3529 Sunrise Drive, Key West, Florida

Matthew Broderick and Tom Cruise were born in 1963.  3529 Sunrise Drive in Key West Florida was built in 1963.  Each will become 51 years old in 2014.  The two movie stars take good care of themselves and probably look better than a lot of people their age.  Men and women who workout and take care of their bodies, skin, and hair normally look better than those who don't.

A lot of my buyers are in their fifties. Many probably grew up in a house built in the 1960s when contemporary design was the trend.  The house at 3529 Sunrise Drive was custom built by the owner who has lovingly maintained this property ever since.  The house is big. The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows this house as having 3378 sq ft of interior living space. The house sits on an 8937 sq ft lot (138' X 65') just across the street from the Riviera Canal that ends a few blocks to the east where water flows into the Atlantic Ocean.  The houses across the street benefit from being located on the water.  This house is every bit as nice or nicer than most of the original houses in the area.  And the houses across the street all cost a whole lot more than this house.

The home at 3529 Sunrise Drive incorporates many of the features of large suburban homes built during the early 1960s including multiple living levels, large rooms, vaulted ceilings, and large outdoor living areas. The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Everything you want in Key West living. Plenty of room both inside and out for entertaining or just relaxing with the family. Vaulted ceilings and large rooms make the interior exceedingly livable. A walled lot, lush landscaping, large pool and several covered outside seating areas along with offstreet, covered parking make this an ideal property. This is a home that you can live in tomorrow or add personal touches to create your own island oasis."

Events, styles, trends, fads, they all last for a while but many impact our lives for years or decades into the future. When you are young, you tend to live in the moment. As you get older, you learn that not everything in the world revolves around you. As you get much older, you may learn that what you do or say or think is of no consequence to anybody. That's sort of what happens to styles, trends and fads-they get ignored or displaced or even replaced. Styles that were hip become passe. Maybe that's why for many people buying a house in the Old Town area of Key West is so safe: old is always popular there. Even cherished.

If you are old enough to remember the 1960s you will recall the space race and the New Frontier. You will remember the forward thinking we embraced. Our TV, our culture, our furniture and home goods, and our architecture reflected the hopes and dreams as aspirations of that time. Some homes today still have fallout shelters that were built in the 1960s, a different and sad face of the culture of that time.

The home at 3529 Sunrise Drive incorporates many of the features of large suburban homes built during the early 1960s including multiple living levels, large rooms, vaulted ceilings, and large outdoor living areas. It is time for buyers to consider houses like this that have plenty of good years left as alternatives to much more expensive homes in the Old Town and Casa Marina areas.

The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

" Everything you want in Key West living. Plenty of room both inside and out for entertaining or just relaxing with the family. Vaulted ceilings and large rooms make the interior exceedingly livable. A walled lot, lush landscaping, large pool and several covered outside seating areas along with off street, covered parking make this an ideal property. This is a home that you can live in tomorrow or add personal touches to create your own island oasis."

3529 Sunrise Drive is a big house located a on a large lot on the east side of Key West- just about four blocks from the Atlantic Ocean. It is far removed from the hub bub of Old Town. This is a family area and this is a very nice family home that has been well maintained during its lifetime.  CLICK HERE to view a slide show with lots of photos of this home. This property is listed by Preferred Properties, but it is not my listing. It is offered at $899,000. And CLICK HERE to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls data sheet.

If you would like to see this blast from the past, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a visit. I am a buyer's agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida.

1621 Rose Street, Key West - Bank Owned

If you are looking for a reasonably priced home in great Key West neighborhood, you might want to consider either 1621 Rose Street #1 and #2 Key West, Florida.  These two town homes are Bank Owned by a local Key West bank.  The listing Realtor describes the homes this way:

"Spacious 3Br/3Bth en-suite condo w/private heated pool located Very Close to the Casa Marina area. Built in 2008. This condo offers a BR & Bath down and two BR's upstairs w/Jacuzzi tubs. The rear BR has a deck overlooking the pool. Laundry room has full sized washer & dryer. Kitchen has granite counter tops. Rear yard has mature vegetation and plenty of space to relax and entertain. Close to several of the beaches, Rest Beach, Higgs and Smathers Beaches. Walk down to White Street Pier to watch the daily water sports enthusiasts or take a romantic evening stroll and watch the moon and stars reflect on the ocean. Mid Town location is excellent. There are only 2 condos, side by side with same amenities, off street parking, both are for sale."

These homes are each 1439 sq ft and are identical in every way except they are mirror images of each other.  They each feature stucco siding, what I believe to be impact windows and doors, metal roofs, a large sunny pool with waterfall surrounded by Trex decking. The asking price on each home is $565,000 or $293 per sq ft.  That is a lot of house in Key West for the asking price. CLICK HERE  to view the Key West Association of Realtors mls datasheet on this property.  Remember, there is no homeowner association or home owner fees to be paid. Each owner is responsible for individual maintenance and insurance. 

The master bedroom with en-suite bath is located on the second floor. The master bath includes two individual vanities, Jacuzzi tub, separate shower, linen closet, and WC.   

 

The laundry room and a separate storage closet are both located off the second floor hallway. A spacious second bedroom is located at the rear. It has French doors that open out to a covered rear porch that overlooks the backyard and pool with waterfall. The second bedroom has an en-suite bath nearly as large as the master suite.  Two co-equal homeowners would find either bedroom acceptable.

The second floor decking is traditional wood. However, the main level and pool surround is Trex Deck - a composite material which requires low maintenance. The Trex deck will stand up to Key West's tropical climate and that will save the new homeowner money.

I took many more photos of both properties which you can see if you CLICK HERE. But better than looking at photos, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this attractive property.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

1021 Washington Street, Key West, Florida - The Casa Marina Area

When I write about certain properties in Key West I often use the term "one-of-a-kind".  Maybe I use the term too often. Maybe the significance of the truly unique property gets lost in my exuberant description of properties. Today's home at 1021 Washington Street in Key West is truly one-of-a-kind and the term as used is an understatement.

Look at the photo above. Look at it. It just shouts "Old Florida!" - Old Florida before the invasion of the hordes of snowbirds, before the colonization of South Beach, before the gayification of Fort Lauderdale, and before the gentrification of Key West.

The pre-World War II architecture is so simple and elegant. The listing Realtor describes 1021 Washington Street this way:

"Rare combination located in the Casa Marina district, on a 27,000 sq ft site that allows the buyer to build up to 2 additional homes. Already approved by the City of Key West. Must buy the existing home comes with a cottage and 3 car garage on approximately 13,500 sq ft lot. Property has already been surveyed. If you buy the home, cottage, and garage you have the right to buy one or both vacant lots. Ideal for a family compound. Great landscaping including many mature palms, irrigated by 6 wells. All for $2,900,000."

I have lived around the corner from this property since 1995.  I never stepped inside the house until last week during Realtor caravan. I sort of knew what to expect because I expected the Old Florida look. What I saw was the model upon which Ralph Lauren might base a classic Florida home collection.  The contents are not for sale but the contents set the stage for the laid back lifestyle a home like this invites.  So many of the old homes have been updated to the nines that they have lost their original charm. Not this home. The same family has lived here nearly eighty years. The house and grounds have been consistently maintained for at least as long as I have lived in the neighborhood, and you cannot just create that look overnight. I dug into the old shoebox and found a black white photo of the house with the notation built circa 1926.  I a;so found an old aerial photo taken in 1930 of the Casa Marina area. I marked the location of 1021 Washington Street. 

This home has a traditional layout with formal rooms for specific functions. This is unlike a contemporary home with an open floor plan. I suppose a new owner could renovate and remove some walls to create more integrated spaces, but what exists does not need to be renovated.

 Here the front door opens into the formal living room where there is a fireplace flanked by bookcases. Look above the bookcases and  you will notice windows look through the to the Florida room. The Florida room runs the length of the west side of the main house. Louvers open out to the expansive west lawn and driveway. The house next door to the west sits to the rear of a huge front lawn as well. When you look out from the Florida room your view is of an immense space of green grass, tall palms, and blue skies. (Except on the day I took the photos which was rainy.)

The kitchen, informal dining area, and the formal dining room are located at the rear of the home.

The main house has two bedrooms and two baths. The master suite includes a sitting area that is larger than the living room in many homes.

The third bedroom is located in the cottage behind the main house.  You must walk through meandering gardens that lead to the guest cottage where there is a small living space, bedroom, and bathroom. The windows look out to the manicured to perfection greenery and swaying palms. We just do not have properties this lush and this well maintained in our little city. The views are more like you would expect to see on Sugarloaf Key. 

This stately historic property is situated on a 27,000 + sq. ft. parcel of land the corner of Washington and Whalton Streets that includes the main house, guest cottage, and a three bay garage.  There is an old fashioned patio, a play area for the grand kids, formal gardens, expansive green lawns, and plenty of distance from neighboring homes.  The owners never built a pool however. There is plenty of room for a pool and more. As stated, a new owner could build up to two new homes on the lot pictured below.

A few years ago I wrote about the adjacent property on Whalton Street and snapped a photo of the grounds at 1021 Washington. The photo below is of the pool on the adjacent property. It captures the magnitude of the side yard for 1021 Washington.  The 1021 Washington Street guest cottage is seen at the right in the below photo.

I took more photos of 1021 Washington Street which you can see if you CLICK HERE.  Please note that all of the interior and most of the exterior photos were taken on a rainy day.  This property would have photographed much better had the weather been normal.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property.  But better than looking at photos online, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this special Key West property. There is nothing else like it here. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  I live in the immediate area of this property. I love the location and the proximity to the beaches, Old Town, and all the things that attract people to Key West. But I also love the quiet neighborhood with the tall palms and majestic mahogany trees that make our little part of Key West so special.