1214 Laird Street - The Casa Marina Area - Key West

The listing Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West describes 1214 Laird Street which is located in the Casa Marina Area of Key West this way:

"This spacious and substantial one level home sits on an extra large corner lot (75 x 100 feet) which is completely surrounded by a high wall for total privacy. The two bedroom two bath main residence has many sets of French doors opening to the lovely yard (designed by Ray Jungles) and large sunny swimming pool. The one bedroom one bath guest wing has it's own living area and private courtyard."

Before I actually moved to Key West and was only dreaming of living here, I only considered owning a place in Old Town. I think that is probably the location most prospective buyers think about as well. There are, however, several different neighborhoods in Key West that potential first time buyers should consider as an alternative to Old Town. The Casa Marina Area is a choice alternative to consider. Most locals recognize the Casa Marina Area to be that geographic area located south of United Street and west of White Street. This area has a naturally occurring land arc that curves from White Street as it heads to the Casa Marina Hotel at Reynolds Street. Purists will say that's it. They will argue any property not within the geographic confines of those streets is not Casa Marina. They may be technically correct, but I argue that there are some homes that are near enough to the "border" to be considered in the area. The home at 1214 Laird Street is one of them in my opinion since it is located just about 200 feet east of White Street. And it rivals many of the properties inside the area.

Until recently this house was a part of a much larger estate that recently sold.  The main portion of the house served as the guest house and the smaller section was the caretaker's unit. 1214 Laird Street is now offered for sale at $1,095,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet for more details. There are separate entrances to the guest house and the caretaker's cottage. (This is one building that could be made into a single family home.) There is off street parking for both living spaces.

The house is hidden behind a six foot privacy fence on the Laird Street and Sirugo Avenue sides. The red clay tile roof can barely be seen from the street, but once inside the gate the roof becomes a bit of a novelty since most roofs in Key West are metal. Then you see the pool - in the front yard. Egads! This, too, is not normal. The pool and gardens are stunning in the simplicity of design.

The renovation of this home was designed by local architect Tom Pope who also designed the larger home which appeared in Architectural Digest several years ago. Pope incorporated the same attention to detail to this property. Dual sets of French doors open from the garden and pool area into the living room. The bright kitchen is at the rear. A traditional "back door" exits onto a small alternative garden area. This side of the property has less sun; hence, the pool was located at the front.

The main portion of the house has two bedrooms and two baths. The master en suite bath (pictured two above) is quite large. The master suite dual sets of French doors that open out to the private garden area on the Sirugo Avenue side of the property. The guest bedroom has doors that open out to the pool. The caretakers space is quite large. The house as a whole is 2211 sq ft and sits on an ample 7500 sq ft lot (75' X 102').  A new owner might combine the spaces into a single living unit or convert the caretakers' space to guest quarters.

 Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, if you would like to see 1214 Laird Street. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1414 Angela Street, Key West - Meadows Area Hidden Charmer

I have often written about the charm of living on one of the slow lanes in Key West where there is little to if any traffic, cute cottage homes, and peaceful surroundings as contrasted to the hullabaloo associated with Duval Street.  There are a few streets which provide the same type of serene environment. The New Listing at 1414 Angela Street, located in the Meadows Area of Key West, is one of them.

The house is tucked behind a thicket of lush tropical foliage and six foot white picket fence. A trestle with two large gates open onto the bricked pathway which leads to the covered front entry. The entry is unexpectedly refined and decidedly sophisticated. Note the IPE deck wood planks set juxtaposed to the bright white columns and gabled roof. The covered porch also serves as an outdoor sitting area off the first floor master suite which has two sets of French doors. A single door opens into the great room.

There is a little nook-like passageway just off the great room which leads to the first floor master suite. The current owner has a piano in the area so it's not exactly a tiny space. It does provide a comfortable transition to the other areas of the house which include the first floor powder room and  stairway to the second floor bedrooms,

The master suite has it all: a large bedroom area with sitting area, built-in shelving, recessed lighting, crown molding, TV recessed into the wall, a private office, large bath with a shower large enough for two to tango, and a huge walk-in closet with lots of built in cabinetry. A new owner won't have to donate years of clothes to charity if you move into this abode.

There are two good sized guest bedrooms on the second floor. The rooms exude a softness with the cream colored walls, crisp white trim, and pine floors. The chocolate colored doors and trim add a dash of pizazz.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this home.

It's summer now, and people reading today's blog are probably experiencing nice weather in most parts of the country. We get to experience nice weather almost every day of the year in Key West. In the wintertime the French doors at this home would likely be opened throughout much of the day. There would be a gentle flow between the great room to the great outdoors - a seamless transition from sophisticated interiors to the paradisaical outdoors.

Readers of my blog tell me they like to see old photos I find in my shoebox. You're in luck here because I found a photo of the house that was taken in 1965 before any renovations were ever contemplated and also an aerial photo that was taken of the area back in the 1920s - about 90 some years ago.  I added an arrow to the aerial photo which shows where the house is located. Back then the large area above was the Army parade grounds. The old barracks can be seen a the top of the field. If you look at the bottom of the aerial photo you'll see North Beach which has some small boats at water's edge. Sadly, that beach got "developed": it was filled in and condominiums built there. Most of the houses in the area remain, however. And many of the houses have restored. 1414 Angela Street is one of them. They did a pretty damned good job on this one!

1414 Angela Street is offered for sale at $1,529,000. It is a 1531 sq ft three bedroom, two and one-half bath home situated on a lush 4951 sq ft lot. CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and the professionally shot listing photos - they are terrific. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a visit to this home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise. This just might be that place!

1017 Windsor Lane, Key West - Bank Owned Investment Property

Just Listed 1017 Windsor Lane in Key West. This Bank Owned investment property ought to sell quickly. It is located in Old Town and across the street from St. Mary's Basilica. The listing Realtor describes the property as:

"Located in Old Town this 4 unit income producing property is legally permitted. One 2 bedroom/1 bath house, Two-1 bedroom/1 bath Apartments and One 2 bedroom/1 bath Apartment upstairs. Great Investment Opportunity."

This property consists of two separate buildings. The front house was built in 1963 and is a one story ranch style house with a nice open living area and kitchen combination.  There are two bedrooms and one bath in this 1081 sq ft home. There is a front deck located amid the trees and flora in the front yard plus a rear deck (33' X 12'). The interior floors are terrazzo. This house has central air conditioning. The house appears to be CBS construction with stucco overlay. The roof looks to be asphalt shingle. The house needs cleaned and painted but looked to me to be in pretty good condition.  The kitchen and bath are dated, but they ought to work fine for this investment property. Of course any buyer will need to have a thorough home inspection to advise as to the structure.

The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows the rear building as being a 1768 sq ft two story building with CBS foundation which was built new in 1985. It looks to me that the building is stucco over wood frame construction. There are two first floor units each of which has a living area, kitchen, bath, one bedroom, and a rear wood deck with laundry hook-up.

The second floor apartment takes up the entire second floor. It has an open living area with kitchen plus two good sized bedrooms (one with large walk in closet), bathroom, and laundry.  This unit does not have a deck per se. The second floor balcony does provide outdoor space and it is private. The views are of the church yard across the street and neighboring rear yards. The lot measures 48.5' X 114' or 5529 sq ft.  CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of this property.

While I do not rent apartments in Key West, I have a pretty good sense of what typical apartments rent for on a long term monthly basis. These units would never function as "vacation rentals", but they would be very successful long term residential apartments that should rent instantly because of the convenient location, set-up, size, individual washer/dryer, and some private outdoor space. I think the front house ought to rent between $3,000 to $3,300.  The two one bedroom units ought to rent somewhere between $1,300 to $1,500. The upstairs two bedroom unit ought to rent for $2,500 or more. The landlord would pay water, sewer and trash. Each unit has a separate electric meter and the tenant would pay that charge. If you check Craigslist. org you'll find that my estimate of rental price is the average price being sought. There are few rentals in Key West in any price range. These would get rented quickly.

I looked through my old shoebox and found a couple of aerial photos taken of the area in the 1960s. The predominate feature in both photos is St. Mary's which is located across the street. You'll notice a huge linear building that extends across much of the church grounds. That building burned and no longer exists. What a pity. That was a very interesting building. I added white arrows to the photos below to indicate the location of 1017 Windsor Lane. If you study the black and white photos you may be able to find the old Scotty's Lumber yard where First State Bank is now located, the town homes on Catherine Street, the former trailer park on Truman which is now Windward Park, Suburban Propane's tank farm among others.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 1017 Windsor Lane which is offered for sale at $798,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this attractive Key West investment property.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.