1509 Pine Street, Key West - Price Reduction

1509 Pine Street is located in the quiet Meadows Area of Key West. It is located a couple of blocks north of Bayview Park, the main city park in our little town. Many of the homes in this area were built around the turn of the Twentieth Century. While 1509 Pine may look like one of the historic older homes, it was built in 2008. It was built to the State of Florida's rigid building code and offers substantial reduced costs for insurance, maintenance, and power consumption. The asking price was just reduced to $1,299,000 or $797 per sq ft.  Read on and compare the price and features to other much higher priced and less affordable to maintain homes in Old Town. I am certain when any potential buyer sits on the front porch they will immediately and deeply fall in love with this location and this home because it is the epitome of what a Key West house ought to be. 

The listing Realtor describes 1509 Pine Street, Key West, as

"Built in 2008 resembling the charming historic architecture of Old Town Key West, this 3 bedroom 3 1/2 bath is all new. With 11 foot ceilings and 8 foot doors, the spacious rooms are filled with light. The gourmet kitchen has granite counters, high end stainless appliances and an incredible amount of storage. The sunny heated pool and spa with water feature are controlled by mobile app. Each
bedroom is en suite and the master has a vaulted ceiling plus a private balcony. There is two zone central air, hard wood and travertine floors, solid wood doors, high ceilings on both floors, crown molding and high end fixtures used throughout the home. This home is in pristine move in condition and will delight the most discerning buyer. Private parking is accessed through electric gates at both ends of the driveway. Plenty of street parking for guests. Great Meadows location near everything Key West has to offer. Easy to see!"

The Meadows of Key West was designed to be and is the epitome of design and high-end construction in Key West. The homes were built to withstand the challenges of our sub-tropical climate and sunny days. The Hardiboard siding and impact windows and doors will keep long term maintenance and insurance costs down as opposed to other stick built homes in our area. Each home has a private pool and carport which is accessed via private rear driveway. The home owner association maintains the driveway and water retention area on Eisenhower Drive keeping the HOA fees to a minimum. Homeowners are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of their individual homes and yards.

Like many of the Grand Conch Houses of Old Town, this home has a covered front porch located off the master suite.  The ceiling in the master bedroom is vaulted which really adds dimension to this space that includes a large walk-in closet and en-suite bath. Readers should study the architectural detain in the second floor porch. You just won't find this kind of detailed architecture and quality in similarly sized historic home in Old Town at this price.

There are two additional bedrooms on the second floor both of which have private en-suite baths and ample closets. The rear bedroom (pictured above) is located above the carport. I guess you could refer to it as a carriage house of sorts. Note that both guest bedrooms have tray ceilings, crown molding, recessed lighting, and many more design feature.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and to view more listing photos of 1509 Pine Street offered at $1,299,000.  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.

508 Grinnell Street, Key West - Gracious Old Town Residence

The listing Realtor describes the home at 508 Grinnell Street this way:

Elegance and Serenity will greet you as you walk through the doors of this Impeccably Restored Historic Home, located on the Coveted 500 block of Grinnell St., just a short stroll from the Historic Seaport. The living space flows flawlessly to the pool and pool house and combined with the lush landscaping and design, creates an Impressive entertaining area. Three Bedrooms and three full baths,

two of which are ensuite are all spacious with plenty of storage. The pool house is air conditioned and can be used as a fourth bedroom. Gorgeous Hard wood floors, Walls of windows, original Dade county Pine sporadically found in the perfect locations. All finishes are of the highest quality and tastefully appointed. Located in the x-zone and one off street parking spot. A beautiful Key West Gem for the Discerning Buyer.

This house first appeared in the 1889 Historic Sanborn Fire Map when it was numbered 231 Grinnell Street.  That means this house was built at least as of 1889. It could date back years earlier. The house numerator changed to 508 Grinnell Street in the 1892 map. The MAP shows  a large open area in the rear with numerous small cottages interspersed in a very large open area that identified as "Goats Retreat". Today that area has numerous small cottages that face onto Hibiscus Lane  which begins on Grinnell Street and ends a couple of hundred feet to the west where a private gate opens into a stunning Balinese retreat currently offered at over $6 million. The houses two doors to the right front onto Fleming Street and all are multi-million dollar homes. The quaint little houses of more than a hundred forty years ago have become pretty expensive homes in modern day Key West.

The black and white photo below shows 508 Grinnell Street as it appeared in 1965. If you compare the two photos you will see that the current house is much larger than the original house. Shed additions were added to both sides of the attic giving the second floor meaningful living space. (You cannot do that today. HARC won't allow it.) Today there are two bedrooms each with full baths on the second floor. Original metal louvers were replaced with glass windows and air conditioned interiors.
The 1950s vintage aluminum awnings shown below were removed. The old fashioned concrete base was removed and new wood columns added. The front entry was moved from the right side to the left side of the house.

The front door actually opens onto a covered portico that runs the length of the house. Thee sets of glass doors provide abundant light into the living room. There is an office located at the front (no photos).

I had to pause and touch the wood when I reached the staircase. Everything so was perfect. The original wood remains, distressed over the years just like any other old-timer. A bath is located at the right rear. There are numerous little cubby-hole closets and other places throughout the house. You will notice the continued theme of bright white set against warm wood.

The doors open out to the side and rear porch which leads to the pool, sunning area, and pool cottage. Everything here is pristine. Doors can remain opened throughout much of the winter while folks up north are wearing long johns and parks, folks down here can sit outside at night and have a pleasant dinner wearing the Tee shits and flip flops.

 The second floor hallway reminds me a small boutique hotel in the Cotswolds. Every things is done on point. Nothing amiss. The laundry is hidden behind one set of doors. There is more storage behind others.

I was in this home earlier this morning along with 50 other Realtors all of whom were making sounds like "Ooh" and "Aah" at every turn.  This is a truly great house with so many delightful little features that make this home a standout.  The house is showcased so well that it looks like a place you might see in Architectural Digest which is anther great feature as it is offered furnished.

508 Grinnell Street is offered for sale at $1,995,000. CLICK HERE to view th Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos. 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.

903 Eaton Street, Key West - Potential Renovation and More

Just Listed by yours truly, 903 Eaton Street in Key West, Florida. If you look at the above photos you may see a big open lot and maybe that's all. Maybe you see the beautiful home across the street and think maybe this is a good location where you might build an equally beautiful home. It's what you cannot see from the street that may make this property more interesting to you because there is an existing two bedroom, one bath home located at the rear of the property.

One of the great features of 903 Eaton Street is the lot size which is quite large for a home located in the Historic District of Key West known as Old Town. It measures 50' X 106' or 5300 square feet. Many of the homes in Old Town are located on lots of 2500 square feet or less. As a general rule houses in the Historic District must be renovated and may not be razed.  The second or perhaps the primary feature is the potential to take down the existing CBS house (concrete block structure) which is not a contributing structure. Given the lot size and land use regulations, a new owner might be able to construct a new fairly large house on this lot with a pool, gardens, and off street parking. If you are familiar with what is for sale in the Key West real estate market today, you should appreciate this property offers more opportunity at a better price and a better location than the competition.

 The existing house is 761 square feet and was built in 1954. It sits at the rear of the immense lot but there is still about ten feet of space behind the lot which is decked. A covered laundry room and store room takes up about 20% of the rear area and is built to the property line. Inside you will see highly desirable Cuban Tile Floors. The period kitchen is simple, but it is clean as a whistle and more important it is functional. Also note the new mini-split air conditioners throughout the house. The electric bills went down when these went up. They are whisper quite to operate and keep the house cool and comfy!

CLICK HERE to view more photos of this property. The owners created a sweet garden area hidden from view. There is a large covered carport and storage area. So many potential buyers worry about where they can park their car and store their bikes and toys when they are away. This place has the space to do just that. Moreover, you should appreciate the location of this home which is within easy walking distance to the seaport and Duval Street. Cole's Peace Bakery is two blocks to the east. Old Town Bakery is across the street at the corner of Margret Street. There are many great restaurants located within a five minute walk in multiple directions.

Please CLICK HERE to review the Key West MLS for 903 Eaton Street and then call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing.  I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let's look and you decide how you might turn this place into your private Paradise.