812 Fleming Street Unit #6, Old Town - Key West

Just listed, but not by me, 812 Fleming Street, Unit #6, Key in Old Town Key West.  This top floor unit has a commanding view of Fleming Street from the broad covered balcony. There you can watch one of the best people parades on a daily basis or enjoy the roof top views of our little town.  The listing Realtor sums up this property this way:

"Wonderful Old Town condominium in beautiful condition and ready to move in. 9ft ceilings, Dade County pine walls and floors throughout and a great cathedral ceiling above the 200sf balcony overlooking Fleming Street. This third floor, one bedroom, one bath unit with 618 sf of living space is a true gem with tons of natural light. In the back yard there is a pool and private grounds. Seafoam Condominiums consists of eight condominiums and two commercial units."

Timmy Tuxedo is one of the two commercial units in the building

I searched the old records and found a Property Appraiser reference that the building was actually built in 1906 despite what the computerized property records show. (The old courthouse burned years ago and members of the WPA reconstructed property records based on the year they created the new data system which was 1933 unless they had independent verification otherwise. It is not uncommon to have two sets of totally opposing dates. The style of the original building certainly looks much older than the types of buildings built during the middle of the Great Depression for one important reason: they were not building new buildings in the Depression.)

812 Fleming Street in 1965

812 Fleming Street in January 2012

First, you can't find a better location in Old Town: it is near everything full time residents want and part-time owners demand. Second, it is located on the top floor of an historic building, and it has commanding views of the nearby neighborhood from its 223 sq ft balcony. Third, the building's incredibly beautiful interiors can be customized to a new owner's desires without getting approval from any governmental bureau (the condo association may need to approve, however). Fourth, the building has only eight residential units plus two commercial units (including Key West landmark Timmy Tuxedo) with long term residential ownership. Fifth, the rear side of the building has a wonderful pool and private garden area.

 

The front entry has an electronic keyed entrance. You walk into the entry hall and immediately see the dramatic open three story staircase illuminated by rooftop skylights. The geometry of the place is just awesome. Another stairway at the rear takes you down to the private pool. There is also a coin operated laundry for unit owners that do not have a washer and dryer in their units.

Last year when I wrote about another unit in this building that was for sale I said "this building is located on the gayest block in Key West. Four all male guest houses are located in this block including Equator, Coral Tree Inn, Coconut Grove, and the Oasis Guesthouse. Alexanders and The Island House are located in the 1100 block of Fleming Street and the guys normally pass by 812 Fleming Street once or twice each day. You don't have to be gay to buy in a place like this, but if you are gay, this is surely one hot property!"  Since I wrote that blog the Oasis and Coconut Grove Guesthouses sold and are now "all welcome" as opposed to gay male. The Coral Tree was purchased as well, and I assume it will stay gay male. Alexander's and the Island House are the same as before. I went over to take photos this morning. Two very good looking gay men in very short shorts were standing in front. The gayest street in Key West has not changed, and that is a good thing.

 Unit #6 is offered at $400,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet and listing photos.Better than looking at pictures, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to arrange a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

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Simply Stunning! 730 Southard Street - Key West

730 Southard Street - Key West - January 13, 2013

Key West got an early Christmas present in 2012: the beautifully restored Albury House located at 730 Southard Street.  I can't say enough nice things about this home other than it is simply stunning.  It is more beautiful than I imagined it would be. If you follow my blog you will note that I wrote about this house several times when it was listed for sale. Many potential buyers looked at the place. A few even made offers to purchase it.  One lucky couple ended up buying the home and then started the process to find an architect and builder. I took progress photos over the months of construction, a few of which are shown below.

The second floor porch proved to be more of an expensive "fix" than I would have assumed. The original porch worked well for decades but proved to be a real problem during construction. Even though plans were approved in advance, itsy-bitsy items kept dogging the construction to make sure everything was done perfectly.

 

Over the past few years I took other photos, primarily of the William Street side where the kitchen addition connected to the main house. There is a small little garage attached to the kitchen. It's amazing to see how this space changed as well.

The new owners moved into the home Christmas week.  I snapped a couple of photos on Christmas morning and on an evening a couple of days after Christmas. The place is just beautiful. The lines of the architecture are so plain which is maybe why the place is so perfect.

To the owners: Thank You for your gift to Key West.

1719 Ashby Street - Key West

 
Just listed by Preferred Properties Key West, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 1719 Ashby Street which is located near the beaches in Key West, Florida. This ranch style two bedroom (three bath) home has 1279 sq ft of living space, a lush tropical garden, and a pool which is offered at $799,000. The listing agent describes the property this way:

"Secluded Oasis just one block off the Ocean and 5 minutes from downtown Key West. As you enter the home you immediately have that wonderful Key West feeling of bringing the indoor living to the outside. The living/dining area leads to the kitchen which opens to the pool and lanai. The master has its own bath and it too opens to the pool. The split floor plan allows you privacy from your guests. In the second bedroom there is also a laundry room. The backyard of this home is outstanding, with a very large pool and wonderful covered area, full bath and wet bar, surrounded by lush tropical landscaping complete with irrigation and great evening lighting. There is one off street parking space."

Like many of the homes in this part of Key West, the large lot (51' x 90') is surrounded by a privacy fence.  The pool area has lots of sun and also some comforting shade. When you feel like some beach action, you'll only need to walk a few blocks to Smathers' Beach where there is almost always something fun going on.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to see more photos of this new property. Or, better than that, please give me, Gary Thomas, a call at 305-766-2642 and ask me to arrange a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

622 Grinnell Street - Old Town - Key West

Just listed by Preferred Properties, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 622 Grinnell Street in Old Town Key West. I got a chance to accompany the listing agent yesterday afternoon and take photos of this glorious old home. I was totally taken by the charm of this house that has not seen the likes of granite or stainless steel. Consider the listing agent's description:

"Wonderful, original conch home with three legal units. Great location and superb street presence. Access to the rear cottage is from a lane.Possible conversion back to single family and would be a really spectacular property as such. Opportunity to work with a property that has been maintained while leaving a Key West flavor."
I dug down to the bottom of the old shoe box and found a photo that shows the exterior as it appeared in 1965. Compare that black and white photo with the photo beneath. The stately home with impressive second floor balcony still maintains its commanding view of the street"

The property consists of the main house and a cottage at the rear on Canfield Lane. The main house no longer has an interior staircase as sibling owners occupy the first floor, the second and third floor, and the cottage. This explains the reference to the property as three legal units. As I see it, the value in this property is not as income property but rather as a large property which has not been mucked around with.  I would renovate this property into a single family residence with a charming guest cottage. I would add a pool and parking: there is room for both in my opinion.

The rooftop deck on the main house has an incredible view of the area. You can even see the spires at St Mary's Basilica. Most of the lot is covered with tropical foliage and red brick pavers. The house itself has been well maintained and looks great.  Inside the rooms have the character that people who love our dear old homes seek. The house is filled with Dade County Pine and old glass with ripples. There are little cubby holes and scuttles and treasures galore.

The second floor is currently a separate living unit. It looks like something out of a 1940's movie with Spring Byington.  It is an almost idealized version of what a Key West home should look like.

The listing agent states that the property as a whole has 2740 sq ft of living space and sits on a 57' x 83' (4683 sq ft) lot. The house has not been touched in years and would benefit from a thorough renovation. But understand that the property is perfectly livable as is. I just think the highest and best use of this house is to take it back to single family. CLICK HERE to view a slideshow of photos of this property.

This block of Grinnell Street is one of the quietest blocks in Old Town and that is because it ends at Angela Street which is the northern border of the Key West cemetery. That means the Conch trains, trolleys, and Duck Tour vehicles will not be using this street and they cannot traverse Angela Street. Your life will be quieter because of this. You will still see tourists walking by or riding bikes.And you will see neighbors go across the street to use the Grinnell Street Pocket Park.

Five Brothers is located down the block at the corner of Southard Street. The Key West Historic Seaport is located three blocks further north and Duval Street is located five blocks to the west. Most of the gyms and yoga studios are located within a five to ten minute walk.

622 Grinnell Street is offered at $1,200,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls data sheet on this property. Or better than that, 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. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

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