting areas.

Twin doors on either side of the fireplace open out to a screened side porch that, again, provides a quite formal outdoor sitting area. A screened door then opens out to the backyard which currently is dominated by a huge tree and a wood deck. The original garage and an anteroom complete the backyard area.

I can envision removing the giant tree and clearing the space for the creation of a new rear yard, deck, and pool. I would convert the garage into a pool house with wet bar.  I would create a first and second floor rear porches with French doors opening from the current dining room, master bedroom and north guest bedroom. The back yard is quite large and could accommodate both the porches and new pool and I would retain the portico but eliminate the remaining car path to the garage. A new fence and landscaping would be added. The formality of the house as it exists today would be transformed by integrating the inside with the outside.

The rigidness of the interiors could be softened.  The architectural elements need not be eliminated. They ought to become accents to the newly invigorated house where the interior and exterior spaces become shared.  Key West's wonderful weather is one of the reasons we live here.  Opening the spaces for shared uses will make this house a much better home in the future. CLICK HERE to view a lot of photos I took of this property. Formulate your own plan as to what you might do with this home.

1023 Johnson Street is located two blocks from the Casa Marina Resort and Higg's Beach. Homes on the three block stretch from White to Reynolds Street are "pricey" to "very pricey".  Money you spend on this location will be repaid in years to come. But for today the location and its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and Higg's Beach are reasons enough to consider buying this home. 

The new Preferred Properties listing at 1023 Johnson Street is offered at $1,495,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-744-2642 to schedule a private showing of this home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

923 Southard Street Key West

The very cute Conch Cottage located at 923 Southard Street was built circa 1889. I found an old photo that shows how the house looked nearly fifty years ago (see the black and white photo below). If you look carefully you can see traditional clapboard siding at the front but board and batten siding (vertical siding) on the side.  You also will see a "sawtooth" addition at the rear. I suspect that was the kitchen at that time. A later owner expanded that space to include a second floor addition.  The house today has 1476 sq ft of living space on a large lot 2675 sq ft (approximately 27' x 100') located in the heart to Old Town.  The listing Realtor describes this pretty as can be property as:

"Freshly painted entire exterior, new window sills, new deck and new fascia boards! The entrance under an arch of bougainvillea into this winsome two-story shotgun cottage has been the subject of many photographers and artists. Colorful and light-filled, with Dade County pine walls and floors, this home is the perfect retreat in the heart of Old Town. Both bedrooms are upstairs, separated by a hallway with skylights, closets and a nook; step out of the bright master suite onto the deck overlooking your tropical paradise, landscaped and fenced for ultimate privacy, with a bougainvillea-roofed lanai, outdoor shower, heated plunge pool and bodega. This home is a real treat."

Today the cigar maker's cottage rests behind a picturesque white picket fence and trellis that frames the house.  The front porch provides the perfect perch for people walking.  Inside, you are greeted by a traditional hallway that leads to the rear with various rooms located opposite.

The front room is used by the current owner as an office. The second room is probably best described as the living room but a new owner could easily convert this space to a ground level bedroom because there is a full bath immediately adjacent. 

The cheerful kitchen and dining area at the rear. French doors open out to a covered rear deck that looks out to the dip pool. It is, however, the expansive backyard with flowering trees and orchids that beckons "Look at me!". I have shown this home several times and each time I fall in love with the space again. I could hear birds singing from every direction. I could not get enough of this glorious space.

Two bedrooms and another bath are located on the second floor. Sometimes in our older houses bedroom spaces are super cramped. I don't think that is the case here. I found both bedrooms to be quite adequate.  As the listing Realtor points out, the bedrooms are separated by a spacious hallway that separates the two bedrooms. Rustic beams accent this space.  The rear bedroom has a deck that overlooks the tropical garden and pool below. The deck is totally private. It would be the perfect place to get that all-over Key West tan.

A table for two is located on the rear deck. It provides another perfect perch for viewing the garden.  I sat there as my buyers and the listing agent discussed the house. My eyes darted from tree to tree and flowering tropical plant to orchids hanging in trees. The peace and quiet of this delightful garden was disturbed only by the warbling of song birds and the whirl of the pool. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this pretty property in paradise.

Frequent visitors to Key West will recognize the value of this location which is across the street and down a few houses from Five Brothers Deli. Mangia Mangia and Michael's are located less than a block to the west. Duval Street is just four blocks west and the Historic Key West Seaport is four blocks to the north.  You can walk to just about anyplace important in Key West in about ten minutes or less.  I think this property would make a great vacation rental. You could not ask for a more picturesque setting in which to spend a few weeks to recuperate from living in urban madness or suburban sprawl. 

There is nothing so pleasing as to be able to walk out your front door with your dog, your mate, or your best friends and being able to take a brief walk to places others dream about all year long. When you live in Key West you are living the dream.  Many people work in tedious jobs and get a couple of weeks vacation each year. Some spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to come travel to Key West for a few days (or weeks) of rest and relaxation. Most of us who live here absolutely love it.
 

923 Southard Street is offered at $795,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to view listing photos. Better yet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to arrange a private showing for you. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc.  This house is exactly what so many potential second home buyers seek in a Key West home.