418 Amelia Street, Key West - Gonna Sell Really Fast!

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West, 418 Amelia Street. This cute little two bedroom home is located steps from the world famous Duval Street, has a private pool, and is priced at just $598,000. I think this place will sell really fast. Read on and you may agree.

I got into my old shoebox and found the above photo of 418 Amelia Street which was taken a little over fifty years ago. That was before Key West was discovered.  This photo shows you the historic construction of this house with a sawtooth addition that connects to the front part of the house. The decorative concrete block front porch was an addition of the 1960s. It's gone now but the columns remain. Note the side yards on either side. They remain. The side yard on the left provides access to the rear where the private pool is located. I will discuss the right side yard below. 

When you cross the threshold and enter the house you are taken to a former time and a different place than you might expect. So many of the houses in Key West these days seem too "current" of too chic. This place is just cozy and comfortable, like a favorite t-shirt or comfy shoes. The two bedrooms are located in tandem just off the front door.

Note the curio shelf just above and then see the adjacent door. The listing agent suggested to me that a new owner might tweak the interior layout just a bit to create a larger master bedroom by relocating the entry to the above door which is located midway down the right side of the house. This would then permit the front door to become an entry of an enlarged master suite up front.

The kitchen and bath are located in the sawtooth addition to the main house. Note the peaked ceiling with skylights which give the kitchen dimension and add to a spatial feel to what otherwise might seem like a tiny home. It does not feel that way when you are here in real life. Yes, it's cozy, much it is not cramped.

The listing Realtor describes this home thus:

"Delightful two bedroom one bath Conch House in a great neighborhood, just steps off Duval Street and to the Southernmost Point. House is one of two stand alone condos with dormant association. Sit on your wide, shady front porch and watch the world go by, or rest quietly on your private back deck overlooking the fenced-in tropical garden. There is also a converted cistern that makes a fine little dipping pool to cool off after a fun-filled day in Paradise"

The backyard space is unexpectedly large and has so much untapped potential. It's already cute but it could become so much more. The right side yard could become the main entrance to the home just at the point where the green awning on the left is located. The front porch would then become the private domain of the master suite in front. None of these changes is require - they are just a few things a new owner could do to make things work a little differently.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet and listing photos. 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. There are few places priced this low with as much potential as this house. Don't wait!

606 Grinnell Street, Key West - New Lower Price and Buying Opportuity

The Key West selling season is quickly coming to an end. Buyers that have been looking for a good deal ought to consider buying 606 Grinnell Street which is located in the very heart of Old Town. This house sits on one of the best blocks in Old Town.  It is located within easy walking distance to the Historic Seaport, the world famous Duval Street, and most of the gyms and yoga studios. And (you gotta live here to appreciate this fact: the Conch Trains and Trolley Cars can't go down this block - they can't make the narrow turn at the cemetery at the end of this block. Best of all the asking price has just been reduced from the $1,200,000 to just $1,050,000 or $464 per sq ft for this 2261 sq ft home.  There are 37 homes for sale in the Old Town and Casa Marina areas priced between $800,000 to $1,200,000 at an average asking price of $634 per sq ft where the average size is 1690 sq ft.  I see 606 Grinnell Street as a real buying opportunity.

When you view the home from the street you would probably never suspect the place is actually a two story legal duplex. I checked the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine the approximate date this home was built. The 1889 map did not show any homes in this area but the surrounding blocks were thoroughly built out.  This leads me to conclude there were houses were on  this block and other surrounding blocks in 1889 but were omitted from map placement for some reason. The house did appear on the 1892 map. I then dug through my old shoe box and found a couple of photos of the home taken about fifty years ago. They show the house before it was renovated and enlarged. The new rear structure rises two stories but is not visible from the street.

The listing Realtor describes this home this way:

"Beautiful, Completely Remodeled Home In Heart Of Old Town Key West. Enter Into A Study/Sitting Room And Has A Bedroom Facing A Quiet Street Front. This Room Shares A Full Bath W/The Master Bedroom Large Enough For A King Suite And Makes A Cozy Retreat After A Long Day. Down The Hallway To The Living Area You'll Find An Inside Utility Closet, Two Storage Closets, And Half Bath."

The main level unit has two bedrooms which share a Jack and Jill bath plus a guest bath. The great room is located at the rear where two sets of French doors open out to the covered rear deck which overlooks the pool. What I believe was the original living room is located at the front of the house. Today this space works well as a home office.

The entrance to the second floor unit is located on the side of house. There is also an interior door entry located off the first floor unit. A new homeowner could simply remove the door and convert the second floor unit into a single family home. Oh, I know you'd need to remove the kitchen and do some other little things, but those little things really are not all that big nor all that expensive. And the result could be a very nice single family home in a great location. But let's look at what exists now and leave tomorrow to whoever buys this property.

There are two doors at the bottom of the stairs. One enters from the outside and the other from the main floor. Removing the interior door would make conversion to a single family home a snap.

There is a cute little under-utilized cottage at the rear which a new owner could possibly convert to a pool bar or something fun. There is also room on the opposite side of the rear lot for creation of an off street parking space. The listing realtor told me that space was on the site plans submitted to the city when the building permits for the renovation were approved. The parking was not created at that time.  The owner has not lived in the property since the renovations were done. A new owner could do some very creative things with the landscaping to provide a more lush environment and privacy.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet on 606 Grinnell Street which is now offered at the lower price of $1,050,000. 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.

1505 Laird Street, Key West - Big Price Reduction!

Silliness aside, there is a good reason for bargain hunters to checkout the goods on 1505 Laird Street in Key West where the price has been reduced from the original $525,000 to just $425,000. The reduction was announced late Monday.

1505 Laird Street, Key West is a 784 sq ft home that is located on a large 5412 sq ft lot just east of the Casa Marina Area of Key West.  The listing Realtor describes this home this way:

 "Cute mid-century cbs house on a big beautiful lot in a great neighborhood. The small home is ready to be renovated and/or extensively enlarged. This perfectly habitable small house is being offered for less money than some vacant lots in the area."

This is a very simple house. The house is pretty much in original condition except for the kitchen which was humbly updated a few years ago. There are two bedrooms that share the one bath. The house is CBS (concrete block structure) built on slab. The floors are terrazzo throughout the house. The roof is composite shingles. The house has shutter holders in place. There are wall unit air conditioners.

I will bet that a small house like this could be purchased for $200,000 or a bit less in other parts of the USA. But not in Key West where the cost of houses are pretty high.  In fact the listing Realtor's statement that "house is being offered for less money than some vacant lots in the area." is correct.

House next door to the east

The 5412 sq ft lot measures 61.5' X 88'.  There are four very tall coconut palms located at the front of the lot and there are two older trees in the backyard. I did not make note of their type. There is nothing significant about this house. I think the value in this property is probably in the land whether for current tear down and rebuild or to buy and hold for future redevelopment. If the existing house were cleaned and painted, it could probably be rented long term for $2500 to $2800 per month.  I think land values are going to continue to increase, especially for houses like this which are located in good areas close to the beaches and which is much less expensive than the Casa Marina Area a couple of blocks to the west.  CLICK HERE to see more photos I took of this property.

1505 Laird Street is offered at $425,000. CLICK  HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this property. In fact you don't need to see it in person to appreciate its value.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.