237 Golf Club Drive, Key West - Just Listed

Just Listed by yours truly 237 Golf Club Drive which is located in the The Sanctuary at the Key West Golf Club Community. This 1720 square foot Grand House is located at the end of cul de sac. This home has recently updated throughout including the addition of solid Gunstock Red Oak Stairway and Floors on the upper level. 

 If you have seen other Grand Houses before you need to see this one now because it isn't like the others. The French doors off the dining room open out to the east terrace where the swimming pool is located. Large trees and tropical foliage and palms frame this area.

The home has all the look of a Grand Conch House in Old Town, but we know it's not because it was built new in 2001 at the Key West Golf Club. Still the old style design tricks the eye just enough to give us the sense that this is a big old style home. Once you enter the foyer your eyes are drawn through the home to French doors at the rear. Those doors open out to a covered rear porch which has been screened, just like Grandmother's house.  Inside the living area of this home you will find a half-bath adjacent to the foyer, the kitchen on the left which has a large breakfast bar for casual dining, a large dining room area, and a spacious living area. The current owner has outfitted the first floor bonus room as a study. There's a convertible sofa that can be made into a bed when the occasions arises. However, the space could easily become a fourth bedroom. The laundry is secreted away under the stairs.

This home has first and second floor porches at the front and rear plus the terrace side porch. The porch off the living room is screened. You'll note the golf course views off to the left. Most of the rear yard is bricked. Huge trees and tropical foliage frame this garden space as well. The owner added a sturdy storage shed behind the covered off street parking. CLICK HERE to view more interior and exterior photos.

The current owner installed solid Gunstock Red Oak stairway treads and floors on the entire floor except the bathrooms, This includes closets and under the built-in cabinetry in the master bedroom. All the interior walls are painted a soothing beige while doors, baseboards, trim, and crown molding are painted a crisp white. The look is harmonious throughout the house. Any buyer with any kind of design aesthetic could move right in to this home. The master bedroom is located at the rear where another set of French doors open out to a covered (but not screened) rear porch.

A built-in window seat is framed by two storage cabinets on one side of the master bedroom. The master bath is located opposite. The bath includes dual sinks, bathtub, separate shower, and toilet. There is a huge walk-in closet outfitted with lots of built-ins for additional storage. Lack of storage is often a problem in many of our Old Town homes. That won't be the case here.

The second floor hall provides a nice space for displaying art. There are two equal sized guest bedrooms on this level both of which have vaulted ceilings which adds space and volume to the rooms. Each room has a door that opens out to the front second floor front porch. Both share a bath on this floor.

 While this home has a beautiful private pool, your guests may wish to take advantage of either of the two heated community pools the larger of which is amazing. There is also a nearby fitness center. The Key West Golf Club community has a secured gated entry. The streets are tree lined and provide a genuine home town feel throughout the year. It is always a joy to drive prospective buyers through the area. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 237 Golf Club Drive which is offered for sale at $749,000 which makes it the lowest priced Grand House based on a per square foot basis. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing.  I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Key West - No Tea, No Sympathy, No Sale

A friend and I saw Mothers and Sons at the Waterfront Playhouse on Friday night. If you are in town between now and February 13th I urge you to see it.  Joy Hawkins is remarkable!

After we left the theater and headed up Duval Street. It was 9:30 PM and Duval Street was filled with people. Noise was blaring out from every bar. People carried go-cups on the sidewalks making their way to the next bar. As we approach Sloppy Joe's I told my friend about my walk up Duval Street last year after seeing another play at the Waterfront Playhouse. I was approached by a young lady hooker who asked me if I would like to party to which I replied "You've got the wrong guy" upon which I crossed Duval and headed east on Front Street to Simonton to avoid any more encounters. You see I'm gay and the thought of getting approached by a female prostitute cracked me up.

As we weaved our way up Duval Street I told my friend about an English couple I had worked with in the spring of 2004. They fell in love with a cute as can be two-story carriage house condominium located on Peacon Lane. The place was part of a larger project on Eaton Street where a grand old house was made into several first class condominiums. The project had just been completed. Everything looked great. They made a written cash offer on the unit that priced somewhere in the $700,000 range. I had hand delivered to the listing agent on a Thursday night. (This is in an age before Docu-sign existed and pdf's were not then in use.)  It's twelve years later and I remember this deal with clarity.

I followed my regular routine the next day. I went to the gym around 6:00 AM, worked out, and rode my bike back home. That's what people who live here do: they follow routines. That's what most people do no matter where they live.

When I got home I had several messages on my phone - all from the English man. I called him. He said his wife had been up all night crying. She was upset about the offer. He asked if I could come over to their guest house to discuss things. I dressed and drove over right away.

We met in a private space on the north side of the building. I asked what had happened. The lady said something to the affect "Gary, I can't walk up and down Duval Street all my life!" I asked again and she responded with a question "What do people who live here do?" as if people who live in Key West live alternative lives that only evolve around walking up and down Duval Street every day like characters in the Star Wars bar.

My friend works in the hospitality business. He said he gets asked the same question regularly.  He said I tell them I get up and go to work. On the weekends I do my laundry. I go to the grocery store and do other chores. Maybe I go out and do something fun.  He said it's like people think that our lives are different from theirs. They aren't.

I responded similarly to the English lady. I asked her what she does in England. I told her that we have three great local theaters - the Waterfront Playhouse, the Red Barn Theater, and the Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center.  I told her about the opening night after parties where they could meet lots of new friends many of whom have rich personal histories from all over the world.  I know a lot of retired and semi-retired folks love going to the gym or doing yoga every day. I told her we have a great public golf course and said there are lots of boat slips if they are into boating. We have world class fishing. I told her whatever she does in England she could do here.

The gent told me he still wanted to buy the place but she had made up her mind and it was useless trying to change it. Key West was too foreign for her so we withdrew the offer. 


My office is located one-half block east of Duval Street. I rarely walk on that street. The noise and throngs of tourists drive me crazy. Most locals avoid that street as well. There are some locals that hang out in the bars, but they are the exception to the rule.

Duval Street provides a novel setting for tourists who need something to look at and someplace to go. Locals live their own lives in personal spaces. Some spaces are small and funky. Some places are grand. We have a wide mix of people from all over the world that make this little island their home. I sell houses.  If you are looking to buy a place here, please give me a call. I will show you there is life beyond Duval Street.

906 White Street, Key West ~ Price Reduction

906 White Street in Key West just became even more attractive than it already is because the asking price was just reduced to $1,199,000. The listing Realtor describes this lovely home this way:

"Lovingly restored home on the prettiest block on White Street. Spacious Conch cottage bordering The Meadows with everything you'd love in Old Town Key West: white picket fence, front porch and swing, bricked front yard with TWO gated off street parking spaces, heated pool with pool house/guest quarters, outside shower, entertainment area, outdoor dining, mature vegetation, split floor plan for privacy, each bedroom has en-suite bathroom, spacious interior and open concept kitchen-dining area. Centrally located, walk or bike to restaurants, grocery store, White Street Pier/beaches and be right on your porch for the famous Key West Walk on White art display. Truly a magnificent home with a warm, cozy feel. Easy to view! X Zone."

 

This was a simple house when it was originally built. It has been stylishly updated but not messed around with too much. By that I mean that the interiors are probably similar to the original construction but updated to provide comfortable contemporary features particularly in the kitchen and bathrooms. There are new additions at the rear of the original house which now house the kitchen and dining area, a guest bed and bath, and elevated rear deck area. New windows and mini-split air conditioning have been added through out the home.

The front living area flows into the kitchen and open dining area with high pitched vaulted ceiling. The newly remodeled kitchen includes new Kitchen Made  cabinets, stainless steel appliances, custom tiled counter-tops, and two sets of French doors that open out to the rear deck and pool area. Rich wood floors carry throughout the first floor which includes a downstairs bedroom with en-suite bath.

The photo just above shows the first floor front bedroom with attached bath. A door located next to the pedestal sink opens into the kitchen hallway, adjacent to the stairway to the second floor bedroom. I point this out because there is so much attention to little design details and also the utilization of usable spaces in this home.

There is another, but smaller, first floor bedroom located adjacent to the open kitchen and dining area. A door in the bedroom opens to the outside to provide quick escape or late night sneak-back entry to this bedroom. That bedroom has its own full bath as well.

The second floor bedroom and bath are just adorable. The wood floors in this bedroom are painted and provide a nice contrast to the yellow tones of the walls and the ceiling which is painted white. Battens accentuate the drama of these different building elements. The bathroom has classic black and white checkered tiles and crisp white bath fixtures. The ancient claw foot tub stands in contrast to the sheet of glass shower wall.

The attention to detail is found in all parts of this home. Note the built-in drawers in the bedroom area and the storage space built into the bathroom knee wall. All of the electric switches have small labels stating which feature they control. Nothing is left to chance .CLICK HERE to see more photos I took of this totally charming home.

When you exit the original house you walk out to a new porch that provides an outdoor dining area that is elevated just a bit above the pool level. You'll quickly see the pool house located on the opposite side of the pool. The pool house has an exaggerated height that is easily understood when you look inside where you will see a ladder to the loft sleeping area. The little building also has a bath  This home has a brief recent history as a monthly vacation rental property. The location is within easy walking distance to most of the gyms and yoga studios in Key West. The historic seaport is just a few blocks to the north and the hustle and bustle of Duval Street is a seven minute walk.

906 White Street is offered for sale at $1,199,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and also the listing photos. Then please call 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. I think this place is as cute as it can be. This home has been thoughtfully maintained and appears to be in very good condition. 

16 Golf Club Drive, Key West, Florida

I found the above old post card online. It depicts players and onlookers at the Key West golf course back during the Depression when the WPA was here capturing bits of everyday life in our little town. The federal government spent a lot of money on make-work projects to keep Key West from going under.  This post card is an example of such work. When I studied the post card I realized how utterly false it was. I mean if you have seen photos of regular Key Westers back in the 1930s they did not look or nor did they dress like this. Take the woman in the bathing suit with the golf club to her side. It's as if she is waiting for her turn to play through. Give me a break.

 Just Listed, but not by me, 16 Golf Club Drive which is located in the Key West Golf Club Community. Unlike the golf course depicted above, the modern day course is very much real and is open to the public. This two bedroom  home was built in 1992. It is offered for sale at an affordable price - just $387,000 .

I recall discussing the advantages of buying a place at the Key West golf club with a potential buyer several years ago. He said something like "I don't play golf!" as if that would negate any reason to consider buying a home there. I replied you don't have to play golf to live there. People that are buying homes at the golf course are not necessarily buying a lifestyle. They are buying a home. In a city where so many of our homes are priced so high, it's refreshing that there are still places like this that are priced this low. The main floor of this home is typical of these homes. A cute window looks out to the covered front porch and tree lined street beyond. The breakfast bar opens into the living area. The laundry room and a small half-bath are tucked under the stairway. Sliding doors at the rear of the living area open out to the covered back porch. I don't play golf, but I would love to have a view like this.

There are two bedrooms on the second floor both of which have private baths. The rear bedroom has a great view of the golf course while the front bedroom has French doors that open out to the second floor covered balcony. The ceilings in both bedrooms are vaulted which expands the spatial feel of both rooms. The area across the street is a fenced nesting area for terns.

The Key West Golf Club Community has beautiful tree lies streets, two pools, a clubhouse with a small gym, and a butterfly garden added for good measure. I looked at this property this past Sunday during an open house. I could not believe how many people were looking at this home. But when you consider the low price as compared to other properties in Key West, you quickly appreciate the value. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642,  to set up a private showing of this cute Key West home that is offered for sale at $387,000. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.