911 United Street, Key West - Price Reduction on a Classy Move-in Ready Home

The asking price on 911 United Street in Key West was just reduced from $1,295,000 to $1,189,900. While this beautiful house looks like a classic Conch Revival, it was actually built new in 2000.  The listing Realtor describes the property as a:

"Meticulously maintained home on corner lot featuring open floor plan with sliders leading to the deck with covered outdoor area, heated pool and spa. Three bedrooms, two full, two half baths. Master and guest bedroom on the second floor ensuite. Large his and hers closets in master with ample storage in master bath. Master balcony accesses pool area via a spiral staircase. Guest suite has private covered porch. Spacious third bedroom perfect for overflow guests & can also be used as an office. Off street parking for one car, professionally landscaped with lighting & irrigation. Located in the X Zone, hardy board construction and colonial storm shutters."

This 2380 sq ft home sits at the corner of United and Packer Street. The 2970 sq ft lot is an irregular  34' X 94'. The house sits towards the font of the lot. The back portion of the lot contains the pool and rear garden area. And there is private off street parking located behind the fenced pool area.

911 United Street offers three full floors of living space. The first floor includes a formal entry way which leads to the kitchen and great room just beyond. Notice the travertine marble floors, large baseboards and crown molding that would work equally well if decorated in a traditional semi-formal theme or with a relaxed Key West tropical theme. The second floor includes the guest bedroom with en-suite bath at the front of the house and the generous master bedroom at the rear. Both bedrooms have access to separate balconies. The rear balcony overlooks the pool below.

View from Covered Front Porch

This home and land are owned in fee simple, just like your home up north in America. But here in Key West, this property is classified as a "land based condominium". The condominium designation allowed the construction of new single family homes (and the renovation one existing property) on lots that were smaller in size than required for new single family home construction. Some of the homes share a private lane that leads to off street parking spaces. Condo fees are just $325 yearly. Here the homeowner pays all maintenance and insurance costs just as you would on a single family home where you live.

A spiral stairway leads to the overly large third floor. The space runs the length of the house. The front space could accommodate a single bed.  The back space currently has a daybed and office furniture. There is more than enough room for a king size bed in the space. There is a small bath on this floor as well.

As noted above, a door off the master suite exits on to the rear second floor balcony that overlooks the pool and garden. A stairway provides access from the balcony for an early morning or late night dip in the private pool or spa.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos of 911 United Street which is offered for sale at $1,189,900.  Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to arrange a private showing of this impeccably maintained home. You won't find a thing that needs to be fixed.

1317 Elizabeth Street, Key West - An Old Town Buying Opportunity

Just listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 1317 Elizabeth Street. The listing Realtor describes this 952 sq ft legal duplex this way:

"Duplex in old town located on a quaint street between United & South Streets, close to Duval, the beaches, restaurants. This ideal location also comes with off street parking and a nice yard. Could use some TLC but is currently rented. One unit in front & one at the rear. The front unit has a covered porch and small front & side yard plus parking. The back unit has a gated larger side & back yard, laundry & storage shed. This would make a nice owner occupied property with rental income or keep as a rental investment."  

Here's the deal. There are very few single family or duplex properties listed for sale in the Old Town area of Key West priced at or near this price point - $629,000.  But there are many potential buyers who are looking for a property that they could purchase around this price which they could then renovate and improve. This particular house is located on a small one-way street that at this location is only one block long. In essence, this is a "lane" even though it is an extension of a larger street. Normally, homes located on lanes are prized properties because they offer a degree of exclusivity and privacy not available in many other streets in Old Town.

I checked the Historic Sanborn Fire Mas to see if I could determine when this home was originally built. This little island enclave is not shown on any of the four maps. I did find an old photo taken fifty years ago. See below. That photo shows that the existing stucco siding had been applied to the house by that date. Assuming a new owner would renovate and turn this property into a single family home, I think the stucco would be removed and traditional wood siding reapplied. A potential buyer needs to overlook the current interiors if renovation is your stated goal because all that is inside will get ripped out. If you are an investor, you probably won't have to do a thing to make money. The rental market in Key West is robust. I think this places is rented below market.

The house is situated on a 40' X 88' lot (3520 sq ft) which is fairly large compared to many lots in Old Town. The good thing is it is wide enough to provide long term parking even when the property is renovated and a pool is added. The back yard is large enough for a nice sized pool. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took. There are no photos of the front unit.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Do not wait on this. I really think this will sell very quickly!

307 Truman Avenue, Key West

If you are a buyer searching for a Key West house with a checklist that an three bedrooms, two baths, a pool, and parking, you need to checkout 307 Truman Avenue. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet on this 1280 sq ft house that sits in the shadows of the Historic Key West Lighthouse.

I searched the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and found 406 Division Street on the 1889 Map. The street number on the 1892 Map was changed from 406 Division Street to 307 Division Street. Division Street later became Truman Avenue.  While trying to find the date Division Street became Truman Avenue I found the "Autobiography of Stephen Moreno Whalton" whereupon I learned that before Division Street got that name, it was previously known as Rocky Road. Mr. Whalton* further wrote

"Another event in my life that I have never forgotten happened when I was about seven years old, at that time there were a very few houses on the Southeast side of our Truman Avenue, most of that part of the Island was a wilderness, my grandfather and my father raised quite a number of horses in the woods of Key West, and my grandfather gave me a horse and my father had him broken to harness and saddle, this was a stallion, and somewhat mean. The only time that I was put on his back, was on a Sunday morning, when one of my father’s hired men put me on him without a saddle, as soon as he got out of the yard, he started to run, and I was too small to stop him, there was a man coming up the street who stood with his arms open,but when my horse got near this man, he made a quick turn to go by him, and landed me on a flint rock, I recovered from that accident in about six weeks, but I never had a chance to get even with that horse, as my father sold him before I became old enough to handle him. This was the end of the events of my early childhood, which have remained fresh in my memory down through the years, due of course, to the fact, that they made a great impression on my mind at the time of happening."

Next I looked through the old shoebox and found the black and white photo above of 307 Truman Avenue that was taken in 1965. Look at the clean lines of this simple wood frame house with metal roof. The architecture of old Key West is so basic. So minimalist. The simple lines live on a mere 126 years later. I think the simple architecture of our little town and this little house will continue to appeal to people for decades to come.   

There are three bedrooms and two baths. The master bedroom has an en-suite bath. There is a bonus loft space in the living room that is accessed via ship's ladder. There is another open space over the the front porch that provides some architectural interest inside the living room. The kitchen is really sweet.It adds so much architectural flavor to this place. The rear deck has a canvas awing. A small heated pool was added within the last five years. Other recent additions include a new roof, central air, hot water heater and stainless refrigerator. There two off street parking spots.

307 Truman Avenue is offered fully furnished except for artwork at the asking price of $895,000.  All you will need do is bring your toothbrush. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

*There are two different streets in Key West named after Stephen Moreno Whalton. I happen to live at the corner of Whalton Street and Von Phister Street in the Casa Marina area. The other street is Whalton Lane which is accessed off Duval Street between Truman and Olivia Streets. Mr. Whalton's boyhood home was located there.

CLICK HERE to read the  "Autobiography of Stephen Moreno Whalton". It's great reading if you love Key West. I promise.

826 Johnson Lane - Key West

One of the least expensive houses in Old Town is a potential candidate for renovation or possibly demolition and rebuilding. The listing Realtor, not me, describes 826 Johnson Lane, Key West this 1128 sq ft cottage style house this way:

"Renovation project in prime Old Town Key West location! This Old Town frame residence was built circa 1938 and is ready for a complete rehab. Nestled on a quiet lane near Truman Avenue and just blocks to famous Duval Street, this property is sited on a 116 foot deep lot and offers endless possibilities to create your dream home in paradise. The large deep lot leaves plenty of room for a pool and gardens and has off street parking. Home is vacant and is not habitable as-is. Potential buyers should verify with City of Key West if home can be completely torn down or partially torn down. Per tax roll the home is 1128 square feet. Do not enter property without permission of Listing Realtor as decking in rear is not secure."

I found an old photo of 826 Johnson Lane at the bottom of my old shoebox. This Plane-Jane salt box style is found in many of the small cottages that dot the streets and lanes of Key West. Modest people of modest means lived in these houses decades ago. This particular house was update several years ago but has fallen into disrepair. I will share a couple of interior photos that are self explanatory.

These pics may look scary, but they are probably typical of what many of the now picture perfect Key West cottages looked like before they were redone. And that is the truth. Just below are a couple of photos of the backyard and side deck. The deck is falling apart and needs removed and or rebuilt. The backyard offers room for a pool once the decades of over grown vegetation are removed. One potential buyer that I showed this house to came up with a very good idea which would be to move the house forward just a bit. That would shorten the driveway and allow for a larger rear yard. I have seen this happen before on a couple of houses. Our Historical Architectural Review Commission would have to grant this extraordinary permission. I think it makes sense myself. -

 I am certain that this particular house is not on the list of contributing historic structures in Old Town. That being the case a new owner might even get permission to raze this house and build a new structure. A qualified architect would be able to advise a potential buyer as to whether HARC would allow a house like this to be razed.  Even if the building could not be razed, it would certainly be a candidate for major renovation. I will bet that most of the building seen in these photos would be taken down and rebuilt with a new foundation and new materials throughout.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 826 Johnson Lane. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule 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.