The Realtor Waltz

Every night when I was a little boy my dad would take me to my room to get ready for bed. We would kneel beside my bed where I would say my prayers. I blessed my entire family - Mommy, Daddy, Ronnie, Shirley and Joe, Grandmother, Granddaddy, and my dog - Blacky and later Mickey. I didn't know what "if I should die before I wake" meant, but I said it and meant it. Then I would get in bed and my dad would either tell me a story, whistle a gentle tune, or sing me to sleep with either "Red River Valley" or his favorite "Tennessee Waltz". The lyrics go like this:

I was dancin' with my darlin' to the Tennessee Waltz
When an old friend I happened to see
I introduced her to my loved one
And while they were dancin'
My friend stole my sweetheart from me.

Looking back I wonder why this song had such an impact on my dad. I know my mother never, ever cheated on my dad. The thought would have never crossed her mind. The melancholy in his voice rang just too true when he sang that sad song, even to a little boy who knew nothing of the world.



As a little kid and later as a teenage my world centered on me and not my parents. I wish I would have cared more. Maybe I would have learned something. My dad died the week before I graduated from high school.  You can't fix things like that.

I remember the time I met with another Realtor to take photos of her new listing for my buyer. I don't recall exactly how it happened, but she unburdened herself about receiving a phone call or email from a buyer for whom she had been working for several months. It seems her buyer bought a house using a different Realtor in Key West. Key West is a small place with maybe 300 Realtors. She told me how much time she had spent on this buyer. How many different places she had gone to take photos for him. How many emails and phone calls she had made. And then to find out the buyer actually consummated a deal with somebody else was so hurtful.

She said she felt like such a fool. She complained that this same thing had happened before. She said she trusted people too much. And then she complained that she will have to see this other agent for maybe 20 more years, each time remembering that he stole her buyer. Frustrating. Hurtful. Maddening.

I have experienced the same experience as my friend plus multiple instances when people tell me they read about a property in my blog, called their Realtor, and then bought the property. It's like a "Thank you very much for the info, Gary!" and **** ***! It happened again a couple of weeks ago during an open house I was hosting. The person walked up, introduced himself or herself (don't remember for sure), and said we read about our house in your blog and bought it from ***** *****. "Gee, thanks for telling me. That's why I write my blog, so that buyers go to other agents to buy houses I write about."

I am sure most Realtors have experienced the loss of a customer to another agent and felt a sense of betrayal. To me it's akin to finding out your sweetheart has been cheating on you, like in the song, and has run away with your best friend. 

3010 Flagler Avenue, Key West - A Less Expensive Alternative to More Expensive Old Town

Just about all potential buyer who call me to discuss the desire to start looking for a home in Key West says they want a place in Old Town close to Duval Street so that they can walk to the restaurants and do all the things they do when they visit as tourists. They tell me how many bedrooms and baths they want, whether they require a pool and parking. It's when I tell them how much it may cost to find a place that is in tip-top shape that reality often sets in as the cost of paradise seems out of the reach for some. I often quiz these potential buyers to ask if they have considered mid-town and new-town areas. Most are unaware of the areas or the value of homes located there.

3010 Flagler Avenue is a viable and less expensive alternative to the more expensive homes in Old Town and Casa Marina areas. This three bedroom home also includes a pool, guest cottage with bath, and carport. The 1,602 sq ft home was built in 1958 and sits on a 6,360 sq ft lot. (Imagine how much that would cost in Old Town.)

The home has been tastefully updated and is in move-in condition. I looked for but did not find anything that needs to be brought up to date. That means a new owner won't have to live through months of contractors not showing up to fix things or countless homeowner trips to Home Depot or Ace Hardware looking for stuff and then paying for stuff.

The master bedroom has a pretty chill view of the cool pool. Who wouldn't want a view like that each morning?  There is a large guest bedroom (with bath) in the main house plus a guest cottage (with bath) in the rear which the current owner uses as an office.

Last week I mentioned that I made by first visit to Key West in March 1984. I drove down from Miami and turned left on A-1-A and started toward Old Town, or so I thought. Instead I ended up on the eastern end of Flagler Avenue which had block after block of mid-century homes. This wasn't the Key West I anticipated.

I dug into my old shoebox and found the above black and white photo taken at where I think 2900 to 3100 block of Flagler Avenue. I think I see commercial buildings a couple of blocks to the east. The blond house on the right side of the photo looks much like 3010 Flagler does. The house definitely has a carport, a trademark of mid-century homes.  3010 Flagler Avenue today has a semi-circular drive and plantings which give the house privacy from the street. Additionally, the home has new windows and doors courtesy of the FAA's airport noise abatement program. While every home owner can hear plane loads of tourists arriving at some point, only a few homes got the expensive and effective replacement windows. 

This home should be workable with a family with one or two children. The guest bedroom is good sized or to a gay couple who want a slice of paradise that won't break the bank. The new Poinciana School is only a couple of blocks away as is the new Anytime Fitness.  Our three large shopping centers are five minutes by car.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of this super-clean and well price home now offered at $825,000 or $525 per sq ft. 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.  You really should see this house. You will be impressed.

Some things from the 1950s never go out of style.

Follow me on TWITTER where I often give up to the minute alerts of price changes and new listings that are worthy of immediate attention. There are a lot of agents who check the MLS and their emails. once a day. I live on the MLS and respond to buyers quickly.

1307 Elizabeth Street, Key West - Back on the Market

On February 12th I blogged about a then new short sale for a nice house located at 1307 Elizabeth Street in the Old Town area of Key West. I ended the blog by predicting "This will go quickly, at least as far as contract negotiation." It did. It went under contract within a couple of days but just came back on the market. The listing agent told me the prospective buyers weren't prepared for the time period to get the short sale approved. Such is life today. Almost everybody expects instant gratification. If only Amazon could do short sales. But it can't.

Buyers seeking a "fixer" that does not look like it needs all that much fixed should consider 1307 Elizabeth Street, Key West. The house looks as though the owner walked away. Palm fronds are scattered all over the driveway and bricked side and back yards. I sold another house on this block three years ago and happened to snap a photo of 1307 Elizabeth Street as it appeared then. See below. It fits in nicely with the other lovely homes on this one block stretch between United Street to the north and South Street to the south. Simonton Street is one-half block away and Duval Street is one block further west. You could not ask for a better located in Old Town - it's close to the action but not a part of it.

A previous MLS listing provided a bit of history of this former cigar maker cottage which was allegedly made in the Bahamas and floated to Key West in the 1880s for use of workers at the nearby Gato Cigar factory. In the 1920ss it was used as a bakery. I checked the Monroe County Property Appraiser records and learned the house was significantly remodeled in 1996.

The black and white photo from 1965 shows the original cigar maker cottage together with an addition at the rear. The 1996 renovation added a second addition which is where the kitchen and dining area are now located. This room is a step down from the main living level and has a shed roof. The bedroom is located at the front of the house followed by the bathroom. All rooms have vaulted ceilings except the kitchen. The interiors are modern and do not have any historic character. Not being negative. Just pointing out what exists. A new side entrance on the north side opens into the living room. The old front porch is now a place for sitting outside off the bedroom.

The renovated house has 812 square feet of living space under air that sits on a lot measuring 40' wide by 81' deep. There is off street parking in front and a washer and dryer located in the shed at the rear. It appears that all of the windows are shuttered including the clerestory windows in the living area at the rear. The north side yard and back area are brick pavers.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to discuss. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. This will go quickly, at least as far as contract negotiation.

327 Peacon Lane, Key West

The charming house located at 327 Peacon Lane, Key West, has been in the same family for generations and is now available for purchase for the very first time. I dug into my old shoebox and found a photo taken of the property back in 1965. The only notable difference I could see is that the front yard has been bricked to create an off street parking space.

Peacon Lane is a one block long one-way street entered off Eaton that exits onto Caroline Street.  The Key West Seaport is located about one block north and east. I then checked the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine approximately when this home was built. The house first appeared in the 1892 Map when it was identified as 8.3 Grunt Bone Alley.  The 1889 Map showed houses on the opposite side of the street, but the east side and houses to the rear for the next couple of blocks were all excluded from that Map. The 1899 Map changed the street name and house number to 327 Peacon Lane. We therefore know that 327 Peacon Lane existed as early as 1892. Then I went to The Streets of Key West: A History Through Street Names by J. Willis Burke who postured "grunts and grits were long time staples on the island. Presumably, this alley became the dumping ground for the remains of a species of fish named for its ability to make grunting sounds. The alley was renamed for Richard Peacon, Key West's most prominent grocer."

Before I describe the house and grounds, I need to mention the street which is dotted with some of the cutest houses on the island. Remember, this area is the closest to the seaport. This is where the first houses and some commercial buildings were first built. The small cottage next door at 317 Peacon Lane is as cute as a button. The house across the street at 320 Peacon Lane is presently undergoing total restoration. Two completely restored homes are presently offered for sale at $2,300,000 each. Duval Street is just three blocks to the west and the seaport five minutes to the east.

The original house has been updated and now has 1413 sq ft of living space consisting of living room, dining area, kitchen, two bathrooms, and three bedrooms.  The lot measures 36.5' X 72' or 2624 sq ft. French doors open out from the dining room to the rear decks.

The rear first floor deck looks great. It is very inviting. There is room for a pool - not an Olympic pool but certainly larger than a cocktail pool. The second floor rear deck was totally unexpected - it has views looking toward the seaport.

Peacon Lane as it appeared in 1937 and as it looks today. I know you can get grits in many local restaurants, but I'm not that sure about grunts. I am confident you would find the location highly desirable and that potential renovators may see this house as a buying opportunity. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos on 327 Peacon Lane offered for sale at $998,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to arrange a personal showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

You're Invited to a Three Way Open House in Key West

Three Open Houses

One Day - Sunday - March 10th

Time 12:00 to 2:00 PM

409 Grinnell Street, Key West  1688 Sq Ft Four Bedroom Home with beautiful new pool.
Offered fully furnished at $1,249,000.

11 Nassau Lane, Key West.  Priced to Sell Fully Furnished at $749,000.

1413 Von Phister Street, Key West. Brand New 1924 Sq Ft Three Bedroom Home with 20X10' Sunny Pool.  Now offered at $1,499,000.

Follow me on TWITTER