1100 Flagler Avenue Key West - Price Drop

 

1100 Flagler Avenue is a stunning example of true Mid-Century Modern Architecture and is one of Key West's most beautiful residences. The main house and guest house feature walls of glass overlooking the tropically landscaped gardens. The house was originally built in 1958 and has been remodeled and tweaked a bit by various homeowners over the decades including author Judy Blume when the home was featured in Architectural Digest in 2016. I dug into my old shoebox and found photos of the house way back when.

I actually live one block north of this incredible property. I drive by it a dozen times a week. I took the photo immediately below in 2016 which shows a banyan tree anchoring the corner lot. The two following photos show the location after Hurricane Irma toppled the giant banyan. The house was not damaged. The last photo from 2018 shows that owner's addition of a brick fence that curves the corner. 

The expanded house is now 3,522 square feet of living space situated on a massive 15,336 square foot lot located just four blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and Higg's Beach. Louie's Backyard (that is not a neighbor but a posh restaurant and Doggie Beach are located just a couple of blocks to the west. 

Blume and her husband hired Key West architect Tom Pope who added walls of windows opening to the gardens where now the inside and outside are one. Raymond Jungles did the landscaping. The current owner is the second to own since the Blume and her husband sold. Let's take a quick look.

The house had five bedrooms and five baths. The outdoor shower is a work of art. Notice the showed extending out from the wall. I use my outdoor shower almost every day of the year - even the few days that get chilly and even in the rain. I just turn the water temperature up a bit higher. Looking up at the sky and seeing palm trees swaying is just awesome. Try it. You'll love it.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 1100 Flagler Avenue, Key West now offered for sale at $3,995,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private tour of this very private treasure. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. I have lived in the Casa Marina neighborhood for 25 years. You will love it. 

but like Horton the Elephant...

 

I follow several Key West Realtors who post pictures of their listings and their amazing lives on Instagram. Some boast of the real estate exploits and the things they have purchased with their commission checks.

Last year, I must admit, one Realtor got me in a snit!  He put up a post thanking a real estate closing attorney we all use, profusely thanking him for a giant box of candy delivered to his office at Christmas.  

Later that day and for several days thereafter, I went to the front desk at our office expecting to find a similar business gift acknowledging all the business we sent his way. I guess the attorney forgot us. It may sound petty on my part, but like Horton the Elephant 

“I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful one-hundred percent!” 

But the real estate attorney is not.

 

Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday No. 13

From: February 18, 2015 

Don't Buy a House in Key West from a Mr. POTATO HEAD!

One of the very best Christmas gifts I ever received was given to me by my big sister back in the early 1950's - it was a Mr. POTATO HEAD. Unlike the Mr. Potato Head OF today, you needed a real potato to make this toy work. Today's version is made out of plastic and to me that is just wrong.

The thing I liked about Mr. Potato Head was that I could make him become whoever I wanted him to be. He could look happy, for sure. But I could put his ears or nose in a funny place or move his eyebrows or smile to an odd location and create my own chameleon of sorts. The 1950's was much different from 2015. I was a nerd that was easily amused.

I was talking to another local real estate agent about an experience he had at an open house a few days earlier. I want to relate that episode to my readers because it is a bit instructive about how real estate is sometimes marketed and sold in Key West.

Here is the set-up and the cast of characters. The names and places have been changed to provide a bit of amusement. Location a lovely old Conch House on a nice street in Old Town Key West. An OPEN HOUSE sign invites passers-by to enter the house that is for sale. The Asking Price is over a million bucks (isn't everything in Key West?). Inside is Mr. Green Jeans, an affable real estate agent seeking a buyer for his listing. Mr. Potato Head is another local real estate agent at a different real estate company. Mr. and Mrs. Offput are/were customers of Mr. Potato Head.

The house itself has many of the attributes first and second home buyers want in a place in Key West: three bedrooms, three baths, a pool, and a great location. The place is old but very well cared for. There are no major issues effecting the value of the house other than it is probably priced too high.

Mr. Green Jeans placed an OPEN HOUSE ad in the Key West Citizen, our local newspaper. He placed an Open House sign on the street as well. Dozens of tourists entered the house to see what they might possibly buy if were they in the market. Several actual lookers showed up to see the house. The potential real buyers seemed excited about the property which pleased Mr. Green Jeans. As is often the case, some neighbors also stopped by to see what their fellow neighbors house looks like and how much it might cost. A favorite past time of many Key Westers is to go house shopping on Sunday afternoons even though they have absolutely no intention of buying anything. They get to see how well-off their neighbor is and compare their home to his to see develop a price comparison. Everybody does it.

Mr. Green Jeans allowed lookers to move freely about the house and offered information to anyone who had questions. One couple announced that they had recently purchased another house on the same block. They just wanted to see this particular house because they had not done so when they were looking. The couple moved from room to room. They went out to the pool and talked to each other about various features. Then they went upstairs where they were alone, whereupon Mr. Green Jeans overheard the following exchange:

Mrs. Offput said "Why didn't we see this when we were looking?"

Mr. Offput replied "Mr. Potato Head said it wasn't what we were looking for".

Mrs. Offput countered "We could have bought this house for a hundred thousand dollars more than we paid for that piece of sh*t house we bought across the street!"

"Mr. Potato Head said it wasn't what we wanted," Mr. Offput said in defense.

Mrs. Offput cried "We could have had this house that is so much larger and so much nicer than the one we bought. If only you hadn't put me on that damned budget!"

Mr. Offput lamented "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

When Mr. Green Jeans related the story of the dueling duo I reminded him that Mr. Potato Head had actually listed the same house a couple of years earlier for a couple of hundred thousand dollars more than the current asking price. I searched the old mls records and looked up the words Mr. Potato Head used to describe the same house. Mr. Potato Head only used glowing terms when it was his listing. He made it sound like anyone would fall in love with the place.

When Mr. Green Jeans told me that Mr. Potato Head had listed and sold the house that the Offputs purchased everything fell into place.

The Key West Association of Realtors mls website is open for all potential buyers to view active listings. Buyers tend to shop online by price, location, and somewhat by photos. The Offputs are responsible for not insisting on at least looking at the house they later regretted not buying. You can't really blame any agent for wanting to sell his or her own listing.

If you are looking for a place in Key West and are not working with a Realtor, please consider working with me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. I am no potato head.

Update December 10, 2020.  The Off Puts came to visit an open house I hosted earlier this year. They said I had written a blog about their house. I asked how accurate I was. They said very accurate. If they read today's blog they will know I know how pissed they were at Mr. Potato Head.

617 Fleming Street, Key West Eyebrow Condo No.9

 

One of the best kept secrets of Key West is the charming eyebrow cottage located at the rear of the Campbell Courtyard Condominiums located at 617 Fleming Street, Key West. This has to be the cutest of the cute condos in Old Town and this has to be the best of the best locations - just two blocks from Duval. That's close enough but not too close - you know what I mean.

The main building in front and the small cottages in the rear were renovated and converted into condominiums in the 1990s. The eyebrow house at the rear was made into two separate units. Thee are a total of  nine units. Unit 9 was thoroughly updated in 2014 with new windows, porcelain floor tiles, new Martha Stewart cabinets in the kitchen and two baths,new appliances, quart counter-tops,  new air conditioning and hot water heater. The bedrooms themselves were remade; the baths reconfigured, back porch got TREX decking. But the charm and appeal of this sweet historic home never changed.

 

This was a Ben Teague Design renovation. I don't think Martha Stewart could have done any better job is using her inspired cabinets to create such a beautiful new kitchen and two baths. I make a point of noting that this renovation was professional not a home owner whimsy.

It does appear the current owner changed some of the interior colors and added color to the barn door. Wood was added to create a drama wall in the bedroom. The rear deck was redone with TREX decking. A gate at the rear opens out to the immediately adjacent parking space for unit 9. The bathroom was totally reconfigured increasing the size of the shower and adding storage not shown in the photos.

The original renovation of the second floor was less than successful. Ben Teague re-imagined the space, moved walls, and created a larger bedroom and bath. 

Imagine owning a small eyebrow house that you can lock and leave and come back to. Imagine sitting on your front porch looking out to the sweet pool. Imagine walking to Sarabeth's for breakfast or the Cafe Marquess for dinner in a matter of minutes. That's why this location is so convenient. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more photos of 617 Fleming Street No.9, Key West, Florida offered for sale at $829,900. 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. Buy this place now before the tourists descend upon our island and buy everything up.

Oh Give Me a Home with a Range!

Last week I got to preview a house in Old Town nearing completion after a year's long renovation. The place is beautiful. It has new solid maple hardwood floors, great tiles in the bathrooms, high end light fixtures and ceiling fans, and so and on. Hand crafted kitchen and bath cabinets are installed. The hole for the pool is dug out and awaiting final installation. But there is a big problem. The owner told me he ordered high end appliances over a year ago and they still have not been delivered. I suggested he go to a local dealer - we appliance stores in Key West that sell premium appliances. He told me there is a shortage of appliances and appliance parts everywhere and in all price ranges. 

On Saturday  I was showing new modular homes up the Keys. The last home we saw is nearly completed. The kitchen cabinets have been installed. The place had a refrigerator but no range or dishwasher. The listing agent told me his builder could not get the appliances to finish the house. He said Home Depot has appliances for display purposes only. There is a seven week delay between order date and delivery. 

It seems the Covid 19 pandemic is to blame for this appliance shortage. Appliance makers and parts manufacturers in the US and abroad were shut down for a brief time which led to the initial back log. Warehousing and shipping of parts and the new appliances have contributed to the ongoing delay. 

I have a suggestion for renovators and new home builders. Go to Goodwill or Salvation Army and adopt those unwanted appliances of yesteryear. Clean them up and give them a new home.

True Tales of Key West Real Estate in the Time of Corona Virus - Part Eight

This is a true story.

I had to wait a few years before writing the story because I did not want  any reader to figure out the location of the house about which I am writing.

My buyers were an older couple who told me they had only bought three homes in their lifetime. This would be their fourth purchase but still be a "second" home. They wanted a place with ultimate Key West charm. 

I found my buyers four or five places to look at. A cottage with story book charm caught their attention. We returned for second and third looks. My buyers decided to buy a little gem.We negotiated a deal that included most but not all of the furnishings. My buyers went back up north to their primary residence. I coordinated a home inspection and showed up at the appointed day and time. I arrived a few minutes early and saw the home inspector exiting the gate while the listing agent stood on the porch.

I got out of my car and approached the inspector and asked if I was late. He said something like "The seller decided not to sell." By that time the listing agent left the porch and came out to discuss what happened. She was distraught. She said the seller just just called her to tell he changed his mind - that he acted in haste in listing the house and accepting a cash offer with a quick closing.

I was shocked. This had never happened to me. We had a signed bi-lateral contract with a $100,000 escrow deposit in the escrow agent's account. My buyers could sue. But they just wanted the sweet home they fell in love with. I exchanged words with the listing agent but not words of threat. We both agreed that the seller was acting irrational. I suggested she give him some time to chill and reflect and then point out his legal jeopardy. 

Later I called my buyers to tell them what had happened. They agreed not to agitate the seller. The listing agent called me within one or two days and said the seller was very apologetic and offered to pay whatever costs the buyers had spent to get to the point we were at. I reminded her we had a binding contract and said ,y buyers could sue to enforce it. She agreed. I asked her to go back to tell him thanks but no thanks - my buyers insist that he close. She did and called me back again. This time she said he apologized even more and explained in detail the emotions that led to his conduct. But this time he agreed to close. 

We got the home inspection completed. The house was in perfect condition. The buyers accepted the property after inspection. We closed soon thereafter.

Key West Curfew Imposed

This past summer I got a phone call from a customer who lives up north in a tourist town. She said her business was decimated by the pandemic shut down. She told me she thought it was a hoax. She did not know anyone who had caught it or died. I told her it was real - that my niece died of it in May and that a friend from the Midwest passed that same week. She questioned me to ask if I was serious. I was, I said. 

Living in Key West during the lock down brought back memories of old Key West before the huge surege in tourism in the mid 1990s. I remember driving south on Simonton Street around 4:00 PM one day. There was not one car from Truman where I turned east until I neared Reynolds Street. That's about ten blocks or so. The tourists returned and so did the golf carts, motor scooters, and Conch Trains and Trolley Cars. I remember driving down Duval Street where I observed more tourists not wearing masks than those who wore them even though mask wearing is required to enter any business. 

Because the Covid 19 pandemic is raging out of control across the country and especially in Florida, the City of Key West adopted an emergency directive for a curfew in order to avoid a public health emergency during the New Year's holiday.

The directive reads: “Commencing on Thursday, December 31, 2020 at 10 p.m. and terminating on Sunday, January 3, 2021, at 6:00 a.m., a curfew is hereby imposed for the City of Key West, effective from 10 p.m. each night through 6 a.m. the next morning. All non-essential businesses shall close on or before 10 p.m. each night. Persons shall be in their residences or lodging establishments no later than 10:30 p.m. each night. During the period of such curfew, no person shall make use of any street or sidewalk for any purpose, except police, fire rescue, first responder, medical, health care, media, and utility repair service personnel.”

 

The curfew will not apply to: people returning directly to their homes from work at essential establishments or going directly to work at essential establishments from their homes; people making deliveries from essential establishments; people walking their dogs within 250 feet of their residences; and those traveling to or from any religious service. 

Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday No. 12

from: July 16, 2016

German Class Cheater

 

I was never a super-achiever in high school. Nor was I super-achiever in college or even law school, although I did much better in law school.

During our office sales meeting a couple of weeks ago I was discussing agents in my community that are posting their new soon-to-be-listed properties on ZILLOW, TRULIA, and FACEBOOK. Our mls rules require that listings be posted immediately in our mls and they do not recognize anything like a future listing. The point of having an mls system is to share information and to provide an even platform among agents.

I then recounted an incident in my German class in 1964. We were taking a test and the girl who sat in front of me took out a crib sheet to answer some of the questions. She reached down toward her right foot and pulled a piece of paper up to her desk. She looked toward the teacher who was reading a book or something. Realizing she would go unnoticed, she cheated. I know a lot of people cheated in high school. This incident occurred more than fifty years ago and you'd think I wouldn't remember one person out of the many that I know who cheated in school. But I remember it clearly because she was a member of National Honor Society.

I took my time leaving class. I went up to talk to the teacher. I told her that I saw someone cheat, but did not say who. I told her it wasn't fair that people cheat to get good grades.  I don't know if I was making excuses about myself for not being a better student or that I was blaming the teacher for not watching the students better so that they could not cheat. I knew I didn't cheat, and I got mad when others got better grades by doing so.

A year ago when I was preparing to go home for my 50th high school reunion I looked through my old yearbook and saw her picture. I went to CLASSMATES dot com site and looked the cheater up. She is a REALTOR. I told the agents in my office "Once a cheater, always a cheater!"

Added December 3, 2020. A lot of people cheat. That's the problem. It is pervasive.

1019 Elgin Lane, Key West - Now on the Market

I am going to show you three photos of the same house taken 55 years apart with the most recent at the top of this page. The house is located at 1019 Elgin Lane, Key West, Florida.

I took this photo of Elgin Lane in 2015 when the space was a bank owned property in need of renovation. Then it was a legal duplex with the benefit of having a good Old Town location and an off street parking space. That's the type of property people were hungry to buy back then - something they could fix-up and enjoy the good life or perhaps re-sell.

The above photo of 1019 Elgin Lane was taken in 1965. Same house. Totally a different and less complicated way of looking at and dealing with life. The photos below show the house today.

I attended an open house there on Sunday afternoon. The place was filled with tourists looking and dreaming of owning a place in the Keys. At least one real buyer was there accompanied by another Realtor. I do know people are looking now for places to spend the winter or the rest of their lives. In times like these planning ahead seems questionable. 

The 1,411 Sq Ft house was thoroughly renovated a few years back when it was elevated and rebuilt in place. All mechanical and nearly every single structural element were replaced. This is a legal fiction our city allows to pretend basic new houses are reborn from old ones. Now this is a single family home with a small pool and private deck area located just off the open plan living space. The front door opens into the living area. A guest bath is situated at rear. The living area is defined by a vaulted ceiling with decorative crown molding. New wood floors are used throughout with the exception of the three bathrooms. You will also find the wood walls and ceilings were used instead of drywall.

There is a full bedroom and bath on the first floor. The master bedroom and bath with large shower takes up the second floor with the exception of a laundry closet in the hallway.

The 10 Ft X 20Ft third floor bedroom is just the place for your brother-in-law. There are great tree-top views from either window. This house all the efficiencies of modern construction including new metal roof, wind impact resistant glass windows and doors, on demand hot water, and salt water heated pool.

This home has been rented on occasion between $9,000 and $10,000 per month. This home is located two blocks from the historic seaport and two blocks from two or our best bakeries. The 24 hour gym is a few blocks to the west, an old fashion iron gym is up on Truman, and there are numerous yoga studios throughout Old Town. And notorious Duval Street is only five minutes to the west

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos which include a virtual tour. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of 1019 Elgin Lane, Key West. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Time waits for no man. This will probably sell quickly.

 

A Thanksgiving Memory

Like many of you I can remember specific holidays from my youth, particularly Christmas Eves and Christmas Days as well as notable holidays later in life. I especially remember the Thanksgiving Eve in 2004 when I drove from Key West with my then real estate broker to look at trailers on Big Coppitt Key.  

I picked her up at her condo shortly around 5:00 PM.  It was still daylight, but I recall the skies were gray and sad. That's unusual for Key West because our skies are normally sunny until near sunset when they explode with color. But on that day they were gray. As we drove up the Overseas Highway she told me about this man from her church who owned several business in Key West and several trailers which he rented out on Big Coppitt Key which is located about five miles east of Key West. He was thinking about selling his trailers and wanted an opinion of value. She wanted his business. I have no real idea why she wanted me to go along, but I did.

We drove up US 1 to a bar where the owner was waiting for us. I recall we followed him down various roads looking at four or five trailers. They were all immobile mobile homes - the wheels were removed. Each place probably dated back to the 1960s of 1970s. There was no measurable difference between them except age and the size of the lot upon which they sat. The lots were the only thing of value. And he owned the lots.

The last trailer is etched in my memory. It was dark when we got to the final trailer. He knocked on the metal door. The woman tenant opened it. She had a cigarette in hand. He explained who we were and why we were there. She waived us inside as she moved to the far side of the kitchen where she grabbed her drink. She didn't care why we were there. She didn't care about anything as far as I could tell. Her oldest son was frying hamburgers. A little one minute movie played out in my mind as I walked quickly from room to room. I remember the smells of the frying meat competing with the lingering odor of mama's cigarettes and the noise created by the meat as it was being destroyed in that too hot skillet while the TV blared and mama spewed out nonsense from her drunken mouth. I moved as quickly as I could to get out of this place. 

The last room I looked in was occupied by a younger boy, perhaps thirteen or fourteen years old. He was laying on top of his bed trying to read a book or magazine. There was a small lamp on the night stand or table next to him. I remember the light was so dim. I felt I had invaded this kid's space and left. God, I felt so sorry for that kid who had to live in that hell hole with his cigarette smoking and rum guzzling mother who was too lazy to cook a meal for her kids. I couldn't imagine what their Thanksgiving Day would be like. I was as down as down could get when I walked out of that place.

Eleven months later Hurricane Wilma caused catastrophic damage to Big Coppitt Key where most of the mobile homes became uninhabitable due to severe wind and water damage.

Key West was damaged by Wilma as well. I don't recall when it was that I thought about that boy. In that room. In that hell hole. I am sure he didn't drown or anything like that. But I thought what another indignity for him to have to live through. That trailer must have been destroyed.

Thirteen years have passed since that Thanksgiving Eve. I hope that boy made it out of that living situation okay. I understand why some people end up as criminals and why others end up as successes.  I wonder which he became.

 P.S.  She did not get any listing from the old investor. He listed with someone else. Figures!

 This is a repost of my blog November 22, 2017

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Dear Readers.