Razing 1420 Whalton Street, Key West Florida

I blogged about 1420 Whalton Street  In September 2019. It is large corner lot located in the highly sought after Casa Marina Area. The Mid-century house had its benefits and flaws, but most of all it had the desirable location. 1420 Whalton St sold in March 2020 for $1,182,747 or $277 per sq ft.  Three days ago bulldozers and dump trucks descended upon the site to raze the house. The story is the new owner purchased the property to prevent the lot from being over-developed with some monstrous contemporary home.

It will be interesting to see what the new owner does build. Stay tuned.

For buyers thinking about buying a home in Key West, please consider contacting me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time buyers agent at Preferred Properties Key West. There are buying opportunities in Key West including nice homes in the Casa Marina area that are move-in ready and that will not bankrupt you.

720 Washington Street, Key West - Casa Marina Area

The asking price on 720 Washington Street, Key West was just reduced to $1,550,000. It is located just a couple of blocks to the north of Higgs Beach in the tony Casa Marian Area. I showed the house just before noon on Saturday. We had looked at another home in the area during the pouring rain. I hate showing homes on gray days (we get them). And hate even more showing homes in pouring rain - but it happens and allows potential buyers experience raw Key West weather. Ten minutes later we arrived at the Washington house - the rain stopped, the skies became bright, and we got to see this house and sunny pool in all its glory.

This 2,138 sq ft home was built new in 1985 and sits behind a mature hedge at the front which gives this property total privacy. We met the listing Realtor at the front door where we admired the grass lawn. There are not that many homes in the area with lawns. It was refreshing. We stepped inside to the foyer looking toward the living room to the left.

The living room rises two stories with its vaulted ceiling. Sliding doors at the rear open out to the pool and rear deck. A separate set of French doors open to the east side yard. 

I remembered this house from before and was so excited to see that the pool area had been refreshed. The pool is a sunbather's dream. Lots of sunny skies and total privacy to get that all over Key West tan.

The large master suite with vaulted ceiling also opens out to the pool. I stood the double door entry to this room admiring the view and imagined taking a late night dip in the pool. Then I eyed the toilet in the master bath which reminded me of Grace & Frankie. You'll laugh. It does not function that way and works quiet well in this time of the pandemic, I suppose.

There is a first floor bedroom with bath plus two more bedrooms with a Jack-and-Jill bath on the second floor. Let's face it, the spiral staircase may not make this house suitable as an active family home, but it should work well as a family retreat as a second home or as primary residence for a couple who need separate office area plus rooms for the occasional guests. By the way, you'll have guests all the time because the beach is so close and upper Duval Street is just a five minute walk.

I've been holed up during the pandemic at my Casa Marina home where I have lived since 1995. What a place to spend the pandemic. People still walk their dogs, play tennis, go to the beach, and now are going back to the gym and many to work. It's better than being in Peoria or Astoria.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more photos of 720 Washington Street, Key West Florida offered for sale at $1,550,000 and then call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. to schedule a private showing. I am once again a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Key West Real Estate Trivial Pursuit

Let's Play Trivial Pursuit. I will post old pictures of Key West houses and buildings. Readers should post the address or location..

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Firing Fact Checkers

The following story is real. I was a part of it. But not the part that counts.

 During summer recess in 1996 I shared an apartment in Denver with a guy from my college. I will call him Hal. I worked as a civil clerk at the Jefferson County Court in Golden, Colorado. Hal worked at Lowry Air Force Base as a painter. Hal came from a privileged background. He was tall, blond, and very good looking. He drove a brand new Pontiac Convertible. His major was industrial construction management - I hadn't a clue what that was. He revealed he a younger sister who was a patient at Ridge Home in Arvada, Colorado. For all the positives in his life, he had some demons as well. I remember coming home after work one day seeing him in the bathroom vomiting.  I saw a suicide note on the kitchen table. I did not all the police. He did not die. He was being a dramatic queen. We did not see each other after we returned to school although I called him once. He preferred to hang out with his fraternity friends.

I remember seeing him 13 years of  so later at a Christmas Gala Historic Denver in the old Union Station. We talked a bit. He wore  tux. Me a suit. I remember him sitting on the floor - drunk. I learned that he was in upper management at the mortgage company of the bank holding company where I also worked. Good for him. I met his wife. Wife? Yes. (I later learned she was from Denver society and liked nice things and that she pushed Hal into Denver Society. ) As soon as I heard Hal was married, I knew whatever he was involved in was fake. Real fake.

It was maybe a year of two later that I learned Hal had been arrested for embezzlement of  $589,823 from his employer and that a substantial portion of those embezzled funds had been used to construct and furnish the family residence. In his position as vice president of construction lending of the mortgage company, he was able to write checks without obtaining the approval of any other employee. Because he wrote checks on two accounts of which he was responsible, the embezzlement went on for more than a year. The court later determined that $190,000 was used to construct the family home. $40,000 was spent on furnishings, $13,000 on a Jaguar (move-up from Pontiac), and $3,200 to repay a private loan from a friend.

A guy I worked with in the bank loss prevention department told me that my Hal's wife came home early one afternoon and found Hal having sex with another man in the marital bed. She immediately filed for a divorce. Lots of money was spent by Hal, his ex-wife, and the mortgage company for years that followed.

The loss prevention guy told me the embezzlement went on for more than a year because Hal would re-assign or fire subordinates who raised questions. Then a new woman employee suspected something was fishy and went outside company protocol to report her suspicions. The embezzlement was revealed just as the divorce was rocking Hal's world.

Rules are established to keep honest people honest. Most obey. Some stray. Some, like Hal, devise ingenious plans to get away with things. Which leads me to my point. Trump fired four Inspectors General. They were fact checkers. I have more faith in rules than I do people. Nuff said.

Leftovers - Key West Style

I recently watched an episode on America's Test Kitchen on how to make a chicken pot pie. I had my own recipe of sorts but thought it appropriate to see how to do it correctly. I was surprised that the TV chef took the same same short cuts as me and ended up with very lick-smacking good looking pot pie. The chef recommended using store bought pie crusts and rotisserie chicken, onions, celery, carrots, and other leftover veggies to complete the pie. Using leftovers sames money and time. It's like they are free.

A few years ago while on Realtor Caravan in Key West I got to see the home of a licensed general contractor with whom I was familiar. He had done work for a couple of my customers. He had obviously updated much of his house and used what appeared to be left over items from prior jobs including tile used in my customers main bathroom. My customer was a nice-enough guy, but he was as tight as a nut on a Chrysler. I doubt he would have let the contractor just take the tile. And I am pretty sure that the contractor did not pay.

I later learned that contractor had been arrested for felony theft - not for taking leftover building materials but taking real money.  He is now a convicted felon. He served his time and was released on parole. He was recently arrested on multiple drug related charges.   

I don't know the actual statistics as to the ratio of native born Key Westers versus people like me who moved here to start a new life. There are a couple of patterns I have observed over the years as relate to both groups.  Many native Key Westers (Conchs) sell their family home and move to central Florida where it is less expensive to live to live out their remaining days. Many walk away from Key West with five hundred thousand dollars or more. Good for them. There are scores of people who have moved here with virtually nothing, got a job, showed up for work each day, proved their worth, advanced, got a partner or married, bought a home and maybe started a business. Many found the dream life they sought. And the last group is the most common. People come here looking for paradise. They get two or three job in order life. Many live in a crappy place by themselves, get a dog or car to be their friend, and turn to drugs or booze for solace. When life does not workout the way they planned, some abruptly leave Key West and go back home. Many others get arrested for drugs or driving under the influence. And they repeat the cycle for years.

You can make a really good chicken pot pie using leftovers and you can end-up in a lot of trouble if resort to theft to pay for your addictions.

Key West is re-opening on Monday and I will be writing about current real estate then.    

512 Catherine St. Key West - SOLD

The house at 512 Catherine Street, Key West sold this week for $1,200,000. Krystal Thomas (no relation) of my office represented the buyer. My friend Suzanne Moore represented the seller. There have been numerous closed real estate deals in the past two months in all price ranges. I was both surprised and encouraged by this particular sale.

The surprise comes from the price paid and the condition of the house. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos.  The house is definitely a fixer. The 1,800 sq ft house sits on a 5,082 sq ft lot less than one-half block off Duval Street. I dug down into my old shoebox and found a photo of the house taken 55 years ago.  The front of the house has a newer brick facade and an extended porch.  The building in the rear was an addition built prior to the 1965 photo. The house appeared in the 1889 Sanborn Fire Map. This block of Catherine Street had ten similar cigar maker cottages on the south side of the street. There was a house located at 510 Catherine Street which no longer exists and is now a part of 512 Catherine lot.

512 Catherine Street was the former home and studio of Mario Sanchez. Sanchez's folk art commands high prices in local galleries like the Greene Street Gallery. Sanchez created depictions of this neighborhood and the people who lived there. Much of the area has changed since my first visit to Key West in 1984. I stayed at LaTeDa and walked around the corner where Tomasita's Seafood stand stood and still does. Tomasita's is located opposite 512 Catherine.

Many of the nearby homes have been renovated and several have valuable transient licenses. 512 Catherine Street has been identified by the City of Key West as a receiver site for a transient license. The city also recognizes this property as having two legal residences. The original house could be renovated and perhaps the rear addition removed or relocated to the empty side of the lot. There may be room for one or two pools. Two smaller houses with transient rental licensees would be worth a minimum of $2.4 million and probably much more.

The fact that this sale occurred during the pandemic encourages me about the future of Key West. We need to embrace the future and not be afraid of it. Our economy will return. It will be different. Nobody knows exactly how everything will play out. I believe people who have come to Key West before will return. I think our location will lure many new visitors who may be reluctant to fly to Europe or Asia. Key West really is a little town in the middle of the ocean. It is picture postcard perfect.

If you are thinking of buying or selling property in Key West, please consider contacting me, Gary Thomas, Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.