915 Cornish Lane, Key West - Old Town Buying Opportunity

 I have written a several blogs suggesting that readers quit their jobs and move to Key West. I know some people actually fantasize about doing that. And some people actually follow through and do the deed, not because I suggested it but because Key West is so alluring on so many different levels.  Key West lures the sane and the not-so-sane. People come here to find a way of life that is not possible to achieve elsewhere. Many of those who end up here adopt the manana way of looking at life and develop an ethos that determines the importance and speed within which daily tasks need to be completed. Government workers do the same thing, except they just get paid a salary and receive benefits for moving slowly.

No matter which street a person lives on in Key West, all of us live our lives in the slow lane. Key West is in the midst of Spring Break and people of all ages from all over the world are here enjoying our wonderful climate, our pebbly beaches, our bubbling bars, and a myriad of other things that draw people here. Getting around becomes a chore for us locals who view having to wait two light cycles to cross Truman Avenue as near insanity. When we make it home, we de-stress and all is right with the world. For those Key Westers who actually reside on a lane, life is much slower and much quieter. Many of the lanes such as Cornish Lane are less than a block long. Cornish Lane dead ends about 145 feet from Grinnell Street whence it begins. While Cornish Lane is paved with tar, none of the three homes on this lane have any off street parking space. There are several similar lanes in Old Town and they attract owners that want a slow paced and quiet lifestyle.

The listing Realtor describes this home this way:

"Home of Men's Fashion Designer Andrew Christian & featured on HGTV's new show Hunting Vintage. Formerly the home of the B-52's cofounder, Keith Strickland. This stunning contemporary cottage is tucked away at the end of a quiet lane, beautifully renovated down to the last detail and sold turnkey with its designer furnishings. Walnut wood floors throughout, accented with Caesarstone counters in the kitchen & bathrooms, wood built-ins provide a seamless & chic touch. Lush & private from the front, sun-filled and airy in the garden, this 2 bedroom and 1.5 bath home is the ultimate getaway. Viking & Subzero appliances, top of the line fixtures and high ceilings. Wrapped in ipe decking with 2 outdoor showers & a stunning plunge pool."

I showed this property maybe a dozen years ago, I was not prepared for the home as it now exists. I sold the prior owners a large home in the Casa Marina Area a couple of years ago. They told me about the intense renovation they had done to 915 Cornish Lane a few years earlier. Intense was right - they rebuilt it. And everything they did was done with style and demand for excellence.  As you walk down Cornish Lane and spot the cottage behind the gated entrance, you'll notice the board and batten exterior, the wood shutters, and may expect to see a cute little storybook house. Instead when you open the front door you enter into space larger than you would expect with a wall of windows which looks out to the pool and garden beyond. The interiors are stark and modern in design and function. The master bedroom is located immediately right of the entry. A guest bedroom and bath are located to the left. The kitchen is to the right rear and the pool is directly forward.

The master bedroom and master bath are the perfect marriage of old Key West and contemporary lifestyle. One bedroom wall offers private views of the sequestered outdoor space. The en-suite bath offers a step-through shower which can be entered from the outdoors or from the sleek interior. You won't find the custom cabinetry at the bargain barn. Ever.

 The guest bedroom and guest bath are located opposite the front door. This is a small and private space for the occasional guest. While this is a two bedroom house, the spaces were designed for a single person or couple who may have an occasional visitor as opposed to a small family. 

915 Cornish Lane is now offered at $1,265,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and beautiful listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this up to date old house. I know the people who did this renovation. This is a really good buy. This is sophisticated living in an excellent Old Town location close to everything.

14 Golf Club Drive, Key West - Bank Owned

New to the real estate market is 14 Golf Club Drive in Key West. This 1320 square foot Bank Owned town home unit is offered at $454,900. The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Beautiful views from your large screen porch and master bedroom overlooking Key West Golf Course! This larger townhome offers 2 bedroom and 2 bath home with extra room which can be an office/additional bedroom on main living level. Walking distance to one of the two community heated swimming pools, gated entrance and 24 hour security."

This home is located near the front gated entry into the Key West Golf Club Community. The smaller pool is located less than one block away. The view from the front porch gives this home a country club feel even though the gold course is public.  The view at the back is even better. This home was painted and cleaned before it was placed on the market.  The bank owner also made repairs to the exterior requested by the community homeowners association.

I have sold over thirty homes at the golf course over the years several of which are also 1320 square feet in size. Each has the first floor "family room" which many owners have converted into a third bedroom.  The room does have a closet and there is an adjacent full bath on this level. I sold a similar unit a couple years ago at Roosevelt Annex which was built by the same developer as the golf club. That unit had a new kitchen with upgraded cabinets and stainless steel appliances plus really nice baths. This home is really clean and will probably appeal more to the bargain buyer. But a new owner could easily spend a little money to achieve a really nice finished property.

 Two bedrooms on the second floor share one bath. While neither bedroom has a walk-out rear balcony, both have very nice views.   The screen enclosed first floor back porch offers really nice view of the golf course and adjacent lake.

 The smaller community pool is located about one block from 14 Golf Club Drive. The much larger pool and gym are located within a five minute walk. Home owner association fees are $380 monthly and include gated security, common area grounds (and tree) maintenance, pool, and basic cable.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took.

If you are relocating to Key West and have young children, the Gerald Adams Elementary School is located nearby. The community college (soon to be a four year college) is located nearby as well. Not too far away is a large CVS store, Burger King, Roostica Wood-Fired Pizzeria, and Hogfish Bar & Grill among others. I consider the Key West Golf Club Community to be one of the very best values in Key West. The grounds are always very well maintained. A good portion of the units are investor owned and are rented to members of the US military. Other homes are owner occupied. The military are an important part of our community and make excellent neighbors.  In a couple of months the many Royal Poinciana trees on the golf course are going to explode in color. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 14 Golf Club Drive offered at $454,900. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to show you this sharp property.  The listing agent is soliciting all offers. I think this unit is a buying opportunity.

Two-fers OPEN HOUSES TODAY in Key West

If you are in Key West today and not otherwise occupied by eating, drinking, shopping, sunning, fishing, tickling spiny lobsters or other such activities, please stop by the two OPEN HOUSES shown below. 

11 Nassau Lane in Old Town Key West is now priced at $749,000. Come see this sweet 2/2 that comes fully furnished. It is located on one of the slow lanes in Key West. If you wait on this, you're gonna miss out big time. First time on the market in fifteen years. Hosted by Gary Thomas at Preferred Properties Key West.  OPEN 12:00 to 2:00.

1500 Albury Street is located one block north of Key West's beautiful Bayview Park. This 2240 square foot home is all new construction with four bedrooms, three and one-half baths, with top of the line construction features and amenities throughout. Now offered at $1,999,999. Hosted by Cory Held and Jeffrey Groskey at Preferred Properties Key West. OPEN 11:00 to 1:00.

Key West - Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda!

Talk about mid-life crisis and the road not taken, how about the lost opportunities that people (buyers and sellers) regret day after day after day for years into the future. In a little town like Key West you can drive by that house you could have bought for a great price but didn't because you didn't like the seller, you didn't like the deal, you think you coulda bought the place cheaper,you were afraid Obama or Trump would do something stupid, etcetera. As a seller you wish you wouldn't have been such an ass, that you had been more pragmatic, that you would have accepted the all cash offer with no strings attached instead of holding out to get more money which in fact you did not get. Life's lessons in real estate: woulda, coulda, shoulda, but didn't!

About three weeks ago a couple from the northeast walked into my open house at 1500 Albury Street in Key West. I met them around 2000 when I was an agent at Knight Realty (now Berkshire Hathaway Knight and Gardner Realty).  A year later we looked at two adjacent houses in the 1000 block of Fleming Street. (One of the best blocks in town.) The houses had been hideously and cheaply redone a few years earlier. They needed revamped. Her father was a builder, so she was familiar with construction and saw the potential of this location and these properties in particular. They said they had investment properties up north they had to sell first. They said they had kids to put through school and college - first. They did not buy even though in their hearts they knew this was a really outstanding opportunity.. Somebody else bought the properties for $660,000 and did an "over-the-top" redesign of the property. That same house was resold in 2015 for $2,750,000. Sixteen years later this same couple is still dreaming about buying a place here but they are still burdened by all the things that they must do first.

Most of the buyers I have worked with have fairly simple goals. They may lay in a hammock on their guest house porch and dream about what it would be like to own a home or business in Key West. Or they may sit on their computer monitoring every new listing that appears on Zillow sometimes thinking "this may be the one if I can buy it at the right price," They may even talk with a Realtor and look at houses and maybe make a half-hearted offer on a place. Or maybe they just find excuses as to why none of the houses work.

As of today there are 434 active listings for homes, condos, and town houses in Key West. Just 70 of those are priced below $500,000. And most of those are condos or town houses. There are 178 houses and condos priced over $1,000,000 and 46 of those are priced over $2,000,000. A lot of sellers have recently reduced their asking price in hopes of selling their place this year. Would, coulda, shoulda works equally for buyers and sellers.

The dream of owning a home in Key West has not diminished. It's the price that is the problem for most buyers but not all. Earlier this week a single family home in Key West sold for $5,442,000 with furnishings. Give me a call and let's see if we can find your dream house before it is gone. Don't wait sixteen years to fulfill your dreams.

407 Margaret Street, Key West

The listing Realtor describes 407 Margaret Street located in Old Town Key West this way:

"In a prime Old Town Key West location at Margaret and Eaton Streets sits one of the Grande Dame residences of Key West. Built in 1884 this home has been lovingly maintained and updated in keeping with the original features of the home. Enter the property on Margaret Street where there is ample off street parking for two cars. Wonder at the resort style pool with waterfall and hot tub that draws you to the covered porch off of the great room. Light filled with high ceilings and Dade County pine the home is both old and new at the same time. Wolf Stove and Sub Zero refrigerator keep company with your claw foot bathtub. Over 2000 square feet of living space on a large 5805 square foot lot which includes 902 Eaton Street this home has 4 bedrooms and 3 full bathrooms. The master bedroom has a large covered deck overlooking the pool and landscaped yard. Be a part of Key West and it's remarkable history in this very special home."

I checked the historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine when 407 Margaret Street was built. The 1889 map showed a "dwelling" located at what was then numbered as 816 Eaton Street. The address was changed to 802 Eaton Street on the 1892 map and changed again to 902 Eaton Street on the 1899 edition of the map. Today the entrance to the property is located off Margaret Street where there is also off street parking. Thus this big old house which once belonged to one of the primary doctors in Key West is identified by the Monroe County Property Appraiser and the United States Post Office as 407 Margaret Street even though the house faces Eaton Street.

The front of the house has a lot of "street appeal". The front porch wraps around the house where there is a second entrance near the kitchen which is located midway in the house. The porch is that formal and reflects the style and dignity one would expect of a doctor during another age. The doctor maintained his office in what is now

Today the former doctor's office is now a home office. I have seen several Old Town houses use similar front rooms for the same purpose. The room can be used as a guest bedroom but it has no closet. Note the abundance of clear coated Dade County Pine walls and floors punctuated by crisp white baseboards and trim work. The living area is located in the rear where glass sliders open out to the covered rear deck that overlooks the pool. There dining area is located adjacent to the kitchen. And there is a full bath on this level as well. 

The listing agent mentioned the view from the covered second floor rear deck off the master bedroom. The view is shown in the photo immediately below. The lot on which the house sits measures 34' X 107'. The adjacent lot on Margaret Street where the parking is located measures 33' X 42' for a total of 5795 sq ft of land.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 407 Margret Street which is offered at $2,395,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this great old home. I used to own another doctor's home also located on Eaton Street. These grand old houses offer so much character and history. You owe it to yourself to take a look. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.