1500 Albury Street, Key West - OPEN HOUSE

1500 Albury Street, Key West

Open House 

Saturday and Sunday, January 14th and 15th  12:00 to 2:00 PM

This stunning new home evokes the grandeur of our older Conch homes but has all the bells and whistles of superior modern-day construction including pressure treated lumber framing,  Hardy Plank siding, impact windows and doors, AZEC decking, Thermodore stainless steel kitchen, Kohler fixtures, two zone a/c, swimming pool with waterfall and LED light features, and an outdoor shower. The four bedroom home, three bath home has the added bonus of having a first floor bedroom with separate entrance off the front porch. This room might be used as little home office or guest retreat.

This home is offered by Cory Held, Jeffrey Grosky, and Gary Thomas at Preferred Properties Key West. $2,395,000.  Preferred Properties Key West  ~  305-294-3030.

1911 Fogarty Avenue, Key West - Bank Owned

Just Listed - 1911 Fogarty Avenue, Key West. This is a Bank Owned property in a good Key West location. According to the Monroe County Property Appraiser this home was built in 1953 on a 5,000 sq ft lot (50' X 100'). The bungalow style house has 1195 sq ft of living space under air conditioning plus a large east poured concrete patio.

The two bedroom house was updated about ten years ago. The ceilings were vaulted, a new kitchen was added, and the house was given a new look in general. It shows nicely. It has sat vacant for a while is is offered "as is no warranties or representations".  The listing Realtor says:

"Bungalow is full of dade county pine, wood floors, beautiful kitchen and bath, gorgeous cove ceilings height throughout the home. off street parking and storage shed . Home is sold as is, no warranties or representation . To make offer prior to the online event, please click on the ''Make Offer'' button on the auction tab. Recommended to see & inspect before bidding."

The front bedroom has nice southern exposure. The windows look out to the patio which is this house is located of the front of the house near the gated driveway.  Most families may enter off the patio but there is a real "front door" entrance on the west side of the house as well.

The house has one bathroom which has also been updated. There is a laundry area attached to the house on the east side. Additionally, there is an elevated storage shed or workshop located in the large backyard. The yard is quite large and has plenty of room for a pool and a new rear deck. Alternatively, a new owner might want to expand the current house or perhaps seek permission to expand the storage area and create a guest cottage with a bath. It would not be permissible to add a kitchen to make that into a separate living unit. A licensed Florida architect or general contractor could provide more information on the development possibilities of this house and lot.  I am just offering suggestions. CLICK HERE to view more photos that I took of this property.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 1911 Fogarty Avenue. Then please call Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule an appointment to see this bank owned property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

816 Ashe Street, Key West - Just Listed

Just Listed:  816 Ashe Street, Key West, Florida.  Frequent visitors and even many locals may not know about this three block long street which runs paralegal between White Street to the east and Frances Street on the west between Southard Street to the north and Olivia Street to the south.

816 Ashe Street in 1965

 According to the listing Realtor "This historic gem has been in the same family since being built in 1923. Featuring Dade County Pine, heart pine floors, first floor master bedroom, & attached laundry room/workshop. Two spacious front porches provide the perfect setting to relax and enjoy the quiet pace of Old Town Key West life. Off street parking & flood zone X. A perfect historic renovation project."
 

814 Ashe Street in 1965

As I prepared to write today's blog I looked around in the old shoebox and found photos of 816 Ashe Street and its former neighbor to the north at 814 Ashe Street. I remember showing 814 Ashe Street more than a decade ago. I remember thinking it was way over-priced for the market back then. I was surprised when 814 Ashe and a wide double lot behind 814 and 816 Ashe was acquired. The house at 814 Ashe was razed and three new houses each with pools were erected. The two houses in the rear were given street addresses of Williams Lane.  

As I walked through this home I remembered my grandmother's house, not like this house looked anything like her house. But it had the feel of a house more than fifty years outside its element. I don't write that in a negative tone. Too many houses today, including many renovated houses in Old Town, have become so fancy and glitzy that they have lost their sense of purpose They are designer homes instead of homes designed for living. Unless you are someone really special, you may relate to the simple style of this old home. Things work. Not everything you see has outlived its purpose. Yes the kitchen and baths are dated, but they still work. 

The house has 1568 square feet of living space and sits on a 35' X 60.39' lot.  There are three bedrooms and one bath as the house stands today. The living room is extra large. There is an very large formal dining room and a rarity for modern living - an eat-in kitchen. The first floor bedroom was probably the original master bedroom as it is located adjacent to and has a door entry into the one and only bath. A second door opens near the stairway to the second floor where two additional guest bedrooms are located. Both bedrooms have closets and there is a small hall closet as well. The great existing feature of this floor is the front porch that spans the width of the house.  There is a small addition at the rear which provides storage now and which would make a great laundry room.

The photo two above shows the rear of the house with the addition to the side. I am confident a new owner could get permission to add a second story over the existing dining room and kitchen. If that were done, a new owner might remove the rear addition and seek permission to add a pool. It looks to me that the adjacent lots are similarly small and were given permission to add pool and parking. I can't promise anything, but seeking permission would certainly be worth the try. If that failed you would still have off street parking.  CLICK HERE to view more photos of the interior and exterior of this home and lot.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS data sheet.  Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of 816 Ashe Street, Key West. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Old Town Busniess Opportunity - Key West

Except for the unfortunate few who run afoul of the law while spending a few days in our little island paradise, I'll bet most visitors wonder what life would or could be like if they quit their jobs and moved to Key West.

I fell in love with Key West the very first time I came here. That was along time ago before all the gentrification happened.  Most of the houses in Old Town looked like they were ready to fall down. Conch cruisers (rusted old cars) looked to me to be the primary means of transportation. Key West seemed like a third world country back then. But in spite of all the negatives about Key West (which I now admit were positives), I pondered what I could do to earn enough money to live in this magical island. Before moving to Key West I used to be a lawyer and then a banker.  I did not want to do either in Key West - to me a place not of that other world out there - up in America. I eventually moved here, bought a business, and later go a real estate license. I work way too much, but I enjoy what I do.

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West is THIRSTY'S at 531 Greene Street.  Thirsty's is a convenience store in a great tourist location about 150 feet east of Sloppy Joes and one block west of the Historic Seaport. The Pier House and the Hyatt Hotel are one block  north. Thousands of tourist pass by this location daily.

Thirsty's sells made-to-order sandwiches, ice cream, cold drinks, hot coffee, beer and wine, breakfast, cigarettes, sun tan lotion, and a myriad of products tourists need.  All inventory and sales are tracked on computer making it easy for an owner to monitor sales and production any time that he or she is not in the store. There is TV system which provides the owner with multiple views on iphone at any location in the world. The is a Business Opportunity. No real estate conveys.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on Thirsty's which is offered at $260,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, for an information package. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

726 Windsor Lane, Key West - Just Listed

Just Listed, but not by me, 726 Windsor Lane in the Historic District of Key West. The small cigar maker cottage that once stood on this lot was destroyed by fire several decades ago.  I found a photo of the original house which is shown and captioned below. A new concrete block structure was built in 1975. I found a photo of the house before the stucco siding was applied.  According to the Monroe County Property Appraiser the current house is 1840 sq ft and sits on a 33' X 65' (2145 sq ft) lot. The Key West Cemetery is located about one block to the east. The top of Solaris Hill (the highest point on the island that is Key West) is located about one block to the northwest (see the night time photos).

726 Windsor Lane - Destroyed by Fire

726 Windsor Lane as it was being built in 1975

Windsor Lane at night

630 Elizabeth Street - the top of Solaris Hill as viewed from Windsor Lane

I blogged about 728 Windsor Lane the little house next door to the east in 2009 when it was offered for sale. I showed that place many times and tried my best to get someone to buy it. I extolled the potential of the would-be charmer. I didn't sell it, but somebody bought it. And today it is the final stages of renovation. Below are a couple of shots of the 728 Windsor in 2009 and a couple of the renovation in progress. You will also see a 726 Windsor (today's new listing) in these photos.

I realize not every buyer is going to want a CBS house located in the historic area. But I will be a lot of people would like a large sturdy house that they could renovate. Unlike our old wooden houses, 726 Windsor Lane could be torn down and a new wood house built on the lot. A more practical and less costly renovation might include replacing the existing concrete front porches with wood porches and adding Hardiboard siding to the sides. I would replace the metal and glass windows with wood six over six wood windows. All of a sudden the big CBS would disappear and blend into the beautifully emerging new city scape.

I doubt that a new owner would be able to get permission to add a pool to the rear yard. But there is plenty of room to add a covered porch and garden.  A new owner could add a hot tub because hot tubs are portable and do not require a building permit.

726 Windsor Lane is located across the street from the Key West Writers compound and around the corner from CHARLIES GROCERY. Charlies is the only commercial business for a couple of blocks.  Duval Street is only a five minute walk to the west. The historic seaport is a five to seven minute walk down William Street or Elizabeth Street. There are charming houses all over the place. You will figure out how to make 726 Windsor Lane your place in Paradise.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and to view listing photos of 726 Windsor Lane that is offered for sale at $975,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.