Be Careful Who You Trust with Access to Your Home in Key West

I love living in Key West. You can be who you want to be and love who you want to love. Nobody cares what you do or who you sleep with other than the guy who parades around town with his anti-fags sign. Gays and straights and rich and the not-so-not rich mix at work and at play with ease. We have a lot of people that have moved here from all over the world. There are good people and some that are not so good. The bad people sometimes give the rest of us a bad name.
I recall an evening a couple of years ago when  a couple who I had recently sold a house to called me. They told me they a nephew drove a new car they purchased for their Key West down here from their home up north. He had parked under their carport and went back home. 

They said a week later they were contacted by the Key West police. Their new Key West car had been involved in a hit and run accident after the nephew had returned to his home. Someone had got inside their house, found the keys, and drove the car more than a mile away to get involved in an accident. The car was returned to the covered parking space where it belonged.

I asked the obvious question: who had keys to the car?  The couple did not know. They said the lady's Key West hair dresser had recommended a painter who did some work inside the house for them had access to the keys to the house as did the pool service man. My mind raced back to several prior conversations I had with the lady where she related stories about the hair dresser who she adored.

My buyers asked me if I would go to their house and remove the key to the house that was supposed to be in a lock box near the front door. I immediately went there. As soon as I got to the place I inspected the car.  All four sides of the new car had damage. A chain had been wrapped through the trunk to keep the rear bumper from falling off. I took photos of the damage and then went to the lock box to remove the key. It was not there.

I got on my phone and called the owners. While we were talking I noticed a guy walking down the sidewalk and up to the house. He was in his 30s or 40s and had an open beer in his hand. He had that just-off-the-streets look that I am familiar with.  I checkout the Monroe County Sheriff's online crime page every morning. I see guys that look like this every day of my life either on the page or walking the streets of Key West. I asked the guy "Do you live here?" He replied "I'm doing work for the owners." I told him I was the owners' real estate agent and that they sent me to fetch the key. He reached in his pocket and decided he did not have the key. He said to wait a minute and then walked around the house to the rear. Several minutes elapsed. I knocked on the door. No answer. I talked with the owners who were now mildly distressed. The owner suggested that I go home. He said he would come down (from more than a thousand miles away) and sort things out. Then the guy opened the front door and said to come in. Although the house had been freshly painted and furnished, it reeked of cigarette smoke. The smell of recently over-fried hamburgers lingered in the air. Every light in the house was turned on. The volume on the TV was on full blast. It was obvious this guy had moved in-to stay.


I asked the guy "Do you know how the car got damaged?" to which he replied "No." He turned away and walked toward French doors that opened out to the pool. His  hands jerked up to his head. He grabbed his hair and ordered me to get out and said to come back in five minutes. He needed time to think.

I went back outside and spoke to the owners. I decided it was best for me to leave before this guy went completely insane. I had asked two questions in a calm and polite voice. I made no accusations or inferences in the tone or words. The guy, however, seemed over whelmed by the thought of having to leave his new house.

I think it is very important that new owners hire licensed and insured contractors and other business professionals who may access to the inside of their homes or access to a car. Most real estate companies offer once a week home inspections to make sure a Key West dream house is safe and secure. Like I said "There are good people and some that are not so good. The bad people sometimes give the rest of us a bad name." 

812 Windsor Lane - Sitting Pretty in Old Town Key West

The simple home at 812 Windsor Lane in Key West did not always look so neat and proper.  I remember driving past that house several years ago on repeated occasions when someone would ask "How much is that house"?  I would always respond "It's not for sale" to which they would reply something like "We'll I want to buy it when it is for sale." The house looked pretty rundown back then. The front yard was over-grown. The place looked like it had been abandoned. But then in 2008 the family who had owned this house since it was first built undertook the renovation of the original house and construction of a rear cottage and pool.

812 Windsor Lane, Key West - 1965

 Today the property is available for the very first time to the buying public at the reduced asking price of $1,450,000.  The listing Realtor describes the property thus:

"Historic Treasure in the heart of Old Town. First time on the market! Fully renovated in 2008, this historic home has been in the same family since the 1800s. 2BD/2BA main house has a beautiful mix of original Dade County and heart pine walls and floors in the bedrooms. Updates include vaulted ceilings and a modern kitchen with granite counter-tops and stainless appliances. A 2BD/2BA guest house is connected via a Caribbean style covered walkway. Both homes are lined with French doors that open onto a spacious deck overlooking the tropical gardens, bricked courtyard, and private waterfall swimming pool. Fully fenced with a locking gate, the property has off street parking for 2 cars. This is Key West tropical living as it was meant to be!" 

The front porch is just for show these days. The formal entry to the main house is located just beyond the fence at the end of the driveway.  You enter into the great room in the new rear addition to the historic house.  The living area is at the back of this house.  It has French doors that open out to the covered rear deck and which overlook the pool with waterfall.  The two front rooms are used as bedrooms. Both bedrooms have large bathrooms. The master bedroom has access to the old front porch which as a view of the Key West cemetery across the street. The Royal Poinciana Tree in the front yard will be full of a million red flowers come May.  The site will be glorious!

The guest cottage at the rear has two very large bedrooms and baths. Both bedrooms have vaulted ceilings and ample closets. Each room has a loft inside for the grand kids to play or sleep.  A covered breezeway connects the guest cottage to the main house. 

The two houses have a combined living space of 1892 sq ft under air conditioning. This does not include any of the covered or non-covered deck areas or interior lofts. The lot is 5880 sq ft lot which  is fairly large for the Old Town area. There is bricked off street parking for 2 cars.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet.

The house needs a fresh coat of paint and some minor repairs which will make it all pretty again. I think a bit of fairy dust would do a heck of a lot of good myself. If I bought this home I might splurge and retile the baths and replace the dark granite counter tops with quartz or some more contemporary hard surface. The color schemes are okay but I think a new owner could pick colors that are less Caribbean and more chic. The pool, rear decks, and grounds need some new plantings which would make the spaces more welcoming.  None of the things I have suggested are expensive.  I believe they would make this property show so much better.

This home has a successful rental history as a vacation rental.  The property is located just a few short blocks to Duval Street. The historic Key West seaport is located six blocks to the north. Most of the gyms and yoga studios are within an easy walk as well. Repeat long term vacation renters love being within walking distance to the gym or yoga studio. They follow patterns of going to their favorite haunts that are within easy walking distance. This location is central to just about everything.

CLICK HERE to view more photos I took.  After you've viewed the photos and the mls datasheet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a showing of this Key West home with lots of potential.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

1111 Packer Street, Key West

 The newly listed home at 1111 Packer Street will appeal to a buyer who is looking for an eventual retirement home in Key West but who wants a place that can be used as a vacation rental to help reduce purchase and maintenance costs. This home has been thoughtfully renovated and has all the attributes that make it very desirable both as a place to live and also a place to spend a vacation. 

I looked around in my old shoebox and found the black and white photo above which shows 1111 Packer Street fifty years ago. If you compare that photo with the color photo at the top you will see that a new addition was built on the left side where the car is parked in the old photo. There's a cottage located at the far side of the lot. That cottage became the third bedroom and a pool was placed in between. You will also see a "bridge" between the addition and the original house. That "bridge" is now the formal entry.

The above photos show the living room with French doors that open out to the covered deck and pool area. The guest cottage is at the rear. The cottage has its own private little covered terrace which overlooks the pool. There is both covered and open deck just to the rear of the kitchen.

The front bedroom is naturally located at the front part of the original house. The original front door is now a door to the private porch area nearly invisible from the street. The original hallway is now a corridor between the two bedrooms and the kitchen at the rear. The main house and cottage offer a total of three bedrooms, three and one-half baths with about 1436 sq ft of quality living space.  The lot is quite large for Old Town - 5239 sq ft. There is off street parking for two cars.

I have shown this property a couple of times since it hit the market. It looks great! Everything is in good condition. The rooms almost look like something you'd see in the furniture department at Macy's of Bloomingdale's.  This is important to a new owner because you won't have to spend money to fix something or to create something. 

1111 Packer Street is offered for sale at $1,175,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. 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. Don't wait on this. It ought to sell quickly.

617 Ashe Street, Key West - Quixotic Old Town Home

I know I'm not the only person who upon arrival in Key West the very first time was amazed at the number of incredible old homes packed together in the Old Town area. I walked the streets up and down and back and forth looking at the  houses. I took pictures of the places I thought were amazing as if to build my dream book of places I would like to live someday. I took pictures of forlorn places thinking they could be fixed up and made right. Key West back then was much different than it is today: there were more houses that needed saved than houses that had been renovated. Like many first time visitors I stayed on the main streets and did not venture too far from Duval. It wasn't until maybe ten years after my first visit that I even heard of Ashe Street. I saw a house on Ashe Street in the mls book. Remember the old days when Realtors had to carry around a mls listings book with one tiny black and white photo with scant information each listing? My Realtor drove me to Ashe Street tucked between White Street to the east and Frances Street to the west. Ashe is accessed off Southard Street to the north and ends at Olivia Street at the south. It's a narrow street with parking allowed only on the west side. I loved this little hidden street partly because I knew I'd never see a Conch Train or trolley car nor would I see many tourists - the street just seemed to be reserved for the people who were fortunate enough to live there.

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West - 617 Ashe Street. The listing Realtor describes this quixotic home this way:

"Located in one of the most desirable and prestigious streets in the Key West Historic District. The property is landscaped for privacy with the most magnificent arched bougainvillea, accenting the front facade. As you enter the serene setting you see stunning wraparound front porches to spend your lazy afternoons. Greeted by a spacious floor plan with tall ceilings, antique tile floors, Dade County pine walls and French doors that open to the heated pool, lanai and guest cottage. There is one gated off street parking."

I dug around in my old shoebox and found the black and white photo below which shows 617 Ashe Street in 1965. The two dominant architectural features clearly shown in the photo are the symmetrical design and the almost lace-like gingerbread trim. The design suggests the house was built in the latter part of the 19th Century. I went to the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could find the approximate date of construction. While other houses on the 600 block of Ashe are shown in the 1899 and later maps, the map creator chose to put a compass point right smack dab where 617 Ashe Street was probably located on each map. So the maps are useless. But the Victorian style meshes with five other houses on this particular block which I suggest is a bit atypical for Key West where plain cigar maker cottages, vernacular houses, eyebrow houses, and grand conch houses are more frequently seen around Old Town.

 The house itself sits behind a white picket fence and is elevated just a bit to give the old girl a bit a "presence". Today tropical foliage blocks a clear view of the houses itself. The porch wraps around the old fashioned front room. Notice the gingerbread trim on the porch and screen door. Today many houses are built as cheaply as the developer can put them up and find someone to buy them. Spaces are often small and trim and adornment is often minimal. Other times developers build huge Mc Mansions with lots of space but I think a lot of these houses offer little character or charm. That's not the case in this old house which has lots of ornate trim throughout this 2106 sq ft home. This place just oozes charm left over from two centuries ago. The good thing is that the old style charm and the solid construction of this old house make it a very good buy for today's discerning buyer. There is gated off street parking to boot situated on this 5400 sq ft lot (60' X 90').

The front room has large windows on three sides. Since the porch wraps this room, views of the outside are muted just a bit. You won't be seeing blazing rays of sunshine projecting through the windows. Instead the muted tones of the sky and greenery will provide a serene view of the outdoors. Inside, the symmetry of the front room gives this space a certain dignity in style. Crown molding and bright white trim set the tone that carries throughout this somewhat formal abode. The front room folds into the extra wide center foyer which provides access to the guest bedroom on the north side and the den and master suite on the south side.

The kitchen and adjacent dining room are next. A beautiful chandelier marks the center of the dining room which has French doors with transoms above and sidelights which provide views of the guest cottage, pool, and sunny deck. Another set of French doors opens out to the rear dining portico. I took more photos of this home which you can see if you CLICK HERE.

The guest cottage provides additional bedroom space.  You will note the guest cottage, master bedroom and kitchen/dining rooms are additions to the original house. The additions reflect the earlier style but do not copy it. These new additions provide more open spaces and taller ceilings than often found in old homes. The pool provides a large, sunny, and private space for getting a great Key West tan.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos on 617 Ashe Street that is offered for sale at $1,800,000. After you have taken a look online please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a look in person. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.