95 Bay Drive, Saddlebunch Key Florida

95 Bay Drive, Saddlebunch Key, Florida is located about 11.5 miles east of Key West on the Overseas Highway more commonly known by tourists as US 1.  To locals it is a bedroom community with an easy commute to Key West. To second home buyers who hope to find a dream home where could retire, it may be the place they have been dreaming to find. The listing Realtor describes this ocean front home this way:

"When you are lucky enough to live by the sea, you are lucky enough! Cozy, Open Water cottage styled home features beautiful Tigerwood flooring, Custom ceiling, two bedrooms, and three baths. Enjoy scrumptious ocean breezes and spectacular sunrises on the charming enclosed screened porch. This home was designed for maximum enjoyment of the bay; concrete boat basin, sea wall, sandy beach, kayak and paddle launch. Fish from your own backyard for snapper or snorkel and swim in the crystal clear water every day of the year. Private and gated with picture perfect garden sitting areas. Entertaining made easy with built in bar, full bath and laundry on the lower level. Quick trip to the Atlantic or Gulf with your Key West, Carolina Skiff, Deck Boat or Whaler. Follow your Dream, Retire in the Keys."

This home is CBS (concrete block construction) built in 1982 with 1592 sq ft of living space - not including the porches. The lot is irregular of approximately 70.5' X 120' or 8936 sq ft. That's almost twice the size of a typical Casa Marina Area lot or about four times the size of most lots in Old Town. So here you get more room with an ocean view included.

The road at the top of the above photo is US 1. Key West is a 15 minute drive or so the south and west. Miami and North America are the other direction. I just returned from vacation in New York and Boston. There are millions of people up there. A lot of them spend hours traveling back and forth to work everyday and spend much of their day bumping into or avoiding bumping into other people. When I returned home I was so glad to be back and smell the fresh unpolluted air and experience the soft breezes. We had a bunch of rain right after I got back, but our imclement weather is nothing to the heat and the cold that northerners experience. We have a few days a year of bad weather. They have a couple of months of tolerable weather. 

The enclosed porch is 516 sq ft and is not included in the total square footage of the house itself. As the above photos show much of the real living in this home occurs on the porch. That porch provides great views of the ever changing ocean.

Lest you think you would be starved from society by living this far from civilization, you can walk up to US 1 to get fresh coffee at BABY'S or go next door to get a sandwich. There is a lovely children's park behind BABYS with plenty of space to let your dog run like mad. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more photos of 95 Bay Drive which is offered by Preferred Properties Key West (that's where I work but this is not my listing) at $849,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. 

1400 White Street #A Key West, Florida - Just Listed

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West, 1400 White Street #A. This beautiful new home is located in the tony Casa Marina Area of Key West Florida.

Beautiful Freshly Renovated Two Story Casa Marina Area Condo. This large impeccably renovated three bedroom / two bath unit is move-in ready. Spotless Brazilian Cherry Hardwood Floors upstairs and down. Luxurious New Designer Kitchen with Eat-In Dining Area, Custom Shaker Cabinets, Carrara Marble Counters, Mosaic glass and stainless tile back splash, Pantry cabinet and new Stainless Steel Appliances. Two large Bathrooms with new mosaic and travertine subway tile, granite topped vanities and frame-less shower doors. Built in Full size Washer and Dryer.  Large 22' x 14' Private Deck, as well as a shady front porch. New electric service, New Impact Windows and Doors in many areas. Walk to the Ocean and Beaches or Nearby Hot spots in minutes. Low HOA fees.  Offered Furnished As Shown at just $675,000.

This building was built in 1948. The unit itself is 1353 square feet of interior living space under air conditioning. It flows just like a home. The main floor includes the living room, kitchen and dining area, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Note the Brazilian Cherry hardwood floors which are located on both floors.

Each of the three bedrooms was updated to include custom closet organizers to provide maximum storage. All of the furnishings shown in these photos are included in the purchase price.

If you look carefully you'll notice a few pieces of the crown molding over the kitchen cabinets are missing. They are on order and will get installed shortly. The kitchen is dazzling!  I dare you to find anything this sharp in town for this price. White Shaker custom cabinets are accentuated by Carrara marble counters and mosaic glass and stainless tile back splash. Note also the Samsung stainless steel appliances. There is a large pantry tucked behind the doors at the side of the dining area.

New impact glass sliding doors and some windows were replaced during the renovation process. The rear deck is the perfect private retreat to enjoy this spacious area.

There are two bedrooms on the second floor. Both have abundant closet space and custom closet organizers. Bahama shutters provide filtered light to enter the rooms as well privacy.  The extra large bath features travertine marble floors and wall plus glass mosaic accent tiles. The laundry are is included in the bath. CLICK HERE to view more photos of this unit.

One of the many joys of living in the Casa Marina Area is the walking proximity to Higgs Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. I took the two above photos last Saturday morning. A local was walking her dog at the beach just after the beach had been groomed for a new day of beach visitors. Doggie Park is located across the street where you can take your pooch to meet and greet the other dogs in the area. The West Martello Tower is located amid the clump of trees. Salute on the Beach, Astro City playground, and the Reynolds Street pier are located further west. The old fort is now the permanent home of the Key West Garden Club. The White Street Pier is shown in the top photo. That is where fireworks are set off on the Fourth of July. There are numerous small restaurants, several gyms and yoga studios located about four blocks north of this unit - again, all located in easy walking distance. You could walk to Duval Street for dinner and take a cab back. The cops here zone in on drunk drivers. A taxi ride is much less expensive than a $10,000 lawyer bill.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 1400 White Street #A. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to see this unit. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. This is my listing. The unit is vacant and easy to show. I will be holding an Open House there on Sunday, September 4th from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Drop by, say hi, and bring your checkbook. I think you are going to like this place.

My First Loan and What I Learned About Buying on Credit

The Key West MLS is transferring to a new service provider this weekend. I have a new listing to add but can't because the system is not accepting new listings until Monday. So instead of writing about something I can't share, I thought I would share a memory of my first loan and the lesson I learned.

I have written about growing up in the little suburban town of Mountain View, Colorado - a suburb just west of Denver. I lived in this quite little burb through my formative years until 1960 when we moved a couple of miles to the south and west. The town was two blocks wide and six blocks long. There were a couple of mom and pop stores and my barbershop on Sheridan Boulevard and several small stores on West 44th Avenue including a Army surplus store, a Lotta Burger, a gas station, and an auction house and candy store located at 5410 W. 44th. Through the miracle of Google Maps you can CLICK HERE to view that building that still exists today.

I remember going to the auctions a few times with my parents. I must have been six to eight years old at the time. After the auction company failed a tax preparation company occupied the same space. I went there as well and was as bored as any kid could be while his parents were getting their taxes prepared.

The candy store and toy store were located next door. I would go there by myself to buy penny candy. Yes, in the 1950s you could buy a lot of things for a few cents or a couple of dollars. Every time I think about that store I can smell the sweet aroma that filled the air. One day I found a box that intrigued me. It contained what looked like a metal gun which actually was a movie projector, or so I thought. I was transfixed by it. The price was just $1.25 which is equivalent to $11.49 today. While I had a piggy bank that held my life savings, I didn't want to rob myself of my future by buying the projector. Yet I really felt I needed it.

I went back to the candy store many times to visit my object of desire. I remember the following fairly correctly.  One day I approached the owner and proposed to buy the projector on credit.  I offered a quarter down payment and said I would pay off the balance with my allowance. The owner agreed and saved the projector for me. The weeks passed. I paid off my loan.  I took the projector home and set out to make it work. It did, but it didn't.  It wasn't what I thought it would be.  I lost interest in it very quickly and blamed myself for not being more careful.