1022 Washington Street - Casa Marina Area - Key West

 
Attention Bargain Hunters.  You know who you are. You are the guys and gals who use coffee breaks and late night internet searches trying to find a deal in Key West real estate. Most of the good deals got snapped up. Today's blog is about a deal that has evolved over time and that is now ready to be snapped up as well.

1022 Washington Street is located in the Casa Marina Area of Key West and particularly on one of the prettiest blocks in that area. I know. I live around the corner.  I love the tall mahogany trees, the giant palms, the majestic date palms, and all of the flowering trees of every sort that line the streets and populate the large yards in this section of town.

The house across the street - there goes the neighborhood

The house across the street has got to be one of the prettiest houses in all of Key West.  When I recently drove my buyers to look at 1022 Washington Street I remarked about the beauty of that house. When I got inside 1022 Washington I turned around to catch a glimpse of the neighbor.

1021 Washington Street

After I passed the threshold I turned around and  took the above photo so that you could imagine the pride you might feel in living in such a great location.

 
1022 Washington Street is a legal three unit property that sits in a predominant single family neighborhood. The main house is 2009 sq ft and has four bedrooms and three baths, a voluminous living room, and kitchen.  There is an adjacent two story house with a ground floor two bedroom apartment and a second floor one bedroom apartment with a total square footage of 1152 sq ft. The combined gross square footage of both buildings is 3250 sq ft. The lot is 71' wide by 94' deep for a total of 6603 sq ft. Access to the cottage apartments is via a walkway on the other side of the side fence.  Whether the cottage is used for income or forever appearing friends and family, whoever occupies the cottage won't interfere with whatever is going on inside the main house. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls database and to view listing photos.

The front door opens into the living room which has a vaulted ceiling and French doors that open out to the pool.  Two of the four bedrooms in the main house are located on the east side of the living area. The remaining bedrooms are located on the west side. The kitchen is at the east rear.

The lower level two bedroom apartment is shown above. The one bedroom second floor unit is shown below.

The main house and cottage were recently updated. I took photos of both living spaces and the yard and pool area. You can see those photos if you CLICK HERE 

The listing Broker describes this property as :

"Bright, open and airy single family home with pool totaling 4BD/3BA in the beautiful Casa Marina Area. Plus, a duplex in rear with private entrance comprised of two 2BD/1BA apartments. Very spacious floor plan with vaulted ceilings, lots of French doors and windows, new decks surrounding the home, brick walkways and a charming picket fence for privacy. Very clean and well kept with plenty of off street parking. One of the owner's is a licensed Florida Real Estate Agent but is not the listing agent."

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I did a quick comparison of sale prices in the Casa Marina Area for the past 18 months for single family homes and three to four units (which this could be).  There were 18 single family home sales that sold at an average price per sq ft of $464. This group included a couple of super-cheap short sales and a foreclosure. But it also included a recent sale of a single family home one block to the south for over $1,950,000. Most of the homes in the Casa Marina Area are larger single family homes on large lots. A new builder would not be able to build a similar multi-family unit like this on vacant land today.  For what it is worth, I believe a smart buyer might do some additional renovation to the main house, take down the two story building and create a covered outside loggia overlooking a newly expanded pool.  Key West has several very competent architects who could do some creative things to make this property fit into the area even better than it already does.

1022 Washington Street has been on the market for quite some time at a much higher price. The price has been dramatically reduced to $849,000.  I would love to show this property to a real bargain hunter who can appreciate the location and value of this property.  If you would like to see this home, or any other property in Key West, please call 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.

820 Whitehead Street - Old Town - Key West

820 Whitehead Street - September 2012

Don't let the rusty roof on the front part of 820 Whitehead Street in Old Town Key West fool you. The historic part of the property (that under the rusty roof) was totally renovated from piers to interior roof and wall to wall in 2005. The rear two story addition is totally new.

820 Whitehead Street in 1965

 I dug into the old shoe box and found a photo of the property taken in 1965.  If you compare the old to the new photos you will see the porch has been modified and the door moved from the right side to the left. The old concrete block wall has been replaced by a white picket fence. The front porch is now just that, a porch. The formal entry has been moved to the north side of the house.



The renovation of this house was done in concert with the renovation of two other small historic cottage homes and the construction to three other new cottages. 820 Whitehead Street and the five other cottage homes are part of a small condominium association that have a shared use agreement to use the pool and landscaped walkways between the properties.

 

The main floor provides an open living area with French doors that open outto the covered terrace that overlooks the pool.

The open kitchen is located just to the left of the main entry. The front of the house currently houses a law office (legally permissible as the property is zoned HMDR in case a new owner might want to live and work in the same location. (Cuts down on travel time for sure.)  That room does have access to the front porch from which you can see the Ernest Hemingway House across the street. The main floor bath is located between the kitchen and the main floor bedroom.

The floors in the living area are a beautiful grayish marble that is almost reminiscent of Cuban tile. The floors are stunning in their simplicity.

The master bedroom is located on the second floor. This space is a total surprise to first time viewers. Wow! The space is large and open. This room has a feeling of being much larger than it actually is. A set of French doors open onto a Romeo and Juliet balcony that overlooks the pool below.  What a view that is! The master bath adjoins. The floors on this level (and the stairway) are new rich oak - the real thing.

820 Whitehead Street is located just one block off Duval Street and across the street from Hemingway House. The Southernmost Point is located a few blocks south on Whitehead. The current entrance to Ft Zachary Taylor State Park and Beach is located just a couple of blocks to the north.  This is a great tourist location. I believe this property would make a great vacation rental. Four of the adjacent cottage homes are currently also available for purchase. None of the properties have been rented as vacation rental.

820 Whitehead Street has 970 sq ft under air and is offered at $449,900. The monthly condo fee is $668.99 and covers building maintenance and insurance, common area maintenance, and pool maintenance.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and listing photos. Then CLICK HERE to view a slideshow of photos I recently took of this property.  I think you will find that this house has a lot to offer and is priced to sell.

If you would like to see this property or any other property in Key West please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

1108 Fleming Street - Key West - Pretty as a Picture

1108 Fleming Street in Old Town Key West is pretty as a picture - and then more. It's the poster child for quintessential Key West charm. Now it is available for sale at $1,250,000.  The listing Realtor describes the new property thus:

"Beautiful historic conch home located in the heart of prestigious Old Town Key West.This classic three bedroom has a warm open floor plan with vaulted ceilings.The guest cottage has its own access and off street parking located on Curry Lane. The tropical pool area has plenty of room for entertaining.The pool separates the main house from the guest cottage."

The house is bright and cheerful from front to back and bottom to top. Every room is different, but the entire place flows evenly and with purpose. The great room at the rear of the main house invites you out to the pool. The guest cottage at the rear invites you to come in and get cozy.

1108 Fleming Street is located at the far end of Fleming Street. Duval Street is just a six or seven minute walk to Duval Street. You can walk to the Historic Seaport in about the same time. There are two neighborhood convenience stores on White Street. And there are numerous restaurants and cafes within a few minutes walk. If you are into the arts, The Armory is just one block away at the corner of White and Southard Street.

The house is laid out with one bedroom located at the front of the house on the main floor. The kitchen and great room occupy the rear area of the main floor. There you get a view of the pool, deck, and uber-cute guest cottage at the rear.  There is off street parking in the rear on Curry Lane. The master bedroom with sitting area or office is located on the second floor. The cottage at the rear has a bedroom and bath. The house and cottage have a combined total of 1604 sq ft of living space under air.

Main Floor Bedroom

Master Suite

Guest Cottage with Parking

Cottage looking toward the main house

CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to view listing photos. Better yet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this beautiful Key West home that really is Pretty as a picture. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your home in Paradise.

Back on the Market: 707 Southard Street - Key West

707 Southard Street - Old Town - Key West

The listing Realtor (who is also the owner) describes the cottage home at 707 Southard Street as

"Quintessential Conch Cottage in Best Old Town location. New baths, newly refinished wood floors, fully fenced, new mini split ac system, outdoor shower and laundry. Sit on the front porch and watch the world go by or lounge by the private pool. Original cook house. THIS IS IT! Location Location Location and cute as can be."  

This special little home at 707 Southard Street is located in the heart of Old Town Key West and is back on the market. (It's been on and off a couple of times since it was listed this spring.) You can't beat the location for convenience. Most of the neighboring homes are equally charming and certainly much more expensive. The asking price will fit the budget of many buyers who want a simple getaway place: asking $599,000.

 The house next door to the east is equally charming

707 Southard Street is painted a bright white. The blue shutters contrast the white so perfectly that the resultant appearance is crisp and clean. The front porch provides an excellent perch for viewing the continual people parade. I can imagine sitting there sipping an iced tea greeting passersby as they say things like "I love your home!" or other such words of praise and envy.

The house itself is small, just 606 sq ft. The living area is quite spacious and tastefully designed. Six over six window provide light on the south and east walls. The master bedroom is located front west. When the bedroom door is open the filtered light from that room adds additional light to the living area. So what one might assume to be a small space actually appears quite large. There is a smaller second bedroom at the rear. Both bedrooms have private baths. The dining area is nestled between the main house and the historic cook house at the rear which is housed in a smaller building. The cool pool is located to the west of the cook house. What a delightful place to spend the spring, or summer, or fall, or winter, or the rest of your life. 707 Southard Street may be everything you need in a picture perfect setting and located near where ever you want to go.  It would make a great vacation rental.  CLICK HERE to view photos I took of this charming cottage home.

Classic Key West construction

Sophisticated but not stuffy

Master bedroom (above) master en suite bath (below)

The second bedroom (below) has private bath and a view of the darling pool

Dining is nestled between the main house and cook house

The cook house is located in a separate building at the rear

The pool

Sarabeth's is just a block away to the west. The Cafe Marquesa is a five minute walk. The Monroe County Library is around the corner: perhaps a three minute walk or ten minutes if you stop to speak to neighbors. Five Brothers is located a couple of blocks east. You can be almost any place in Old Town within a five to fifteen minute walk. And that's why living here is so great.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to view the listing Realtors photos. Better yet, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a visit to see this place. Don't wait. This cottage home is one of the lower priced ready to move in homes in Old Town offered at the price point where many buyers are prepared to buy. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc.