The Ghost of Christmas Present - Key West 2012

"Come in, -- come in! and know me better, man! I am the Ghost of Christmas Present. Look upon me! You have never seen the like of me before!"
-- Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

 I normally write about the positive things in Key West. After all, I am trying to find buyers for houses in my little town. But today I feel compelled to warn of the worst nightmare new visitors and long time travellers will face in Key West this year and for at least a year or two to come: virtual gridlock.  "Balderdash!", you say. "Nay, 'tis the truth." I reply.  And I have pics to prove it.

The State of Florida Highway Department started a two year project to improve US 1 from the eastern entrance onto the Island of Key West to the corner of White Street and Truman Avenue at the west.  US 1 is now a one way (west bound) two lane road from the east of Key West to Palm Avenue.

As you approach Key West you will have two choices to make as to which direction to take.  Turn Right if you wish to drive to Old Town. This is still the easiest and fastest route. If you are staying at any of the Atlantic Ocean side resorts such as the Doubetree, Sheraton, or Casa Marina, turn Left and proceed on South Roosevelt Boulevard. Travel on South Roosevelt is not affected by the construction delays.

If you are headed toward Old Town be advised that there may be active construction on the right side of the roadway. A concrete barricade separates traffic from the construction, but the big equipment and commotion may serve as a distraction while driving.

 
 Businesses on the left side of the road are still open. Ingress and egress is much more difficult as traffic tends to speed by making turns more difficult. It helps to know where you want to go and to be ready to turn at the appropriate time.

Right after I took this pic a woman on a bike went to the ground

 

Finding businesses on the right can be difficult if you are not familiar with Key West. And even locals who know the general location of businesses may have difficulty finding turning lanes.  The highway department has installed blue signs that advise of turn lanes to specific businesses such as Home Depot Walgreen's. These turn lanes are small so you need to slow down to make the turn. If you overdrive the turn location, you may have to drive around the island to get back. This is not an overstatement.

When you make it to the intersection of Palm Avenue you have the option of driving forward on N. Roosevelt which becomes Truman Avenue about six blocks to the west (at the corner of Eisenhower Drive).  At this point the road becomes a two way street again.  Or, you can turn right onto Palm Avenue which becomes Eaton Street in about ten blocks. Either Truman or Eaton will get you into the heart of Old Town where you should park your car and leave it. 

Two lanes suddenly become only one going forward! And that lanes becomes two way traffic!

 If you must leave Old Town for fishing trip, a round of golf, or some shopping or dinning you need to be warned that going east is more difficult than coming into Old Town. Flagler Avenue is the only road that goes from White Street to the east side of the island.

White Street has become very congested, especially around the time when the Glen Archer School children go home for the afternoon or anytime when a Conch Train or trolley go through this busy corridor. Both the crossing guard and the tour operators slow normally slow traffic to a near standstill. Be prepared to wait.

When you get to corner of Flagler Avenue at 1st Street (which becomes Bertha Street) you will probably sit through one or two traffic cycles which take several minutes.  As you head east on Flagler be prepared to stop again as school traffic guards let the high school kids out and impose the 15 mph speed limit.

Look for the blue signs on Flagler that advise you where to turn to reach businesses on North Roosevelt.  Drive slowly as you will be going through residential neighborhoods with lots of stop signs and kids on bikes. South Roosevelt is an alternative to Flagler Avenue, but it does not provide any access other areas.

 Marley is still dead: to finish.  Key West is alive and a wonderful place to call home. If you have to drive here, be safe. When you get here, walk or ride a bike.  Have a Happy Holiday in-spite of the Ghost of Christmas Present that the Florida Highway Department has bestowed upon us. 

1124 Stump Lane - Old Town - Key West

1124 Stump Lane was built circa 1890 and rests near mid block on one of the slow lanes of Old Town Key West.  Stump Lane runs parallel with Southard Street to the south. It starts at White Street and ends at Frances Street. It's only one block long and many locals do not know its name or location.  Residents on this lane are never bothered by Conch trains or trolley cars and only rarely do tourists pass by the houses.  And that is a good thing.

1124 Stump Lane as it appeared in 1965

The listing Realtor describes 1124 Stump Lane as "Completely renovated Charming Conch Cottage. Rebuilt and reinforced from top to bottom. Updated kitchen and bath, Central AC, double pane insulated windows and doors. Beautiful restored Dade County Pine and 10'Ceilings. Vacation Rental in place. This property is located on one of Key West best kept Secret Lanes."

 The cottage has 630 sq ft of living space that includes the primary bedroom plus a smaller bedroom for the occasional guest. There is even an outdoor shower. The front porch is perfect for people watching (should anyone ever walk by).


CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and to see listing photos.  Better gyet please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a view of this quaint little Old Town cottage. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Please note this property is actively rented as a vacation rental and showings are subject to availability. 

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1701 Atlantic Boulevard - Key West

The quite large home at 1701 Atlantic Boulevard in Key West is located near the beaches on southeast part of the Island of Key West.  The original house was built in 1968 and was later expanded to its present size of 2969 sq ft of living space under air. The house sits at the corner of Ashby Street and Atlantic Avenue. The 5760 sq ft lot (64' x 90')  contains the sprawling two level home, a large pool, covered off street parking, and several garden areas. The asking price is $998,000 or only $336 per sq ft.  The listing Realtor describes the property as:

"Spacious home on a sizable 5,760 sq.ft. corner lot, custom designed for family fun and entertaining. The first floor consists of an open floor plan connecting a great room, designer kitchen, dining room and wet bar overlooking the pool and deck area. A second master bedroom suite and two guest rooms with a shared bath round up the first floor. The second floor comprises the master bedroom suite with a grand master bath, walking closet, siting area, and french doors leading out to a wide covered deck overlooking the oceanfront Key West Nature Preserve. The private fenced yard features a large heated swimming pool and sunning deck for year-round enjoyment. Walking distance from the beach. Covered carport. Come see this great Island Home."

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There are three bedrooms on the east side of the main level.  Two of those bedrooms share a bath while the third bedroom has a quite large ensuite bath plus access to the rear. 

The second floor is for the exclusive use of the owner. This area includes the bedroom, a siting area, and the extra large ensuite bath. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this home. If you would like to see 1701 Atlantic Blvd or any other home 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. 

Key West Home Buy Christmas - 912 Truman Avenue - Old Town

I have written about the lovely old home at 912 Truman Avenue a couple of times, and I have had the privilege of showing the house several times over the past few months.  As we approach Christmas Day which is now only a week away, I want bargain buyers to give this really big, really nice old Key West home serious consideration.  I don't often talk about price per sq ft (partially because some houses are pretty pricey on a per sq ft basis and also because our housing supply is so diverse price comparisons are difficult).  But I am going to make an exception here and appeal to the inner Scrooge in some readers. 912 Truman Avenue is offered at just $795,000 or $227 per sq ft.

912 Truman Avenue is a large house, 3494 sq ft divided between the main floor which has a formal entry, living room and adjoining parlor (with door to the pool), formal (regal) dining room, and old fashioned kitchen with modern and updated charm. The second floor features master bedroom with a very large en-suite bath, two large bedrooms and a full bath. The third floor is a quite large space with large gables on four sides which allow good daytime light and a large bathroom. Outside this home has a white picket fence, front yard with dramatic palms that shield the home from the street, large side yard on the east where the adjoining parking space is located, and the pool in the rear which has a water wall and fountain.


If you are thinking of buying a Key West home which you could rent as a vacation rental, you really ought to consider this property and compare it to other properties that are currently available at much higher prices.  Look first at the photos below and then really think about how attractive this property would be to a prospective renter.

Artist's depiction of 912 Truman Avenue

 
When you step inside 912 Truman Avenue its like stepping back into another era. This home retains the functionality and character of the original home but it has been updated with central air, updated bathrooms, and modern kitchen.  The old style rooms remain in tact with all of their flaws, charm and character.

When you enter the front entry you see the ancient staircase and central hallway that divides the house in two. On the right side you will find the living room and parlor on the right side.  The dining room and kitchen are on the left side. A small bath and servants' stairway are located at the rear.

As you view the photos below imagine how different the spaces might look if you furnished the rooms with your vision of how this old house should look.   And also consider how you might paint or otherwise improve on the existing room paint schemes. New owners often do some inexpensive improvements the dramatically enhance the charm of even the best of homes.

 Front door with living room located on the right

The dining room is located to the left. Note the crown molding and high baseboards.

The beautiful staircase leads to the bedrooms on the second and third floors.

The living room (above) is divided into two sections.  Note the rich Dade County Pine walls, the equally rich and very real wood floors, and the old school wood ceilings. Note as well the ancient windows with glass that ripples.

The dining room obviously hearkens back to another era. Imagine vacation renters gathering here to enjoy morning breakfasts as they make plans on how they will spend their days in Paradise.

My dear old grandmother had the same octagonal tile in her bathroom. I love the look and feel of this place. It evokes a feeling continuity over generations of people that lived here. The house has the necessities, but it is not consumed by modernity. It retained its soul. 

The master bedroom and bath occupy the west side of the second floor. Two more bedrooms plus a shared bath are on the east side. The master bath is huge.

The two second floor bedrooms are shown above. One is now used as a sitting room. Note the old newspapers glued to the ceiling. The papers were originally used as insulation and where retained when the home was renovated.

A door in the hallway opens to the second floor front balcony that spans the breadth of the home.

The master bedroom is located to the right and it's bath is located to the right rear. The second bath is located at the far rear and it is used by the occupants in either of the bedrooms on the left. Note the servants' staircase at the rear. It goes goes down to the area just off the kitchen. The main staircase provides access from the main floor (at front). And the staircase rising on the left leads to the third floor bed and bath.

The third floor space is actually quite large. Unfortunately I took lousy pics. I think this space would work great as a kids' retreat away from grown-ups on the second floor. There is plenty of room for a couple of sets of bunk beds or trundle beds plus room for games or distractions.

912 Truman Avenue is part of a land based condo. The house was extensively renovated in 2002 at which time the adjacent garage was also renovated and expanded. The grounds to the rear had new houses built upon them. To comply with City of Key West building code, the properties were classified as condominiums. There are limited common areas for ingress and egress to the new houses. Otherwise, the quarterly condominium fee is just $150.  CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet on this property.



If I have intrigued enough with my write-up consider this: 806 Truman Avenue sold in February 2012 for $1,600,000. Now it had three transient rental licenses which allowed weekly rentals as opposed to vacation (monthly) rentals. It was smaller in size but equally rich in amenities. It shared the same basic street location.



Now, please CLICK HERE to checkout the Key West mls and see what houses you can find on Old Town priced anywhere near this and then decide for yourself how much money you could make renting this house on a monthly basis as a vacation rental as compared to equally priced houses. 


Consider this as well: vacation renters are here for a few weeks. They want a nice, clean place to stay with great amenities and a location that allows them to do things tourists do.  They aren't buying the place to live in forever. They are renting it because it offers them space, charm, a pool, and easy access to all that is fun. 


If you would like to see 912 Truman Avenue or any other property in Key West, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. If you buy this great old house you could have a wondeful place to spend your Christmas next year.