Key West Real Estate Throwback Thursday No. 6

From: 11/19/2014

Key West is the Opposite of Ohio

While speaking at the Key West Literary Seminar poet Mark Doty said that although “he was never actually here,” Hart Crane “loved Key West.” Crane loved Key West because by all reports it was the opposite of Ohio.*

Hart Crane

A while back I watched HGTV's Urban Oasis giveaway of a sleek high rise condo at Miami's Paramount Bay.  I mused about winning the $900,000 condo and then thought to myself "Self, if you win, you will have to pay income tax on that thing. Do you really want to own a condo in Miami where people get shot and killed daily for no reason? Do you want to live in a place where most people don't speak English and have a culture that is alien to you? Do you really want to live up in the sky?" I must confess that I filled out the online registration. I figured if I won I could sell the condo and make a few bucks because I really, truly, would never want to live in Miami just as much as I would not want to live in Ohio.  

If you live in Ohio, please don't be offended. I'm sure that a lot of nice people live there. I sold houses to two different Ohio couples in the past.  They area really nice people who really didn't like living in Ohio in the winter when it was so cold and miserable. And they didn't like Ohio much more in the summer when it is so muggy. No, they dreamed of owning a little house in Key West where they could live a much more comfortable climate and a lead a less harried pace of life. One young couple bought a house I wrote about in my blog. I saw the mom and the two girls in their stroller one Sunday morning as I was taking photos for my blog. I asked how things were going, and she responded "I'll never leave Key West!" The other couple is older and don't have children. They bought a house a quintessential Key West cottage. I saw them driving their Key West convertible with the top down.  They were in the turn lane at White and Truman. I asked how they were doing and they said something like "loving life".  

Another couple from the northeast decided to buy a big lot in the Casa Marina area where they  built their dream home from scratch.  They hired a noted Key West architect, an accomplished landscape architect, and a very competent builder to turn their vision into reality.  The photos above show the view from their master bedroom and the new pool and gardens.  The pool view is a dramatic alternative to the view from the high rise Miami condo. Which place do you think Hart Crane would have preferred?

If you are thinking about buying a place in Key West, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Let me help you find your place in Paradise. 

*CLICK HERE to read this most interesting account about Hart Crane written by Key West's Mark Howell in ABOUT THE BEATS.

 

208 Angela Street, Key West - A Renovation Project

 The road must eventually lead to the whole world.”
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road

When I first came to town I felt Key West was falling apart. I remember walking back to  the guest house at night. Big palmetto bugs fell from the huge trees landing on the cracked sidewalks. The bugs crunched under the soles of my shoes. It was creepy. The longer I stayed here the less I cared about the bugs and more about how down this place was. I figured out the derelict old houses would get fixed up and that sidewalks would get repaired. It turns out the country created an agency to deal with mosquitoes which also killed off many of the palmetto bugs. 

US 1 runs 2,369 miles from Fort Kent, Maine to Key West where it ends. The little house at 208 Angela Street in Key West is located just a couple hundred feet west of where US 1 ends. You can look at the road ending here or starting here. I prefer to view it as the end of the road. The place to getaway from the rest of the world. It takes a long time to get here. Good the distance keeps the thugs and suburban women from coming here. Key West in the year 2020 is totally different in so many respects than when I first came. But it is still a great little town out in the middle of the ocean.

When I first came to Key West Truman Annex did not exist. Thirty-five years later some people make it their permanent home while others rent out their properties. There are condos and town homes than single family residences. That development and its proximity to Duval has spurred growth in the Old Town area. The surrounding homes to the east and south are part of Bahama Village. This part of town has not been restored as quick as other parts of Old Town, but that is changing at a faster pace now. This particular home is very well located in my opinion.

208 Angela Street is now offered for sale at $599,000 and is described by the listing agent this way:

"You will be seduced by the charm of this conch style home tucked away on a quiet street alongside the vibrant neighborhood of Bahama Village. Brimming with lifestyle credentials, it's located a short distance to Truman Waterfront park, Fort Zachary State Park, dining, shopping, & nightlife of Duval Street. Open-air porch, coveted off-street brick parking, & mature trees make for easy, low maintenance living. Inside the home, the abundance of windows allow natural light to penetrate the living spaces and bedrooms while giving the house an open, airy feel. Both bedrooms have built-in storage, tall ceilings, and ceiling fans. This home's original condition is perfect for those wishing to create and design their own property or a flipping opportunity for those with an eye for remodeling."

 

I remember being inside this house several years ago. Angela Street at this location is more like living on a one-way lane. I consider that highly desirable feature. After all those owners across the street in Truman Annex bought the approximate same location for the same reasons I am espousing except that their homes are 30 years newer and some have transient rental licenses. While all units in Truman Annex have parking, some parking spaces are located far from the unit. And all tend to have weekly or monthly changes of neighbors.

The above diagram is from the Monroe County Property Appraiser website. It and the MLS show 208 Angela Street as having 924 Sq Ft of interior living space. The diagram show 440 Sq Ft is not being  included as living space. But it clearly is. 

The above photo shows the interior of the 440 Sq Ft which the Property Appraiser does not show as interior living space. That is appraiser fiction that enures to the benefit of the owner. CLICK HERE RIGHT NOW to view the MLS datasheet and photos for this listing. This house is in livable condition. It has been used as a long term annual rental for years. It could continue to be used that way or as a permanent home without doing anything substantial. 

Or, this home could be totally renovated. I believe renovation is the highest and best use of this property. The photos show there is no possibility of adding a pool. That will save you $35,000 or more. But there is plenty of room to create nice outdoor living area. There is bricked off street parking right in front of the house.

Consider the recent sale across the street at 225 Southard Street in Truman Annex. That 960 Sq Ft 2/2 town home sold in April 2020 for $825,000 (or $860 per sq ft) in just five days on the market. It was built in 1993 and was nicely but not recently renovated. I think $200,000 in renovation costs to 208 Angela Street could create a more desirable single family home free of home owner association rules , restrictions, and expenses. Not all buyers require a pool nor want the monthly electricity and pool boy expense. 

I think 208 Angela Street will sell immediately. If you are looking to buy a place in Key West, please give me, Gary Thomas a call at 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

 

 

312 Margaret Street, Key West - Newly Renovated Home near the Seaport

Just Listed, but not by me, 312 Margaret Street, Key West. This freshly and stylishly renovated home is located one block from the historic seaport or Key West Bight by locals. Decades before selfies and slurpees were common sights at the Key West sea port, spongers and shrimpers would bright their catch to the docks located a block or so to the north. Once the shrimp, fish, and even turtle catches were brought off the boats and processed. Today the seaport is mostly tourist related business Commercial buildings have been renovated and repurposed and houses big and small have also been restored or renovated.

The docks have been rebuilt. Yachts, tour boats, and fish restaurants will be found at the sea port now.

I found the above photo of 312 Margaret Street in my old shoebox. Then I searched the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and learned that the house existed on the first map dated 1889 and was then numbered 311 Margaret. The street number was changed on the 1892 map. The first map showed the front portion of the house and a one and one-half story with a one story in the rear. The roof line suggests the rear roof was a later addition.  The lot to the north was vacant for years. Today there is a cluster of five small cottages.  Harpoon Harry's is located about one hundred feet to the north.

I found the above photo in two previous MLS listings which suggested all the things a new owner could do. Well, the current owner did them and now the house is available for purchase as shown. Let's take a look.

Yesterday was the very first time I ever saw the inside of this house. I opened the mahogany door and stood there just a moment to take it all in. I turned to my right and saw a bedroom configured as a sitting room. I looked forward and saw the living room and then the pool beyond. I thought to myself, I like this place.

The builder used pocket doors in a couple of areas including this room. Double pocket doors open from the entry/kitchen into the room. Another pocket door opens into the bathroom/laundry which has a third pocket door which opens back into the entry. All of the windows are wind impact resistant. The window casings are painted crisp white. Down lights are featured in most rooms. The Dade County Pine walls in this room were sanded and preserved. New engineered heart pine wood floors were added on both levels. There is also a fire suppression system on both levels.

I couldn't resist. I slid the back door open and walked around the pool. It was in the mid 80s yesterday. Just perfect Key West weather. There is plenty of space for sunning and lounging. The decks are Ipe and the pool is real - not a spa. I checked around, I did not see any adjacent property with a pool or deck view.

This is the second guest bedroom and en-suite bath. I stopped midway thru the room and turned around. Recessed light coves were built into the walls as places to hold swing arm lamps and cleverly become built-in bed stands for places to put things. Ingenious. I do not recall seeing anything like that before. It may not be original, but it certain is clever and useful.

This bathroom is amazing. Colorful tiles cover the floor and frame the window which beckons you to look out. So I did. I took two terrible photos and missed the pool except for a smidgen. I checked again. No house has a view looking into the pool area or into the bath.

The master bedroom and en-suite bath are located at the front of the house. I stood near the door and took in the space - in is quite large yet comfy. Four windows on the front and one on the south allow subdued light into the space.

CLICK  HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more photos of 312 Margaret Street offered for sale (unfurnished) at $2,440,000. The furniture may be purchased separately. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private appointment to view this freshly renovated 1,916 Sq Ft 3/3/ home. It has two off street parking spaces. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

ROE v. WADE, FOSS DRUG, and My Former Roommate

It was lunch time in January 1973 when I walked into the Foss Drugstore in Golden, Colorado and learned of the ROE V. WADE decision by the United States Supreme Court. That day was one of those days I will never forget. I knew how controversial the abortion issue was. And I also knew it would give women a safer way of dealing with pregnancy. Today's blog is not to re-litigate the decision but to share a real life story that could have had a different ending were the decision rendered sooner.

I had just passed the Colorado Bar Exam and was waiting to find my first job as an attorney. I was and had been the legal staff assistant to a judge at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Golden. Two years earlier I shared an apartment with a guy I will call Ronald. We were students at the University of Denver Law School. Ronald was pretty good looking. He came from money. His parent s bought him a 1970 Mustang. He always had cash. He had two girls he saw regularly. One girl was kind of frumpy. Ronald told me they had meaningless sex to take care of his needs. He often made derogatory remarks about her but not to her. And he got her to clean our apartment on alternating weekends. I cleaned it when it was my turn.

I will call the other girlfriend Nancy. She also went to DU where she was an undergraduate. She was the daughter of a very prominent trial lawyer who was also a bigwig in the Democratic Party. Really big. Nancy was very sweet, very pretty, and very important to her father and mother.

Ronald and I met at some Democratic Party event in 1966 and became friends. We moved in together in 1969 when we entered DU. The apartment building was located in the Capital Hill area of Denver. It had an indoor pool, sauna, and was very nicely furnished - all for $200 per month or $100 each. We lived there for one year and decided not to renew our lease for a second year. We remained friends. I could not stand how he used people. 

Ronald and I got together sometime the next year when he told me that he and Nancy found out that she was pregnant just a couple days before she was to fly to Paris to attend the Sorbonne. Nancy decided to stop in London before going to Paris where she had an illegal abortion. It went horribly wrong. She ended up in a real hospital. She could never have children. Her parents flew over to comfort her.

Ronald told me Nancy's father met with him and told him he would never practice law in Colorado. I don't think I ever saw or talked to Ronald after that. Nothing judgmental on my part. It just did not happen.

I Googled his name and learned he got a job at some government agency in Washington D. C. I checked back a couple of years ago. I saw where he used to live in Virginia. I say used to live because by then he had passed away of so disease. 

Ronald was an okay person in some ways, but he was mostly a user. A taker. He took Nancy's life without killing her. Things might have been different if ROE v.WADE had been decided earlier. 

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Marty's Place Reborn - New SRO Housing in Key West

I took the above photo of Marty's Place in Key West. The cottage complex was ideally located in Mid-Town about five blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and easily accessible to Old Town to the west and the three shopping centers to the east. The complex became an independent housing environment in the 1980s. Units were renovated in 2001 and showed well from the street in 2018. The executive director of AH Monroe County spoke to the Key West Association of Realtors the year earlier and told us the existing cottages were in need of renovation once again. Because construction costs are so high here it was decided to raze the exiting units and construct 47 one bedroom units (12 ADA units) with a mix of independent and assisted living apartments. A health clinic will be located in in the building. There will also be 16 parking spaces. We were told construction would be funded by charitable donations and grants.

Within days what had been the home to Key West citizens with special needs was no more. I started to photograph the construction progress. Some construction photos are posted below. CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE. 

The new complex started to take shape. I thought it was going to be too tall  and too incompatible with the Key West architectural style. But then I looked around the neighborhood which seemingly developed without any forethought. I came to believe that Marty's Place might become model of what could happen to the area.

Marty's Place is now complete. Residents have moved it. I took new photos yesterday and spotted a plant and chair on one of the balconies. Do you have any idea how great that is for residents to have a balcony to enjoy our sunshine and the ocean breezes? 

AH MONROE COUNTY did good. Very good. 

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

 

This is another true story of Key West real estate.

Several years ago two adjacent properties owned by the same owner were placed on the market. Both properties were in need of renovation but were priced in my buyers price range and were reasonably located. Both houses had more tenants than licensing laws allowed. That is common here and a lot of other places across the country. I set up showings in advance so that my buyers could see each of the units. The listing agent is very diligent and got approval from the seller and notified tenants in advance of the showings.

We arrived at the agreed time and were greeted by a member of the listing agent's office. This happened so long ago that the agents were not called "Teams". We looked each unit in the first building. Then we moved next door where the aggressive female tenant refused to let us see her apartment. The agent could not persuade her to allow us inside. She said she had not be given proper notice. We moved on to another unit which I recall was located upstairs in the rear. The woman tenant reappeared outside in the back yard shared by tenants of both buildings. She had a rake in her hands. I think I asked if we could go inside her unit as she was outside. I probably probably promised our inspection would be very brief/ As I recall she snarled - or something like that.  She was genuinely menacing. I don't recall that she said any threatening words, but her whole persona projected evil - like a Stephen King character.  The husband pulled me aside and said we should just move on. He would not want to have to deal with her likes if he bought the place. And so we did - move on.

My buyers bought a perfectly wonderful cottage in a highly desirable location with very nice neighbors. I don't know if that seller ever sold those two properties.

 

 

908 Washington Street, Key West - Just Listed

Just Listed - 908 Washington Street Key West. This 1.988 SqFt three bedroom, two bath mid-century home located in the Casa Marina Area will like sell this week. It is in original condition and might benefit from a good update - but not in need of anything substantial in cost or scope. A buyer seeking a renovation property should take a look immediately. I saw it this morning and two potential buyers were to look after I left.

This is not located in HARC and could be razed and a new home built on the 93' X 60' lot. Author Judy Blume used to own the house next door to the east and also the one across the street to the west. This is the only house on the block that has not been updated. The interior is 1,988 Sq Ft. There is room at the rear to add a pool. Let's take a brief photo tour of the inside.

The floors are in great condition. Note the acoustic tile ceiling. They appear throughout the house. That is a brick wall behind the media center with a fake fireplace. The center hall leads to the bedrooms and laundry rooms.

The master bedroom (top photo) has an en-suite bath typical of the time - small. But the bedroom is quite large. The two guest bedrooms share a bath. Both guest bedrooms are also large. There is no central air. Instead there are wall units in each room.

This is definitely a mid-century home - it has a formal dining area and original kitchen with Formica counters. But it is all clean and in move-in condition. 

If you look back up at the black and white photo you will see a garage on the right side of the house. The garage was converted into a family room several years ago is pictured above. The laundry room is located behind the wood panel wall and has a door that opens into the center hallway. 

The right rear side yard has ample roof for a pool and patio. Both the left and right side yards are quite large as is the back yard (but it is not large enough for a pool. I think a new owner might relocate the living room to where the master bedroom and family room are now. New doors would bring more light into the house  and make the spaces meet the way we live today. I would probably relocate the dated kitchen to that side as well. The present dining room and kitchen could then become the master suite with larger bath. CLICK HERE to view more photos.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more photos of 908 Washington Street, Key West offered for sale at $925,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. I have lived in the Casa Marina Area for twenty five years and love it.