1500 Atlantic Blvd Unit 314, Key West Beach Club Condominiums - Just Listed

Just Listed 1500 Atlantic Boulevard Unit 314 also know as Key West Beach Club Condominiums. While every single unit has a direct ocean view, only a few have front and side views like this one which has views to the east from the living room and rear bedroom. Equally important, the property to the east is a nature preserve where no buildings will ever be built. I'll show you later. The center hall foyer deliviers guest to midpoint to the open living space.Master and guest bedrooms are to the wet, kitchen and medial room to the east. The Atlantic Ocean ir right outside your front window.

Readers familiar with the Beach Club Condominiums may recall all units enter from a north facing walkway with elevator and stairs on each level. This unit is located at the far end of the west building. About half the walkway was captured and became a part of the inter living space and is see at the rear of the kitchen photo and the third bedroom (media room) below.

The captured space adds about 120 Sq Ft of living area to this unit as compared to others. Other units do not have the side window and other units typically walk thru this space to their homes.Makes a Big Difference.

A large guest bedroom and bath are located on the opposite side of the central hallway. This is a spacious room. The windows at the rear look out to the enclosed entry balcony. Nobody other than owners and guests have access to that area. You won't hear tourists dragging luggage or toasting spring break outside your window. Will not happen. 

 The master bedroom has an ocean view and access to the balcony. There is a large en-suite bath and large walk-in closet. But most of all there is that view.The Beach Club Condominiums have two water front pools located on the east and west side of the development. There is space for sunbathing, outdoor dining, a gym, tennis courts, under building storage and parking. 

Whenever I show units at the Beach Club I point out that our annual Fourth of July firework display takes place at the White Street Pier - about six blocks to the west. The fireworks are easy to see as are the shrimpers bobbing in the ocean at night. Day or Night, Holiday and any day, you'll never tire of the changing sky or ocean views from or of Beach Club.

CLICK HERE to vie w the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 1500 Atlantic Blvd Unit 314 offered for sale by Preferred Properties Key West at $2,300,000. The unit may be purchased furnished. 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. Our real estate market is on fire. Do not wait on this one. It will sell quickly. 

Visions of Kitchens

I loved the Blondie movies! Blondie also appeared in funny papers as I called them - comic strips of the escapades of dynamic characters drawn with black ink on white paper. I loved watching the dad, Dagwood Bumstread, wake up too late, rush downstairs, grab his toast, caress his son Baby Dumpling, kiss his wife Blondie as he raced through the house out the front door narrowly avoiding kicking the cute-as-can-be dog Daisy only to knock-over the mailman sending mail to spiral toward heaven. The Bumsteads had more kids, Daisy had puppies, but Dagwood continually caused havoc. His conduct was predictable and avoidable. But it never changed. Dagwood was the perfect imperfect man. The Bumsteads lived on a perfect street in America when we were still involved in the World War II. The show was a positive relief from the war and gave millions of movie goers aspirations of family life when the war was over.

Kitchens are a huge part of how we live, where we live, how we present ourselves to others. Years ago houses were compartmentalized with special purpose rooms. There were separate places for family living, sleeping, dining, cooking, and other essentials. Today wall barriers are often removed so that we move through one large living space. Kitchens have become more than just a functional room to prepare and or eat meals. Sometimes they become edifices to reflect our status (like the towers of San Giacomo), platforms to impress our culinary skills, and perhaps bait to date. Let's look at some Key West kitchens and others I've grabbed on Instagram.

804 Whitehead Street kitchen in 1908 

 Bahama Village Home current day - located about four blocks and one century apart

The home below on Flagler Avenue is indicative of current open living style

 

Another recent renovation on Hilton Haven has the bonus of a water view - surprisingly unique to our island 

I am not going to shock readers by showing the before pictures of this Old Town renovation

Novel houses require novel kitchen solutions as shown in this Casa Roma home

The Old Town house below was turned into an illegal triplex, foreclosed upon, ripped apart and rebuilt with attention to detail in design and construction while being mindful of the environment.

Banyan

The photos below are from Instagram which is a great source of inspiration. Some are absolutely incredible and others are dreadfully repetitive. 

Boots

Herringbone

4x4

Gay Gray

White and Gray

White on white. White on gray. Gray on white. Natural wood with white and or gray. The sameness is everywhere. I see the same white kitchens in big houses and small houses.  I see it in Key West and LA and NYC million dollar listings. Whatever happened to the old fashioned eat in kitchen of Blondie. That is my vision of a kitchen. 

 

823 Elizabeth Street, Key West

Just Listed but not by me 823 Elizabeth Street, Key West. Take a look at that photo. Says it all about Key West, doesn't it? Cute as a button. The listing Realtor sums up this cottage style home this way:

"This charming 3 bedroom, 2 full bathroom Historic Conch Cottage ticks all the right boxes. It is situated in the highly desirable X flood zone on one of the most beautiful streets in Old Town. The home is in immaculate condition. The lot is unique for this part of Elizabeth St as it runs all the way to Galveston Lane with a separate guest cottage with full bathroom, pool, sun deck and off street parking. The open plan living, dining and kitchen area has wonderful architectural elements such as vaulted ceilings with many window features and opens out through a wall of glass doors to the outside seating and sunbathing areas and pool. The designer kitchen has custom made ''Hansen and Bringle'' cabinets as does the bedroom. The chic ''European Style'' main bathroom was recently remodeled."

Elizabeth Street - one way from Truman Ave to Angela St

 I remembered this house form nearly two decades earlier when I showed it several times. I was taken by the look and layout of the house, especially the breezeway the previous owner added connecting the main house to the newly added guest cottage with bath. Let's take a look starting at the front door and work our way to the parking on Galveston Lane.

 

The front porch sets the tone for this easy living cottage-style home. Sit down and take a rest on Easy Street - er,  I mean Elizabeth Street.  I checked the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and learned that this home first appeared in the 1889 Map which means it was built before then. It is also located across the street from what was called "Buzzards Roost" on the map because that is the highest point in Key West. Today that area is called Solaris Hill - same place, different appellation.

The two main house bedrooms and bath are located at the front of the original house. A new two-peak sawtooth addition was added a few years back along with the rear cottage and pool. This open space environment works really well. The ceilings are high, there are numerous windows on both sides, and French doors at the rear. Sunlight fills the room during the daytime. It is a cheerful place. 

When I visited this house the other day I remembered the breezeway from years earlier. I think this was the first time I had seen such a clever use of space between a house and cottage. They created another room without creating a tax obligation because the room only has three sides. That space provides protection from the sun and elements.

The cottage is large enough for a queen bed, night stands, TV, and it has a bathroom with sink, shower, and WC. And it is totally private. Guests can stay out late and enter from the rear gate and not disturb you at 4:00 AM. I checked out the business side of the house. The house looks freshly painted everywhere. Everything appears clean and well functioning. I looked for but did not see any deferred maintenance. The washer and dryer are located in a shed at the rear of the property. 

There is off street parking on Galveston Lane for one car. The parking space is on the property and not public. I have been photographing the construction of a new house opposite the parking space for several months. There was a long  mobile home on that lot for fifty years. Now a long house is going up. Bill Butler Park is located just to the north of the new house. Your kids or grandkids can take the dog for a walk or go play in the playground.

823 Elizabeth Street is located two blocks from Duval Street. Walk out the front door, turn right, and walk to the corner at Petronia Street. Turn left and walk to Duval. The 801 Bar is located at the corner. Turn right or left - there is a world of earthly pleasures in either direction. However, if you turn left from the front gate and walk two blocks south, turn left at Truman and walk one block you can save your soul at St. Mary's of the Sea Basilica. Gotcha covered in either direction. This house would make a perfect monthly vacation rental.

  

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos for 823 Elizabeth Street, Key West offered for sale at $1,295,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Time is ticking. Other agents and buyers were lined up behind me the day I looked at this property. It won't last long.

 

True Tales of Key West Real Estate in the Time of Covid 19 - Part Eight

This is a true story about Key West real estate in the time of Covid 19.

Sometimes houses are so unique they take a long time to sell. The house in today's blog was on and off the Key West real estate market for over 15 years. It was an impressive large home located in a highly desired area of town and price accordingly. The listing agent was one of the best in town. The house was just so large and so expansive that it was difficult finding a buyer. Years passed. The house was renovated again which made it even more expensive. The owner replaced the listing agent. The house still did not sell. A couple of years passed nothing happened and then in 2020 the pandemic occurred. Buyers flocked to Key West. Voile a buyer appeared, a deal was struck, and the house was finally sold for several million dollars. 

I ran into the selling agent yesterday afternoon and congratulated him on the sale. I told him my recollection of showing that house years earlier. Most houses in Key West do not have a garage. That particular house had a large double garage. I remember the garage especially well because one stall had a red Porsche on a lift. There was a heavy metal brace that spanned the stsll width to prevent the Porsche being driven away even if it was lowered to the floor. I remember asking the lady listing agent what was going on. She said "The owner has a teenage son."

It all fell into place. The dad must have seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off and did not want to lose his car or his son.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Deeds in the Florida Keys Indeed!

 Realtors in Key West have access to the MLS listing so of the three separate associations of Realtors in the Florida Keys. Since I rarely get off the Island of Key West and know enough not to stray too far away from properties with which I am unfamiliar, I don't concern myself with goings on elsewhere. But yesterday I clicked the Hot Sheet for the entire Florida Keys and found a sale so impressive that I decided to share with my Dear Readers. 

Palm Island, a private bayfront island located in Marathon, Florida closed on February 27, 2021 for $11,000,000. Congratulations to the listing and selling agent and the principals. We should all be so lucky. CLICK HERE for MLS details. I have nothing to do with this sale.

You can actually drive to the island via road extension located not that far from the Overseas Hiway (US 1). The four acre island includes main house, guest cottages, swimming pool, and private beach. 

I dug deep into my shoebox and found an aerial photo of Marathon Florida taken in the 1960s to which I added a check mark to show Palm Island then. Who would have imagined that sixty some years later that little island would be worth so much? That long road is the Overseas Hiway.

Marathon is located midway between Miami and Key West and has its own airport capable of receiving private jets. Marathon and Islamorada claim to have the best sport fishing in the world. Dunno about that. But they share the beautiful waters and sunny skies that make the Florida Keys so appealing. Key West happens to be where people who live on the other islands come to have fun. Just saying. 

Looking for a house in Key West? Consider calling me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your dream home in Paradise.