3810 Flagler Avenue, Key West - Waterfront Estate

The listing broker describes the newly listed 3810 Flagler Avenue home in Key West this way:

"Stunning Key West waterfront home, recently renovated to perfection with exquisite attention to detail. The open concept floor plan and Euro wall of 9’ glass doors offer sweeping water views and seamlessly blend interior and exterior living spaces. The gourmet kitchen is furnished with high end appliances, including both convection and conventional ovens, a wine fridge, espresso maker, and more. 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths are located on the ground floor, and the entire second story encompasses the luxurious master suite with a spacious balcony overlooking the water. Set on a huge 1/3 acre lot, the outdoor features include a pool, spa and sunbathing area, a full outdoor kitchen located in a custom built gazebo, as well as an outdoor dining area and fire pit. This location is a boater's dream with access to the Atlantic Ocean just minutes from the backyard dock. New Azak deck, fish cleaning station, and 14K lift accommodates up to a 33' boat. There's even an attached air conditioned garage with car lift. Fully fenced and gated for privacy and plenty of space for additional off-street parking. This is the only Pinewood Construction home in Key West and a rare opportunity to own a luxurious waterfront property just minutes from the ocean and downtown Key West."

When the Euro doors are opened the indoor space flows out to the deck, pool and spa area, the outdoor kitchen and dining area, and the water beyond. When the doors are closed each public room and three of the four bedrooms have views of the Sunrise and Rivera Canals.  The 4495 square foot home was recently thoroughly renovated and expanded with attention to detail.  The house is located about 300 feet or so from the eastern edge the Island of Key West  The house sits behind a tall privacy fence with two gated parking entries. The grounds include video surveillance, irrigation, and illumination. All landscaping and pool design were done by Craig Reynolds, the premier landscape architect in Key West.

Readers who think of Key West as a little island city with lots of small cottages will be surprised to see such a large and dramatic counter point to Old Town. The two story entry leads into the public spaces.  The family room is located to the left of the main living space. That room flows into a space this owner uses as an office. Both of these rooms have water views.

As I get older I look for ground floor bedrooms thinking about the day climbing stairs might become a challenge. This home has a huge ground floor bedroom with sitting area and private covered deck which leads out to the outdoor dining area. The two room suite includes an en-suite bath and multiple closets. There is a second bedroom on the west side of the main floor living area. That bedroom has a view of the spa and the canal beyond.

The master suite occupies the entire second floor. There is a half-wall which separates the sitting area from the sleeping area. It is the view from the second floor terrace overlooking the merged Riviera and Sunrise Canals that will  capture anybodies attention. The master suite includes dual sinks, soaking tub, shower, lady's vanity, plus large walk-in closet. There is a morning kitchen located adjacent to the sitting area.

After viewing the inside of this remarkable home, I took a self-guided tour of the outside which includes the outdoor kitchen, dining area, open air sitting area with fire pit, pool, spa, sun deck, the dock with 14K lift capable of handling a 33 foot boat, and the 105 foot seawall. Imagine sharing your good fortune in life with family and friends in this stunning Key West waterfront estate property.

If you are an runner or bicyclist you will be able to walk out the front door and be able to jog or spin around South Roosevelt Blvd  in less than 90 seconds or so. And what a view you will have. The water is ever so calm in early morning. If you are a boater you can have your boat out in deep water within a matter of a few minutes as the Cow Key Channel is located about 300 feet from the seawall at this home.

 CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and to view photos of 3810 Flagler Avenue, Key West offered at $4,950,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

6800 Maloney Avenue #56, Key West - Affordable Waterfront Living!

A lot of people dream about buying a little place in the Florida Keys where they can get away from it all. Most of these dreamers don't mind if the place isn't "perfect". In fact, many prefer that it is not. That way they can fix what needs to be fixed and create their version of the perfect getaway cottage. Many of these dreamers really want a place on the water with a nice view - a place they can catch a few fish or play around on jet skis or take the boat out on open water. And the impossible dreamers hope to find such a place in or near Key West which can be purchased for not a lot of money. 

6800 Maloney Avenue #56 is a newly listed home with an open water view offered at just $399,000. The property is located in the Harbor Shores Condominiums about 300 feet or so from the new Oceans Edge Key West Hotel and Marina which has become an instant "hit" because of its waterfront location, multiple pools, and proximity to Duval Street four miles down US1.  This is a manufactured home which sits on a fee simple lot (just like a stick built home up in Peoria or Pittsburgh). Here the property owner owns the house and the land but is also a member of a land based condominium association which owns the common street and amenities including the boat docks.

The lot is an irregular shaped rectangle measuring 35 feet wide by about 100 feet long or 2753 square feet (which accounts for the irregular shape). There is a concrete seawall extends about fifteen feet from the home. The water is pretty shallow in this location. An owner might be able to use a flat boat here and certainly could use personal watercraft. Deep water access is via the channel on the opposite side of this small bay. Each of the homes in Harbor Shores is different. Some are trailers, some are modular homes, and there are several newly built stilt homes. This particular Palm Harbor home is a two bedroom two bath with 888 square feet of living space plus screened porch overlooking the water. And there is an adjacent storage building also included.

The interior in a generic white everywhere combined with some older wall to wall carpet that has seen better times. The kitchen cabinets are in good shape as are the bathrooms. The place needs painted. A new owner might replace the windows and doors with impact glass which would reduce wind insurance and make it a snap to leave and go back up north for the summer without having to hire someone to put up shutters in case a storm heads our way. The listing agent told me she thinks a new owner could spend $20,000 and turn this place into something really charming.

CLICK HERE to view more photos of this home and the Harbor Shores development. This home has a parking space at front. Guest parking is located across the street. About fifty fee to the north there is abundant boat dockage available on a first come basis. A fortunate few owners (like #56) are located directly on the water. Many others have water views while others have the privilege of being located nearby where they can use the amenities. A couple of owners have replaced older homes with new stilt homes. I added a photo so that readers can see what an owner might do at some time in the future. Stock Island is changing for the good. It might make sense to wait a while to replace this property. I think property prices will increase dramatically in the not to distant future.

I found a 2012 aerial photo I found online that shows the location as it appeared then. The marina still exists but the old covered boat storage was taken down and new hotel and pools were built. Harbor Shores is located just above the once-standing Oceanside Marina boat barn. I think this photo explains the lure of this location. In the past couple of years about half a billion dollars has been spent on several new developments on Stock Island. Locals and returning visitors know that Hog Fish restaurant and Roostica are located nearby. More restaurants are being added.

Duval Street is located four miles to the west. There is always something to do there. That's why I feel buyers who dream of having a little place in the Keys will find this place so appealing. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet for 6800 Maloney Avenue #56 then 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 (listing broker for this property). Remember to click the photo link above as well. This will go quickly. Don't wait. You will be sorry.

Key West and the Slop Jug House

I have been selling houses in Key West for over twenty years. I have watched so many of the creepy old houses get all dolled-up and made into something very charming. Twenty years ago there were plenty of creepy places. One such place was owned by an old Conch lady. For the new reader a Conchs are native Key West residents who have generations of relatives that precede them and children of their own plus grand children, nieces, nephews and "cuzes" galore. Old Conch family names can be found on street signs, public buildings, and store fronts across town. Conchs are rightly proud of their heritage and are mindful of their progeny.

I had a year-long history of working with a wannabe buyer who was looking for a bargain. He didn't have a particular style of house or price range in mind as much as he had the need to get a "bargain". He had the cash to pay in excess of one million dollars which ten years ago was still quite a bit of money, especially when he was looking for a fixer upper. As we drove down the street he noticed a creepy old house and asked me how much it cost. I said it was not for sale. He said "I want to see it!" I again said it was not for sale. Undeterred he told me to stop my car. We got out and walked past the broken front gate and up the wobbly steps.

I don't remember if he knocked on the door of if it was me. The old lady owner opened the door. I was expecting her to order us off her porch.  A year or more earlier I encountered her when I legally parked my car on the street by her house. She was sweeping the sidewalk that day, a sight I had seen on numerous occasions. She yelled at me and told me that was her parking space and demanded that I move my car. I obliged even though it was a public street.

So when she opened the door and did not yell, I was both surprised and relieved.  I introduced myself and my buyer who I said was interested in her home. She quickly stated it was not for sale but then gave us a lengthy lecture about her birth and life in this old home.  She denounced all of the changes made in Key West.  She said the home would transfer to her son someday. That day came sooner rather than later. The son wasted no time in trying to sell the house for mucho denero. I wrote about the house shortly after it was listed for sale. The house eventually sold for a considerable sum of money. It took a couple of years to renovate the home. It is spectacular.

I recently looked through the old photos and was reminded of how creepy the house actually was before it was renovated. The current house looks nothing like the house when occupied by the prior owner when the steps were falling down, the rear balconies were ready to collapse, and once great rooms housed relics like a three legged chair and a table in the master bedroom with a slop jug on top even though there was a perfectly usable bathroom ten feet away.

That was ten years ago. There are fewer and fewer old houses like those and even fewer of the old Conch ladies. Most of the old Conchs have either passed or sold their houses and moved up to Ocala where they could buy a nice house at a much cheaper price than in Key West and have a cool cash in the bank.

If you are looking to buy a place in Key West and need an experienced Realtor. consider contacting me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.