918 Southard Street #105, Key West, Florida - Just Listed

Just Listed 918 Southard Street #105 which is located in the Southard Square Condominiums in the Heart of Old Town Key West. The listing Realtor describes this unit thus:

"In the very heart of Old Town and convenient to everything Key West has to offer! Nestled amongst lush tropical foliage, adjoining the pool, is this newly renovated two-bedroom two bath condo corner, one level unit on the ground floor. Surrounding the unit is a wraparound private patio. Entering you are greeted with lots of windows and sliding glass doors revealing bright sun light. Open living /dining area with a built-in bar. The custom kitchen has bright white cabinets with stainless appliances. The guest/tv room is directly across from a large bathroom. Leading down the hallway is another large bathroom, built dressing area and master bedroom. This unit has abundance of storage and large closets. Beautiful community pool and club house. One designated off street parking space."

Let's take a look.

Southard Square it located four blocks east of Duval and three blocks south of the Historic Seaport. This unit is located at the rear of the compound and across from the pool and community room.

The check mark in the aerial photo above shows the location of this two bedroom two bath unit, Ithas 1,034 square feet of living space located on one floor - no stairs. And since it located at the rear of the complex it is very private. There is assigned off street parking. The monthly condo fees are $600 which covers all insurances, building maintenance, pool and common area maintenance.

The pool is large and sun blessed. The deck has lots of space for tanning and some shady areas as well. The community room has a small kitchen and gathering area plus restroom. Five Brothers is located about 200 feet or so to the east of the complex. If it's not your favorite spot to get cafe con leche, it probably will be once you move here.

918 Southard Street #105 is offered for sale at $875,000. 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. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

Key West Real Estate Trivial Pursuit - Part Three

Key West has changed so much since the first time I visited in 1984. I have lived here since 1993 and drive up and down the streets almost every day. I can go for months not seeing a particular area on the island, see that something has changed, and try to remember what was there before. Let's look at a few "before" photos to see if you know where the property is located. They will be easy this third time as I am placing a current photo under the property.

Number 1

 I took the above photo around 1998. I searched my old shoebox and found a photo of the same properties in 1965 - see below. There were two buildings bridged together to for what looks to be an apartment complex. If you closely it appears that first and second floor porches were enclosed with louver shutters to expand the interior living space. It also looks like the exterior had new fashioned asbestos siding added The center building may have been a laundry area.  I searched the Sanborn Fire Maps which showed buildings on both sites dating back to 1889. The building on the far right is too large to be the building on that site in 1889 and appears to have been added prior to 1912.

I also found an aerial photo of the Army Barracks located across the street. I added check marks to show the two still unidentified buildings.

This is the same location photographed a couple of days ago. Everyone will get this one.

Number 2

I remember sitting in my car at one of the few four-way traffic light intersections in town looking at the ugly one story "modern" CBS building blocking the view of some older building to the rear. I kept wishing someone would by the place, tear it down, and restore the building in the rear. I took a photo of the building but have not been able to find it. I did find the two above photos in the Monroe County Library collection. I took the photo below of that same location a couple of days ago. It is one of the more remarkable renovations in town. I am sure you will agree.

Number 3

I took photos of the side by side properties around twenty years ago. Both properties have changed immensely. The top photo was four apartments which were converted into condominiums. I took new photos of both properties yesterday. The condos are surrounded by palm trees so that photo is useless. I sold the house next door. I remember sitting inside the kitchen watching television coverage of the the US invasion of Baghdad on the day we did the home inspection. The place is beautiful today.  I think a lot of people drive by houses with peeling paint and think the insides must be awful. That is not always the case.  Some owners continue to let the outside look bad to fool the taxman. That is why I tell potential buyers to take a look. You never know what you may see.

Number 4

I borrowed a couple of photos from the Monroe County Library which show this location before there was a building and when there was a car sales lot. In recent years the property was a car rental business. That location sold in June 2020 for $7,025,000. It will become a parking lot. That was a steal.

If you are looking to buy a house in Key West consider calling me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. I'll tell you lots of colorful stories about the way Key West used to be and how wonderful a place it is to live today.

725 Poorhouse Lane, Key West, Florida

In his book The Streets of Key West: A History Through Street Names author J. Willis Burke informs us that "Over the other side of Solares Hill a couple of entries are self-explanatory. Galveston Lane is named for the Texas gulf coastal city that was served by the Mallory Steamship Company, and off Windsor, on Poorhouse Lane, a poorhouse was once tucked away." You may ask yourself why anybody would want to live on a street with such a desperate appellation. Most of the houses on Galveston and  Poorhouse lanes were modest in construction and it was the price of rent or ownership that made houses on these lanes desirable. Over the past three decades most of the houses on Poorhouse have been or are being renovated to some degree. Let's look at 725 Poorhouse Lane, Key West which will surprise most readers. It certainly did me.

I have a customer who is actually "renovating" a house a hundred feet or so to the east of 725 Poorhouse Lane shown above. I often park my car in the neighborhood parking area across the street. I have walked or driven past this house dozens and dozens of time. I thought it probably dated back to the 1890s. I attended an open house yesterday afternoon when the listing Realtor told me it was newly constructed in 1997. I went to my old shoebox and found two photos which explain what happened. The first photo shows the house that originally sat on the lot followed by another photo of it and the house next door destroyed by fire in 1992.

The Monroe County Property Appraiser records show the original house was demolished in 1996 and a new house built in its place in 1997. Jay Fairbanks was the general contractor. He has built some of the best homes in Key West.

The above photos show the new house as it appears today. Notice the old cement fence was not destroyed by the fire nor was the Cuban tile front porch. The new house was built to match the original house. I entered the door still thinking the place was old. It looks it, but that look is intentional. Unlike so many new houses and renovations, the character of this house reflects the aesthetic of generations long passed. It is so simple. It is solid. It is functional. The Location is incredible.

The listing Realtor describes the house this way:

"Substantial price reduction on replica of an Historic Old Town home. Built in 1996 and a Gold Star Recipient of the Historic Florida Keys Foundation Award for Excellence in New Construction, this 2 bedroom 2 1/2 bathroom home is being offered for sale from the original owner. Some of the features are Shutter Hung windows, hardwood floors throughout, Hardi board siding, off street parking, separate utility shed with power and water, large covered porches front and rear, custom kitchen cabinets, freshly painted inside and out, spacious closets in both bedrooms, drop down attic stairs, central AC, irrigation for plants, fully fenced, brick paver patios and room for a pool. Great as vacation rental or primary residence. Walk anywhere in Old Town from here."

Like most first time guests to a house in Key West, my eyes and then my feet were drawn to the covered rear porch and rear garden. The irregularly shaped 3,000 sq ft lot is large enough to add a small pool if one wanted one. Not every  owner wants a pool. Having the space gives a new owner th opportunity to do whatever he or she or they, them, etc. want.

All of the louver-style windows are/were new as construction. They were used in several large homes in Old Town, Truman Annex, and The Meadows in the 1980s and 1990s. A simple twist of the know opens and shuts the louvers. There is screen as well. I was immediately drawn to take a closer look and was sold on the views. They are keepers. The front bedroom looks across Poorhouse lane as it wraps up toward Olivia Street. You can also look out to Bill Butler Park. The rear bedroom also looks out to the park and also to the backside of a major home on Upper William Street. There are two major homes on that street and that is all I will say about that! You gotta see the views!

There are potential buyers who would see the falling down cottage across the street and down a piece as revolting. I beg to differ. I know someday it will be renovated and made all new and fancy. Until then I revel is its glory. There are so few of these original houses left. That's part of the joy of living on Poorhouse Lane. You can walk your dog down the lane to do its duty or let you kids or grandkids play in the park next door. All the stuff on Duval and the Seaport is within easy walking distance. And yet is so far away as it is like it doesn't matter at all.

The park is under renovation. Hurry up City of Key West. Kids need this finished.

From August 2018 Progress Takes Time

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 725 Poorhouse Lane now offered at $960,000. Then 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. You are going to like this house and love this quiet location.

This Happened Today in Key West

A fellow Realtor told me about a soon to be listing which I drove by last week. The light was bad so I decided to go back earlier this afternoon. I took some "before completed" photos to contrast with the finished house. I stepped back a few feet to get a distance shot when this guy photo bombs my shot.

This is real life in Key West with million dollar views. I cherish these views. This is real life.

You could live in some plastic version of you life in New Jersey.  You could. You may be doing so right now. But why?  You get one chance of life. Do what this guy is doing, but with more planning. If you have the money, do it.

Key West is on Fire - In A Way

Photo from Dale McDonald Collection December 1984 of fire at 1019 Duval Street.  The fire I am writing about is going on right now. Businesses are not burning nor are houses. The fire this time is the real estate market which got stifled after the world shut down in March in response to Covid 19. I remember the day I got a phone call telling me the city was shutting down. I said something like "They can't do that!" Followed by "What about all of the people staying here?" They can and they did. The tourists left. The main only highway into the Keys was blocked by the Monroe County Sheriff. People that did fly in were scrutinized before allowed to enter town.

On June 3, 2020 I posted a blog about the real estate sales for the first five months of the year. I limited my report to the Old Town and Casa Marina areas and compared 2020 sales going back to 2013. CLICK HERE. I knew prices had risen dramatically but suspected sales there would have been fewer sales in both areas in 2020. I was wrong.

The road block came down June 1st the tourists returned to town and the other Keys. It was gradual at first and then they tourists came back with a fury. I have gripped that the tourists have not been safe. That is a separate story. Today I am writing about real estate sales in the past 40 days.

A total of 37 single family, condos, and town homes sold/closed between June 1 thru July10 at an average sold price of $768,541. The least expensive sale was a small cottage condo at 1012 Varela Street that sold for $247,000 or $1,025 per sq ft. 714 Passover Lane (pictured above) originally listed at $1,536,000 sold for $1,080,000 cash. It was a fixer in a superior Old Town location. A house built in 2017 on Albury Street sold for $1,670,000 after having been on the market for three years. Another house on White Street which had been on the market since February 2019 starting at $2,100,000 sold for $1,650,000. A large number of the closed sales sat on the market for quite a long time period (two years or more) or were located in difficult locations. 

I noticed that nine of the sales were recent listings as opposed to some the aforementioned dogs. Four sold below $418,000 low priced houses seem to always sell first. Four properties sold between $540,000 to $600,000. One new listing from two weeks ago closed yesterday for $925,000 cash.

There are 70 properties identified in the MLS as contingent or pending at an average list price of $896,945. Several of these properties have been on the market for several months while others went under contract within ten days of being listed including ever-popular Truman Annex properties.

I have been talking to other Realtors who are reporting increased activity in their business. What was despair a couple of months ago has turned into enthusiasm as our real estate market improves. I know some potential buyers expected our prices to tumble. That did not happen. We do not have fire sale prices. We do have a return of active buyers.

If you are thinking of buying a permanent home or an investment property please think about call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. (I also list houses.)

Fantasy Fest 2020 Has Been Officially Cancelled

The Key West Citizen Newspaper just posted a special news alert that the 2020 Fantasy Fest Celebration, the Zombie Bike Ride, and the Key West Literary Seminar have been cancelled.

This is a sad day for the citizens and businesses in Key West. So many people love to participate in these events. Some work for months on their costumes and floats. The events historically raised money for Aids Help but in reality the ten day event gave a gigantic boost to the Key West economy.

The County Commission and the City of Key West took a big risk three months ago when they aggressively shut down the City and Monroe County.  But it paid off. We have the lowest infection rates in the state based on our size and we have had only five fatalities.

Since Key West re-opened out-of-towners have been roaming the streets sans-masks. I get it. They are on vacation. What they don't understand is that they may be bringing their infections into our protected environment. Fantasy Fest brings thousands of people to our little island. The harm could be devastating.

I respect the decision.

The Waitng Game

Waiting to find out who Ghislaine Maxwell exposes.  There will be hell to pay all over the place - of that, I am pretty certain. Men cheat. Men lie. Some lie all the time. This is going to be good if she lives to tell about it.