September 11th. One Photo. We Will Never Forget!

I cannot forget the horror of that day. Not knowing what was going to happen next. Nothing this terrifying had ever happened in America. 

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Key West Throwback Thursday #2

From December 22, 2018

Key West - A Couple of Days Before Christmas Story

This is true. I don't make stuff up. Sometimes my memory plays tricks on me and I get things a little screwy, or I can't add correctly, but for the most part if I write it in my blog soon after I experience something, it will come out true. This is the case here. And it should make my Dear Readers laugh or at least chuckle. We all need to chuckle.

I recently met with a couple that I sold a place to a few years ago. I was sitting in their living room petting the family dog and swapping stories about Key West real estate - what else? We were discussing all the changes they made to their home. Then the man's eyes darted to the left as if looking through the bedroom wall - the one with the Comcast box.

He mentioned the time when the contractors were working on the house.  He recited a laundry list of little changes they made to their Key West getaway. I perked up when he started to talk about the porn bill.  It seems that the contractor or one of his workers had racked up a $300 Comcast bill for  porn videos that were viewed the month the contractor was supposed to be remodeling the house. I think that's when the Mrs. remarked there was one day someone watched three porn movies. I think porn movies last about two hours so that means somebody (or somebodies) charged the owners a lot of money to watch the porn the owners had to pay for. Talk about over-billing.

I then asked who the contractor was. The man said the contractor's name. I'll call the guy "Mort" because I might get sued if I said the real name. I know Mort. I may have recommended Mort to this couple. I have recommended Mort to other people who wanted a contractor who would take on smaller projects. I said "He's so old, I didn't know he still had a dick!" The lady looked at me like what did you just say?

923 Southard Street, Key West is Back on the Market

923 Southard Street in Old Town Key West is back on the market. The original cigar maker's style cottage was built circa 1889. I found an old photo that shows pretty much the original structure as it appeared 50 some years ago (see the black and white photo below). If you look carefully you can see traditional clapboard siding at the front but board and batten siding (vertical siding) on the side.  You also will see a "sawtooth" addition at the rear. I suspect that was the kitchen at the time the photo was taken. A later owner expanded that space to include a second floor addition.  The resultant house today has 1476 sq ft of living space under air. The house sits on a large 2700 sq ft lot (approximately 27' x 100') lot located in the heart to Old Town.

Today this storybook cottage rests behind a picturesque white picket. The front porch provides the perfect perch for people watching.  Inside, you are greeted by a traditional long hallway on the right which leads to the kitchen and dining at the rear. The current owner removed a previously existing wall that separated a small front office from the adjacent living room. The newly expanded living room is a delight. The floors were refinished and look like new. Windows from the hallway on the east which filter into the living area.  Windows at the front and west side light the living room during the daytime. The Dade County Pine Walls are punctuated by the baseboards, trim, and crown molding all painted a crisp white.

There is a full bathroom plus closets closets located at the rear of the living room. This space will come in handy as the second bathroom on the second floor is en-suite to the master bedroom.

The kitchen is a compact place to cook when the owner is dining at home versus going out to one of the nearby restaurants including Mangia Mangia, Azur, or Cafe Sole. Five Brothers is located down on the corner of Grinnell. The turf is not real, but the sunshine, the trees, the singing birds are very real, and they are very much a part of the appeal of this magical back yard located in the heart of Old Town.

The roof top balcony is the perfect spot to take an all-over Key West tan. It's also a great place to sit in the morning drinking your coffee or late at night as the warm breezes move across the island. The last couple of nights have been incredible as the full moon migrated across the sky with slow winds moving lots of clouds about. It was quite the show. When the conch trains, delivery vans, scooters, and cars stop the real noises of the island begin: the dog scratching off fleas, the occasional cat screeching, the gecko on the wall chirping, the fountain in the garden gurgling, the palms swishing. These are the sounds of Key West us locals love to hear.

923 Southard Street is offered at $1,074,000. CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this treasure. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

3838 Flagler Avenue, Key West

It is amazing how much Key West has changed in the last thirty years. But it is more amazing how it has changed from 100 years ago when the photo at the top of today's blog was taken on the eastern end of the island looking southwest on Flagler Avenue. That is where today's house is located.

3838 Flagler Avenue, Key West

The listing Realtor describes 3838 Flagler Avenue this way:

"Create your private Key West waterfront oasis in this Mid Century Modern Marvel with quick boating access to the open water of the Atlantic or the Gulf. Come discover the potential of this sprawling single level home surrounded by tropical courtyards and covered patios overlooking a large canal-side pool. A unique and architecturally fabulous 2 bay carport graciously leads you behind the CBS privacy walls.The main house totals 3bd/2ba plus a large guesthouse and bath for a total of 4bd/3ba and room to incorporate another bedroom, office or bonus space in the existing floor plan. Large panes of glass and walls of sliding glass doors invite the outdoors in and frame this open palette awaiting your renovation dream."

The 3,189 Sq Ft house sits on a 9,450 Sq Ft Lot at the eastern end of Key West and the terminus of Sunrise Canal which flows in the the Atlantic Ocean. The house was built in 1968 and is solid CBS construction and was updated in the early 1990s. The house has been well maintained but it is dated. This is one of a few homes actually on the water for sale at this time. I consider it a buying opportunity. Let's look at the interior and then the pool and water views.

You enter the home thru courtyard (fallen into disrepair as the owners have passed) and the landscaping has been allowed to dither a bit. The space and elegance of the entrance can be easily brought back to life. Nature thrives in Key West. Bring your vision. You proceed into the house thru two large glass panel doors into the living room which has a massive fireplace. The expansive dining room then comes into view. Windows and glass panel doors expose the pool and canal beyond. The combined living and dining area are larger than a Shipyard condo.

Glass panel doors at the end of the family room open out to a covered patio that wraps around to the gated entry. Additional large windows bring abundant light into this space.

Three of the bedrooms are located on the east side of the house where a long hallway separates the the bedrooms from the living area. A guest cottage with bath is located the very rear of the lot and can be seen above.
The house is certainly livable as it is but could be so much more if renovated. The house at 3810 Flagler was renovated and sold in March 2020 for $4,000,000.  That is not to suggest this house would sell for that much. But it does suggest that the waterfront location and quality renovation can create new value where a century ago there was only a gravel road and scrub brush and trees.

The Sunrise Canal flows into the Riviera Canal which flows into Cow Key Channel and the Atlantic Ocean

CLICK HERE to viiew the Key West MLS datasheet with listing photos of 3838 Flagler Avenue, Key West offered for sale at $1,120,000. 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.

A Memorable Closet in Key West

The furor over the allegations President Trump denigrated members of the military are troubling on so many levels. I will leave it right there and let the electorate decide how to judge him.  I have been going to write this particular blog for several months and then stopped. I planned to expand it and give many other examples of items left behind in closets when people leave their homes. The Trump allegations about the military brought into focus one moment in real estate that I will never forget.

In early 2009 a friend and fellow Realtor listed the above house at 924 Flagler Avenue in Key West. The MLS listing described the house as follows:

"Welcome to 1935. This home is the first home built in the Casa Marina development. It was built by Mr. Edward Strunk, and has been in his family since that time. This lovely architectural time piece is in very good condition and has a fabulous lot ( approx. 100' x 125'). The floors throughout are of decorative Cuban Tile,and the bathrooms and kitchen are original. A sun porch brings wonderful light and breezes throughout the house. This is a one of a kind opportunity!!!"

 It was and still is a remarkable piece of Key West history and architecture. I got inside the day it was listed and contacted a buyer who I had been working with and convinced him to make a sight unseen cash offer. He did and the offer was accepted. He flew down to Key West a few days later for the inspection. We stood across admiring the house before went inside for the inspection. A man riding his bicycle rode over to us and said something like "You're too late! Somebody bought it before anybody else had a chance!"

My buyer and I walked through the property room by room taking everything in. The seller no longer lived in the house which was empty with a few items of furniture and knick knacks left behind.  We went upstairs to look at the three bedrooms. I remember walking into the southwest bedroom where I opened the closet door and saw it. I took a picture. It was that important. 

I searched my old shoebox but I could not fine the photo I took So I did a GOOGLE SEARCH and found the above of an Ike Jacket from World War II.  I am sure the seller kept that jacket as a remembrance of his service. World War II was a moment of great importance to most Americans - actually, most people in the world who were affected by that war. Preserving his service jacket was a small way of remembering what he did in the war. Those who served remember. Those who lost members of their family remember.

Key West Throwback Thursday #1

 From April 25, 2015

Be Careful Who You Trust with Access to Your Home in Key West

I love living in Key West. You can be who you want to be and love who you want to love. Nobody cares what you do or who you sleep with other than the guy who parades around town with his anti-fags sign. Gays and straights and rich and the not-so-not rich mix at work and at play with ease. We have a lot of people that have moved here from all over the world. There are good people and some that are not so good. The bad people sometimes give the rest of us a bad name.
I recall an evening a couple of years ago when  a couple who I had recently sold a house to called me. They told me they a nephew drove a new car they purchased for their Key West down here from their home up north. He had parked under their carport and went back home. 

They said a week later they were contacted by the Key West police. Their new Key West car had been involved in a hit and run accident after the nephew had returned to his home. Someone had got inside their house, found the keys, and drove the car more than a mile away to get involved in an accident. The car was returned to the covered parking space where it belonged.

I asked the obvious question: who had keys to the car?  The couple did not know. They said the lady's Key West hair dresser had recommended a painter who did some work inside the house for them had access to the keys to the house as did the pool service man. My mind raced back to several prior conversations I had with the lady where she related stories about the hair dresser who she adored.

My buyers asked me if I would go to their house and remove the key to the house that was supposed to be in a lock box near the front door. I immediately went there. As soon as I got to the place I inspected the car.  All four sides of the new car had damage. A chain had been wrapped through the trunk to keep the rear bumper from falling off. I took photos of the damage and then went to the lock box to remove the key. It was not there.

I got on my phone and called the owners. While we were talking I noticed a guy walking down the sidewalk and up to the house. He was in his 30s or 40s and had an open beer in his hand. He had that just-off-the-streets look that I am familiar with.  I checkout the Monroe County Sheriff's online crime page every morning. I see guys that look like this every day of my life either on the page or walking the streets of Key West. I asked the guy "Do you live here?" He replied "I'm doing work for the owners." I told him I was the owners' real estate agent and that they sent me to fetch the key. He reached in his pocket and decided he did not have the key. He said to wait a minute and then walked around the house to the rear. Several minutes elapsed. I knocked on the door. No answer. I talked with the owners who were now mildly distressed. The owner suggested that I go home. He said he would come down (from more than a thousand miles away) and sort things out. Then the guy opened the front door and said to come in. Although the house had been freshly painted and furnished, it reeked of cigarette smoke. The smell of recently over-fried hamburgers lingered in the air. Every light in the house was turned on. The volume on the TV was on full blast. It was obvious this guy had moved in-to stay.


I asked the guy "Do you know how the car got damaged?" to which he replied "No." He turned away and walked toward French doors that opened out to the pool. His  hands jerked up to his head. He grabbed his hair and ordered me to get out and said to come back in five minutes. He needed time to think.

I went back outside and spoke to the owners. I decided it was best for me to leave before this guy went completely insane. I had asked two questions in a calm and polite voice. I made no accusations or inferences in the tone or words. The guy, however, seemed over whelmed by the thought of having to leave his new house.

I think it is very important that new owners hire licensed and insured contractors and other business professionals who may access to the inside of their homes or access to a car. Most real estate companies offer once a week home inspections to make sure a Key West dream house is safe and secure. Like I said "There are good people and some that are not so good. The bad people sometimes give the rest of us a bad name."