901 Grinnell Street - Old Town Home with Transient Rental License

Just listed, but not by me, 901 Grinnell Street in the Old Town area of Key West. There are three reasons this house will go under contract very quickly: (1) the location; (2) the price- just $695,000; and (3) the Transient Rental License which makes is permissible to rent this home on a daily basis every day of the year. Read on.

The listing Realtor describes this home like this:

"Wonderful Old Town historic home with transient license loaded with Key West Charm. Gorgeous Dade County Pine walls, high ceilings, open floor plan and large pass-through windows from kitchen to the outdoors. Lush tropical yard boasts a large second floor balcony providing breezes throughout the day. Heated pool, outdoor shower, and desirable location make this the Quintessential Old Town Key West retreat."

The house sits on the corner of Olivia Street and Grinnell Street. The Key West Cemetery is across the street. Olivia Street is a small one-way street more often used by locals than tourists. It is an active little street for bikers and pedestrians but not so much so for cars. I don't recall ever seeing a Conch Train or Trolley Car there. The views from the second floor deck that overlook the cemetery are wonderful. Readers may not appreciate the wonderful expansive Key West skies because so much to town is closed in by really tall trees and neighboring homes. This place is the opposite. It has commanding views of the skies. And this is a view that will never, ever change. CLICK HERE to view exterior photos.

The house itself is pretty much as the listing Realtor describes: Dade County Pine walls with open living area and lots of charm. CLICK HERE to view the mls datasheet and to view more photos of the house and grounds.

A lot of second home buyers want the opportunity to rent their home when they are not using it. This place might meet your needs if you are seeking a place like this. Duval Street is a five minute walk to the west. Truman Avenue is one block to the south. The White Street arts district is a five minute walk to the east. This is the area with the highest concentration of gyms and yoga studios. Faustos Food Palace is located on White Street as are lots of great neighborhood hot spots. The Atlantic Ocean is perhaps a seven minute bike ride. Likewise, you could walk or ride to the Historic Key West Seaport in about the same time. Tourists will find this an easy location to get to their favorite places.


If you are looking for a second home in Key West and want to be able to rent it to help pay for the purchase, this charming little home with a valuable Transient Rental License may be what you have been waiting for. Please consider contacting me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to help you find your place in Paradise. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida. Our office is the Exclusive Lower Florida Keys affiliate of Christie's Great Estates. This house is not an estate, but boy would it be great to own!

713 Windsor Lane - Key West Writer's Compound

713 Windsor Lane in the Key West Writer's Compound

Just listed, but not by me, a charming cottage a most desirable location: The Key West Writer's Compound - more particularly 713 Windsor Lane. This is how the listing Realtor describes this treasure:

" Quiet Cigar Maker's Cottage in a secluded community of 11 homes reserved for those who enjoy peaceful living and are 55 years of age or older. Main home is a 2 bedroom , 2 bath with porches in both the front & rear and upstairs is a 1 bedroom, 1 bath apartment with tree top views of the meticulously maintained grounds. Both kitchens and all bathrooms have been newly renovated with wooden cabinets & granite counter tops. This tropical oasis enjoys a huge shared pool and deck area."

713 Windsor Lane as it appeared in 1965

The black and white photo above was taken of the property in 1965 before the compound was created. The Monroe County Property Appraiser's records show that this property was totally renovated in 2003. I remember submitting a near 100% asking price offer on this property to the developer who quickly turned it down. My buyer was beside himself at not getting this property. Today, this 1488 sq ft duplex is offered at $525,000 or $353 per sq ft. CLICK HERE to review the mls datasheet and to view the listing photos.

The Key West Writer's Compound is "hidden behind the white stucco wall, is a collection of once run-down shacks and shanties, frame cottages perched upon limestone piers, later restored as the winter residences of such literary luminaries as poet Richard Wilbur [former U.S. Poet Laureate], critic John Ciardi, writer Ralph Ellison and Hiroshima author John Hersey. There are several literati compounds in Old Town,and this complex, established in 1976, with its landscaped walkways and a central pool, is one of the most charming. Wilbur won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry and is renowned for his translations of Moliere; Ciardi, a critic, also translated Dante’s Divine Comedy; Ralph Ellison wrote The Invisible Man; and John Hersey, taught at Yale for 18 years and won the Pulitzer Prize for his writing debut, A Bell for Adano." (From SeekKeyWest.com with Sharon Wells.)

( I sold the Hersey home earlier this year. It was still filled with Hersey's furniture, art, books, and general stuff. I sat in the chairs in the living room and felt like I was in another era.)

The compound itself is an assemblage of other cottages that were built for the Key West working class. They were nothing extra-ordinary. I see the simplicity of their construction as perhaps the biggest reason the writers chose to congregate there. Today a large fence sets the compound apart from the street. Two large gates open onto a wide bricked walkway that navigates pedestrians to each of the homes in the compound. There is a large pool located near the east side of the property. I don't recall ever seeing anyone actually swimming there, however. I do recall admiring the great views of specimen trees and brightly colored foliage. The compound would be a treasure on its own even if the notable writers had never lived there. But they did and that sets this property apart and makes the compound very notable.

The red X marks the location of 713 Windsor Lane (above photo)

The top of Solares Hill is just a couple of houses to the west of 713 Windsor Lane. 713 Windsor Lane is located in the X Zone for flood insurance purposes. Flood insurance is not required in the X Zone. Since units in the Writer's compound are classified as land based condos, as an owner you would have to buy your own property insurance including flood, windstorm, fire and general liability. The duplex at 713 Windsor Lane is part of a land based condo association for common area ownership purposes but the building itself is located on a piece of ground that is owned in fee simple estate. (Just like your home up north in America.)

Looking eastward toward the Key West Cemetery from Windsor Lane at William St.

Looking westerly up Windsor Lane near the William Street intersection

The famous Solares Hill Grocery (now called Charlie's Grocery-see photo below) is located near the summit of the hill (elevation 18 feet) at 648 William (corner of William and Windsor Lane). It's the only store or commercial enterprise for several blocks. You could send "Lovey" for a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, coffee or cigarettes and think nothing of it.

Charlie's Grocery is located just around the corner from the Writer's Compound

The Writer's Compound is just a few short blocks walk to the Historic Key West Seaport to the north or a three block walk to Duval Street to the west. That's part of the joy of living in a great location like the Writer's Compound: you can be anywhere important within a few minutes.

If you are looking a a great place in a great location at a really great price, this property may be exactly what you are looking for. Remember, at least one owner must be at least 55 years of age to be able to buy into this compound. No children under 18 are permitted at the pool-ever. If you have little grand kids or nieces the nephews, this won't work. Otherwise, this is a place to consider. Call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida.

The Curry House - Key West Guest House

The first floor veranda welcomes you to The Curry House

Just re-listed, The Curry House - not to be confused with the Curry Mansion.

This is how the listing Realtor describes this Key West classic (and classy) accommodation:

"Great new price! Boasting classic Old Town Key West charm, the historic Curry House Bed and Breakfast offers a unique opportunity to own one of the few B&B's with a commercial kitchen to provide hot meals to guests. Built in 1889, this charming three-story house has 9 guest rooms, wrap-around porches, private verandas, parlor and spacious rear patio opening onto the large heated pool and gardens. Rooms feature hardwood floors, Dade county pine, refrigerators, cable TV, phone, wireless internet, A/C and ceiling fans. Located 3 blocks to Duval Street and the Historic Seaport, this alluring B&B welcomes gratified guests year after year. 8 transient licenses and managers unit. Turn-key operation."

The current owners prepare a cooked to order breakfast served poolside

The Curry House is all of the above and more. Let me start my remarks by getting a bit nostalgic. I've mentioned before that I learned of Key West by an article I read in After Dark Magazine sometime in the 1970s. After I read about Key West I needed more info and as luck would have it a story soon appeared in The Advocate Magazine. The article said Key West was the new gay travel destination. The article included info on the Curry House which was the first all gay guest house in town. There were photos and the story of how the two owners bought an old mansion and turned it into a gay guest house. Later, when I was making my plans for my first visit to Key West, I called to book a room at the Curry House. Couldn't do it. There was no room at that inn because it was solidly booked. After I got to Key West I did walk past the place and was very impressed. I was happy with were I stayed but I also felt I missed out on something better.

The Curry House has traded owners the 25 years since my first visit. The current owners converted the Curry House into an "all welcome" guest house meaning it is no longer exclusively gay male. They added four poster beds in most rooms and did a bit of necessary updating. They replaced the old pool with a new one, and boy does it look enticing. (See the photo below.) The other photo below shows a view from the second floor rear veranda. What a view it is! All but one of the guest rooms have direct access to an outside porch right off the guest room.

The new pool as seen from the second floor veranda

Looking south from the second floor veranda - isn't it lovely?

This is the front second floor veranda looking out to Fleming Street

The Curry House is located on guest house row at 806 Fleming Street. Other guest houses on Fleming Street include The Oasis, The Coral Tree Inn, Coconut Grove, The Equator, Alexander's, The Island House, and Nassau House. The Frances Street Bottle Inn, the Island City Guesthouse, and the Popular House are also located nearby. The location is great for visitors because it is close to the Historic Key West Seaport where you will find great restaurants, fishing, para sailing, and snorkeling trips. Duval Street is just four blocks to the west. It's an easy trek back to the room even after a night of too much pasta or too many cocktails.

CLICK HERE to checkout the mls datasheet and to view lots of photos of The Curry House. The Curry House is offered at $2,950,000.

Some readers may know that I eventually purchased and ran a guest house in Key West. I have sold others as a buyer's agent. I think I have some valuable insight that I can add to help a serious buyer decide if the Curry House or any other guest house might work for a particular buyer. If you are thinking of buying a guesthouse in Key West, please consider working with me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West. Thirty years ago you had to wait for a magazine to tell you about far away places like Key West. Today the Internet can provide lots of information by the click of a link. Having a Realtor who used to own and run a guest house might prove useful to a buyer seriously considering making the move to Key West.

Key West Foreclosure Update and More

There has been a lot of discussion in the media recently over the large number of foreclosures. Below you can read my thoughts about what is happening in Key West.

I made my own inquiry in the Monroe County Clerk's online records for September 2010 and compared the results to September 2009. I did a very superficial review of two fields that show the filing of new foreclosures (which occurs with the filing of a Lis Pendens). I did a similar review to determine how many Certificates of Title were recorded. (A Certificate of Title is the document by which the Court approves after the sale of property at public auction through judicial foreclosure. (The judge basically looks at the file to determine the rules were followed and the property was sold to the highest bidder.)

There were 70 new Lis Pendens filed in Monroe County in the month of September 2010. Only 17 of those Lis Pendens were for properties located in Key West ( including Stock Island). There were a whopping 152 Lis Pendens filed in Monroe County in September 2009. I counted 42 Lis Pendens filed against homes in Key West plus 8 timeshare units in September 2009.

Number of Lis Pendens Filed Sep 1 to Oct 1, 2009 all of Monroe County 152
Number of Lis Pendens Filed Sep 1 to Oct 1, 2010 all of Monroe County 70
Percentage Difference - .46% reduction

There were a total of 34 Certificates of Title issued by the Circuit Court in Monroe County in September 2010, but only 11 of those sales were for properties located in Key West. Furthermore, and definitely worth noting, 9 of the 11 Certificates of Title were for time share units. Only two of the Certificates of Title for residential properties in Key West. The number of Certificates of Title in 2009 for all of Monroe County was 64. Key West only had 18 Certificates of Title issued and 3 of those were for timeshares.

Number of Certificates of Title September 1 to October 1, 2009 64
Number of Certificates of Title September 1 to October 1, 2010 34
Percentage Difference - .53% reduction


For the readers who want to challenge my take on what is going on, have at it. I do invoke the admonition of Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC who says you are entitled to your own opinion but not own facts. Interpret the data as you want.

Maybe I am missing something but it looks to me like Key West has made a significant recovery over the same time period a year ago. There have been a couple of items in the media over the last couple of days where it was noted that JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America are suspending new foreclosures for a while. I noticed (and previously mentioned) the reduced numbers of new foreclosure filings. This has been occurring for the past few months. The reduced number of Lis Pendens substantiates this. I really think we are beginning to see a decline in the real number of new foreclosures.

There will, however, continue to be new short sales and new bank owned properties. The Monroe County Circuit Court is slowly working its way through a large number of previously filed foreclosures where the owners are contesting the lenders' right to take back the houses or condos that were not paid for. Most of these cases will likely be resolved in favor of the lender and probably end up as bank owned properties. The decrease in new foreclosure filings does not mean an end to the foreclosure crisis. It just won't be as bad as it was.

Sales at the Key West Golf Course have reversed course and prices are on the rise. Not by a lot and not in all cases. But prices are going up, not down.

Expect to see prices for single family homes in Old Town start to rise by December. Each year sellers put new properties on the market just ahead of the arrival of the snowbirds. Season (that time between Christmas and Easter) is prime selling time when buyers with money come to find new winter nests. Some bring lots of money and decorators. Others bring big hopes and the desire to get a good deal.

Most of the new listings I have been writing about for the past few months have been bank owned and short sales. I expect many of the new listings of nicer Old Town and Casa Marina area homes will be real world sales where the seller is not trying to sell a distressed property. You must remember that not all sellers are in trouble. These new sellers will add properties at higher price points. I know many readers follow our mls listings like hawks. Get ready for sticker shock. The supply of "nice" houses is low.

Houses that have not sold did not sell for a reason. It could be that they have been priced too high, but it could also be because of where they are located or that they required too many repairs. Nice costs more. Good location costs more. No work, very nice, great location costs a lot more.

If you are looking for a short sale property, a bank owned home or condo, or a stately Old Town property, please consider working with me, Gary Thomas. I am a buyer's agent. You can reach me at 305-766-2642 or by email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida. Our office is the Lower Florida Keys Exclusive Affiliate of Christie's Great Estates.

...hold the chicken...

I was showing property the other day and had a few minutes to kill between appointments. I asked my buyer if he would like a cup of coffee. Yes, he replied. So I drove over to Sandy's Cafe at the corner of White at Virginia. I had been at the same place at about the same time the day before. The guy behind the counter who waited on me then was helping another customer. A new guy looks at me and asked me what I wanted.

I said "One small cafe con leche with two sugars and a decaf." He asks "Sugar?" and I said sugar in the con leche but not the decaf. He walks to the coffee machines and starts the laborious process of freshly brewing coffee just for me. He bangs, cleans, adds coffee, turns on the machine, grabs the machine and fiercely jerks it. He removes the small coffee brewer and pours the hot coffee into a small white Styrofoam cup. He added the milk and sugar then put on the top. He placed the cup in front of me. Beat. Then I asked where the decaf was. He said "We only have decaf for con leche decaf." I replied I did not want the decaf con leche, only the decaf. He removed the coffee can from the shelf over the coffee machines as if to prove to me that he did indeed have decaf coffee. But then he said they do not sell decaf coffee, only decaf con leche.

Since I ordered the exact same thing the day before with no trouble at all, I was perplexed by my inability to get the same thing a day later. But I did not lose my cool. Instead, I remembered Jack Nicholson in a similar situation many years ago. I was attending law school when I saw the movie Five Easy Pieces. I was the legal staff assistant to Judge Frank Jamison and Diane Primavera was his Division Clerk (secretary) at that time. Diane asked me "Gary, have you seen Five Easy Pieces?" I said "I've never seen one easy piece."

In the movie Five Easy Pieces Jack Nicholson's character (Dupea) is in a diner and wants to order plain wheat toast which is not on the menu but which is easily made. Dupea had an easy way of getting to win:

Dupea: I'd like a plain omelet, no potatoes, tomatoes instead, a cup of coffee, and wheat toast.

Waitress: No substitutions.

Dupea: What do you mean? You don't have any tomatoes?

Waitress: Only what's on the menu. You can have a number two - a plain omelette. It comes with cottage fries and rolls.

Dupea: Yeah, I know what it comes with. But it's not what I want.

Waitress: Well, I'll come back when you make up your mind.

Dupea: Wait a minute. I have made up my mind. I'd like a plain omelet, no potatoes on the plate, a cup of coffee, and a side order of wheat toast.

Waitress: I'm sorry, we don't have any side orders of toast...an English muffin or a coffee roll.

Dupea: What do you mean you don't make side orders of toast? You make sandwiches, don't you?

Waitress: Would you like to talk to the manager?

Dupea: ...You've got bread and a toaster of some kind?

Waitress: I don't make the rules.

Dupea: OK, I'll make it as easy for you as I can. I'd like an omelet, plain, and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast, no mayonnaise, no butter, no lettuce. And a cup of coffee.

Waitress: A number two, chicken sal san, hold the butter, the lettuce and the mayonnaise. And a cup of coffee. Anything else?

Dupea: Yeah. Now all you have to do is hold the chicken, bring me the toast, give me a check for the chicken salad sandwich, and you haven't broken any rules.

Waitress: You want me to hold the chicken, huh?

Dupea: I want you to hold it between your knees.

Waitress: Do you see that sign, sir? Yes, you'll all have to leave. I'm not taking any more of your smartness and sarcasm.

Dupea: You see this sign? [He sweeps all the water glasses and menus off the table]

The guy at Sandy's finally gave in and brewed a full cup of decaf with no con leche or sugar. I must have been there five to seven minutes. We barely made our next appointment on time. But we had a great laugh on the way. And I still haven't seen one easy piece. Nothing is easy.

817 Eaton Street - Old Town - Key West

817 Eaton Street - Old Town - Key West

Just Listed, but not by me, 817 Eaton Street Unit 1, Key West, Florida. This unit is one of five total units in this 2003 renovated condo project right in the heart of Old Town. This is a ground floor unit so you will not have lots of stairs to climb. The listing agent describes this property this way:

"Beatiful, well maintained one bedroom condominium in the Heart of Old Town. Walking disctance to all that Old Town Key West has to offer."

817 Eaton Street as it appeared in 1965

The original house at 817 Eaton Street (shown above) was built in 1892. It was altered a bit over the years and converted into condominiums in 2003. Four of the units are located in the Eaton Street building and the fifth unit is in a two story stand alone carriage house located on Gecko Lane. Gecko Lane is the small lane just to the left of the telephone pole in the photo. You would be surprised at the beautiful homes at the end of this inconspicuous lane . There is off street parking for four cars CLICK HERE. (The mls listing data sheet states that parking is not included with this unit. I would point out that other units I have shown have also declined to state that parking "is included" in the other units. The condo conversion was thoughtful. Each of the units has a good layout with comfortable living spaces. This unit has a front porch for outside living space. There is no pool or other common outside area.

Unit 1 has a first floor front porch view

CLICK HERE to review the mls data sheet and to view the mls listing photos. This 805 sq ft unit has a large space that occupies most of the first floor of this property. The unit has one bedroom and one bath. The rooms are good sized. The walls are Dade County Pine and the floors are genuine oak--not the new fangled engineered kind, either. The asking price on this BANK OWNED Condominium is $242,900.

Readers, this is another property priced to sell quickly. If you snooze on this one, you will lose. If you are looking for a good sized condo in Old Town within walking distance to everything Old Town has to offer, this may be the property you have been waiting for. I know a lot of people say they must have a pool. I get it. Finding a nice unit this large at this price with a pool is problematic. I have a very viable and very affordable alternative. Buy this place and walk two blocks to Dante's. For the price of a couple of drinks, you can lay by the pool CLICK HERE all day long at the Conch Harbor Marina. A lot of locals do it. You might even meet somebody to brighten your life there. Your condo assocation fees won't be as high but your bar bill may be higher-lol.

CLICK HERE to do your own price and feature comparison shopping for units in all of Key West priced under $245,000. Note some of the units are short sales so there is no guarantee those units can be purchased for the price offered. If you would like to see 817 Eaton Street, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida.

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Beautiful Arts & Crafts Style House - Bank Owned - 830 Simonton Street - Key West

This Old House as it looked in 1965

A local bank owns the old house pictured immediately above. The old black and white photo was taken in 1965. Until a couple of months ago this property looked a little worse for wear. The years took their toll. Owners came and went. And then the lender did what lenders do when loans are not repaid as agreed: it foreclosed. But instead of letting a decent asset sit and fester like a lot of Big Banks that are Too Big To Fail do, the local bank did the unthinkable: it fixed it up. Not a little but not all the way. But it did enough to make potential buyers see the real potential of this very attractive arts and crafts style home that was built in 1943. Take a look at her now, below.

Above Photos taken March 25, 2010 - Key West

This property is located at 830 Simonton Street near Truman Avenue. It is zoned HNC-1 which is short for Historic Neighborhood Commercial-1. Uses for this zoning include include residential (including single family, duplex, and multi-family) and limited commercial including professional offices, banking and financial services, personal service shops, specialty shops, limited retail, transient accommodations and guest cottages. Rather than rely on what I write, do your own investigation to determine suitability for the use you intend. CLICK HERE to read the City of Key West zoning ordinances and consult with your own attorney. Just because some use may be permissible does not mean you will necessarily be able to do what you want.

Photo from kitchen looking through proposed bath No. 2 and into second bedroom

Photo from living room through dining area with kitchen beyond

This 1204 sq ft building (County Appraiser records) sits on a corner lot (47.33' frontage X 58.07 ' deep or 2,756 sq ft). The building has just been painted and it looks fantastic. The roof is new; the front railing on the front porch is new; the retaining wall is new; the electric is new. All of the windows are original. They all work properly! The contractors that worked on this house did a really professional job on the projects they did. The interior is currently framed for three bedrooms, two baths, and a kitchen. A laundry closet already has been framed and plumbed and awaits drywall. Extensive building plans are available. It looks to me like the interior spaces could be changed fairly easily. But I'm not builder so any buyer needs to determine how "easy" easy can be and how expensive "easy" can be as well. There is one off street parking space. After the interior is completed, put up a nice fence, add some nice plants, and you could have one sweet looking old house in Old Town Key West. Although it is doubtful that you could get a transient license, you could rent this house as a legal vacation rental. It's proximity to Duval Street with three bedrooms and off street parking make this a great candidate for a vacation rental. CLICK HERE to checkout the mls listing datasheet and to view mls listing photos. Or you can CLICK HERE to view photos I took of this property.

This arts and crafts style house is Bank Owned and is offered at $399,000 "as is". Please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 for more information. This property is not in the mls. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida.

210 Golf Club Drive - The Sanctuary - Bank Owned with Panache

Sand Flaps for the Sand Traps!

210 Golf Club Drive - The Sanctuary - Key West

The relatively new bank owned property located at 210 Golf Club Drive may be the the "ideal deal" you have been looking for. This single family home is located in The Sanctuary at the Key West Golf Club. Driving through The Sanctuary is like taking a Universal or Disney Studios tour bus through a movie back lot. Each single family is just a bit different than the next, but every home has the traditional two story Key West Conch style architecture. Every front yard has a classic white picket fence. The one-way drive loops the development. Either side of Golf Club Drive is lined with mature palms and specimen trees. It's prettier than the set of Desperate House Wives and it is located in Key West.


This is how the listing Realtor describes 210 Golf Club Drive:

"Key West Island Style Home In The Sanctuary At The Key West Golf Club-lovely Community, This Single Family Has 2 Bedrooms With En Suite Baths, A Private Courtyard Patio With Dip Pool And Covered Assigned Parking."

Here is my take: this 1120 square foot home sits on a 1939 sq ft lot on great street. No doubt about that. The main floor is one big open living area with kitchen. There is not a lot of pizazz about that. There are two nice sized bedrooms with en-suite baths on the second floor. Each bedroom has abundant light on three sides plus each of the bathrooms has a separate window. Even though this house was only built in 2000, it does have some termite damage and some what looks to be wood rot. But neither of those factors should deter a serious buyer. This home is bank owned. This has been listed previously by two different agents. The property is now priced to sell at $314,900 or $281 per sq ft. (It is certainly priced more reasonably than before!) CLICK HERE to read more detailed info and to view more photos.

The covered parking space is located adjacent to the rear gate of 210 Golf Club Dr.

Please CLICK HERE to view photos of the golf course and this particular property.

This Bank Owned house is not occupied and can be shown at almost any time. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305.766.2642 to schedule a showing. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida. Somebody is going to buy this place in Paradise. Might that someone be you?

Calling Lt. Columbo

I have always been a mystery fan. I loved to watch Perry Mason outwit Hamilton Burger, the District Attorney who was an ineffective prosecutor, and Lt. Tragg, the defective police detective.

Jessica Fletcher had the same knack for outsmarting the tricksters that portrayed themselves as altar boys only to be unmasked as murders in the final minutes of each episode.

My favorite was Lt. Columbo. If you saw Lt. Columbo walk into a room you might dismiss him because he always wore that shabby trench coat. He had a distrust of the wealthy. Lie as they might and have all kinds of excuses corroborated by their wealthy friends, the rich were no match for the Lieutenant who always had to ask "Just one more thing..." It was at that moment we at home knew that Columbo had figured out how the the rich sonofabitch with a concocted alibi had committed the near perfect crime. We relished in the fact that the bad guy would not get away with his evil deed.

A couple of months ago I noticed scaffolding had been erected around a genuine Key West landmark house - the Indian block house located at 936 United Street (corner of Grinnell and United Streets). The property is subject to the HARC (Historic Architectural Review Guidelines) adopted by the City of Key West. CLICK HERE to read the guidelines. You can even download and print a copy for your records.

936 United Street as it appeared in 1965

The guidelines are designed to give notice to owners of real property (and to the public) as to what they can and cannot do to their property because of location in the Key West historic district or because a property has been designated as significant. I advise buyers to consult local real estate lawyers, architects, and city officials to determine what it permissible and that which is not.

I have an out of state buyer who has been looking for a fixer-upper. We found one house that has a massive two tier porch somewhat like the one at 936 United Street. I started taking periodic photos of the renovation that I thought was going to occur. The first photos I took showed the original columns, railings, and spindles that had fallen into grave disrepair. Sometimes wood is salvageable. But so many elements of the porch were in such bad repair, I assumed the entire porch would have to be replaced. I thought it would be great to chronicle the old features as they were replicated. It would have. That's not what happened. You can view all of the photos if you CLICK HERE. (The most recent photos appear at the front and proceed backward.)

936 United Street Street at the start of the renovation in June 2010

Close-up of a delicate second level spindle

The delicate lines of the original columns

A couple of weeks ago I went by the house to take some pics to update the progress. I noticed that new columns had been installed. Except they were not the same as the originals which were turned or rounded. The new columns were 6" x 6" squared. That did not make sense to me. I know HARC is a stickler for compliance to the guidelines. It is my understanding that HARC provides a written description of what is to be done with each property. Substitutions and changes need to be approved by HARC. I sent an email with photos attached to a HARC commissioner who forwarded the photos to the HARC official at city hall. I was told that HARC had approved a plan where the original columns would be replaced by new turned columns. I was relieved. (See below.)

At the end of last week I went by the house to take more new photos and noticed that the three surviving original turned columns had been removed and were replaced by new squared columns. I contacted the HARC official at city hall who responded:

'The HARC members approved a final version of a turned wood column that will replicate the original ones, but the smallest profiles of the round column will be slightly larger than the original ones due to actual building code. The building department requested the contractor to secure the two story balconies due to hurricane and school season. The columns that are installed are not final columns.

HARC approved turned wood columns and we are waiting for final shop drawings from the supplier who will be fabricating the columns. We want to make sure that the final columns are as close as possible as the original ones.'

Yesterday I drove past the house on my way to an appointment. I noticed that new railings were being attached to the squared columns and that final trim was placed at the bottom of the squared columns. I'm no Columbo but I suspected something was not right about what I saw. I went back to the house an hour later to take pics and saw even more railing had been installed during the short interim. I took new pics and sent them to the City of Key West late Wednesday.

The photo below is what 936 United Street used to look like in June 2010 when it had turned columns and delicate little spindles that decorated the graceful curved porch. The curves of the Indian block, the porch, the columns, the spindles all worked together to create a beautiful Key West landmark house.

936 United Street June 27, 2010

The photo immediately below is how the house looked yesterday. Quite a remarkable difference.

936 United Street September 22, 2010

CLICK HERE to see that actual HARC application and "approval" for the work at 936 United Street. You can download and print it for easier viewing. Take the time to take a look. If you are in Key West you might want to drive by 936 United Street to see for yourself.

Just one more thing, if you have any thoughts or comments about what is going on at 936 United Street in Key West post them below.