4 Pinder Lane, Key West - Old Town Treasure

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 4 Pinder Lane. This home is a blend of an historic Key West home which was updated with mid-20th Century additions. The original house was built in 1859 and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. The current home has both large and sophisticated public spaces for entertaining and small intimate spaces for normal living. The current owner purchased the home a couple of years ago and tweaked the propertyy in all the right places. Things that went bump in the night don't do that anymore. The house has all new windows, doors, and other essentials. The house has 2657 sq ft of living space situated on an irregular 9887 sq ft lot located at the end of a lane surrounded by some very pricey homes.

The two photos above visually demonstrate the centuries-apart construction. The historic home is on the right. It's as cute and as charming as any dreamer seeking an old historic home could want. There are plenty of small spaces and interesting angles to keep a reader or writer of books occupied. Rockers on the front porch provide a perfect perch for watching the occasional bird that may pass by, but there's little other activity on this lane which dead ends here. The photo immediately above shows the mid-century addition which includes an enclosed breezeway entry into the home. The large structure to the left is the grand living room with huge vaulted ceiling. 

You enter this home through the double glass doors in the first photo above. The living area has an 18' vaulted ceiling with a glass wall of windows and doors that frame the entire room. The design is so comfortable and informal that you immediately feel welcome in this wonderful living space. The newly added doors retract to provide a totally unobstructed view of the pool and gardens. The grounds are totally (but subtly) lit at night.

If you saw this home a couple of years ago, you'll be surprised to see the kitchen has been moved to the front of the house where the old dining room used to be located. The new dining area is now just a couple of steps away on the main living level. The new kitchen has Wolf cooking appliances and a big SubZero refrigerator. There is a nifty counter height informal dining area built in as well. The ground floor guest bedroom is located just off the dining area. Two additional guest bedrooms are located upstairs.

A door at the rear of the guest bedroom opens directly into the first floor bathroom which has a second entrance off the hallway next to the stairway.

The upper level is so inviting that your guests may never leave. Who wouldn't want to curl up and take a nap in such inviting spaces? Nobody that I know. Both the mini-living area and bath are shared on this level. There is even a rooftop sundeck for sun worshipers. CLICK HERE to view more photos of this important property.

The new master suite is located at the rear of the original house. That space was expanded to provide a second vaulted ceiling. You might think the space is too big to be intimate, but you'd be wrong. The space is warm and cozy. When the rear drapes are drawn back you can see into a separate rear yard (not the same yard where the pool is located). A winding brick path leads through the grounds past a little babbling fountain and that ends at a small cottage currently used for storage. There is an immense walk-in closet located off the hallway that leads into the bedroom. The master bath is totally private.

The 43' X 18' pool was resurfaced and the former brick pavers were replaced with new contemporary tiles. The effect almost goes unnoticed because everything so easily blends together. The tiki hut has been outfitted with a new outdoor kitchen. There is even a private poolside bath.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 4 Pinder Lane which is offered for sale at $3,295,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a private showing on this wonderful Key West home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1025 Grinnell Street, Key West

Just Listed, but not by me, 1025 Grinnell Street, Key West, Florida. This property is a legal duplex which is located in the south of Truman area in Old Town.  Look at the photo above and contrast it to the photo below taken fifty years ago which I found in my old shoe box.You will quickly see that the original front porch and side porch were both enclosed and that a cinder block fence added to the yard.

The existing house takes up about 70 percent or so of the lot. The rear 30 percent is big and open. There is plenty of space for a pool. The photo two above shows an existing six foot chain link fence which may not seem like a big deal, but in Key West that provides interesting possibilities if a new owner put a pool in this area because the fence could be replaced with a new wood fence of equal height. Our HARC rules would not allow that, but old fence heights are grandfathered according to my understanding of HARC guidelines. CLICK HERE to see more photos I took on a rainy Key West day.

I checked the historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine when this house was built. I couldn't. I did see a big empty lot on the corner with houses on both Grinnell and Virginia streets. There were three cottages (presumably cigar maker cottages) facing Virginia Street on the 1912 map but nothing in the front left corner. The house does stand in a bit of contrast to the two houses to the north.  

The corner lot runs 50' on Grinnell and 109' on Virginia Street. There are three driveways on this property - two on the Grinnell front and one on the Virginia rear side. This works well for the current owner. A new owner might retain the north side gated entry for the future off street parking and take down the others. In my opinion this would give a renovated home a better street facade. By the way the owner of the house located next door is 90 years old. She was born in that house and has lived there her entire life. I assume that home will be available for sale sometime in the future and chances are it will get renovated like all the other old Conch homes have in the past.

 The historic Key West fire station is located on the opposite side of the street. It's a museum now. But for decades it was the place that kept our little town safe from the ravages of fire. My friend and local folk artist Ronny Bailey's homage to the old station is shown above. The old neighborhood is getting gentrified. 1025 Grinnell Street will likely become a part of that gentrification.

The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows this as being a 1239 sq ft home located on a 5425 sq ft lot. The records show the house was built in 1924 which may be correct given the bungalow style architecture. The first photo above shows what was the original screened in front porch. That area is now a part of the living area. You will see Dade County Pine on the walls and ceiling. This space is neatly maintained and could be kept as is and rented out as a one bedroom apartment. The rear unit has multiple rooms including a new kitchen. The rear unit could also be rented as a legal second unit the day after closing. Rental properties in Key West are scarce. This excellent Old Town location would make an easy rental.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 1025 Grinnell Street which is offered for sale at $699,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

11 Boca Chica Road, Geiger Key, Florida

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about a waterfront property on Saddlebunch Key.  A few days later a fellow Realtor mentioned she read that blog and asked if I had packed a lunch before I ventured the few miles outside of Key West to take the photos. Then last Tuesday an agent in my office asked if I would photograph his new listing on Geiger Key. I said, "Sure".  As we crossed over Cow Key Channel (the span of water between Key West and Stock Island) he made a similar remark about  me venturing so far out of Key West.  Just because I love living in Key West doesn't mean I get weepy when I leave. The truth is I love Key West so much I don't feel the need to go elsewhere. And when I do go away, I am grateful when I return. I have found my own private paradise, and that's the truth.

I am not totally unfamiliar with real estate sales in the Lower Keys. I sold a nearby home on Geiger Key in 1997 which the same gay couple still own. I have written several blogs over the years about other properties in the Lower Keys. A couple of the listings I wrote about were absolute bargains.  Many readers know that most of the islands of the Lower Keys are fairly small which often means that many of the homes may be located directly on the water. Some of the islands have been subdivided into building lots with backsides that abut canals that lead to deep ocean waters. The most coveted homes often have either waterfront views or are located on a canal.

Just Listed at 11 Boca Chica Road is a 1152 sq ft two bedroom, two bath home with a screen enclosed rear porch with a great canal view. As I roamed the 60' X 125' lot while taking photos, I immediately understood why some buyers prefer this type of home versus living in Key West - the water. There's a big boat parked out back on the canal - waiting. Just waiting like a big dog waiting to go for a walk. Waiting to motor the five minutes it takes to reach deep water and then explore the Atlantic Ocean. In the meantime, the boat sits patiently at the sixty foot seawall. As I snapped photos I could hear the water lap up the side of the boat as if it was kissing it - tempting it to go out to the sea. I got why people buy this kind of property. I got it.

The first thing I noticed about this particular house was all the adult toys about the property - toys like motorcycles, travel trailers, kayaks, and so on. People that live in houses like this spend a lot of time outdoors enjoying their time on earth. In my blog I often write about the first thing I see when I walk inside a new home. In most of the homes in Old Town and the Casa Marina areas, the view I most often see is that of  pool and garden located just French doors that open out to the pool or garden. At 11 Boca Chica Road I saw the family boat bobbing in the water.

The house sits above a large semi-enclosed parking and storage area. The house is bright and nicely updated. The two bedrooms are located at the opposite end of the living area which opens out to the screened porch that overlooks the boat and the canal. CLICK HERE to view all the photos I took of this lovely canal front home.

The ground level has kick-out walls in the event storm waters were to rise to that level.There is 1152 sq ft of storage space under the house which includes a legal bathroom located on the other side of the door shown above. This area would be great for an owner who is a fisherman, water sports enthusiast, or maybe a carpenter who likes to tinker on his time away from construction jobs.

Ultimately, it is the view from the porch where I imagine an owner would spend most time drinking early morning coffee, planning how and where to spend the day, making plans for new adventures or simply planning to catch dinner for the evening meal. Later in the evening, the owner would likely be in the same seat again, maybe drinking a beer wile musing about the fish that were caught and the ones that got away. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 11 Boca Chica Road which is listed at $549,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this nice elevated family located located a few miles outside of Key West but only located five minutes from deep water access to the Great Atlantic Ocean. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.