1400 Virginia Street, Key West

Just Listed, but not by me, 1400 Virginia Street which is located in the Arts District of Key West. This property is described by the listing agent as an

"Unique one story home located in quiet Old Town Key West neighborhood just blocks from the Tennessee Williams home. Two Historic homes have been connected to form a private lushly landscaped mini-compound with all the amenities one could imagine. Each home has its own full bath and French doors throughout lead to a large heated pool and courtyard oasis. The home features a modern open-air chef's kitchen with retractable windows, an on-line 3-day capacity generator, irrigation and landscape lighting systems and mature landscaping. This charming home is considered by many to be one of the most distinctive in Key West and is a must see property to fully appreciate all that it offers."

Before I visited the house I went through my old shoebox and found photos of both houses that date back fifty years. The first photo below shows 1400 Virginia Street as it appeared then and obviously before it was renovated and expanded. The color photo shows the house as it exists today. The next black and white photo shows the rear cottage (known then as 1310 Florida  Street) as it appeared in 1965. The color photo shows it in 2015. Both places have been thoroughly renovated from top to bottom, inside and outside. All new electric, plumbing, HVAC, roofs, and pool and gardens were added. Today the two houses offer first class amenities in an utterly charming setting.

The current owners created a bridge between the two cottages which  they use as the main entry to the  property.  I, however, am going to show you the property starting at the Virginia Street front porch.  We will work our way to the back cottage and take a brief look at this captivating property.

The front porch provides the perfect perch for people watching. The corner location is across the street from the city park. The cottage has a shotgun style front hallway that leads to the rear. Just off to the left is a guest bedroom with French doors which open out to the pool.

The entry hall terminates in the new living room with vaulted ceiling. A set of doors open out to the covered outdoor dining area and then on to the pool, deck, and compact garden.  A small bar sink at the edge of the living room perks our interest and draws into the comfy kitchen. The space comes alive when we see two sets of windows open at the corner and open up the pool and garden area. A portion of the kitchen counter is counter-levered to the outside and creates a breakfast bar. The owner told me the windows and doors remain open much of January through May when our temperatures are at their best while temperatures up north are often horrendous.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of the entire property.

The second house comes into view as we see the doors from the master bedroom welcome us into that space. It was cloudy on the day I took photos of the house. The weather was a bit cool for this time of year - it was wonderful! The owners' two dogs guarded the bedroom space (or more appropriately "lounged intently") as I snapped some photos. The bedroom space takes up about fifty per cent of this building. There is a third bedroom with private entry from the street if desired. This owner uses that space for an office. There is a very large master bath.  This place has it all!

The owner advised me that everything that you see except the dogs and a couple of pieces of art can be purchased separately from the home. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view all listing photos (some of which I copied). Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this truly pretty home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. It won't last long at the asking price of just $989,000. Remember this home has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool, and parking. And it is damned cute on top of all that!

1019 Flagler Avenue, Key West - A New Jewel in the Crown of the Casa Marina Area

Just Listed 1019 Flagler Avenue in Key West. This freshly updated and expanded home is a new jewel in the crown of the Casa Marina Area. The original home was built sometime in the early 1900s with "Indian brick" which was a cement based brick formed and manufactured on site. Later additions were added to the west and east sides. The current owner purchased this property, gutted the original house, and razed the earlier additions.

This home was totally rebuilt from foundation to roof using new materials and new technology.  New additions were added to the west and east sides. CLICK HERE to view the photos of the old house and during the renovation process.

Even though this home dates back to the beginning of the last century, the owner was able to incorporate cost efficient wind impact windows and doors throughout this home. So when you enter this place, you enter a home that will save you money on insurance and operational costs for years and years to come. Everything you see except the original 2"X4" framing, foundation, and Indian block walls is new. That includes the new grand staircase to the second floor, the 12 ft coffered ceiling in the living and dining areas, and the rich real wood floors and crown molding and trim throughout the house. There's also new metal roof and superior gutter system. Another feature is the unobtrusive but forever vigilant home security system plus Smart House technology that can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

The new first floor east addition to this home includes an expansive family room with multiple French doors that open out to the rear deck and pool area. The room includes a custom made media wall with lighted display cases.  The hallway includes a first floor guest bath. Adjacent to the guest bath you will find a bit of "future" planning as it were. This room is currently decorated with a sofa bed. The room, like all bedrooms in this home, has abundant built-in closets and an en-suite bath. This room would make a very comfortable first floor master suite should the day arise that the stairs became a chore.

The master suite occupies the entire east side addition. The bedroom area is quite large. Real wood floors are used for all bedrooms on this floor. Note the use of porcelain tile floors in the en-suite bath has both a soaking tub and shower plus two sinks. The tiles have the look of wood but the functionality of tile. A set of French doors opens out to the second floor sundeck that spans the back side of the house. The two other guest bedrooms on this floor have access to the sundeck as well. Both guest bedrooms have en-suite baths and lots of closet space. All bedrooms have down lights and switched receptacles. The laundry room is also located on this floor. The cute little pool house has a private bath plus an outside shower for a quick rinse after an afternoon basking by the pool.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this home.

1019 Flagler Avenue is offered for sale by Preferred Properties Key West, that is where I work but this is not my listing. All furniture and furnishings may be purchased sseparately at the price of $150,000.  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 of this gracious new home that is another jewel in the crown that is the Casa Marina Area of Key West.

Back on the Market: Two Unique Key West Houses that Ought to Pique Your Interest

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a newly listed Bank Owned house located at 1441 Thompson Street in Key West. I receive a bunch of phone calls and emails from prospective buyers interested in more information. I showed the place to a couple of prospect, and then I left town to go to Las Vegas for a couple of days. The calls kept coming no matter where I was. Suddenly, the listing status of 1441 Thompson Street changed from 'active' to 'pending'.  I learned but cannot tell readers what happened. Then on May 19th the status changed again - this time back to active.  CLICK HERE to read my earlier blog on this property.  This house will be sold only through an online auction. I think this is an incredible deal and want potential buyers to know the place is still for sale.  UPDATE - 3:32 PM, MAY 29TH.  This property status was changed again at 3:05 PM today. This house sold today at $380,100. The earlier status change may have been an error made by listing agent or someone in our mls who can change status on listings. 

Then there is the little two bedroom house located at the end of a private lane entered in the mid 700 block of Simonton Street. There's a big clearing at the end of the lane. Several houses share the wide gravel parking lot bounded by towering palms and privacy fences. The location is just one block off Duval Street which makes the location a perfect place to own a vacation home - near everything but insulated from the traffic and tourists that seem to take over much of Old Town during waking hours. That's why I like this little place - it's hidden away from the tourists. It's private, simple, and not that expensive. CLICK HERE to read my earlier blog on this simple house at 720 Simonton Street Rear that is still for sale for only $519,000.