304 Julia Street, Key West, Florida

I graduated from high school fifty years ago, the same year the two black and white photos below were taken of 304 Julia Street in Key West. The color photo above shows 304 Julia Street today. When I compared the color to the black and white photos I was a bit doubtful (being the Thomas that I am) that the black and white photos were of the same house. But then I remembered I had found another photo that showed the side of the 304 Julia Street also taken in 1965. I added that photo to my blog about 1017 Thomas Street which is also renovated and that is located next door. The black and white photo is historically correct and does show 304 Julia Street.

I checked the Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine the approximate time 304 Julia Street was built. The 1899 map shows a building at the lot location that is simply identified as "A2". A smaller building is located next door identified as 306 Julia. The black and white photos above are marked as 304 and 304 1/2 Julia Street respectively.

304 Julia Street has been renovated and upgraded a couple of times in recent years. Today the house has 1832 sq ft of living space under air. If you compare the original to the current facade you will not it has been changed and that there is now a user friendly main level front porch. The main floor has a friendly old fashioned main floor living room and semi-formal dining room on the main floor. The kitchen has been updated and features  new cabinets, granite counter tops, and stainless steel appliances. There is also a large main level bedroom which might work well in later years when climbing stairs can become a challenge. There are two more bedrooms on the second floor where there is a great front porch and a sunny rear deck.

The current owner removed the swimming pool which a prior owner had added and replaced and expanded the rear deck. I'm not so sure I would have removed the pool, but it's not my house. . The new deck is absolutely beautiful. But I know a lot of buyers want a pool. There is plenty for a pool if a new owner wants one. There is a nice little outdoor covered area plus plenty of sunny spaces.

The little house next door is no more. It was taken down many years ago. The current owner purchased the vacant lot and made it the new off street parking space which significantly improved the overall value of the property which previously had no parking. Today there are two parking spots. I mention this because the lack of parking is factor that affects a lot of properties in Key West. Having parking makes any property more valuable in the eyes of most buyers. Likewise, not having parking makes many properties less valuable to many buyers.

304 Julia Street is located a couple blocks south of Blue Heaven and the other little trendy restaurants on Petronia Street. Fort Zach Taylor State Park and Beach are a quick bike ride away. Duval Street and the madness it offers is just two blocks away.  

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view listing photos of 304 Julia Street that is offered for sale at $1,099,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to arrange a private showing of this nicely updated 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.

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.