1010 Elgin Lane, Key West - Time to Buy in Old Town

 Just Listed 1010 Elgin Lane, Key West. This place is so cute and so charming that it may not last the week.  I wrote about this timeless classic ten years ago. I was smitten then and I am smitten now. This home has the features most second home buyers in Key West seek - great location within easy walking distance to Duval Street and the Seaport, a pool, off street parking, three bedrooms, plus oodels of charm. And priced at just $1,295,000  it won't break the bank. I dug down into my old shoebox and found a photo taken in 1965 which shows the house in what I think was pretty much its original condition. This was taken before the invasion from the north. I also found two photos I took in 2010 when the house was sold to the current owners. The lower photos show the house as it looks today.

I researched the historic Sanborn Fire Maps and determined that this house first appeared on the 1912 map. There were numerous small cottages on earlier maps.The listing Realtor describes 1010 Elgin Lane this way:

"Tucked away on quiet Elgin Ln. you enter this magical property through the white picket fence surrounded by orchids and lush tropical landscaping. A classic deep front porch with porch swing is perfect for relaxing. The main home is Old Key West at its best with original Dade Co. pine floors, painted wood walls and ceilings. Every room in this home has a special feel. The spacious living room and den are both filled with eclectic character and Key West style. Featuring three bedrooms and three baths with one bedroom and bath on the first floor. The first floor bath details beautiful custom mosaic tile with a spacious shower and windows that open to the gardens. Roomy eat-in kitchen with windows and glass paned door out to the gardens. French doors open from the den to the outdoor space. Historic wood windows throughout the home fill the rooms with light bringing the outdoors in. Up the colorful wood staircase is one bedroom and bath as well a bonus space perfect for a studio or office. This one of a kind home only gets better when you reach the outdoors space. The rear gardens and heated pool are captivatingly flanked by a coastal one room guest cottage with full bath as well as a most enchanting octagonal pavilion with stunning architectural doors and arched windows. Many more special features such as the brick paved driveway."

 Years ago when I first arrived at the front gate I noticed a clock face next to the front gate with the ELGIN logo and clock hands indicating 10:10.  The new owners used the same imagery when they placed the clock on the front mailbox.  When you walk through the double gates and up the steps you enter a world where time seems to have stood still. There are few amenities that remind us we are in the second decade of the 21st Century. Instead, this old house looks pretty much today as it did a century ago. While some part so the house have sagged a bit, the sags are like character lines on a face. Some people can't live with the signs of age. Others embrace them. Take a look inside and see if like what you see.

The front door opens to an open hallway on the right which leads to the kitchen and dining area at the rear. The stairway to the second floor is also located there.  The living room is located immediately to the left. You'll quickly notice the wood floors which stand in stark contrast to colorfully painted Dade County Pine Walls and ceiling trimmed by crown molding. If you look back at the old black and white photos at the top you will see a small extension off the left side of the house. You'd never guess that small room could look as bold and beautiful as it is today. Look immediately above. How great a space is this?  French doors open out to the pool.

Even before I got to walk around the house this go-around, I was looking forward to seeing two things at this old house. There is a small guest cottage located as pool's edge. The place is so adorable. The guest cottage is a two room symphony in how to make sweet love. I cannot imagine any place better to be with the person you love most. This room is so simple and comfortable. The compact size, wood walls, ambient light, and privacy invite intimacy. I guess you could travel to Bail and rent a place overlooking a beach and find something better. Perhaps. But why bother when you could have your own Bali Hai moment every day.

The second thing I wanted to see was the folly. I remembered it from before. It is just a small shell for no useful purpose which provides such a wonderful space to express one's imagination as to the use of space. I was talking with a fellow Realtor about this house and said that our modern day HARC (Historic Architectural Review Commission) would never permit a structure like this to be built today unless the lot was extra large. HARC requires compliance with RULES which are actually GUIDELINES which they enforce through disapproval of plans. In my opinion houses built by committees suck. This house does not suck. It is a work of art.

As I moved from room to room I noticed the floors were wood but some had a different finish or look. That made me determine that the way the rooms were used and furnished played off of the floors and the existing Dade County Pine walls. These are real wide pine floor boards. The patina shows the rich history of this old house. The windows were old and original and not those new replacements that are made to look old. These are the real McCoys. A side hall took me to the rear where I was greeted by a  sweet breakfast nook. It is part of the large kitchen that takes up the rear 1/3 if the house. The kitchen is a saw tooth addition to the main house. The kitchen is so simple, but it looks like something you might see in a Ralph Lauren Home Furnishing Store. You don't see stainless steel or marble or granite. Thank God. The kitchen cabinets look ancient but aren't. The room looks like it evolved over time. It didn't. The kitchen is a work of art.

I asked the listing agent if the furnishings might be available for purchase and was told a definite NO. I'd try to persuade the seller to sell some if not all. That's because I don't have enough imagination to create something as clever as this. But a buyer who does have that special gene could have  field day in this old place.

"Because Elgin produced so many watches and produced so many spare parts, they can still be easily bought and fixed, so even a 100 year old Elgin can be used, with care, on a daily basis. While mechanical watches can't compete with quartz watches for accuracy, there is something about having a watch that ticks that a quartz watch just can't replace."

The Elgin Watch Collectors Site

I think the same can be said about old houses like this one.  

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet to view more details and to see a lot of great photos of 1010 Elgin Lane. Then please pick up the phone and call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to discuss this truly great property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

11 Nassau Lane, Key West - Come See the Paradise

The power of social media is amazing.  Last Sunday I held an impromptu open house at my new listing at 11 Nassau Lane in Old Town Key West. I did not have time to place an ad in our local paper. I posted an open house notice in my blog, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK. Then I put up one OPEN HOUSE sign on Fleming Street between Grinnell and Frances and another in front of this little Garden of Eden located about 150 feet down Nassau Lane. Passersby walked down the lane to see what might be - about 100 of them. And they all fell in love with this magical little gem. 

Come see the paradise. Take a look at this simple little cottage 2/2 with a second floor tree house bedroom overlooking the orchid garden. You won't be disappointed. I promise.  You may fall in love and make this your little love nest.

806 Virginia Street, Key West A Treat of a Retreat

A couple of days ago during Realtor Caravan I got to see a house that I never knew existed. I had driven by it many times and I have written about other homes on the same block. But for some reason 806 Virginia Street in Key West had never caught my eye. But after having seen it, I really want to find a buyer for it. It is an unexpected treat which could be the right buyers special retreat. Let me tell you why.

I went to my old shoebox and found one of my favorite photos of old Key West. It was taken in the 1920s and shows St. Mary's Catholic Church located on Truman Avenue. The property I am discussing today was not built until 1950. The photo shows what appear to be three two story homes located at the "T instersection" of Windsor Lane and Virginia Street. I marked where I think modern day 806 Virginia came to replace on of the earlier houses. None of the other two still exist either.

I also found a 1965 vintage photo of 806 Virginia Street. The physical appearance of the original house has not changed all that much compared to the 60's photo. The screened front porch on the left still exists as do the faux stones that trim many parts of the house. The windows were replaced and white picket fence has been added. There is gated off street parking to the right,

The screened porch leads into the great room. It looks as though the owner removed an original wall which may have compartmentalized the living, kitchen, and dining areas and combined the space into a modern open concept space. French doors were added on  the side leading out to the pool and garden area.

The listing Realtor describes 806 Virginia Street this way:

"This mid-century home, just blocks from Duval St, was custom designed and built to last with concrete block construction and permastone accents. French doors open to both the screened front porch and the spacious back deck and pool area, allowing island breezes to cool the interior and seamlessly blending indoor and outdoor living spaces. High & dry in X-500 flood zone.Set on a huge lot with privacy fencing and mature landscaping, this is a secluded sanctuary in the heart of Old Town. Modern kitchen, hardwood oak floors, and custom iridescent pool tile are just a few of the other beautiful features. Private pool, off-street parking, and proximity to everything Key West has to offer make this the ideal tropical oasis."

This home was built in 1950 and does not look like any other house I have been inside in Key West especially any home of that era. Each of the three bedrooms is located on a corner with the master bedroom located just off the screened front porch (four photos above). Light filters through windows on two sides in each bedroom. This is just awesome.

The house sits on a 63' X 77' lot (4871 sq ft) which is quite large for Old Town. The pool is located on the west side of the lot. It was bright and sunny when I saw it a few days ago. The little cottage in the rear is where the laundry room is located. It is not large enough to be converted into a bedroom.  There is however more side yard over that way. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule an appointment to see this really nice home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. There is nothing to fix here. This place is as clean as a whistle and is in move-in condition. This home would make a wonderful year round home or the perfect Key West retreat.

730 Windsor Lane, Key West Florida

The listing Realtor describes 730 Windsor Lane this way:

"Have your morning con leches on the large front porch of this sweet two bedroom and two bath conch house located on Solares Hill. Many recent improvements including new kitchen, updated bathroom, sliding “barn” doors, bamboo flooring, and landscaping. Cute front yard and private rear deck. Home is currently configured with a mother-in-law suite but is easily converted back to a large first floor open floor plan."

I got to see this home a few weeks ago during Realtor caravan and realized I had not only been inside before but had also written a prior blog about this home. (That was in April 2011.) The current owner made many changes to the interior and exterior which is near picture perfect.  Those are Cuban tile floors on the front porch.

The listing Realtor mentioned that the current mother-in-law suite at the front of the house could easily be converted back into part of the first floor living space. See photo below which shows mom's place as it is at current. Mom should be paying about $1400 or $1500 per month for this place in this location. I'd make her pay it. A few years ago I took a photo from the front porch looking across Windsor Lane. (Below.) The view has not changed that much except that the trees are taller and more fully grown. A couple of houses on this section of Windsor Lane have been recently updated. The Key West Writer's Compound is still across the street. There is a plaque in front of 719 Windsor Lane, the former home of John Hersey.  I sold that charming little place several years ago. It was adorable. Charlie's Grocery is located down on the corner. That is the only commercial spot in this part of Old Town. You can get get your con leches there each morning or buy a lottery ticket or a loaf of bread.

Mother-in-law suite

730 Windsor Lane is offered for sale at $665,000.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more photos. Then call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. This house is located three blocks from Duval Street and within easy walking distance to the Key West Seaport and several gyms and yoga studios.