5 Hunts Lane, Key West - Hidden Treasure in Old Town

The 2008 real estate market turn down in Key West was preceded by several years of spirited real estate consumption - especially in the Old Town Area. That is because this area most returning visitors know and believe this is where they should make a purchase. Houses occupied by locals known as "Conchs" sat untouched for decades.  Houses located on desirable streets with larger yards with off street parking and room for a pool were gobbled up. As number of larger properties diminished, buyers looked to nearby areas while others looked at smaller lots - some of which were located on dead end lanes or even walking lanes. Such was the case of 5 Hunts Lane which was listed in 2008 for $409,000 and eventually sold for only $335,000. That house had been owned by the same family since it was built.  That house was boarded up when I showed it in 2008. I really remember showing it. I told my potential buyers the same thing I tell nearly every person who looks at a "fixer" and that is to consider it as a "box". I loved that lane and saw great promise in the well built but austere house.

5 Hunts Lane  -  2020

 I saw 5 Hunts Lane yesterday (twelve years later) during Realtor Caravan and quickly asked the listing Realtor if I could blog about. He eagerly agreed. I stepped inside and was immediately awed by what I saw. This is real awe folks. I don't make this stuff up.

Compare and contrast the photo from 1965, the grainy 2008 MLS photo, and the current color photos from the present MLS listing. The 1965 photos show us that this was a single family home where the owner expanded the attic space into living area. Note the metal louver windows on the second floor and the steel poles supporting the new second floor. The color photos show the not only porch was replaced but also that new concrete piers were added under the house. Boarded window openings were replaced with new windows and doors throughout the house. Brick pavers replaced the barren side yard that leads to a new wrap-around rear deck.

I walked around the inside of the first floor admiring the creativity in the use of space. The house was thoroughly renovated in 2010 from piers to roof. All new electric, plumbing, HVAC, and so on.  The upper kitchen cabinets incorporate glass from the original home. Dada County Pine walls were sanded to original condition. We are all familiar with kitchen islands. This island has a half ellipse at one end creating a softer entrance into the living area. A soffit was added to hide the air conditioning duct work and member boards were added or exposed to support the weight of the second floor. It is, however, the introduction of multiple glass panel doors and new windows that changed to once dark box into a very inviting living area. This home is a treasure.

HARC probably would not allow a covered wood porch but a removable awning is perfectably acceptable and equally useful way to provide shade from the sun and protection from the rain. The area was wrapped with an extra few inches of fencing to create totally private and still inviting outdoor living area.

I actually remember the pesky stairs that stuck out into the living area when I showed the box in 2008. Remember the second floor was renovated by the original owners to add more living space. The stairway landing had to be moved inside the second floor to provide head space. So the downstairs portion of the staircase had to stand out from the wall which decreased downstairs living area. The room at the top had a steel pole or two supporting the roof. Conch creativity at its "best". Maybe not so much.

Today there is an actual second floor landing which leads to the master bedroom with en-suite and a guest bed and bath at the rear which is pictured immediately above. This is a good place for errant husbands and brothers-in law to sleep. There are abundant guest houses and hotels within easy walking distance for guests who want to stay with you.

I can't help but admire the solid geometry of the space. These owners designed this. Fogarty Builders built it. Kudos to both. Very Well Done!

5 Hunts Lane is located near the end of narrow walking lane. There is one house located to the north and another opposite. Five Brothers Grocery is located up on the corner of Grinnell and Southard Streets. You will always find a cop there having coffee. Meantime there is a major traffic jam four blocks west starting at Simonton to beyond Whitehead. The Manger of Some City Agency decided to rip up sidewalks on Simonton during peak tourist time and blow out sewers on Duval Street to drive tourists to the beaches instead of the restaurants and stores. It all makes living life on one of the slow lanes of Key West all that more appealing.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet for 5 Hunts Lane Key West offered for sale at $969,000. 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.

Chris Matthews. A View

I awoke this morning to the very sad news that Chris Matthews had "retired" from MSNBC after several weeks of calls for his firing by women who were offended by his comments and conduct.

I think this who Me Too movement has gotten way out of hand.  Current culture has evolved into litmus tests for political and social purity.  What one said or did in the past (forty years ago or forty hours ago) can ruin a lifetime of good deeds.

Let me share with you a little story in which I was a perpetrator and a victim. All on the same night.

The year was 1975 or 1976.  I as a young attorney in an office in Arvada, Colorado. The senior partner was the president of our county bar association. Back then there were but a handful of women lawyers and none were invited to the male only annual spring fling in Georgetown, Colorado. We caught a chartered school bus which drove us to a restaurant in Georgetown. There was a keg on the bus to get us to liquored up during the 45 minute drive.

We had several cocktails in the saloon before dinner and wine during dinner. We then went to the basement bar for entertainment by dancing girls. And more liquor. As I recall there were three black females who did individual dance sets while moving about the room sitting on male laps, touching the necks and other body parts in a very suggestive manner.

I heard several call outs from several men including a judge I had clerked for to "Get Gary!" to which I responded by moving across the room. The last dancer actually caught me and started in on me. I responded by grabbing her, kissing her, picking her up and kissing her breasts. She stuck her hands in my pants and grabbed me. The room full of attorneys roared with laughter and applause including my boss.

On the way back to Denver a Deputy District Attorney sat next to me on the school bus. His left hand touched my leg when he asked if I wanted to get together with him back at the Holiday Inn in Golden where our cars were parked. I did not respond. He said "Do you know what I mean?" I said I did. And I did not want to do that.

I look back on what I did to that female dancer with horror. In today's world it could be treated as sexual assault. Nobody else did what I did to her or the other women. I was acting out to disprove that I might be gay (which I was and am) by behaving totally inappropriate.  Of course, she did that same thing in return.  That does not justify either of our conduct.

What the Deputy DA did was worse. He made an actual sexual advance on a member of the same sex. This man later became a judge. What should I do? Should I out him for his conduct 35 years ago?  No. That would be wrong.

I worked for the federal government of a few years in the early 1990s. We were in Salt Lake City closing a savings and loan association. A longtime male employee of the FDIC was moved into our agency to supervise during the closing. He was a Puerto Rican male in his 40s. He repeatedly made crude remarks to a young girl on her first job out of college. She was terrified by his contact. I called my supervisor who was in Denver the first change I got on the Monday after the events. She was immediately assigned to some other task. He was not removed or admonished for his conduct even though everyone who witnessed it knew he was totally out of bounds.

A year later I was in some meeting. I remember this woman employee making suggestive comments about my butt.  Another time a guy asked me if I "worked out".  Of course these comments would make anyone feel uncomfortable. But are they by themselves a reason for a person to lose their job? I think not. Neither then nor now.

Women rightfully object to old white men in Washington or in state capitols making life and death decisions on women's reproductive rights. I don't understand how we got to a point that women have become the arbiters of male conduct to the point where jobs and careers are lost or destroyed.


I will miss Chris Matthews challenging guests to "Tell me something I don't know." He knew so much and challenged us all.

744 Windsor Lane, Key West - SOLD

Congratulations to The Sellers on the sale of 744 Windsor Lane, Key West. Closed March 2, 2020 $4,700,000.  This is my Sellers eight transaction using me as their Realtor. I appreciate their continued loyalty. 

I want to thank Cory Held and Jeffrey Grosky who worked with me on this listing and Joanne Allen of Berkshire Hathaway who represented the Buyers. The Buyers love this new home. 

I also want to thank Greg Oropeza for his legal services and total commitment to getting this deal completed. I know much of the public thinks selling houses and getting deals done is a cakewalk. it isn't. Greg went out of his way to help us complete this transaction. 

I have made friends with the Sellers over the past decade. It all started with my blog - this little blog about Key West real estate. And my goofy comments about life and politics. Thank you Dear Readers as well for following me and making Google know that I exist and that I am available to help others buy or sell a place in Key West.

Key West Open Houses - March 1st

1012 Varela Street 

912 Fleming Street

904 Washington Street

3700 Eagle Avenue

 I will be at 912 Fleming Street today.

1231 Flagler Avenue, Key West

I showed 1231 Flager Avenue in Key West a few days ago. As soon as I walked inside this 1,524 Sq Ft 1950s ranch style home I was taken by the gleaming restored terrazzo floors which put to shame so many of the new flooring we see today. These floors are both durable and stylish. The entire house
shows like gem.The home is located a little more than one block east of the tony Casa Marina Area where houses of similar size and age may sell for a million dollars more, this home is affordably priced at $895,000. Let's take look.

The house has just been been completely renovated including new roof, wiring, air conditioning, new kitchen and updated bathrooms, and triple pane impact windows and glass panel doors. The house is bright, shiny, and super clean. It is in perfect move-in condition.

The open concept living/kitchen/dining area is located at the front of the house. A door a the side leads out to the newly created covered outdoor living area while the hallway leads to the two guest bedrooms and later to the master suite at the rear.

What you see when you enter the master bedroom are glass doors on two sides opening out to the pool on one side and the covered outdoor living area on the other. The ceiling is vaulted adding a genuine feeling of height and spaciousness. The herringbone pattern wood floors are a counter-point to the terrazzo floors in the original portion of the house. What at first glance appears to be a fixed wall behind the bed is instead the backside of a floating closet. I loved this design. It made the room more user friendly. Well done!

When the curtains are pulled and glass doors shut, the master suite is totally private from the rest of the house. Another set of doors open out to the pool where moonlight madness awaits - or not.

The mechanical equipment is located on the east side yard so that the pool guy can come and go without disturbing the house or covered outdoor living area. The patch of grass is artificial, but the orchids in the trees and freshly planted foliage are real - as in real pretty. The pool is as clear as can be. This owner did a bang-up job. This house is worthy of looking at.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 1231 Flagler Avenue, Key West offered for sale at $895,000 or $587 per sq ft.  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. Higgs s Beach is a couple of minute bike ride to the south. What a way to start the day for everyday of the rest of your life.

Tales of Old Key West - The Fat Ladies of Eaton Lodge

This is a true story.

It is not about body shaming.

It just happened. That's all.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my move to Key West and the opening of Eaton Lodge guest house. I publish this blog on two sites and a couple of readers asked for more tales of events that happened there - kinda like the stories you would watch on the Bob Newhart Show.

We opened for business on Valentines weekend in 1994. The guesthouse sat vacant and boarded up for two years while it was in foreclosure.  We bought it in October at public auction; moved in the last week of December 1993; started cleaning and fixing things in January; and opened Valentines weekend. We went from five rooms the first couple of days to capacity within a week. We stayed full until May and then stayed near full through most of the summer and fall.

The guest house was and is still located about 200 feet east of Duval Street. We quickly discovered people would drive down to Key West from Miami without a reservation. The guest house is located on one of two streets that lead directly to Duval. Half the cars would pass by. People might see the vacancy side. Or they might have just seen the glory of the old house and said I want to stay there.

A mother and daughter showed up. The daughter had to be in her late 20s or 30s. Both were tall and really, really big. They stayed in room 5 on the second floor west front for several days. A day or two after they arrived we noticed a drip coming though the ceiling under their bathroom. The metal drain at the bottom of the fiberglass shower had popped. Water seeped through. That had not happened before. We presumed it was from all of their weight. We fixed the leak. They said nothing about that event or any thing else other than how much they loved their stay at Eaton Lodge.

Even though we had two full time maids, my partner or I would help clean rooms on days we had massive checkouts as we would have corresponding check-ins the same day. One of us cleaned room 5 and saw that the toilet seat had broken and was no longer attached to the toilet bowl. We asked the maid (actually a man) when this happened. He said on the first day of the ladies stay. He said they were too fat and deserved - It.  They sat on the toilet without a seat for their entire stay. We fired him.

It is funny, like in Newhart. It is sad, like in real life.  At least they enjoyed their stay.