The Projects of Key West - 2020 Year-End Review

 

Over the past few years I have blogged about the various residential and commercial renovation, remodeling, and new construction projects in and about Key West. Today's blog is a year end review of the residential projects during 2020. Readers may have thought construction stopped during the Key West lock down.  That was not universally the case. Workers were permitted to continue their work because much of it was carried on outside where social distancing was not an issue. I can report that almost all of the construction people I saw during and after the lock down wore masks. Simonton Street and sidewalks was ripped up from spring to just a couple of weeks ago. Those workers always wore masks even though they worked outside.

Real estate buyers returned to Key West as soon as they were permitted. I talked to several buyers who learned the could work from home and decided they wanted to here versus there. In one week two different buyers from California told me they were fleeing the fires, high taxation, and the millions of other California residents to a simpler life in Key West. One couple told me how they learned to really work from home. Then they decided to find the new home in Key West. What could have been a miserable year for Key West real estate has been the opposite. We have more demand than supply. While location in any town is very important, it is the location of Key West itself that is attracting new real estate purchases.

I encourage readers to click on the photo links. I spent months photographing the changes to these properties. You will see a variety of construction techniques used by various contractors. There are more properties under construction now. They will be included in my next residential update.

221 Petronia Street

 I chose the logo photo because the house at 221 Petronia Street in Bahama Village is the poster child for the changes occurring in Key West and especially the Bahama Village neighborhood. The historic house was damaged by fire several years ago and later became a bank owned property. Multiple buyers submitted offers believing it to be low and that the house had only surface damage. The house had street appeal and sat on a  good sized lot just two blocks from Duval Street. I blogged about the renovation since 2016. By chance this property was listed for sale this past week. It looks fabulous.

CLICK HERE to view more photos of 221 Petronia Street Key West.

715 Chapman Lane

 

715 Chapman is one of the last houses on this one block lane to have been renovated. The lane begins at the corner of Petronia Street and dead ends at Angela Street where the Truman Annex Development is located. Chapman Lane is an equal walking distance to the new Truman Waterfront Park and Duval Street. It took longer to construct the waterfront park than we envisioned, Time and money spent was worth it. The Petronia Street Corridor has become a destination for diners and shopping. The original houses of Bahama Village that not been renovated are decreasing in number and increasing in demand by would be renovators. Twenty some years ago the renovated houses were the exception in Bahama Village. Today they are becoming the rule.

CLICK HERE for more photos of 715 Chapman Lane.

533 Petronia Street

 

 533 Petronia Street was neglected for years. The new owners hired architect Matthew Stratton to design the renovation which included moving the house forward on the lot, reversing the driveway location, renovating and enlarging the house from footers to roof, and adding a pool. Landscape architect Craig Reynolds did the pool and landscape design. Only a few boards of of the original house remain - they are there and they were incorporated in the renovation and expansion. But the majority of this house is brand new. The design and construction techniques meet or exceed the State of Florida's high building code. Please look at the photos.

CLICK HERE for photos of the before house and progress photos of the renovation of 533 Petronia Street. 

802 Southard Street

Tom Pope, the dean of Key West architects, designed the renovation of 802 Southard Street about which I blogged a couple of weeks ago. The property had been divided into three apartments over the years. The property was restored to a single family home. The "cottage" nearest the house is now the main floor master bedroom. The adjacent cottage is now a one bedroom guest cottage. The house is located at the corner of Southard and William Streets which is the very heart of Old Town. The immediate area has some of the most expensive homes in Key West.

CLICK HERE to view construction progress photos of 802 Southard Street. 

806 Southard Street

The home at 806 Southard Street was owned by the same family for generations. After the last member moved out of area, the property was sold.  The new owners engaged architect Matthew Stratton who designed the renovation which included adding an interior staircase to make the second floor accessible and a usable part of the home. Prior to renovation the only entry to the second floor was through the front window. All of the interiors were rearranged and a new floor plan established.

CLICK HERE to view progress photos of 806 Southard Street.

710 Bakers Lane

 710 Bakers Lane was renovated by Jay Fairbank Construction, one of the premiere general contractors in Key West. The front house and rear two story "odd-duck"cottage were gutted and rebuilt from piers to the roof. The house is located just off Elizabeth Street near the very top of Solaris Hill. A giant Royal Poinciana tree shades the lot from the west side. The house was such a tragic mess when the current owner bought it. It looks just great. I sold the house directly across the street twelve years ago. It was the home of author James Leo Herlihy who wrote Midnight Cowboy. I remember hosting open houses at 709 Bakers Lane and imagining someday it would get renovated. That day has come. It looks great. .

CLICK HERE to view some before and progress photos of 710 Bakers Lane. 

1100 Grinnell Street

I blogged about this architecturally interesting home in 2009 and showed it several times thereafter.  The place was big but was battered by previous handyman updates that failed. The large lot and rear cottage offered much to a would be buyer, but the size of the lot demanded a of loot to renovate. The renovation has just been completed this year. The renovated exterior is incredible. Good job!. 

CLICK HERE to view the before and after photos of 1110 Grinnell Street.

903 Eaton Street

I sold 903 Eaton Street several years ago to a customer who bought and sold several houses using me as his agent. He purchased the 1950s era concrete block house because it sat on a huge lot in Old Town and could be torn down and a new house built. He spent too much time and money dickering with the HARC bureaucracy and decided to sell it. I got to list it. Another agent in my office sold it. The new owner took down the old house and built this beautiful new 3,000 Sq Ft home which sold for $2,800,000 on December 19, 2020. The house actually went under contract in September before construction was completed. Naysayers who moan and grown about Eaton Street need to come to terms with the new reality of Key West - Key West is the location.

CLICK HERE to view photos of the old house at 903 Eaton Street and construction progress photos of the new one. 

608 Grinnell Street

608 Grinnell Street went under contract within a day or so after it was entered into the MLS. The sale closed on December 28, 2018. I recall the listing agent telling me she had multiple offers. Time waits for no one in Key West real estate. I know it is hard for some buyers to make quick decisions. Losing a couple of houses often teaches would-be buyers tough lessons in real estate. This house had a parking spot in the rear entered off of Griffin Lane. The new owner renovated the house, added on to the rear, added a pool, and still maintained an off street parking spot. 

CLICK HERE to view construction photos of 608 Grinnell Street Key West. 

627 Caroline Street

The old house at 627 Caroline Street had fallen into disrepair. I remember showing it a decade ago when two older female siblings were still living there with dog feces and pee on the floor. The house had a Grand Conch facade, off street parking space, and room for expansion in the rear. If you look at all of the photos you will see how the house was lifted, new piers built in place, re-framed, and new addition and pool added in the rear. Work has been stopped for a while. This property is located one block from the Historic Seaport and two from Duval Street. You cannot ask for a better address. There are several very expensive neighboring homes.

The old ladies were loony as hell. It was such a shame to see the way they were living. The renovated house will get rid of all that bad juju. I expect this project to be amazing.

CLICK HERE to view more photos of 627 Caroline Street. 

924 Flagler Avenue

I believe many locals view 924 Flagler Avenue to be among the top five to ten homes in all of Key West. It dates back to the 1935 and was in the same family ownership until the current owner purchased it in 2009. Several years ago the owner restored the exterior and interior of the home and garage. The owner just competed a two year project installing a fence and landscaping. The new fence and landscaping is a beautiful addition to the Casa Marina Area.

CLICK HERE to view more photos of 924 Flagler Avenue

1227 Washington Street

I blogged about 1227 Washington Street in April 2018. The same family had lived in the home since it was built. The Casa Marina Area and areas to east have several Craftsman style homes like 1227 Washington that remain remain untouched. This house has a giant Mahogany in front, a garage to the right rear, and once had a long lap pool on the west side. The pool is gone now but may return when the renovation is complete. There is an addition to the rear and the west side is yet to be defined as to what is going on. I can't wait to see the end result. 

CLICK HERE to view more photos of 1227 Washington Street

CLICK HERE to view more photos of 1227 Washington Street.

There are several new projects underway including new houses on South and Washington Street, a ginormous house on Sunset Drive, and a new house on Galveston Lane. Here are two that will be interesting to watch.

1221 Royal Street

The house at 1221 Royal Street went under contract very soon after it was listed for sale a few months ago. While the existing house was small, it sat on a large lot in the X Flood Zone in the South of Truman area of Old Town. The house is located near the Congregation B'nai Zion on United Street - just four blocks to Duval Street. The new owner has redeveloped several properties in Old Town. This is one to follow.

CLICK HERE to see more photos of 1221 Royal Street. 

 916 White Street

A few weeks ago I was waiting at the traffic light at the corner of Truman and White  when I noticed that renovation was underway at 916 White Street. I went back to take photos to document the progress for my blog. Notice the original crumbling coral piers are being replaced by new concrete piers being built in place. This is a alternate and less expensive technique to raising the house, digging holes and pouring new concrete piers in place, then lowering the house onto the piers. The interior of the house is already gutted and the back wall is gone. A new addition will be added to the back. 

In 1886 an entire village for cigar makers was developed in one corner of Old Town Key West. The Pohalski and Co. cigar factory was located at the corner of White and Truman. Cottages lined the nearby streets and lanes as was typical of the other parts of town where other cigar factories were located.  The cigar maker cottages were simple in design and construction and provided basic shelter to factory workers. In his book The Streets of Key West, J. Willis Burke writes about Pohalski Village: "On the other side, off the western [should be eastern] side of the cemetery are Havana Street and Pohalski Avenue, byways that echo the area's once thriving cigar-making industry.... In the late 1880s, cigar magnate Pincus Pohalski, a transplant from Texas built a factory and then established an entire village within this block."  Smaller lanes in the village include Gerome Avenue which is a City of Key West walking lane about eight feet wide and nearby Nichols Avenue which is only about ten feet wide and runs perpendicular to Pohalski Lane  the rear through street west of White Street. Division Street at the south is now known as Truman Avenue. Olivia Street is the terminus one block north of White. At the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th the people who lived in these homes probably did not have horses let alone cars.  The houses were jumbled together on small lots accessed via small lanes called Avenues.

As I wandered to the rear of Nichols Avenue I noticed a row of large potted plants to block the view of the gas station and an address sign on the gate. Read it. Carefully. The renovation of nearly everything is costing us the loss the old Key West.

CLICK HERE to view more photos of 916 White Street.

I will soon be blogging about the commercial projects that finished and are still underway. With few exceptions it takes time to get things done or built here. Key West is after all an island out in the middle of the ocean. With few exceptions (frogs, chickens, iguanas, and volunteer plants) everything thing is brought here by truck, car, plane, or boat. That's not an excuse. It is reality. And that takes time and money to get done. Then you have to add in Hurricane Irma in 2017 that displaced a lot of workers and destroyed a lot of houses. I was working with out of area buyers two weeks ago. I was awed at the number of new modular houses built not so far out of Key West. That demand took skilled workers away from the important job of renovating houses in Key West and building new houses, hotels, and so on. But it gets done. Eventually. At higher than planned prices. 

Merry Christmas Everybody!

 

Key West Real Estate Thowback Thursday No. 14

from: May 4, 2014

Key West Life is Never Predictable 

There are two things I love about Key West: our wonderful weather and that life never is predictable. Take for example an incident that occurred a few years back when I was riding my bike to the gym. I was riding my bike to the gym around 6:00 AM while it was still very dark outside. Just after I passed the El Patio Motel I saw a young man in his early 20s walking down the street. He was totally nude. He walked to my left. I looked back. Yep, he was buck naked. No doubt about it. I thought to myself that's too odd even for Key West. I circled the block and found a public phone at the youth hostel on South Street where I called the police. The operator asked me to describe the naked man. How was I supposed to answer that?

I got back on my bike and rode back to the corner of Reynolds and Washington Street which was the area where the nude dude should have reached by that point. I saw a young woman at the bus stop and asked if she had seen the nude man. She had. She said he disappeared behind some houses and asked me to wait with her until her bus came or the police arrived. I did.

About 5 to 10 minutes elapsed before the police finally arrived. The nude man had totally vanished at this point. I flagged the cop's attention  He got out of his car to ask why I called the police. I started to describe what  I had seen earlier. Then I noticed the unclad lad emerge from between two apartment buildings. As I write this I just recalled the guy was then carrying a baseball bat. He did not have that before.  The cop saw him and walked toward him with his flashlight drawn and said "What in the hell do you think you're doing?" He took the kid to the pokey. Later that day I looked at the Monroe County Sheriff's office website. The naked bat boy was being held on a mental health hold.

 You never know what you will see in Key West. That's just part of the fun about living in Paradise.

If you are thinking of buying a place in Key West please consider working with me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, email: kw1101v@aol.com.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

The Miracle Before Chirstmas at 509 Duval Street, Key West - 55 Years Ago Today

 

Duval Street is the main street of Key West, the southernmost city in the continental United States. This is where we hold parades, celebrations, wine, dine, dance, and shop. Duval Street runs about one mile long. You can walk from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean in about fifteen minutes or so. If you stop in each bar, you may not make it in a week. Or two. 

Fifty-five years ago today a miracle occurred at PIX SHOES located at 509 Duval Street. The photo below shows a 1950 Buick that had just crashed through the shoe store window.

One of the remarkable things about Duval Street is that most of the original buildings which date back to the 1880 and 1890s still exist today. Others like 509 Duval Street were built on lots where historic structures were lost to fire or storm. Yesterday I took two photos of 509 Duval Street. One shows the facade of 509 Duval and the second shows the building on an angle to the street. The street and sidewalks have been repaved and the lamp posts replaced several times over the past 55 years. But the street width is still narrow - I would estimate 20 feet at most. So how in the world did the Buick make such a violent right turn to crash through that building?

 I was returning to my office after taking the photos when a lady who works across the street from me said hello. I told her I had just photographed 509 Duval Street for my blog. She said "the shoe store" even though the building has been a restaurant for years. I then mentioned the car crash and asked if she knew what happened. She said "It must have been teenagers going too fast." Maybe. Except I can't imagine any teen doing something that stupid in this town. On that street. Especially not then. As I walked away she asked her husband "Do you remember that crash?"

Imagine a woman, a man, a family walking in front of 509 Duval Street on December 23, 1955 when that Buick suddenly turned right. It's a miracle nobody was killed - a miracle before Christmas.

806 Florida Street, Key West - Unit 5

I remember taking the photo of the apartment house located at 1315 Petronia Street more than twenty years ago. I wasn't writing my blog just yet, but I wanted to capture the look so I could see what happened to the property. The building was converted into condominiums in 2001 and is now called The Meadows Condominiums. The street address was changed to 806 Florida Street, Key West. Let's take a look at the newly listed Unit 5.

There are only five units in this building. Unit 5 is located on the western end of the second floor. It has a large and private deck that overlooks the pool below. 

The listing Realtor describes Unit 5 this way: 

"As you stroll through the brick walkway you'll find yourself surrounded by tropical landscaping, a relaxing patio and heated swimming pool. Glancing up, you notice the stairway leading to a lovely tree top entry deck that will take you into the tranquil living area of your new peaceful lifestyle. This unit shows beautifully in the natural light that shines in from the abundance of windows and french doors. The entire living area features tile flooring, high ceilings, central air conditioning, ceiling fans, wood cabinets, Quartz countertops in both the kitchen and bathroom, stainless steel appliances, a hidden washer/dryer combo unit. The grounds and the building have been well maintained. All this is found in the Old Town District called the Meadows of Key West."

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Snoopy certainly did a number on this bedroom. I did not manipulate the colors. This one bedroom unit is 626 Sq Ft, about the same size as a Shipyard Condominium. I gotta tell you this beast one of those by a long shot and is offered a much lower price, just $495,000. The monthly condo fees are $513.75 and include exterior building and grounds maintenance, building insurance, and exterminating. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos of 806 Florida Street Unit 5 and then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. This place is super cute and will not last long. Don't wait.

 

Winning Apartment Rental Strategy

This is a true and cautionary tale of owning rental property. Forty years ago I owned twenty-one apartments in Denver. I have dozens of stories I could tell which would stear any would-be investor into buying a time share in Tahiti instead.

Before the internet I placed rental ads in The Denver Post. A second floor unfurnished two bedroom apartment became available. I placed an ad. I met two guys at the property on a Saturday morning. They were driving a U-Haul truck. They liked the apartment and paid the first and last months rent on the spot and started to unload the truck.

The next day I noticed some tenants in the building next door buying pieces of furniute and other odds and ends from the new tenants. I asked the new guys what was going on. They said they had more furniture than they thought and decided to sell some things to make the apartment work for them. I thought might be plausible. I wasn't sure though.

A few days later they were gone. The once crammed apartment was vacated. I figured out they must have stolen the truck, rented the apartment, sold everything for cash, and then scrammed. 

The strategy - don't do it!

Key West Real Estate Throwback - The Bank Grinch Who Stole Christmas

from: December 12, 2009

The Bank Grinch Who Stole Christmas

 

"Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville - did not. The Grinch hated Christmas - the whole Christmas season. Now, please don't ask why; no one quite knows the reason. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. Or it could be that his head wasn't screwed on just right. But I think that the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small." From How the Grinch Stole Christmas

In February I began working with a young Key West couple and their young son, who I'll call "O". Back then "O" had just started to take the timid steps of a one year old. Mom and Dad and "O" live on a little boat in Key West and they are hoping to find a modest house that they can afford. I warned the parents not to teach "O" how to climb stairs. But his mom said he had already figured out how to climb the ladder on the boat and work his way onto the deck. She added he had been taking swimming lessons. But getting him onto land was their main concern. Green grass and land, not green eggs and ham.

My buyers have the pre-approval letters from local and national lenders. They have had their attorney review the initial contracts we submitted. When my buyers decided to make an offer on a short sale property, they went back to the attorney just to make sure the forms were correct.

We got several "Seller accepted another offer" phone calls or emails. When a particularly well located, charming, and affordably priced condo recently got listed, my buyers immediately submitted an offer. There were apparently multiple-offers so the bank owner require each potential buyer to submit the best and final offer. We never got any response from the listing agent, but I did see that the mls listing status was changed to "contingent", meaning a contract had been entered into between seller and buyer.

My buyers lost a couple of other properties where the seller requested a "best and final" offer. These were for bank owned properties and I figured my young customers had a good shot at each of the properties. But none of their offers got accepted. Except until last week. Finally, my customers' offer on a nice little Key West condo got accepted. We had arranged for a local lender to fund the purchase and felt reasonably assured the deal would be closed before December 31st. The seller's agent called me a week ago and said my customers got the property.

The seller's agent sent me a detailed email acknowledging the seller (a really Big Bank in Texas) had accepted the offer and stated the buyer must sign an additional standardized contract of sale form drafted by the bank as seller.

I told my customers early on that banks are always the last to sign any contract. Banks do not want to re-negotiate a deal once the deal has been struck or approved. So the bank waits till all details are agreed upon and signed by the buyer before the bank signs.

The listing agent changed the status in Key West Association of Realtors database that same day. He sent me the required bank contract forms for my buyers' signatures. Since the bank contract forms were something "new", my buyers took the contract to their attorney for review. The attorney found a couple of issues that caused some concern for my buyers, but they signed the forms without change. I sent the bank's addendum to the seller's agent last Friday at about 4:15 PM. Later that night I got a phone call followed up by an email from seller's agent advising that there was another "new" form that the bank seller also required. I printed it out and forwarded it to my buyer. They signed it and I returned it to Seller's agent very early Sunday morning.

Late Monday afternoon I got a phone call from seller's agent who told me the Seller (the really Big Bank in Texas) had decided to accept a lower priced all cash offer instead of my buyers' offer which it previously accepted. The seller's agent apologized and said the bank asset manager said since the bank had not signed my buyer's contract it was free to accept another offer.

The funny thing is the Seller's agent felt we had a deal because the agent urged me to get the final bank contract forms signed and returned within 48 hours of the bank's acceptance. We did that. So we had (1) a phone call advising my buyers' offer was accepted, 2) an email confirming that my buyers' offer was accepted, and (3) the Seller's agent changed the status in the mls. But the guy at the Big Bank in Texas, just north of Whoville and way far away from Key West, did not see it that way.

Just who is this Texas Grinch and how can he spoil little "O's" Christmas by taking away his house? Well, Dr. Seuss probably got it right when he wrote "Now, please don't ask why; no one quite knows the reason. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. Or it could be that his head wasn't screwed on just right. But I think that the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small."

I guess the bank asset manger at the Big Bank in Texas doesn't subscribe to the Horton the Elephant's School of Ethics

"I meant what I said, and I said what I meant.
An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent."

Little "O" is not going to get his new house for Christmas this year!


But we will eventually succeed.

Yes we will indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed)!

Updated December 17, 2020.  The buyers bought a great house on an "O" Street.  "O" got a baby brother  and no longer frowns.