Scenes from an Open House in Key West

There are many ways the pandemic has changed our lives in Key West including the elimination of in person Realtor Caravan. Boo Hoo! you say. It is a real loss for me as it gave me and other agents the opportunity to see new listings and houses that had been on the market longer than six months to get a fresh look. I have resorted to going to open houses to check out new listings as an alternative. 

The photo above is not from one of the open houses so don't think what I am about to write has anything to do with this house. But I did select this photo because it is typical of what I am seeing in many renovated and some newly built homes in Key West - blah.

One particular open house was a brand new renovation. It had new windows, doors, floors, lighting, air conditioning, on demand hot water, fans, pool, wood deck, landscaping, outdoor lights, irrigation system, and nine yards of mulch. It looked a lot like the photo above. In fact it looked like about every other recent renovation in Key West. The appliances, decking, cabinetry were cheaper than featured in many similarly priced homes. That was surprise. I wanted to be impressed but left distressed. The price was so high that I expected more but I got nothing I had not seen before and better done at lower asking price. 

There is more. The thing that makes Key West architecture so interesting is that is was interesting. Earlier renovations improved on what had been built by craftsmen in the 19th Century. Most of the stuff I am seeing comes out of Home Depot which imports its products from Asia. The landscaping at the particular open house was as cheap as the owner could find and sparsely plated. 

You can buy the same blah bedroom and Home Depot kitchen and baths in other locations for a lot less money. Why come to Key West to add a couple zeros to the purchase price to get the same thing?

There are still great properties in Key West. You need to work with a seasoned Realtor to find them. I am available to help you avoid buying the wrong property.

 

Seem's Like Old Times in Key West

 

Readers are aware that I have not posted very many actual real estate posts lately. That's because the market has dried up. Many well priced new listings with go under contract right away while many others are so outrageously price I won't give the agents the time of day. 

There are a lot of new agents in town. Be careful who you are dealing with. Ask a lot of questions. Feel the agents out. Ask them their background - what they did and where. How did they get here, how long have they been here, and how did they become the real estate expert the claim to be. 

So what does the lady on the horse have to do with the return to old times in Key West? For decades both seasonal workers and long time residents would take a break from Key West and head north for cooler climates from August thru October. Local restaurants and some tourist related businesses would offer discounts to locals. After Hurricanes Wilma and Irma discounts were offered to just about anyone until a week before Christmas. This week I started to notice Locals Only Discounts of 50% Off from Monday thru Thursday at many eateries. 

I have also noticed most of the hotels are not as full as they were. While there are still a lot of tourists in town, they do not look like, dress like, nor spend money like the folks we have been used to seeing for so many years.

3732 Flagler Avenue - Key West Single Family Home on the Riviera Canal

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West

3732 Flagler Avenue, Key West 

Long time readers of my blog know there are only a few homes or condos with water views on the island of Key West and those that do exist tend to sell soon after they get listed for sale. I expect the new single family home listed today by Preferred Properties Key West will go under contract within a matter of days if not hours. 3732 Flagler Avenue is located about one block from where the Rivera Canal merges into Cow Key Channel which is the gateway to the Atlantic Ocean. You could be in the water and headed for cocktails within a matter of minutes after you arrive at home - if you still work. The Key West golf club is about a five minute drive. Old Town will take about ten minutes if the traffic is good. If you live in the northeast and commute on a train you will laugh at our rush hour traffic.

The existing house is a 3/2 mid-century ranch sitting on a 9,458 square foot lot. The house could be renovated but will more likely be razed and a new home built on the lot. Two nearby homes sold over $4 million in the past year - one renovated and the other new construction. The location is the draw. Bring your imagination and checkbook

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more listing photos of this home offered at $1,450,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of 3732 Flagler Avenue, Key West, Florida. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Pete's Meats Off the Streets of Key West

Pete's Meats on Duval Street in Key West

Pete's Meats now located at an undisclosed 

location far from Duval.

What happened?

3930 South Roosevelt Blvd Unit E 211 Key West - Just Listed

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that's where I work, but this is not my listing: 3930 South Roosevelt Blvd Unit E 211 in the Las Salinas Condominiums. This 807 square foot second floor units has been freshly renovated and is price to sell in today's crazy real estate market.

I don't know if the brand new kitchen with quartz counter tops and new stainless steel appliances will catch your attention first or if it will be the view of the Salt Ponds. Las salinas translates as the salt flats. The Key West salt ponds are a naturally occurring feature on just a short distance from the Atlantic Ocean. It is an expansive area with bright views to the south, west, and north but still only a four mile ride to Old Town.

Both the master bedroom with en-suite bath and the living room open out to the deck. The windows and doors have been replaced with impact glass which has made the condo fees much more affordable - just $377 per moth. Fees include building insurances, building and common area maintenance, and cable television. 

The unit has new flooring throughout and two new bathrooms. The unit also has washer and dryer located in the kitchen. There is also coin operated laundry on each floor. The building has an elevator and multiple stairways. There is exterior and inner courtyard of each building feature palm trees and tropical foliage. 

The community pool is a long time feature of this complex but the gym was recently added. South Roosevelt Boulevard curves around the east and south sides of the island as it makes its way to the Key West International Airport and Smathers Beach. Take a left when you leave the complex, head north and you will soon arrive at the three shopping centers, Home Depot, or head west toward Old Town. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 3930 South Roosevelt Blvd Unit E 211 offered at $459,000 by Preferred Properties Key West. Then call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. I am a buyers agent and full time Realtor at Preferred Properties. This unit is priced to sell. Don't wait. It will probably go under contract within the first week. Look at the photos above and below. People from all over the world come to Key West to see the beaches and enjoy the life in the Keys. You could live here all year long.

Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday No 34 with a Twist

from October 15, 2010

901 Packer St - Old Town - Key West  

The Twist Part follows the original post.

The Key West Cemetery as viewed from 901 Packer Street

 

901 Packer Street in Old Town Key West is located directly across the street from the Key West Cemetery and is in desperate need of The Re-Animator. The listing Realtor describes this property thus:

"Great Old Town Key West location within walking distance to Duval Street and all of the Key West attractions. Perfect renovation project on a corner lot with off street parking. Located in an X500 flood zone, this is one of the highest elevations on the island."

This house was built in 1948 or 1953 (there are two different dates in county records). The relative newness means the house is not a contributing structure and that means a new owner could tear down this property and build all new. A caveat to tearing down and building new is that the current building codes and set backs will control what can be built and the lot coverage area. "Re-animating" or renovating this house would permit the new owner to keep the existing lot coverage and setbacks in place. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls data sheet and listing photos. Let me share my thoughts about the house. Unlike The Aadams' Family mansion, this house is no museum. The house itself is ooky and the layout is kinda kooky. I don't know that I'd say its mysterious and spooky, but it surely ain't imperious.

"it surely ain't imperious"

This place will need lots of work. These are things I think it needs: new doors and windows, a new roof, new electric and plumbing, new interior layout which means all new interior framing and drywall, a new kitchen and one or two new bathrooms. The existing covered parking is nice but it looks like the roof may collapse. There is an old homemade addition to the Olivia Street side of the house that looks awful from the outside and it looks terrible from the inside. There is spauling across the north side of the kitchen. (Spauling is prevalent in many Key West houses of that vintage. It's repairable but the cost depends on the condition of the house and how much area has been compromised.) While the house is capable of re-animation (lol), it is a better candidate for demolition in my opinion. A good architect or contractor could help a potential new buyer determine what could be done on the 27' x 58' lot. 

I personally think a new owner could build a nice two story Conch style home on this lot. The 1566 sq ft lot may sound small compared to the big sized lots you readers who live up north in America have, but down here a lot this size in Old Town is quite common. What is less common is the view across the street. I recently took photos of the property. It was a gloomy day in Paradise, that day. CLICK HERE to view. A lot of potential buyers absolutely refuse to consider a property that overlooks the cemetery. Some would see that location as gloomy forever. I think not so. That refusal to consider the location is their loss in my opinion. Of course the area is quiet at night. No pun intended. It really is. And that is a great feature in any neighborhood. Having quiet neighbors that do not party all the time is a blessing compared to those that do. 

Olivia Street is a small one-way street that runs parallel to the south boundary of the cemetery. That street is primarily used by locals and is not normally used by commercial vehicles or Conch Trains. That keeps street noise to a minimum. More than the quietness of the location is all the sunshine one normally gets. If you love Old Town houses as much as I, you know that most houses are built so close to each other that there often is little space between properties. Since most houses are densely landscaped and typically have trees on all sides, natural light is often minimalized. The result is that many homes only have direct sunshine for a few hours a day. And most Old Town homes do not have clear open views of the beautiful Key West skies. The house at 901 Packer Street has a vast sweeping view looking north across the Key West Cemetery. Locals appreciate such views because so few in Old Town have them. 

The house at 901 Packer Street was originally priced at $249,000 and recently reduced to $219,000. I have my own opinion of what it will sell for, and that price is nowhere near the asking price. If you would like to see 901 Packer Street please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, or contact me by email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida. I believe in Re-Animation, Renovation, and Innovation. But I am not a witch!

The above post is 11 years old. The house is NOT FOR SALE. Don't go bothering anybody about this. 

A couple of years ago I noticed some fixing-up going on and started to photograph the progress. Progress in Key West takes months if not years to complete whether it is a home handyman or a licensed contractor. Perfection takes time and a lot of money. This is how it looked midway through the project.

I drove by this house for months. Something was always going on but nothing substantial until just recently. Now it looks great! Congrats to the homeowner for a classy re-animation.

Key West Real Estate Trumps Fake

I found the photo below on an architecture site I follow. I am pretty sure it was staged to look like something a homeowner would create only to realize how impractical the design was.

I saved the photo because it reminded me of several condominiums with transient rental licenses in Bahama Village. Most of the condos rent nightly to budget minded tourists. The 144 square foot one bedroom units sold in the $285,000 range prior to the pandemic. I have no idea what someone might pay for such a place these days.

A couple of months ago I blogged about the lucky lady that married the guy who made her drag her luggage from the ferry to her guest house or hotel. Maybe she ended up here - or maybe on the beach. It is even cheaper. 

 Gary Thomas, Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West

 

Birds of a Feather Creep Together

I have written several blogs about the creepiest house I ever saw in Key West. I won't post the address of show the front of the house because it was saved and restored and what once was is not more. There were pens with little dead animals and feces all over the place. The owner's bed was the filthiest thing I ever saw. 

 I had a pocket Panasonic camera with me when I entered the house. It worked fine until that date. I took photos of both floors, the stairway, and the exterior. The photos all came out bizarre and distorted. Only the above photo came with clarity. 

A couple of days ago I saw the two images above of a different home on another site. They reminded me of the house in Key West. I guess some people are too smart for their own good. They don't have time to clean up after themselves. 

I will get back to writing about Key West houses for sale when something stays on the market long enough. Almost every house that goes on the market goes under contract withing a couple of days. This market is on fire.

Over Asking Solds

 

I check the Key West MLS HOTSHEET multiple times throughout the day - every day.The HOTSHEET shows MLS changes in real time including new listings, price changes, back on the market, contingent show, contingent, pending, and closed listings plus text changes. 

Last Friday afternoon I noticed three more solds posted since earlier in the day. I looked at each sold to see the property, the price paid and the agents involved. It was only after I looked at each sale that I noticed all sold over asking. Then I recalled seeing several over asking solds earlier in the week. 

We all know that homes are selling over asking across the nation. So what is going on here is not an anomaly. This year I personally sold three houses over asking. I also know that the Key West real estate market exploded in sales this spring and that sales from then are still posing.

I decided to look back at single family solds from April 1st to August 23 and found we had 242 homes sold in Key West. The median home sold for -4.14% under asking. For years the number has averaged between 5 to 6%. That's not a huge drop but it tells us that demand is driving sales prices up and we already know that our sales prices are up significantly over the past two cycles. 

Then I examined each MLS sold to see the house, the location, and the price paid in relation to asking price. Percentage numbers in the raw don't make sense to anybody but statisticians as far a I am concerned. What I found confirms what I have told my customers and written in my blog for years. The most in demand homes were located in Old Town and Casa Marina and that most of those sales were either full price or within a few thousand of asking (plus multiple over asking). The New Town area homes sold lower. 

I went back and found 33 of the 242 sold homes sold over asking. That is 20.9% of the solds during this limited time period. I have never experienced anything like this.

 

 

Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday - No. 33

from 2015  Nothing to do with real estate.

 I confess: I Wore Blackface That's little me sitting in the right bottom corner of the photo of my first grade class at Mountain View Elementary School in 1954. All of the children in my class and all of the other students and staff and even the entire town were white. Mountain View is located on west side of the Denver County line in Jefferson County, Colorado where it was illegal for Negroes and other non-whites to live in the 1950s. I returned to Denver in 2015 to attend my fifty year high school reunion. On the day of the reunion I drove over to see my old school, went inside, and learned that my old school was a private school for primarily underprivileged Hispanic children. My former lily white suburb had turned Asian and Hispanic and underprivileged. The school administrator allowed me to walk through the school.

When I was a student the school cafeteria was also used as the gym and auditorium where Cub Scout and PTA events were held and where an occasional play was performed. In June 2015 I stood on that stage and looked to my left and remember my part in the school Christmas play that took place in 1954 or 1955 right after school on the Friday afternoon just as we began our Christmas recess.

The setting was an orphanage at Christmas where all of the orphans were white except for one. Students from each grade had a part. Santa Clause was played by an adult male who must have been a parent because we did not have a male teacher until the sixth grade. At some point Santa spoke to me. I think I must have been the youngest to have a speaking line, a line I do not remember, but a line I will never forget.

Earlier one of my teachers burned a cork and smeared the burnt ash all over my face and hands to make me look like a Negro. African Americans or Black People were called either Colored People or Negros in the 1950s. That is why I use that term here. I remember having to learn and speak in a Negro dialect. I seem to recall one of the teachers taught me the diction. I cannot remember my line, but I remember the entire audience laughed out loud at what I said and how I said it.

Put what I did and what my teachers did in context. They painted me in black face and taught me to speak a line in such a way as to make fun of black people - for a gag laugh. This was a school event where all of the teachers and students were present. This was acceptable behavior in my all white community in the 1950s. I was a kid. I did what I was told. I didn't see anything wrong with what I did. Then.

The thing is I remember this event sixty-five years later. How many readers remember events when they were seven or eight years old? I would venture most recollections would involve some type of trauma like losing a family member or extreme joy like getting a puppy. While I now smile at what I did back then, I can't help but think what I did was very wrong. But it was culturally acceptable. That is why I don't agree judging social conduct from years ago by the community standards of today.