2412 Linda Avenue, Key West - La Belle Vue Cottage

The listing agent of 2412 Linda Avenue invited me to stop by and take a couple of photos of this new listing for use in my blog. I am a bit familiar with the location as I wrote an offer for on a nearby bank owned property a couple of years ago. I had no idea how radically different the two properties were. Today's blog is a short narrative with photos I took and listing photos. I must tell you from the outset that I was so amazed by what I found. It truly is a La Belle Vue Cottage!

2412 Linda Avenue is located on the edge of the Key West Salt Ponds. The Salt Ponds run parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Bertha Street eastward past the Key West International Airport. I estimate the ponds take up about 25% of the land on the Island of Key West. A good portion of the land mass is composed of mangroves and the balance by shallow salt water ponds that are navigable by canoe or kayak.  CLICK GOOGLE AERIAL MAP for an aerial view. Use the toggle switch to zoom in for a closer look or pull back or move the map around to gain a better perspective of the location as it plays into this house and the features here.

2412 Linda Avenue was built in 1950. Although the home has been updated, it retains a good bit of the original character of the construction while important features like windows, air conditioning, and electrical service has been replaced or upgraded. The front entry welcomes you into the home where your eyes are immediately drawn through the house to the water view at the rear. First, however, you must pass through the historic living room which is located at the front.

Just past the living room is the dining area and kitchen. A was the case for many homes built in the 1950s there is no "formal" dining room because lifestyles were evolving from one purpose rooms to multiple purpose spaces. The kitchen is as clean as a whistle and still has the original wood cabinets from back in the day. What I like to call a 'drama wall' was added to the dining area. A similar
'drama wall' was added to the guest bedroom. The inclusion of wood into the home brings more texture and life to these spaces.

The large master bedroom has an extra large and renovated en-suite bath and closet area. I was surprised by how large this space was as it is atypical of what you would expect in a vintage 1950s home.

The family room and adjacent office is located opposite the dining area. This is where the un-serious living occurs in this house. The office is tucked away in the right corner. A sofa occupies space where a new owner might put in a bookcase or maybe even a Murphy bed. I could see an artist using this space as a studio, a stockbroker or business executive using the space to do deals, or a writer as his/her writer's workshop. I myself would find the views too distracting for any serious purpose!

The family room is a big, open space with lots of windows plus two French doors that open out to the rear deck. These wind impact windows and doors were just added a few years ago. The rear deck is on the same plain, but the world out there isn't what you'll find in most houses in Key West or anywhere else for that matter. While there is no pool here, there is a semi-covered spa with serene water views.  There is plenty of room to add a pool, however. This space is magical and works well for this owner.

As I was taking pictures I noticed a pelican perched on a nearby canoe. He stayed there a long time as I inched closer to take photos of him. I live a couple of miles west in the Casa Marina Area and sometimes see egrets and herons walking around the area. I have never seen a pelican in my backyard. What a joy that must be.

I love Old Town Key West even though much of it is congested and the more open feel of the Casa Marina Area, but I gotta tell you the feeling at this home is something very unique. If you are a nature enthusiast I'm sure you would love watching the mix of of colors as the sky and clouds play against the waters. It is a kaleidoscope of never ending colors and shapes. CLICK HERE to view the photos I took. Click any photo to enlarge. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. This home is offered at $725,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up  private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Let's plan on a few minutes extra so you can contemplate nature in this special Key West property.

812 Johnson Lane, Key West Open House

I am holding an OPEN HOUSE today between 12:00 to 2:00 at 812 Johnson Lane and I would love for my Dear Readers and tourists alike to come up and see me and this wonderful Key West cottage.  The location is near perfect - a quiet little lane located three blocks from Duval Street and three to four blocks from most of the gyms and yoga studios in Key West. A buyer who is looking for a quiet location near the action but not so close to be bothered by the noise will love this place.

812 Johnson Lane is actually two cottages. The front cottage was just totally renovated with two new bedrooms, a new bath, all new stainless steel kitchen, and new air conditioning. The back cottage can be used as an artist studio, office, or guest bedroom. It has its own bath and there is an outdoor shower as well. Like many houses in Old Town, the bedrooms are located up front. The open living area and kitchen are at the rear open out to the covered veranda that looks onto the pool.

There is a lovely pool located between the two cottages. The pool is sunny for most of the day. The lot is actually larger than many pricier houses in more claustrophobic locations in Old Town.  Come take a look. You can see for yourself. The truth is in the big sky! And if you like to sun in the buff, your neighbors can't see you.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos of 812 Johnson Lane which is now offered at $769,000. Then plan to stop on by today's Open House. Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Don't Buy a House in Key West from a Mr. POTATO HEAD!

One of the very best Christmas gifts I ever received was given to me by my big sister back in the early 1950's - it was a Mr. POTATO HEAD. Unlike the Mr. Potato Head OF today, you needed a real potato to make this toy work. Today's version is made out of plastic and to me that is just wrong.

The thing I liked about Mr. Potato Head was that I could make him become whoever I wanted him to be. He could look happy, for sure. But I could put his ears or nose in a funny place or move his eyebrows or smile to an odd location and create my own chameleon of sorts. The 1950's was much different from 2015. I was a nerd that was easily amused.

I was talking to another local real estate agent about an experience he had at an open house a few days earlier. I want to relate that episode to my readers because it is a bit instructive about how real estate is sometimes marketed and sold in Key West.

Here is the set-up and the cast of characters. The names and places have been changed to provide a bit of amusement. Location a lovely old Conch House on a nice street in Old Town Key West. An OPEN HOUSE sign invites passers-by to enter the house that is for sale. The Asking Price is over a million bucks (isn't everything in Key West?). Inside is Mr. Green Jeans, an affable real estate agent seeking a buyer for his listing. Mr. Potato Head is another local real estate agent at a different real estate company. Mr. and Mrs. Offput are/were customers of Mr. Potato Head.

The house itself has many of the attributes first and second home buyers want in a place in Key West: three bedrooms, three baths, a pool, and a great location. The place is old but very well cared for. There are no major issues effecting the value of the house other than it is probably priced too high.

Mr. Green Jeans placed an OPEN HOUSE ad in the Key West Citizen, our local newspaper. He placed an Open House sign on the street as well. Dozens of tourists entered the house to see what they might possibly buy if were they in the market. Several actual lookers showed up to see the house. The potential real buyers seemed excited about the property which pleased Mr. Green Jeans. As is often the case, some neighbors also stopped by to see what their fellow neighbors house looks like and how much it might cost. A favorite past time of many Key Westers is to go house shopping on Sunday afternoons even though they have absolutely no intention of buying anything. They get to see how well-off their neighbor is and compare their home to his to see develop a price comparison. Everybody does it.

Mr. Green Jeans allowed lookers to move freely about the house and offered information to anyone who had questions. One couple announced that they had recently purchased another house on the same block. They just wanted to see this particular house because they had not done so when they were looking. The couple moved from room to room. They went out to the pool and talked to each other about various features. Then they went upstairs where they were alone, whereupon Mr. Green Jeans overheard the following exchange:

Mrs. Offput said "Why didn't we see this when we were looking?"

Mr. Offput replied "Mr. Potato Head said it wasn't what we were looking for".

Mrs. Offput countered "We could have bought this house for a hundred thousand dollars more than we paid for that piece of sh*t house we bought across the street!"

"Mr. Potato Head said it wasn't what we wanted," Mr. Offput said in defense.

Mrs. Offput cried "We could have had this house that is so much larger and so much nicer than the one we bought. If only you hadn't put me on that damned budget!"

Mr. Offput lamented "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

When Mr. Green Jeans related the story of the dueling duo I reminded him that Mr. Potato Head had actually listed the same house a couple of years earlier for a couple of hundred thousand dollars more than the current asking price. I searched the old mls records and looked up the words Mr. Potato Head used to describe the same house. Mr. Potato Head only used glowing terms when it was his listing. He made it sound like anyone would fall in love with the place.

When Mr. Green Jeans told me that Mr. Potato Head had listed and sold the house that the Offputs purchased everything fell into place.

The Key West Association of Realtors mls website is open for all potential buyers to view active listings. Buyers tend to shop online by price, location, and somewhat by photos. The Offputs are responsible for not insisting on at least looking at the house they later regretted not buying. You can't really blame any agent for wanting to sell his or her own listing.

If you are looking for a place in Key West and are not working with a Realtor, please consider working with me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. I am no potato head.

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!