Honey . . . STOP the Car ! - 1430 Albury Street, Key West

HONEY . . . STOP THE CAR!  You've probably heard that saying or something like it sometime in your life. It's a directive that there is something important that you are about to pass by. It's a plea to stop and take a look else you may miss something important. If you do stop you can then decide if the look was worth the time. If you don't you may never know what you missed.

1430 Albury Street in Key West is a Buildable  Lot 3500 sq ft (50' X 70') with HARC Approved Plans to build a New Two Story 1900 Sq Ft 4 BR/3 1/2 BA home with Classic Key West Conch Style Architecture updated with Modern Building Elements including Hardiboard Siding, Wind Impact Resistant Glass Windows and Doors. Other features include Four Decks, Heated Pool, and Off Street Parking in the Quiet Meadows Area of Key West. FEMA Flood Elevation Compliant for future Insurance Savings. The New House will be located just one block north of Bayview Park and within a short walk or bike ride to all the attractions in Old Town.(Price does not include construction of new house.)  

Readers up north in America may not appreciate the significance of having a building lot upon which an owner could immediately commence the construction of a new home in Key West or even the significance of owning an empty lot. Key West is a little island located at the far end of the Florida Keys. It is the end of the line so to speak.  You cannot go any further west or south without a boat. Havana, Cuba is closer to Key West than Miami, Florida.

Most of the island of Key West is developed, meaning there is very little undeveloped ground on this little land mass. And of the few undeveloped parcels that do remain, most are not capable of being developed due to environmental concerns or other restrictions on growth or development. Most of the new housing is actually new properties being built on lots where another house previously existed.  Such is the case for 1430 Albury Street. The current owner went through the process to obtain permission to take down the previously existing home which sat on this lot. The owner then engaged local architect Carlos Rojas to design a nearly 1900 sq ft home with 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, a main floor "lock-out" unit, pool, and off street parking. The new house would be built to Florida's strict building code and would be constructed using new energy efficient materials including Hardiboard siding, impact windows and doors, while offering a home that evokes the Key West Conch architectural spirit.

 This lot is located in the Meadows Area of Key West. The lot is located one block north of Bayviw Park, the largest city park in Key West. The park is a lovely place to walk the dog or watch the kids play.  The park is the site of many social events throughout the year including the annual Easter egg hunt, children's Halloween event (post Fantasy Fest), seafood festival, Conch festival, and many more. There are public tennis courts, basketball court, and baseball field. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on this property that is offered for sale at $750,000.  I understand a new owner would spend between $500,000 to $600,000 to build the home shown in the approved plans. There are a couple of spec homes in the current Key West mls which are offered at a much higher price (combined lot and building).

Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or send me an email at kw1101v@aol.com for more information on this listing. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  

How Gay Was My Villa?

Key West is a great place to live. You can be and do just about anything and everything. Except for some do-gooders who sit on some public commissions, we all try to stay out of each others "business".  The rich and not so rich often live side-by-side. One's station in life does not matter. Gay and straight live together. Generational Conchs and newbies from around the world live and work together. People of different faiths, different races, and political persuasions all get along. We are an accepting community. The openness and welcoming nature of Key West as a community was one of the main reasons I decided to move here. I could be me.

I am a Realtor. I am gay. Most of my customers are straight and accepting. I sell houses to people who hope to move here to become a part of the Key West community. One of the really great things about my job as a Realtors is that I get to see inside so many Key West homes. Some places amaze me either for their architectural design, decor, or outdoor living area. Or all three. I have found that a great many of my favorite properties were gay owned. To be perfectly honest, some of the oddest places I have shown were also gay owned or occupied. I would like to share some remembrances of the latter.

Decorating with David and Other Dudes!

I have learned that a great number of gays have statutes of David in their homes or gardens. I consider the David statute as being code for a "gay man lives here". Some owners have additional pieces of  homo erotic art peppered around their homes. I have been in homes owned by women where the female figure is prominently or sometimes selectively displayed.

 

 Not all of the homoerotic art I have seen relates back to the Greeks and Romans. I have seen lots of modern "art" photos, pop culture photos, posters, paintings, and more recently photos of porn stars.

I have several memorable properties that I would like to share with my Readers. The first house was a two story place located in the Meadows area. I showed that house several times a few years back. It had the obligatory Statue of David near the pool. There were  little statuettes, oil paintings, charcoal prints, and etchings of nude and semi-nude males throughout the house and garden. You could not move your eye from one area of a room to another without seeing a nude male image. The listing Realtor for that property worked in my office. He told me that after months of not being able to sell the house, he finally persuaded the owner to store some of the art off site. The emphasis was "some" because there was still plenty of male nudes in the house after boxes of other pieces were taken away. The house eventually sold and that owner put it up for sale. That's when I noticed what horrible condition the place was in.The naughty nudes had distracted my attention from the condition of the property itself. I never noticed the condition because I was so distracted by all the naked bodies.

I showed another house located in the Arts District (east of White Street) on several occasions. The owners had moved away and leased the space to a really nice gay man who had several roommates. The place had gay art, Fantasy Fest paraphernalia, boas, wigs, and hoopla everywhere. The master bathroom had photos of nude male porn stars everywhere. I remember that the light switch in the master bath room was a miniature penis. The tenant used to work for an international celebrity. The listing Realtor allowed the tenant to show the house - well, it wasn't so much that he allowed it to happen, the tenant always greeted potential buyers at the front door and started the tour. We got to hear his story, his famous former employer's story, and we got to peer into this den of men! It took forever to sell this place.

Back in 2006 when Key West was at the height of the real estate boom one gay man asked me to look at his Shipyard condo to discuss listing it. When I entered the place the first thing I saw was a nude oil painting of him laying in the sand. The painting was placed near the French doors that opened to the rear deck. I might have got the listing had I not told him to take down the portrait.

A local gay man visited with me in my office a few years back and said he wanted to sell his house. Local architect Tom Pope had designed the recently built house which was located at the dead end of a Key West lane. The house was new construction and not a renovation. Given those few facts I was sure that I could sell this place quickly. I decided to go the property to see the place so that I could suggest the listing price. The owner showed me around from room to room. While we were standing opposite each other in the master bath I looked down into one of the dual sinks when I spotted it. The DILDO! It was laying in the sink. All of a sudden I was not able to utter a word. I could not get words out of my mouth let alone put words together to make a sentence. I pivoted and made my way to the living room where I said good bye to the owner. I knew I could never look that man in the eye again.

And then there was the gay owned home with an incredible master suite that included a stunning sitting room and bedroom chamber outfitted with three single beds.

Mannequins pop up every now and then. I'm not sure why people buy them let alone why they play a part of home decoration. They don't surprise me anymore. Slings are another matter. A few years ago I showed a house where a gay couple was splitting up. They owned a very nice home in a very good Old Town location. Everything about the house two story home looked picture perfect, that is until I walked into the guest bedroom which was painted black. There was a sling. That was not a typo. Many homes in Key West have cute little swings. This room had a sling!

If you are thinking of buying or selling a place in Key West and are looking for a Realtor, call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or contact my by e-mail at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. Living life in Key West is just great. I could care less how you decorate your villa as long as you are happy. However, it might be a little easier to sell your home if you take down photos of your favorite gay porn stars and stow away the dildos.

615 Angela Street, Old Town, Key West - a Buying Opportunity

Every now and then a reader of my little blog will call me, send me an email, or show up at an open house and even set up an appointment to me at my office just to say thanks for writing my blog and to tell me about their dream of buying a place here - someday. Many of my readers are people of normal means. They work 9:00 to 5:00 jobs and spend a part of workday doing what their company pays them to do - their job. I think some  may cheat the boss a bit by their constant presence on the internet using search engines like Realtor.com or Zillow to monitor new listings that pop up in Key West mls. It's true and you know it is. And a lot of potential buyers with big nest eggs saved up do the same thing - they watch the mls for a buying opportunity. They just don't cheat their employer.

128 days ago today (March 15th) readers got to see a new listing pop up at 615 Angela Street located in the Old Town area of Key West. It's a big house located near the crest Solaris Hill.  I had buyers in town who had rented 635 William Street for a couple of months. They loved that house so much that they wanted to buy a place like it or buy a place that they could renovate to create the same kind of serene elegance. We set out looking for properties which included a visit to 615 Angela Street. My buyers were captivated by the property but ultimately decided they wanted to buy a house that was in move-in condition. A couple of days ago I showed this home again, to another couple seeking a dream home. They have been looking for a place for a couple of years and have made offers but have so far been unable to buy the perfect place. They decided as much as they love the location and size of this house, they needed to find a place that was ready to move into.

Let me share my thoughts with you about this house, this lot, this buying opportunity.  Now it isn't fancy. It is a simple house. But that is why I personally think it is incredible. It is a blank slate upon which a new owner could create a beautiful new home, garden, and pool in a very desirable location.

When you look at the house from the street you see this big boxed-in second floor area that just does not look "right".  I have seen this look before and recognize that the space was previously a porch which was enclosed to create additional living space (usually a bedroom or sleeping area). When the listing Realtor showed the property my potential buyers, he looked up to the porch and said the  porch was originally open and then later enclosed by the family who have lived in this house for eighty years. Below you will see a photo I found in my old shoe box which was taken fifty years ago. The second floor front porch was open then. You will also see the exterior side staircase that leads to what is the second apartment in this home.  Once inside this home I got to meet the owner who grew up in this home. She had a photo of her sitting on the front porch before it was enclosed. The view looked toward Duval Street which is only a little over a block away, but far enough away not to hear the clatter. Close, but far.

The original house was built in the 1880s and was just one story tall. The second floor was added as the family grew larger and more space was needed. The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows this house as having 3004 sq ft of living space (measured from exterior walls and including only areas capable of being air conditioned or stated another way not including porches or decks. The house sits near the top of Solares Hill (located about 200 feet to the east) on a lot that measures 54' X 134' or 7,169 sq ft. The old photo shows us that the house is built close to the street and that means the back yard must be immense. It is more than that - I must use that word again "incredible".

CLICK HERE to view a GOOGLE MAP AERIAL VIEW of this house and its relation to the topography as well as its nearness to Duval Street and other areas of Old Town Key West. Use the little toggle switch in the right hand corner of the map to zoom down to see not only this house but also other nearby houses like the Phillip Burton house across the street and the Coca Cola mansion at the rear on Southard Street.

We started our tour of this home by first looking at the back of the property where there is room for a pool and possible expansion of the existing garage into something else. The house itself is very large. It does not need to be expanded. But it does need to be renovated. The house and the garage are boxes. All houses and even palaces are boxes.  A good architect or designer can transform a box into something quite interesting by how he or she divides the spaces into uses and the selections he makes in materials and other building elements. This property has one big box, a smaller box in the left rear corner, and a very large open rear yard. The openness means a new owner is not stuck with a problem tree or forest of protected specimens to deal with. Not having to spend money to deal with a problem results in cost savings to a new owner. Readers probably won't appreciate what I am saying until they have to hire an arborist, an attorney, and maybe an engineer who have to explain why a tree must be removed or how to treat an issue that the city deems worthy of preserving or not disturbing. Money wasted on lawyers is better spent on pretty things, cocktails, or both.

The City of Key West recognizes this property as being a legal duplex. I think the highest and best use of the house is to make it into a single family home and renovate the garage - maybe create a second legal living unit there or convert the space into a guest house or pool cabana. The rear yard is immense and has plenty of ground on which to add a pool surrounded by lush gardens and decks. The existing rear staircase needs to be by something more architecturally interesting. Perhaps a new owner would seek permission to create a two story covered deck that looks down upon and provides a stairway to the new pool and gardens.

The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Unbelievable family home (now a legal duplex) atop of Solaris Hill in Old Town. Living room, dining room, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, wide covered front porch and rear wooden deck leading to huge backyard on ground floor. Living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms with Jack n Jill bathroom, plus office and additional room (has been used as a bedroom in the past), rear enclosed porch and outside rear wooden sundeck leading down to the same huge backyard. There is an outside utility room and a detached garage/workshop. Over 3,000 SF in main house. Pull down stairs in upstairs bedroom leads to a full attic. Surprisingly good condition inside."

First Floor Living Room. Note the very tall ceiling height.

Second Floor Living Room - About Eight Foot Ceiling Height

CLICK HERE to view the listing photos of this property. I took pics on my small pocket camera not intending to blog about this house. But after I saw the house I realized readers must see this place. The listing photos are great. Consider the height throughout the first floor. It is impressive. The height on the second floor is  closer to 8'. All interior walls and ceilings are Dade County Pine. There is a huge attic with wood floor. There is room in the attic and under the house to install central air conditioning.  

The house is so big that I think it might make sense to restore the original by removing exterior walls that currently enclose what used to be the second floor front porch. The house is built with balloon framing which I believe would allow a new owner to reconfigure the rooms into a more modern living mode that works with the way we live today. Walls can be moved, an interior stairway added, central air conditioning would be introduced into the home, and a modern kitchen and new baths added to create a superb new home. The second floor porch might be restored to its original design or maybe even modified with covered second floor porch. The house would be painted and the house would present itself in totally different manner.

615 Angela Street is offered at $1,195,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to set up a personal showing of this (I gotta say it again) incredible house.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

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.