1107 Southard Street, Key West, Florida

The newly listed house at 1107 Southard Street in Old Town Key West has been occupied by the same family for decades.  The last family member left the home in 2011 and it has sat vacant since then. It is now is available for purchase at the asking price of $549,000. The house still has some of the furniture and memorabilia that made this house a home for many years.

The house first appeared on the 1892 Sanborn Fire Map. I searched through my old shoe box and found the black and white photo above taken in 1965. The original vernacular style house was a typical one story home built upon piers. The front porch spanned the front facade from side to side. The home was plain Jane and had no ornamentation. The black and white photo shows a metal awning attached to the front to provide shade. That photo shows the original roof line had been modified to permit usage of the second floor as additional living space.  The side yard to the left provides additional outside space for the owners. A cistern was and still is located near the far end of the open space. The front portion provides off street parking. The metal awning exists no more. The original wood railings were replaced with CBS blocks. Cuban tiles now cover the front porch floor. Wrought iron bars give the front louvers an ominous aura.

The house is constructed of Dade County Pine which is for the most part in pretty good condition. All of the exterior and interior wood needs scraped, sanded, and painted, but the good thing is it has not been messed with.  I have seen a lot of older homes where the Dade County Pine was sand blasted, painted, faux painted, and so on. There's a clean palette of potential with wood in this home. I did not measure the first floor ceiling height but reckon it to be 8' or 9'. The second floor ceiling is much lower - probably less the 7'. The house has no insulation and no air conditioning. When you view the interior photos below you will quickly deduce the home needs all new electric and plumbing. The roof will need replaced as well.

If the photos scare you, don't let them. Many of the old houses in Key West looked like this before those houses were renovated. The jalousie windows will be replaced with approved wood casement windows.  The linoleum covered floors will likely be stripped and refinished. Once the electric and plumbing has been installed, the walls will likely be injected with insulation to make the house more energy efficient.

The second floor currently has two bedrooms, the main bathroom, and a storage room. You may have noticed there are no closets. This house is typical of the way houses used to function. These homes were for working people whose lives were lived much differently decades ago than the way we live today. During renovation some of the interior walls will be removed and living spaces relocated to other parts of the house. If a pool is created out of the old cistern, the existing first floor "front room" would probably get converted into a bedroom. The back of the first floor would likely become a great room with kitchen, dining, and living spaces combined. French doors would probably open out to a new deck which would extend directly out from the house. I think there is plenty of room on the second floor to create two good sized bedrooms each with en-suite baths. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this home.

While no two renovations can or should look alike, let me share with you how an owner of a very similar nearby vernacular home renovated a very similar second floor front bedroom. I think you will appreciate the height limitations and how this owner capitalized space maximization. Key West has a lot of very talented designers, architects, and general contractors that can help you create the Key West house of your dreams.

Southard Street gets a fair amount of daytime traffic. But that traffic gets drastically reduced after 5:00 PM when the courthouse and offices close for the day. Conch Trains and delivery trucks disappear from the streets as tourists move towards Mallory Square to view sunset or to head for dinner. The neighborhoods in Old Town return to the people who live there. This neighborhood includes the old Key West armory which is located at the corner of White Street. A fancy design store is located on the next corn at Frances Street. Cafe Sole, Azur, Michael's, and Mangia Mangia are all within easy walking distance. There is a neighborhood convenience store located one block north of the armory. And there are several gyms and yoga studios located within a five to seven minute walk.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 1107 Southard Street which is offered for sale at $549,000. 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. If you buy this home this year, you will have a Key West home for Christmas next year.

606 Grinnel Street, Key West

Just Listed, but not by me, 606 Grinnell Street in Old Town Key West. When you view the home from the street you would probably never suspect the place is actually a two story legal duplex. I checked the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine the approximate date this home was built. The 1889 map did not show any homes in this area but the surrounding blocks were thoroughly built out.  This leads me to conclude houses were on  this block and other surrounding blocks in 1889 but were omitted from map placement for some reason.. The house did appear on the 1892 map.. I the dug through my old shoe box and found a couple of photos of the home taken about fifty years ago. They show the house before the house was totally renovated and enlarged to add the rear addition and inclusion of the second floor attic space into the renovated structure.

The photos demonstrate that the front facade has pretty much stayed pretty much the same over the decades. The historic metal shingles still exist (or were replaced with like-kind). The old scuttle on the roof is still there. Scuttles were used before we had air conditioning to allow hot air to rise through the house and escape into the heavens. The color photo below shows the expansion of the old house and the newer addition. A small pool is at the rear. An agent in my office lives nearby. He told me watch as this house was taken almost to the ground and entirely rebuilt. A decorative railing replaced the basic original one. There are new doors and windows throughout the house. Inside, the floors are level and rooms divided into livable spaces the way we live today.

The front porch looks out to one of the best blocks in Old Town. This is because the Conch Trains and Trolley Cars can't maneuver the turn at the end of the street where Grinnell terminates at the Key West cemetery. Because of this there is much less traffic from all other sources as well. You'll still see tourists pedaling past on rented bikes and see neighbors walking their dogs to the doggie park at the end of the block, but the noise level will be greatly reduced compared to many other places.

Both the first floor and second floor apartments are tenant occupied. The first floor tenants use the front room as an office. A hallway leads to the rear addition where the great room includes the kitchen, living, and dining areas in one large space. French doors at the rear open out to the rear covered porch that looks out to the private pool at the rear.

The child's playhouse at the rear belongs to the tenant and is not included in the purchase of this home. Perhaps the new owner can create something similar for that special child or grand child. 

The second floor apartment is accessed via side entrance. The main living area of the apartment is quite large and provides shared living, dining, and kitchen spaces.The bedroom is located at the front. 

Double doors open out to the second floor covered balcony. This balcony provides a lot of quality outdoor living space many apartments in Old Town do not have. One of the reasons people move to Key West is to enjoy our wonderful climate. Whoever lives in this apartment will be able to enjoy the great outdoors in style. CLICK HERE to view more photos I recently took of this property.

Many potential buyers seeking a second home in Key West want a place they can rent out to help cover some of the costs of home ownership. A new owner of this property could keep one unit for him or her self and rent out the other. The downstairs unit would rent for more money because it has use of the pool. Rental income from the upper level unit ought to pay all insurances, taxes, and maintenance costs.  Either way, a new owner keep one unit for personal use and rent the other.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos on 606 Grinnell Street which is offered for sale at $1,200,000. 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.

634 Louisa Street #3, Key West

634 Louisa Street Unit #3 is a buying opportunity for the frugal buyer who wants a place that is move-in ready, priced below market for similar properties in Old Town Key West, and is economical to maintain and insure on a long term basis. 

The listing Realtor, not me, describes this 756 sq ft two story condo unit this way:

"Spacious one bedroom home with a bonus room that can function as a den and guest room. Newer construction that has very affordable insurances due to it meeting strict building regulations and being located in an X flood zone, just steps away from upper Duval street. Property may be sold furnished to create a turn key buying opportunity. Very private backyard with delightful jacuzzi and tropical landscaping."

The first floor is an efficient mix of living space, kitchen, and dining area. Glass sliders open out to the surprising rear courtyard which has a private hot tub. What looks like a rear gate is just a bit of folly to help create more interest in the space. I think the back yard is really creative for such a small space and a small price by Key West standards. The above photo will help readers understand some of the cost savings built into these units. The exterior of the building has Hardiboard siding. This is a man-made material that is resistant to pests and our climate.Hardiboard siding does not need painted as often as regular wood siding. The windows and doors are impact glass which means both your windstorm and home owner's insurance will be greatly reduced year after year. The property is in the X zone so flood insurance is not necessary. 

This unit was previously rented as a vacation rental, but it could be easily rented as a long term apartment as well. There is a huge housing shortage in Key West. I am confident a new owner could rent this space in a New York minute.

This property is located just one block east of the shops, restaurants, and habitats of upper Duval Street. Neither you nor your renters will need a pool because South Beach is just a couple of blocks away.


CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of 634 Louisa Street Unit #3 that is offered for sale at just $499,000. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

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