619 Virginia Street, Key West _ Open House Saturday Nov 23rd

OPEN HOUSE

Saturday

November 23, 2019

11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

619 Virginia Street

Key West 

Now Offered Furnished at $869,000

Southernmost Cabanas is a 21 unit town home development recently completed in Old Town Key West. This two story home is located at the end of Virginia Street next to the church school grounds of St Mary's Star of the Sea. This unit is one of only three that have adjacent off street parking and this unit has both the largest side yard and largest deck in the community.

The first floor open living concept includes kitchen with breakfast bar, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, granite counter-tops, porcelain floors, crown molding, recessed lighting, and fire suppression system. The house features Hardiboard siding, wind impact resistant windows and doors, metal roof. Floor insurance is not required. This seller pays only $2017 per year for homeowner and wind policies combined. Compare that to what owners in Truman Annex must pay.

The second floor is the envy of those poor folks who bought dinky motel room like units in comparably priced Truman Annex. Both the master and guest bedroom are large multiple windows bringing sunshine into the home. The guest bedroom opens out to quaint Virginia Street with its historic cigar maker cottages across the street. Frenchie's Cafe, Duval Street, South Beach, and The Hemingway House are located a short stroll away. You and your guest will love being able to walk anywhere.

Or you may choose to stay home by the pool.  A few (and I mean few) of the owners rent their homes as monthly vacation rentals. Others are either full time or snow bird owners. Dogs up to 50 pounds are permitted. The HOA fees are only $250 per moth and cover pool and grounds maintenance.

While the gardens and common areas are gorgeous, having adjacent off street parking beats walking the sun or rain in my book. CLICK HERE to see more photos of 619 Virginia Street. Better yet visit the Open House today.

If you buy this property now, it could be your home by Christmas.

I Know Where You Live!

I watched Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch testify at the Impeachment Hearing last week and noted her response after being told about President Trump's TWEET about her. She responded "It's very intimidating."

Her response of feeling intimidated reminded me of an episode in my life about thirty-seven years ago. I worked in the commercial loan workout department of the biggest bank in Denver. Our customer was a Denver Police Detective and his wife. The couple borrowed money to purchase a business and later defaulted in payment. We seized and liquidated their business and later pressed to collect the balance of the loan. We had several meetings with the customer none of which produced any positive results. This time we were meeting with the borrowers and their attorney.

Just before we entered the conference room the detective approached me - he got inches away from me and said "I know where you live!". My phone number was unlisted. If he really knew where I lived, he would have had to do one of  those searches cops do using department equipment to find out something that had nothing to do with police business. Or he could have just made it up to get a rise of me. A few beats later he said something like "Gary, you look like you are about to have a heart attack." I remember exactly what I said:  "I don't get heart attacks. I give them!" I did not respond in a joking manner. This confrontation was real.

I was in my early 30s and stood 5'8" tall and weighed about 155 pounds. He was in his mid fifties, stood 6'2"  or so and probably weighed 250 pounds. This physically imposing man with a badge had attempted to intimidate me. It worked to some extent because I remember it and the words spoke so well. I assume he was accustomed to pushing people's buttons as a part of his job as a cop.

I did the same thing as he, except I was smaller in stature and intimidated everyone from the behind a desk in the biggest bank in town.

Size, power, position, and money can be very intimidating.

923 Angela Street, Key West - Sunday Open House

If you are out and about on Sunday, November 17th between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM, think about dropping by 923 Angela Street to view the Open House hosted by yours truly. This adorable Conch Cottage is picture postcard perfect.  I don't know if they still make picture postcards. I'll rephrase to say it is Instagram worthy!

One of the first things you'll notice when you step onto the inviting front porch is a Historic Florida Keys Foundation Ceramic Star awarded in 2017 for historic preservation of this home. The house was totally restored from foundation to rooftop.

You will find Dade County Pine walls and ceiling throughout the house. A new wood floor was added during the restoration as were the new kitchen and two new bathrooms. There is also new air conditioning and on demand hot water.

The first floor bed and bath are located at the rear of the home where French doors open out to the lanai, heated pool, outdoor shower, and laundry area.  I previewed this house to a Realtor last week ahead of bringing his client. His eyes were drawn through the house to the pool. He was so captivated by the view that he missed seeing the bedroom. He had to come back into the house for a second look and confessed the pool just amazed him to the point he overlooked the bedroom.

The second floor was dramatically changed with the addition of a new bath and roof top deck. The bathroom is bright and cheerful. The deck is the perfect spot to get an all over Key West tan to make your friends and relatives jealous as hell. If you buy this home now, it could be your home by Christmas.

Open House

Sunday 

11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

923 Angela Street

Now offered at $1,100,000

1901 S Roosevelt Blvd 108E, Key West - Oceanfront La Brisa Condo

I got a welcomed surprised during a recent Key West Realtor Caravan when I walked into the first floor oceanfront La Brisa condominium. La Brisa Condominiums are located at 1901 South Roosevelt Boulevard opposite Smathers Beach. This unit is the the E building on the far east side of the development. The particular unit is on the far west end of the that building and has a incredible ocean front view.

I walked out to take in the view and immediately appreciated how much this unit has to offer. I pivoted around to then see what I missed by breezing through the interior so quickly. 

This building was built in 1984. This unit was recently updated with new flooring, a new kitchen, and two new bathrooms. I stepped into the kitchen and was surprised again by the kitchen window that looks outward to the interior park like setting of the interior court yard. I thought how charming the view must be while preparing meals. You can see grass and palm trees out the kitchen window and the ocean out the opposite direction.

I walked into the master bedroom which also has an ocean view. I stepped toward the headboard and turned around to see what view to expect when arising each morning. It's spectacular. You must see it for yourself. This bedroom has an ensuite bath plus large closet. Glass paneled doors open out to the covered deck.

This 1395 square foot unit has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The current owner uses one of the bedrooms as a den. This bedroom has extra large closets. Buyers familiar with 1800 Atlantic Condominiums (also pictured at the top of today's blog) will appreciate that this La Brisa unit is similar in about 50 feet larger in size to almost every unit at 1800 Atlantic but that it has three bedrooms (as opposed to two at 1800) and more usable living area.

The La Brisa Condo Association fees are $782 and payable monthly.Fees cover all building, ground, and pool maintenance, all building insurance, sewer, basic cable, security, and exterminating. (Condo fees at 1800 Atlantic are $848 for smaller sized unit.)

People from all over the world come to Key West to enjoy the beaches and wonderful weather. If you lived in this unit you could walk across to Smathers Beach and take in the sunrise view and play all day in and near the Atlantic Ocean.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 1901 S Roosevelt Blvd 108E then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this beautiful ocean front unit offered at $825,000.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Key West Real Estate Horror Story No. 17

Many moons ago I emailed a new single family home listing located in Old Town to a buyer who had previously purchased several properties from me. The property was a dump but it had a large clean lot with no trees, and a great location. My buyer emailed back, asked a few questions. Then he texted me and later made a sight unseen offer for my. It was a good cash offer with no inspection issues - he knew the building was in horrible condition and that the project would be a total renovation from foundation to the roof. After some back-and-forth with the seller, a deal was agreed to and we closed - still sight unseen. I never actually spoke with the buyer in person or on the phone while making this deal. 

A few months later that I met with buyer's architect at the property. He had done some exploratory demolition to see what could be saved. He said "Gary you've got to see this!" whereupon we went into a shed that had slyly become a bedroom at the side of the house. This happened decades earlier. The filth and dust was decades old.

As I entered the room the architect warned to watch my step. The entire wood floor had been removed. All that remained were some rotting joists. The architect said the wood floor had been laid over a wall to wall shag carpet. The carpet was laid over crumbling old floor system with a big hole in the middle. The carpet in essence was supporting the wood floor. The photo below demonstrates the hole, but is not from this house.While this is scary, it is not why I consider this house a Key West horror story. Read on.

As we left the house a neighbor approached and asked if we were the new owners. I explained who we were and what we were doing. The neighbor had questions about what would happen to the dump and invited us inside to see their house.  The neighbor's house was was totally restored and amazing.

We spoke for ten minutes or longer about the area and the new owner's intentions.  Then the neighbor asked if we were aware that four men had died in the recently purchased house. No. The neighbor said the house had been a drug den for years. The deaths were accidental - probably overdoses. Florida law does not require Realtors or owners to disclosure of death on the sale of any house. Such a disclosure would not have impacted my buyer's purchase. Still it would have been nice to know this.

I was actually shocked to learn about the deaths. On the other hand, I see crazy stuff all the time in this little town located on an island out in the middle of the ocean. I write this story today because of a phone conversation I recently had with a different client who has also bought a couple of properties from me. He told me the story of him visiting a man's home in located in Bahama Village. He described a tropical paradise surrounding the house which had no air conditioning.  Instead the windows were left open like in olden days. This house, he said, also had a big hole in the floor.

In Memory of Jerrie on Vertrans Day

Like TRUMP, I dodged the draft.

I had a history of anxiety that hospitalized me in junior high school for a short time and again in college. The Army doctor who interviewed me gave me a one year deferment. Then the draft lottery was introduced. My number was near the bottom. I admit I did not want to die Viet Nam. 

Jerrie was my best friend in junior high school where we played drums together. His dad owned a car dealership. He lived in a big expensive house but did not act grand or entitled. (We all know kids who come from rich families - as if they made the money they spend.) We made mischief together - and I am not the kind of guy that ever made mischief. I was a square and a nerd. Jerrie brought out a different kind of person in me. He was the best looking boy in my high school - not that looks matter - but they do. He was sexy as hell. And he reached out to me to be his friend.  Not the other way around. Truth be known, he was my first love although nothing ever happened. Not an inference.

I went on to college and later to law school. I worked at a big bank in Denver starting in the late 1970s when one day Jerrie's father's auto dealership came up. I mentioned I went to school with Jerrie in the 1960s. It was the lender who told me Jerrie went to Viet Nam where he lost both of his legs.  

On January 1, 2014 (my birthday) I was scrolling through the various sites visit each day when I hit the obituary page of my home town newspaper. I saw Jerrie's name. I was shocked. I read and re-read the obit several times. Tears welled up in my eyes and I cried for several minutes - more than I cried when my mother passed. He was such a sweet beautiful boy. His life was torn apart during that awful war. I cannot fathom all of the pain and suffering he went through for decades.

Those of us who failed to serve owe so much to those that did.

God Bless You, Jerrie.