1117 Stump Lane - Key West - Just Listed!

 Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that is where I work but this is not my listing, 1117 Stump Lane.  I wrote about this same property in November 2012 when it was offered for sale as a "fixer upper".  The house had been a home to a local family for generations.  It was sold and the new owner began an ambitious renovation of the house.  I toured the finished home last week.  I remembered the house as it was in 2012 (a relic with 1950s furniture and fixtures). Now it has sleek stainless steel appliances, new wood floors and  new everything throughout the house. A pool and deck replace the old (and odd) concrete back yard that was painted green - I kid you not. 

The entire house has been totally transformed from the way we lived our lives decades ago (heck, even over a century ago) to the way we live our lives today. The old living room was in the front of the house. Today that space is one of three new bedrooms with bath. The living area is now located at the rear of the house and is combined with the kitchen and dining space. French doors open out to the new pool and deck area where the old backyard had green painted concrete. Upstairs you will find two more bedrooms that share a bath. The front bedroom has a really nifty built-in bookcase with the perfect spot for a television.

The listing Realtor describes the property as an

"Outstanding rebuild of an Old Conch Style Home. Bright 3/3.5 on one of the most secluded tropical lanes in Old Town Key West. Located 2 blocks from the Historic Seaport and just 4 blocks from Duval street. Great open/dining/living space, gourmet kitchen with Wolf Range, all leading to the pool surrounded by a privacy wall. Master suite downstairs and two bedroom suites upstairs. Brazilian wood floors throughout and accented Dade County Pine walls. Spend lazy days on the covered front porch."

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view more photos of this property that is offered at $1,400,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a private showing.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

822 Washington Street Key West - Casa Marina Casual Elegance

I showed 822 Washington Street for the very first time a couple of weeks ago. I was so taken by the property that I showed again and then again. Yesterday the listing priced was reduced to just $1,875,000 (or only $531 per sq ft) for an extraordinary property which in my opinion makes this home worthy of consideration. The home is located in the Casa Marina area of Key West.
 The listing Realtor, not me, describes this home thus:

"Exquisite residence on two prime corner lots in prestigious Casa Marina District. Designed by Tom Pope & featured multiple times on the House and Garden Tour; this home has a great floor plan, handsome architectural details, spacious rooms & the most spectacular veranda in Key West. In beautiful condition with a chef's kitchen and updated baths. Wonderful indoor/outdoor dining, four bedrooms with baths ensuite, large closets & storage. Walls of glass throughout the home draw the outdoors in from the 1000 sf veranda. Professionally landscaped overlooking the 33' heated pool & surrounding the entire home. The double car garage is rare in Key West & provides extra storage. A very private & special property."

822 Washington Street was built in 1977.  I knew that some other house had to have been located on the site before then.  I went through the old shoebox and found a photo the former house located in the same location. That house faced Reynolds Street which ends at the Atlantic Ocean five blocks to the South. I took the color photo underneath the black and white to show how the privacy wall looks today and how the extensive tropical foliage insulates the current home from the street. Tropical gardens that are both illuminated and irrigated wrap around most of the house.

Once you pass through the entry gate and enter the grounds you are taken aback by the luxuriant foliage that leads to the front entry. There you see two massive glass doors that allow the owners to view the front garden on the hottest summer days without losing an smidgen of air conditioned comfort. Most of the public rooms have glass doors that retract into the house so that you can view the 1000 sq ft veranda or the swimming pool from inside the home.

The master bedroom with huge en-suite bath is located past the living room. It also has a wall of glass doors that disappear into the walls and provides a view of the veranda and gardens.

This is not just any 1977 vintage home. This is an incredible Key West property worthy of consideration if you are looking for a large home (3528 sq ft under air - not including the veranda) with four bedrooms, four baths, an extra large living room with fireplace, a large family room, dining room, chef's kitchen (for real!), an an exquisite 1000 sq ft covered veranda. The home has a 33 foot pool and a double garage plus additional off street parking.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet. Please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to arrange a private showing of this home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

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207 Julia Street - Key West - Is It Art or Is It Awesome?

Local artist Ronny Bailey came by our office last week to show me his latest creation - a miniature version of 207 Julia Street located in the Bahama Village area of Key West.  Everybody had to stop work and to take a peek at the cottage that got shrunk to table top size.

I wrote about Ronny before. CLICK HERE. Ronny grew up in Key West where he was a carpenter for 30 years. Recreation of Old Town Key West homes in miniature sizes is now his passion. He beams with pride as he talks about his work. This is a man in love with his life and his work. And his work is a testament to his love of the place that he has called home. He loves the Key West of yore. He recreates houses the way they looked before the gentrification and HARCifornication that has taken over so much of Old Town.

I suggested to Ronny that we drive over to the actual house to take some photos to compare his creation to the real house. He was up for it. So we drove over. He knocked on the owner's door and asked for permission to take some photos. Permission was granted.

Compare and contrast the black and white photo taken in 1965 with the modern day photos taken last week. Then compare the art with the real house. 

Ronny creates always adds the words "peace'. "love", and "joy" to each of his works of art.  Look carefully at the photos. You will see them. And you will probably see that these are words that guides this gentle man as he lives out his lifes' dream.  His is a peaceful life filled with love and joy.  This is not something I am writing. This is a testament to this man.  I wish I could be so content.  I took the last photo above with the piece of art sitting on a trash can in Julia Street.  A neighbor was walking her dog down the this quiet little street.

Ronny told me he will be showing his work this coming weekend at the 49th Annual Old Island Days Art Festival that runs from Friday, February through Saturday evening.   Free Admission. Exhibitors will set up along Whitehead Street from Greene Street to Eaton Street and on Caroline Street through the famous Presidential Gates into the beautiful Truman Annex.

Make a point of looking for Ronny Bailey.  His larger pieces are quite expensive as he works for months on those projects. He does have original artwork and reproductions that are priced for less. 

414 Louisa St. - Key West, Florida

414 Louisa Street is a totally renovated home with vaulted ceiling in the living area, two bedrooms, two baths, off street parking, and a pool that is one block off  Duval Street.  This Key West cottage style home could be used as a legal vacation rental. The asking price is just $850,000.  The house has 948 sq ft of living space on one level plus an easily accessible attic where you can stash the kids. This home was just listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that's where I work, but this is not my listing. The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Unique 2/2 Conch Cottage in a very desirable location with both pool and off street parking. Renovated in 2009 and meticulously maintained since. Lots of special features including custom Jacuzzi tub in master, cove lighting, open/beamed ceiling and LED lighting feature in the pool. Hot and Cold outdoor shower for the pool guests. Special home that must be seen to be appreciated."
I looked in my old shoe  box and found a photo of 414 Louisa Street dated 1965.  Compare the spartan way it looked back then to the new and improved way it looks in 2013.   

 The listing Realtor told me the current owners completely renovated the property by replacing the piers and added all new electric and plumbing throughout the house. The bedrooms and bathrooms were redesigned and fitted with all new bath fixtures, tiles, etc.  Please take a look at photos that show this house from the front door to the pool in the back. And then CLICK HERE to view many more photos.

 

 

The pocket doors retract and reveal the spa-like master bath with Jacuzzi tub and designer fixtures.  There's a TV mounted on the wall so the two of you can enjoy your favorite programs.

 

French doors at the rear open to the covered rear patio and swimming pool. There's an outdoor shower around the corner as well.

I think 414 Louisa Street could make an excellent vacation rental. It is located on a very quite one-way street just one half block away from Duval Street. It is within easy walking distance to South Beach, the Southernmost Point, the Hemingway House, and the historic lighthouse, and it is just a short walk to Ft. Zach Taylor State Park and Beach.

414 Louisa Street is offered at $850,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet.  But better than looking a descriptions and photos online, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com set up a private showing of this Key West cottage that could be your Key West dream home. I am a buyer agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.