A Message from Laurie: Dear Friends of Gary:It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that our colleague and friend Gary Thomas passed away unexpectedly and peacefully while on vacation in Italy with his life partner Bob and Bob’s nephew. Here’s how Gary described himself in his blog: Gary Thomas  “Gary is a Colorado native who moved to Key West in 1993 to own and operate Eaton Lodge Guesthouse. Prior to moving to Key West, Gary was an attorney in a Denver law firm. He also worked in commercial banking and has substantial experience in managing commercial loan workouts, foreclosures, bank owned real estate. Later as a Senior Subsidiary Specialist for the Resolution Trust Corporation he managed numerous commercial assets owned by the RTC. Gary obtained his Florida real estate license in 1... 05/27/2022

 Just Listed by Laurie McChesney at Preferred Properties Key West - 10 Lowes Lane. This will sell fast so move fast down this slow lane or you will lose your chance. There a lots of lurkers out there waiting to pounce.  First, I did not misspell the name of the lane. There are several spellings including Lowe Lane, Lowes Lane, Lowe's Lane. All are correct. The mailman and UPS driver will find you. Lowe''s Ln is located adjacent to 525 Grinnell Street or two buildings north of Southard Street. The house is located at the far end of the lane and next to the rear gated entry to a much larger estate type property that fronts onto Southard Street. I dug into my old shoebox and found a photo of the house taken in 1965. Notice the screened-in front porch and door at the rear. Compare that view... 04/29/2022

 None of the following listings are mine. I do hope that you will go and checkout the new listings and see what you can get for your dollars. I know prices are high. Nobody ever expected them to get this high. But I never expected a $100,000 cigar maker cottage in Old Town selling at $500,000 either. They are fetching over one million dollars today.  Let's venture around  the island including Key West by the Sea, Old Town, Casa Marina Area, Casa Marina East, Mid-Town, the Key West Golf Club, and the waterfront house located on the former Key West drive-in theater site. Yew we had a drive-in and bowling alley. We used to have cheap eats, cheap drinks, and cheap --- Well, we still have those.  1014 Truman Avenue #3   12 - 2 PM$995,000Two Bedroom Two Bath Centrally Located Contemporary Con... 04/24/2022

   Since there are few new listings to discuss, I thought it would be interesting to note the sale of the least and most expensive single family home sales in Key West during the prior seven days. I got this idea from a Realtor I just started to follow on TikTok who by the way discussed the concept of slandering particular neighborhoods. I understand exactly what he said and meant. I try not to do that but sometimes fail miserably. Anyway, let's see what happened last week.Only four single family homes closed during the past week. The least expensive was 312 Amelia Street, located in the Bahama Village area of Key West. See the photo I found of it taken in 1965 and compare it to the current photo in the Key West MLS. This home was listed at $1,169,000 and sold at $1,159,000 or $897.06 p... 04/21/2022

I actually cursed at myself on Monday when I saw a new MLS listing in the 1600 block on Johnson Street in Key West. I thought it was a joke. Tomfoolery. But it wasn't. I am not really familiar with that block. I have driven it but do not recall anything memorable about homes located there other than they are normal 1960s houses. Some have been renovated but that specific area has not been upgraded. Period. I have no prior history with the specific property, the owner, or the out of area Realtor. Nothing. But the listing stirred genuine passion in me. See for yourself below.  Asking Price: $1,100,000.00 for the fixer. I drove by on Tuesday afternoon, got out of my car, and took the photos above and below. The Key West Real Estate market has gone MAD. $1,110,000 for  tear down house on a ... 04/20/2022

A photo I took not too long ago, but long enough that the store is no more. Memories now.  Sometimes we do not appreciate what we had until it is gone. 04/17/2022

It's the day before Easter and my mind takes me back more than half a century to Christmas 1957. I was ten years old. (That's not me in the photo, but that is what I looked like. Poor kid. There is another one out there.) I started this piece several times and erased everything. I will go for the punchline instead.My mother made me wear my Christmas outfit to go to downtown Denver to watch Old Yeller which was playing at the Paramount Theater of 16th Street. My mother and dad were supposedly going to watch Raintree County which was playing across the street at the Denver Theater. My parents were supposed to pick me up, otherwise I would have never worn that outfit in public. They gave me money for candy and popcorn. I was always thrifty. I did not spend it all.   If you ever watched Old... 04/16/2022

from April 19, 2019Another Easter Story It was Good Friday 1957. I was ten years old. I lived with my mother, dad, and big brother in a two bedroom house in one of the first Denver suburbs just west of the Denver County line. My dad came home from work. I remember it was dark. He had a box with two Easter presets for me. I approached and spied a wee bunny and a tiny little duck. I don't think my mother was in on this gift. She did not like any of my dogs and would not let them inside of the house.I actually remember the first few days of my new pets. My dad and I created a place for them to live in the garage. It was still cold outside. Although Spring had sprung it was still too cold to let the little guys like these live outdoors.A few weeks passed. The weather got warmer. My dad and ... 04/15/2022

 This is a follow-up to two previous blogs where I introduced readers to people arrested in or near Key West over the past few months. Potential buyers often express concern about how safe Key West is to live. Very safe in my opinion as long as you do not get stopped by a cop or highway patrol officer. For some reason people that meet the man on the beat get just that - BEATEN.  I have joked before about every person is presumed to be innocent and then smirked and said everybody is guilty of something otherwise they would not have been stopped or detained or whatever led to the cop on person encounter. This is really not a joking matter. .         Two of the ten arrested people above identify as female. That's right. Two.        I watched a BBC series on Amazon Prime last week called Th... 04/12/2022

 A few weeks ago I saw the trailer of Julia on HBO. I knew in an instant it would be must see tv for me. I binged the first two episodes and have been seen all four as of now. I was a Publix on Friday afternoon. I was waiting for the bagger to load groceries. The clerk asked "What are your plans this afternoon? " I played along. I said I would probably watch something on Netflix. He said something and then I asked "Do you have HBO?"and suggested he watch Julia. He had a puzzled look on his face. I said Julia Child. He still did not get it. Of course he didn't. He is too young to get anything before the iPhone. Julia Child introduced French cooking to American television audiences in the1960s and offered us a classy alternative to diners, drive-ins, and dives   A few months ago I had din... 04/10/2022

A couple of months ago my broker and I drove to look at a potential listing. We left the parking lot behind our office at the same time. I got there in less than four minutes.She arrived about five minutes later. She said she saw someone she knew across the street and decided to drive around the block so she would not be seen going inside our potential listing. It is a known fact if you see a realtor going inside a house something is about to happen. Last week I was headed to my office when I noticed real estate photographer Nick Doll taking photos of house on Reynolds Street. An agent in my office sold that house less than a year ago. I knew in an instant the place was going to be for sale soon. It was. It appeared in the Key West MLS the next day.One of the things that surprised me so... 04/09/2022

Robert F. Kennedy said "Some men see things as they are, and say why. I dream of things that never were, and say why not."Senator Kennedy was not talking about houses. I know that. Nor was Martin Luther King Jr when he said "I have a dream."Neither was talking about real estate. They were exploring what might be, what could be, what should be. Aspirations. I applied for a job one time. The lady interviewing me asked me why I was not involved in more civic activities. I told her I was doing the best I could taking care of myself and my house. I thought making a nice home with a nice yard was a good contribution to society. Wouldn't the world be better off if we all did that? And keep out noses out of other peoples business (or what they do with their houses). I have two old movies that r... 04/08/2022

from May 26, 20175 Brothers Key West - An Homage My friend Ronny Bailey dropped by my office a few days ago to show me his latest piece of folk art, a wood cutting depicting 5 Brothers Grocery and Sandwich Shop located at 930 Southard Street in Key West. Ronny is a native Key Wester, a multi-generation Conch. He was a carpenter by trade until he retired a few years ago. He hung up his saw, stowed the hammer, and began the second phase of his life as a folk artist. I don't think he started out to become an artist as much as he used his skills as a carpenter to create miniature versions of the facades of the old houses of Key West - the way they used to be - before the gentrification that is forever erasing memory of the past imperfect houses and their conversion into perfect tiny million... 04/07/2022

Just Listed 906 Frances Street B, Key West. This is one of six a sweet single family homes located in the picturesque Maxwell Gables Compound in Old Town. Each house is different.  The listing agent describes this home thus:  "Experience the ultimate, hassle-free island living in this beautifully updated townhouse ! Privately tucked away in an enclave of only 6 units, yet centrally located, in the X flood zone, the home is offered turnkey just awaiting its new lucky owner. It features impact doors and windows, hardie board siding, a metal roof. The airy, light and open living room boasts cathedral ceilings, skylight and French doors leading to your private deck. Kitchen with quartz countertops, custom tiled backsplash, stainless appliances and wine cooler. New window treatments, hardwoo... 04/06/2022

I started The Projects of Key West series in July 2011 to commemorate the renovation of the historic homes of Key West and document the construction of new homes and commercial buildings across our island city.I have been photographing some of the current projects for nearly three years. The Covid pandemic initially slowed the pace of renovation and then reduced numbers of workers. Later shortages of lumber and building materials produced outside of the United States prolonged the delay. Later home appliances produced in foreign lands were trapped at sea or in storage depots. When the public was allowed to return to Key West, existing houses started selling at a surprising pace. Buyers started hiring architects and contractors to design and renovate their new dream houses. Our little fi... 04/04/2022

TIME OUT! Somebody has to call it. It might as well be me. The Key West real estate market is officially gone bonkers. People who bought homes a year ago and putting them back on the market and selling them at even higher prices. Not a few people. A lot of people. A lot of Realtors are complicit in this. Greed has taken over. What is going right now is insidious. I am not saying all houses are over-priced or that all Realtors are greedy. Many. Not all. I am referring to Realtors on the second point. I have thought for a long time many of our houses and some condos were under-priced. Many were certainly under-valued. Some languished in the MLS for months while other properties located in a better or more popular area sold more quickly or at a higher price.Now almost every listing sells w... 04/02/2022

Attention buyers lurking on the Internet in all the wrong places for a piece of Key West that you can call your own. There is more to Key West than the high priced houses in Old Town and Casa Marina. You need to venture out. Open your eyes. Go places you have never been before. Take a walk on the wild side. Or ride your bike or drive your car. But do not go at night. Just sayin!This is the before photo. Before it got reshaped and resided. Gypsies lived here or whatever they called themselves. It got queened up, ... Er cleaned up. And made all aesthetic.This Sea Side Special won't last long. Priced at just $599,000. That's what a house like this sold for ten years ago. That's a steal. Call me, Gary Thomas, the Mid Town Queen Realtor.     04/01/2022

from February 6, 2014Key West's Newest Beach A tourist recently captured a couple of photos of Key West's newest beach - The Fleming Street Beach located opposite the Monroe County Public Library. If you would like to buy a place in Key West that has a pool and more privacy, contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place (with a pool!) in Paradise.Update A few weeks ago I was driving on Fleming Street and saw the same guy still tanning on Fleming Street. A lot of people don't have pools. Some go to the Dante's, some go to the beach, some create their own place in the sun. 03/31/2022

Congratulations to the Seller, the Buyer, the Listing Broker Brenda Donnelly, and the Buyers Broker Terri Spottswood on the sale of 513 William Street, Key West. The closing price was $6,950,000.  I blogged about this incredible home in November 2021. CLICK HERE to read the blog and view photos of this wonderful property. The Williams Street and Pinder Lane property were purchased separately and at different times. The "Seller"and their team of architects, builders, craftsmen, and landscapers set the high water mark for what could be done with a quality renovation. Way back before I had any idea of writing a blog I took photos of both properties while construction was under way. Below is a photo of 513 William Street taken way back in 2006. The Seller purchased the Pinder Lane property ... 03/30/2022

 I went to the Key West Citizen this morning to view the local news. They rarely print anything newsworthy. It's mostly fluff and ads. But then I saw an article entitled Group recognizes preservation of historic properties which I read. CLICK HERE I sold two of the properties recognized for Historic Preservation Awards ( 806 Southard Street and 533 Petronia Street). The owners, architects, builders and sub-contractors should be proud of the work they did and the recognition they have received. The author of the article misspelled the name of one of the owners of 533 Petronia Street. Nobody likes that. His name is Scott Burau not Buram. Minor point. 806 Southard Street   533 Petronia Street  Sadly an equally impressive renovation at 1007 Thomas Street  was over-looked. Well, not exactly ... 03/26/2022