1118 Seminary Street, Key West - Just Listed

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 1118 Seminary Street.  Buyers who are seeking a house with a classic Key West "look" and whoch features many of the houses in Old Town simply do not have, should check-out the features of this home.

1118 Seminary Street was newly constructed in 2001 and received a prestigious Ceramic Star awarded since 1981 by the Historic Florida Keys Foundation to recognize excellence for preservation, restoration, rehabilitation and new construction. 

The listing Realtor describes the home thus:

"Along a well-lit street, you will find a surprisingly sizable home in the X-Zone. There are 2 en-suite bedrooms, off a windowed hallway leading to the kitchen dining/living area surrounded by French doors revealing a slate patio with a heated cocktail pool. The upstairs suite consists of wall of closets, washer and dryer, large bathroom and at the end of the hallway if 4th bedroom/den. 2 Off street parking one covered."

 I took the above photo about eight years ago when the house was painted yellow. This photo helps orient readers to the interior layout described below. Obviously you can see the home has a coveted (and covered) off street parking spot. You will not from the photo the entry door is set back just a bit from the front porch. The entry hall leads to the great room in the rear. The space at the first floor front can be used as a main floor master suite, a much sought after feature by many second home buyers who plan for use in later years when staircases can become a challenge.

Referring back to the yellow house photo, you will notice the bump-out past the carport. That is where the dining room is located. Entry to the main floor bedroom is just off the foyer. Note the pine flooring and wains-coating in the bedroom which continues into the great room. However, the flooring in the great room and dining area are slate which then continues out to the pool. Note also all of the windows. This home is totally private. Ambient daytime light fills the living spaces and reminds us why we seek a house in Key West - the beautiful outdoors. There's a cocktail pool. Swimmers who seek a bigger swimming challenge can walk or bike to the Atlantic Ocean which is located about five blocks south.

The second floor also has pine floors and lots of built-in storage and closets in the sidewalls. What a clever use of that space to add function to what otherwise might have gone unused. Note the skylights which bathe the hallway with daytime light.

 I found the above photo in my old shoebox. It shows Higgs Beach as it appeared in 2003. The playground has been improved and some guy now rents chairs on what used to be a free beach.  You can still lay your towel down in the sand and walk for what seems like forever out into the shallow and warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this four bedroom, three bath home located in the Casa Marina Area of Key West. I live a couple of blocks away and love the quiet neighborhood that is a welcome alternative to the increasingly busy Old Town area. I can show you exactly why this area is a great place to live. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

217 Eanes Lane, Key West Florida

Just Listed, but not by me, 217 Eanes Lane in Key West, Florida. The listing agent described the property this way: 

"Diamond in the rough renovation project. Solid concrete house in the Historic Section of Old Town. Half a block off Duval Street on a quiet Lane. Large yard with room for a pool. Side yard could easily be used as a driveway for two cars. Walk to Key West's best dining, gallerias, night life and tourist attractions. One block from the Light House and Hemingway House." 

Readers of my blog tell me that one of the things they really like about my blog is the history I am sometimes able to relate to a specific house. I did a brief search of the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine the approximate age of the newly listed 217 Eanes Lane. I found 26 Elk Alley on the 1889 Map. By the time the 1912 Map was published the house numerator had entirely vanished and the map maker arbitrarily changed the street name to Magneto Court. Two other nearby houses still exist in the same location today. I am confident in asserting that 217 Eanes Lane existed at least as of 1889. I do not know when the lane name was officially changed to Enemas Lane. However, I do know that I then looked into my old shoebox and found a photo taken of 217 Eanes in 1965. That was 52 years ago. I recently took new photos that show the house and block as they look today. That all having been said, the Monroe County Property Appraiser official website shows this house as being built in 1948.  The official website shows the house as being 1200 sq ft wood frame construction with stucco overlay. The lot measures 42.33' wide by 83.32' or 3654 sq ft.  That is a fairly decent sized lot for Old Town.

The house appears to have benefited from some recent improvements including new windows and tile flooring throughout most of the interior. Most of the interior walls appear to be drywall with a knock-down painted drywall finish. There are also new doors throughout the house. The interior floors also seem very stable as they are supporting a lot of weight with the new tile floors.

I wrote about the house across the street about three years ago. It sold instantly and I suspect this house will do the same. That house was in much worse condition than this place. But it had a large yard, room for a pool, and lots of room for improvement.  That's why it sold. 217 Eenas Lane shares the great location one-half block from the corner of Truman and Duval. The Key West lighthouse is one block away. This house could make a great Key West second home or a vacation rental. Most of the other houses on this lane are already rented as vacation rentals. Look at the photos below and then CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of the house and this terrific location. Imagine how you might improve on what has already been done or how you might gut the place and start with a new plan to redevelop this property.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on this house which is offered for sale at $649,900. Then call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. This will not last long. Act quickly.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

32 HILTON Haven Road #4, Key West - New Lower Price

I have written about 32 Hilton Haven Road #4, Key West on several occasions during the past several months.  It is one of the largest waterfront condominiums in Key West and has probably the best water view I have seen for any house comparably priced.  The asking price was reduced to $1,100,000 late Monday at which time I sent emails to a couple of my buyers who are seeking a deal.

I remember how surprised I was to learn that although Key West is island that there are few homes or condominiums actually have water views. The are a few single family homes near the southernmost point which are located on the water and additional homes across Whitehead Street which is Navy property with extraordinary water views for NAVY brass. Harbour Place Condominiums in Truman Annex have water views. There are no units available there and if they did exist, they would be smaller in size, higher in price, come with a lot of association rules and enforcement officers. The Key West Beach Club has wonderful views, but the units available are each much smaller in size. There are several units at 1800 Atlantic has several units available with varying views of Bertha Street, the courtyard, or the mangroves, nothing is as large or has direct water views anywhere comparable to 32 Key Haven. There are some single family homes on one of the canals, but that is not like having a direct water view with sunrises or sunsets.  My point is there is nothing comparable to 32 Key Haven. I am not the listing agent. I cannot understand why it has not sold. I think if offers a very good value to any number of buyers. And now that the price is reduced again I think a lot of buyers ought to take a look.

The current owners did a thorough renovation and significantly update this property by adding impact windows and doors. Buyers may not appreciate the significance of not having to hire someone to install shutters should we get warning of an impending storm. An owner or a property manager needs to contact someone who can do the job and then get it done. After the storm passes, the same person will need to take down the shutters each time charging for time and service. Impact windows don't require any service. They function without shutters. They also provide immediate discount on wind insurance. 

During renovation the current owners created three bedrooms and baths in opposite corners providing ultimate privacy for the occupants. Having friends or family spend time with you can be very enjoyable, but having to listen to them come and go or do whatever it is that guests do can be annoying, especially if it upsets the way you normally live. This unit is so large that I doubt anyone will get annoyed. 

Proximity to Old Town. Okay you can't walk to Old Town. Well, you could but it would take 20 to 30 minutes to walk there. If you consider what you would have in reverse, you don't have to deal with tourists from morning to night, day after day after day, You can see them on your terms and your time and not have to hear their goings on. I would much rather wake up in the morning and see birds flying and boats setting off for a day of fishing than hearing garbage trucks and delivery trucks and hearing the bald guy drag tourists all over town gabbing about mango trees.  I really don't understand why people think they need to live near all that. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS on 32 Key Haven. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 304-766-2642, to take a look. We can and should look at the other places to. But if you look with an open heart I'll bet you will see all the positive features this home at this price has to offer.

2317 Fogarty Avenue, Key West - Bank Owned - Buying Opportunity

Just listed but not by me 2317 Fogarty Avenue, Key West. I selected the logo photo above because I consider this Bank Owned home a buying opportunity for one of my Dear Readers looking for an affordable home in Key West.  Too many local buyers have been priced out of our market. This home appears to be in pretty good shape and is basic move-in condition. This home was built in the mid-town area of Key West in 1958. This little subdivision was typical of many such subdivisions that sprang up across America after the GIs returned home after World War II. The post war housing was simple and affordable. There were big lots for the kids and dogs to play and the family to enjoy hamburgers on the bar-b-que.

I dug into my old shoebox and found the above black and white photo taken of 2311 Fogarty Avenue just as the subdivision was announced. Fogarty Avenue is located behind the two men in the photo.  The one story cinder block structure on the right side is the base of what will become the Fifth Street Baptist Church which takes up most of the south side of the 2300 block of Fogarty. The house behind the men still exists and it is a part of the church complex.

The above aerial photo shows 2317 Fogarty Avenue when photographed in 1999. I added an arrow to show this home which has 1111 square feet of interior living space and sits on a 50'X 111' (5500) sq ft lot. Nearly sixty years have elapsed since this house was built. Most of the homes in the area have been enlarged or remodeled to some extent. I will point out the changes made to this property.

The front exterior looks really nice. It is simple and not overdone. There is paved off street parking on both sides of the front. A new owner could easily remove one pad to expand the greenery in front.

The Monroe County Property Appraiser card shows many updates were added to this home in 1996.  The doors and windows have been replaced. (There are Miami Dade approved shutters for all windows and French doors.) The kitchen appears more recent than 1996 as do the stainless steel appliances. The central air was not working when I photographed the house but window AC units were working. The floor tiles in the kitchen and family room appeared to be more recent than 1996 as well. I added notations to the living room photo to point out the crown molding and recessed lighting which are repeated in other rooms as well.

This house looked to have been lovingly maintained. The inside was clean. I saw a couple of minor things that need repair but the house as a whole is in near move-in condition. You'll need to buy a mirror and shower head for the bathroom, but that's a heck of a lot cheaper than having to redo the thing.

The front bedroom has an en-suite bath. The rear bedroom has French doors which open out to the wrap-around rear deck. The room sizes are nearly identical. The back bedroom does not have a private bath. The hall bath appears to have been updated and expanded as it looks nothing like a mid-century bath.

I was totally taken by the back yard and sideyards. This home sits on a really big lot. There is room for a pool, but more important there is room for the family to have nice private outdoor living area. The canvas awnings need replaced, but the shaded deck area will make a great place to watch the kids or grandchildren play and thrive. The side yards have a lot of space for storage for bikes and adult toys. This is a nice house. Don't let it slip by. It will go quickly. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 2317 Fogarty Avenue which is offered at $449,900. 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. Let me help you find your home in Paradise.