Key West Real Estate Horror Story No.2

I rarely watch any of the new horror genre TV shows because I just don't like to get scarred. I loved them when I was younger because I knew the stories and all the gore was fake.  Back in the 1950s when I was growing up we did not have mass shootings, terrorists, and madmen running amok. As I have grown older I realized that the things that really scare me the most are the things that area real, not things that are imagined. Back in the 1950s people with mental problems were often confined to state run institutions. The courts later decided that institutionalizing people was not right and set those people free. Not all people that are homeless that walk the streets are mad, nor are all the people who own homes sane. Maybe losing one's home can make a person a bit crazy, or maybe some people stress out too much in life and end up losing their homes. Today's blog is about a real life house of horror in Key West which became a bank owned property.

A few years ago an agent put up a "For Sale" sign in front of a rather attractive house in Old Town Key West. I drove past the sign for several days and kept waiting for the property to get entered into the Key West mls. I was sure I might have an interested buyer because of the style and what I perceived to be condition of the house. The house was located on one of the better blocks in Old Town. The house next door had sold for over two million dollars a couple of years before. The house across the street likewise sold in excess of two million dollars. I knew this particular house had been foreclosed. I was eager to find a buyer for this place before it hit the market.

I called the listing agent who told me the bank owner was not ready to list the property yet. She offered to let me go inside to take photos for my buyer. She told me a history of the property and warned me to be careful as the house had all kings of things I could fall over. I accepted the offer and went over and photographed the house.

The property was a two story revival style house with a lot of gingerbread on the outside.  For some reason the gingerbread was not used as architectural trim in Key West like it was in other parts of the United States.  There are instances of it to be sure. But most of our period architecture was linear clean lines whether the house was a cottage or a Grand Conch House.  So this particular house stood out a bit. When I opened the front door I saw a staircase on the right wall that lead to an exposed second floor landing that wrapped that space. The stairway was cluttered with junk and cobwebs draped downward from the ceiling.

The doorway from the main entry into the original parlor or front room was blocked off. I made my way towards the rear and came back through a maze of boxes and piles of "stuff". The downstairs area had been gutted as if it were in the process of being rebuilt. But it appeared as though no real construction had been done inside this house for years. I moved to the front of the house. That's when I saw the cages. Cages on the floor and cages lining the walls. Cages where rabbits were housed. There were no living animals in any of the cages when I entered the property.

 I decided to see what was on the second floor. Something happened as I walked up the stairs - something almost surreal. You can see it in the way the photographs changed. I did nothing to the camera. I did not notice anything until I returned to me computer to upload the photos. The photos from the stairway up and around the second floor seem to be possessed in some way. I'm not a believer in ghosts, but something evil happened here.

I have been inside a lot of bank owned properties over the years. I used to manage commercial workouts for a national bank in Denver. I have seen many places where people lived worse than animals. This place topped them all. The master bedroom with en-suite bath was located at the rear of the second floor. The bed was soiled from ages of someone having slept in the same confined spot without washing the sheets: there was no way to put new sheets on without cleaning up the room. Heaven forbid cleaning up the room. 

I made my way back to the hallway and moved to the front bedroom. After I saw the master bedroom I knew nothing could be worse. I was wrong.

I saw the first cage just off the hallway as it expanded to the right. The cage was located just in front of the laundry. The cobwebs are real as is the dried animal waste on the floors. The floors were littered with so much waste that I had to breath through my mouth. I had to take photos to document this place. I could not leave before I took enough photos.

The little fury things on the photo two above are dead rabbits. The little black things are rabbit waste. The cages are where the rabbits lived before they died in this house of horrors.

The property was sold to a party who gutted the entire house and drove out all the bad spirits. The place was beautifully renovated.  A fellow agent sold it  a couple of years ago for in excess of $1.6 million. 

639 United Street, Old Town - Key West

The listing agent describes 639 United Street in Key West this way:

"This beautifully renovated cottage is ideally located in the historic district of Old Town just a short stroll to Higgs Beach and upper Duval Street. The main house has two bedrooms, two baths, high ceilings, and an expansive living, dining and kitchen area perfect for entertaining. For cooks there is a gourmet kitchen with beautiful granite countertops, center island and upgraded stainless steel appliances. French doors open from the living/dining area and kitchen to the very private rear yard, lovely heated pool and guest cottage. The guest cottage is one bedroom and a bath with vaulted ceilings and French doors opening onto the landscaped backyard as well. This home has all the features today's buyer desires."

 I scrounged around in my old shoe box and found a black and white photo of 639 United Street that was taken back in 1965.  If you compare the two above photos taken fifty years apart you will notice there is an addition on the left side of the house. No longer is the front porch used as the main entry to this home. Instead, you now enter the home midway down the left side of the house where you walk into the expansive living and dining area with vaulted ceiling.

The original cottage was expanded several years ago. The front part of the house is now where the two primary bedrooms and bathrooms are located. The new addition includes the living - dining area plus the kitchen bump out and entry way. A wonderful floor to ceiling bookcase provides wonderful space to display family photos or objet d'art or whatever.  This home is currently used as the primary residence of the seller. However, this house has features many second homeowners seek including a seductive guest cottage located poolside. The living and dining area could easily be decorated with furniture and fixtures which could make good use of the bookcase and other storage built into this home.

Two entry doors flank either side of the kitchen. The door to the left provides entry from the front sidewalk while the right door provides exit to the pool. These doors mean you won't have to walk through the main house to bring in groceries or go out to the poolside grill to flip the burgers or carry out Bloody Mary mix. These are little things, but little things help define the importance of the design and space in which you live. The design here is very well conceived and executed.

The original front house is now the bedroom and bathroom area. The "front" room is now a bedroom where the door opens out to provide outdoor seating area.  That room exists into the original main hallway. The second bedroom, shown above, is located adjacent. Both bedrooms have baths.

639 United Street could become a very popular vacation rental in my opinion. It has that very much sought after quintessential Key West cottage aura. The little guest cottage in the rear is just the icing on the cake. A new owner could add a few designer tweaks to make this already charming space just pop.  This home is located a little more than two blocks from South Beach, upper Duval Street, and easy walking distance to a lot of the very good and less expensive eateries including Banana Cafe.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 639 United Street which is offered for sale at $865,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this sweet property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

1019 Simonton Street, Key West - The Southernmost Cabana Resort

The last time I wrote about Bert, pictured above, he was searching for his pal Ernie at the old Key West Trailer Court located at 1015 Simonton Street. This site is located near St. Mary's Basilica. The church and the adjacent neighborhood have grown and changed over the decades, but the highly desired Old Town location has remained constant. I dug down in my old shoe box and found an aerial photo that dates back almost one hundred years which shows the area as it then existed.

The white arrow indicates the site before a few cottages were torn down and replaced with trailers. The entire block from Virginia Street to the south and Truman Avenue to the north later became trailer lots with the exception of the corner of Truman which became the site of the original Duffy's Restaurant. About twenty years ago the northern trailer park was torn down and replaced with what is now Windward Park town homes. Duffy's and Pisces restaurants, small condo compound,  and a local real estate lawyer occupy the corner location.

The Key West Trailer Court was a bit of a Key West institution for years. It provided affordable housing for locals. I am sure there will be someone who reads today's blog who will bemoan the passing of this affordable living space and someone else who will lament the loss of the canopy trees that dotted this part of the island. I have been taking progress photos of the development site since ground was broken, the trees removed and other site work began. Interested readers may CLICK HERE to see progress photos. I will provide a sampling just below.

The old Key West Trailer Court is gone.  Bert and Ernie would not recognize the transformation into what is now known as the Southernmost Cabana Resort. The most recent evolution of this part of Old Town is nearly complete. Twenty-one new two story homes now occupy the same coveted location near Duval Street and within easy walking distance to South Beach. The listing Realtor describes this nearly finished project this way:

"Treat yourself to something special... a brand new home in Old Town Key West! This intimate 21 home enclave in the heart of the island is an opportunity not to be missed. Homes will range from 2 to 3 bedrooms, 1200 to 1500 square feet, all will feature high end finishing, impact glass & low maintenance fees. The homes will exceed building code requirements so owners can enjoy lower then average insurance and utility costs. The grounds include a community pool and each unit has parking. Only steps to the sights and amenities of Duval St. Get one before they are gone!"

The aerial perspective above shows the layout of this new development. The community pool is located to the far east side which abuts the gym at St. Mary's. All of the homes have either front or rear access onto the pathway that leads to the pool and the covered parking. Some homes have off street parking adjacent to the home. The development is being densely landscaped. I know from personal experience how quickly trees and foliage grow in our climate. This place is going to be a tropical paradise in a matter of months. It already looks great.

The homes vary in size between 1200 to 1500 sq ft and are configured as two or three bedrooms. All homes have a full first floor bath which provides a full guest bath in the event an owner wants to provide additional sleeping on the sofa. A buyer of mine has one of these units under contract and ready to close in the next few weeks. I think this is a terrific project for owners who want a place they can occasionally rent as a vacation rental and still have a place they can stay and enjoy.  You cannot ask for a better location. The fact that they units are located in the X Zone for Flood Insurance purpose and have impact windows, Hardiboard siding, and new metal roofs mean the wind and fire insurances will be much lower than an old stick built house in Old Town. Serious buyers need to take a serious look at these new homes. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 1019 Simonton Street #103, Key West which is offered for sale at $934,600. Remember other units are priced as low as $759,375. Please contact 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.