3029 North Roosevelt Boulevard #25, Key West

3029 North Roosevelt Blvd. Unit No. 25 - Key West

There aren't that many homes, condos, or town homes in Key West which are actually located at waters edge or that even have water views.  As a rule properties that are located on the water are pretty darned expensive. Rules are made to be broken. The listing agent for Key Cove Town home Unit No. 25 describes this recently list home this way:

"Waterfront Townhome with Garage - Built in 2002 & renovated to the nines just two years ago. This 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom townhome is one of only 8 on the open water in the Key Cove development. No detail was spared...bamboo wood floors, California closets, stainless appliances, quartz counters and impact hurricane glass. On the ground level there is a 20' x 43' garage, large enough for a boat and two cars. The 1st living level features an open floor plan with a gorgeous kitchen, half-bath and French doors that open off the living room onto the covered waterfront porch. The upper level features the laundry room, three bedrooms, two full baths and a covered waterfront balcony off the master bedroom. Built new in 2002, the metal roof, Hardie plank siding and impact glass make this a very low-maintenance home with low insurance costs. There is a community pool and one dedicated off-street parking space in addition to the garage."

This unit is located at the very rear of the complex on waters edge. This unit and its nearby neighbors share a common Key West architecture that mimics the style of grand Conch houses of Old Town. But they have something the old places don't have - water views and modern construction materials and techniques designed to make living less expensive and more enjoyable. Unit # 25 was built in 2002. It has 1400 sq ft of interior living space divided between two floors. The main level has an open kitchen and great room plus a half bath. But it is the rear balcony with the water views that make this unit so appealing. And then it gets even better.

Upstairs you will find a very good sized master bedroom which is located at the rear. Imagine waking up in the morning and sitting on the rear balcony looking out to the Gulf of Mexico planning how you will spend the day. At sunset you may sit on the balcony again and contemplate your good fortune at owing a waterfront home in Key West. Two more bedrooms are located at the front and each has access to the front balcony. Those bedrooms share another bathroom.

View off the front balcony

Having covered off street parking is a luxury in Key West. This unit has two covered parking spaces plus additional storage.

The area behind these town homes is filled with trees, tropical foliage, and mangroves. There is space already cut out for you to have access for your kayak or small boat. The water here is very shallow, but that's why small craft function so well in places like this.

If you are looking for either a full time home or a getaway place in Key West, Key Cove town home #25 might be just what you have been looking for. It has great water views, a shared community pool, and it is afford-ably priced for the Key West market. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet on this unit which is offered at $699,000 or $499 per sq ft. Better yet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305.766.2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com to schedule a showing of this unit. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West. Break some rules, enjoy your life while you can.

1107 Southard Street, Key West, Florida

The newly listed house at 1107 Southard Street in Old Town Key West has been occupied by the same family for decades.  The last family member left the home in 2011 and it has sat vacant since then. It is now is available for purchase at the asking price of $549,000. The house still has some of the furniture and memorabilia that made this house a home for many years.

The house first appeared on the 1892 Sanborn Fire Map. I searched through my old shoe box and found the black and white photo above taken in 1965. The original vernacular style house was a typical one story home built upon piers. The front porch spanned the front facade from side to side. The home was plain Jane and had no ornamentation. The black and white photo shows a metal awning attached to the front to provide shade. That photo shows the original roof line had been modified to permit usage of the second floor as additional living space.  The side yard to the left provides additional outside space for the owners. A cistern was and still is located near the far end of the open space. The front portion provides off street parking. The metal awning exists no more. The original wood railings were replaced with CBS blocks. Cuban tiles now cover the front porch floor. Wrought iron bars give the front louvers an ominous aura.

The house is constructed of Dade County Pine which is for the most part in pretty good condition. All of the exterior and interior wood needs scraped, sanded, and painted, but the good thing is it has not been messed with.  I have seen a lot of older homes where the Dade County Pine was sand blasted, painted, faux painted, and so on. There's a clean palette of potential with wood in this home. I did not measure the first floor ceiling height but reckon it to be 8' or 9'. The second floor ceiling is much lower - probably less the 7'. The house has no insulation and no air conditioning. When you view the interior photos below you will quickly deduce the home needs all new electric and plumbing. The roof will need replaced as well.

If the photos scare you, don't let them. Many of the old houses in Key West looked like this before those houses were renovated. The jalousie windows will be replaced with approved wood casement windows.  The linoleum covered floors will likely be stripped and refinished. Once the electric and plumbing has been installed, the walls will likely be injected with insulation to make the house more energy efficient.

The second floor currently has two bedrooms, the main bathroom, and a storage room. You may have noticed there are no closets. This house is typical of the way houses used to function. These homes were for working people whose lives were lived much differently decades ago than the way we live today. During renovation some of the interior walls will be removed and living spaces relocated to other parts of the house. If a pool is created out of the old cistern, the existing first floor "front room" would probably get converted into a bedroom. The back of the first floor would likely become a great room with kitchen, dining, and living spaces combined. French doors would probably open out to a new deck which would extend directly out from the house. I think there is plenty of room on the second floor to create two good sized bedrooms each with en-suite baths. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this home.

While no two renovations can or should look alike, let me share with you how an owner of a very similar nearby vernacular home renovated a very similar second floor front bedroom. I think you will appreciate the height limitations and how this owner capitalized space maximization. Key West has a lot of very talented designers, architects, and general contractors that can help you create the Key West house of your dreams.

Southard Street gets a fair amount of daytime traffic. But that traffic gets drastically reduced after 5:00 PM when the courthouse and offices close for the day. Conch Trains and delivery trucks disappear from the streets as tourists move towards Mallory Square to view sunset or to head for dinner. The neighborhoods in Old Town return to the people who live there. This neighborhood includes the old Key West armory which is located at the corner of White Street. A fancy design store is located on the next corn at Frances Street. Cafe Sole, Azur, Michael's, and Mangia Mangia are all within easy walking distance. There is a neighborhood convenience store located one block north of the armory. And there are several gyms and yoga studios located within a five to seven minute walk.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 1107 Southard Street which is offered for sale at $549,000. 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. If you buy this home this year, you will have a Key West home for Christmas next year.

606 Grinnel Street, Key West

Just Listed, but not by me, 606 Grinnell Street in Old Town Key West. 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 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 the 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 the house was totally renovated and enlarged to add the rear addition and inclusion of the second floor attic space into the renovated structure.

The photos demonstrate that the front facade has pretty much stayed pretty much the same over the decades. The historic metal shingles still exist (or were replaced with like-kind). The old scuttle on the roof is still there. Scuttles were used before we had air conditioning to allow hot air to rise through the house and escape into the heavens. The color photo below shows the expansion of the old house and the newer addition. A small pool is at the rear. An agent in my office lives nearby. He told me watch as this house was taken almost to the ground and entirely rebuilt. A decorative railing replaced the basic original one. There are new doors and windows throughout the house. Inside, the floors are level and rooms divided into livable spaces the way we live today.

The front porch looks out to one of the best blocks in Old Town. This is because the Conch Trains and Trolley Cars can't maneuver the turn at the end of the street where Grinnell terminates at the Key West cemetery. Because of this there is much less traffic from all other sources as well. You'll still see tourists pedaling past on rented bikes and see neighbors walking their dogs to the doggie park at the end of the block, but the noise level will be greatly reduced compared to many other places.

Both the first floor and second floor apartments are tenant occupied. The first floor tenants use the front room as an office. A hallway leads to the rear addition where the great room includes the kitchen, living, and dining areas in one large space. French doors at the rear open out to the rear covered porch that looks out to the private pool at the rear.

The child's playhouse at the rear belongs to the tenant and is not included in the purchase of this home. Perhaps the new owner can create something similar for that special child or grand child. 

The second floor apartment is accessed via side entrance. The main living area of the apartment is quite large and provides shared living, dining, and kitchen spaces.The bedroom is located at the front. 

Double doors open out to the second floor covered balcony. This balcony provides a lot of quality outdoor living space many apartments in Old Town do not have. One of the reasons people move to Key West is to enjoy our wonderful climate. Whoever lives in this apartment will be able to enjoy the great outdoors in style. CLICK HERE to view more photos I recently took of this property.

Many potential buyers seeking a second home in Key West want a place they can rent out to help cover some of the costs of home ownership. A new owner of this property could keep one unit for him or her self and rent out the other. The downstairs unit would rent for more money because it has use of the pool. Rental income from the upper level unit ought to pay all insurances, taxes, and maintenance costs.  Either way, a new owner keep one unit for personal use and rent the other.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos on 606 Grinnell Street which is offered for sale at $1,200,000. 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.