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Key West, FL Real Estate News

By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
Just Listed but not by me 826 Johnson Lane, Key West. I got to see this freshly renovated Old Town home yesterday afternoon. I remember showing the property several years ago when it was marketed as a fixer-upper. Well now it's fixed!  I dug into my old shoebox and found the black and white photo above. It was taken in 1965. Sadly the property is not located anywhere near the water and no the boat did not float to the property in a storm. I also checked the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps to see if I could determine when this house was built. The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows it was constructed in 1938 during the Depression. We know that is incorrect. I learn (and often forget) so much about Key West houses when I search the maps. The 1889 map did not show this area but we know hous...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
 I have written before that I moved to Key West to own and operate the Eaton Lodge Guest House pictured above. It was the former home Dr. William Warren and his wife Genevieve. Warren was the town doctor. They were involved in the social and political events of the day. Genevieve and her friend Peggy Mills formed the Key West Garden Club.  I think I was the third person to own the property as a guest house. The owners that converted the property from a residence to guest house hired professional contractors to do the work. I am sure everything they did was done to code. I just don't think they ever thought what happened twenty-five years ago this month would happen. But it did. That is a photo of Jessie Porter, Genevieve Warren, Vivian Pierce, Connie McLain who were members of the Key W...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
Today's blog has nothing to do with Key West real estate except that if you want to buy a place or sell a place and you want an agent with life experiences beyond self-aggrandizement and self-promotion, you may want to call me. Info below on that.I want to share a small true tale that may explain why so may people in the White House seem to have made derogatory statements about the boss, Mr. Trump. I think what might have happened was quite insignificant at the time. I did something similar about forty years ago and it changed the course of my life to some extent.A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog about negotiating with bullies where I mentioned traveling to Omaha to meet with other creditors of a farmer borrower I called "King". In the late 1970s I was a commercial loan workout guy a...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
 I finally sold 724 Windsor Lane a few weeks ago. This was several months after being listed in the Key West MLS during the hottest real estate market in the country. There was nothing wrong with the house nor the location. We offered several price reductions to get to the sweet spot which coincided with the house being the third least expensive house in all of Key West.   Murphy Davis at 724 Windsor Lane in 2009 The 485 square foot house had only one bedroom which limited the universe of potential buyers. All of a sudden I had a lot of "buyers". One couple got to buy 724 Windsor Lane described in THE NEW YORK TIMES as A Very Little Slice of Heaven. CLICK HERE to read the article - it is a fun three minute read.  While working on yesterday's blog entitled HOUSE BUILDING, Google took me ...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
  Opening Montage - 1895 brick Victorian situated by a lake in upstate New York.Interior - owner speaks:I love my house.Everybody does.It was built in 1895 and still has most of the original roof.The wallpaper in the dining room is original too.So's a lot of the original woodwork.You'd have to be a fool to change it.I hope you appreciate detail.The marble fireplace is hand carved.The main stairs have a very gentle rise.Everyone comments how easy it is to climb them.I like to fill it with my friends.Over the years we've become more like a family.It makes me happy to have us all together in our home, Mine and Bobby's.They don't build house like this anymore.The Golden Age of American House-building.Not architecture mind you House-building.This house was meant to stand.Make yourself at hom...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
I was taking photos for my blog a couple of days ago and passed by 630 Caroline Street, Key West. It was listed for sale a couple of years ago but did not sell and it is not for sale now. I think it is an interesting property and will sell when it is once again offered. The property records show this house as being a 2/2 with 1,176 square feet of living space (including second floor) situated on a 1,774 square foot lot (32.5 X 55') at the corner of Caroline and Elizabeth Street.     I dug down into my old shoebox and found the 1965 photo of the house with a tree in front. The City of Key West recently completed the multi-year restoration of the seaport which now wraps the waterfront to the west to the Truman Annex Park. The rebuilding of the seaport infrastructure not only revitalized b...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
I have been waiting for years for this pretty little house in Casa Marina to be listed for sale. 1315 Grinnell Street, Key West is now offered for sale at $749,000. The is a modest 1,191 Sq Ft home located on a large 4,715 Sq Ft Lot (51.25' X 93'). The simplicity of design, the size and location of the lot, and the opportunity to renovate into some marvelous little house that makes this particular property so appealing.    I added a check mark indicating the location of what I believe to be 1315 Grinnell Street in the above aerial photograph of the area taken in 1920. If I am correct the date would conflict with the Property Appraiser who says the house was built in 1943 during World War II. I searched the 1912 Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and discovered that the large vacant land mass ac...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
from August 17, 2017My Life as a Clown That's not me in the pic.  I looked as cute, but nobody took a photo of me back in summer of 1962 when I spent many-a-day as a clown.I was fifteen years old and had a job at a furniture store in Denver where I made $1.00 an hour. Minimum wage was $1.15 back in 1962. I guess my employer thought that since I was young I didn't have the right to be paid as much as an adult. I didn't care. It was money and the work wasn't hard. I worked at a furniture store on West Alameda Avenue in Denver. This was an area of town where nearby Morrison Road led to the home a couple of miles west where Jack Kerouac once lived. During the 1950s and 1960s this part of town was populated by lower middle to middle class families who would shop for furniture that fit their ...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
  Imagine the revulsion the owner experienced when she learned her home in Martha's Vineyard was used to film more than 30 “gay porn” films over a 7-month period. She did not take it well. In fact she made a federal case over it. The lady owner of the cottage rented her home for seven months beginning in October 2014 to one person.  The lease was “for use as a personal residence, excluding all other uses.” The lease also provided that the residence was to be “used and occupied only by the members of the Tenant’s family.” The tenant later lost his job and notified the owner he would be unable to complete the lease.He sublet the property to a gay pornographic film maker which filmed sexually explicit films. The lawsuit alleged ten counts including breach of contract, trespass, negligence,...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
 Frequent readers of my blog may have noticed fewer posts than normal. I have not been ill or away - there just is not much available for sale. As of July 25 there are only 69 single family homes for sale in Key West. Usually there are around 400. This is crazy.I dug deeper. Only one house was priced below $500,000. It is a bank owned fixer in need of significant repair. Twenty five of the houses were priced below $1,000,000.  The median house is a 1,312 sq ft on a 4,750 sq ft lot priced at $849,000 or $608 per sq ft. Then I looked at the particular houses. One is located on a very nice street in Old Town. But this one house has a notorious past about which I will not write. Another house a block away sits at the back of a large yard filled with trees that the city probably will not all...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
 The listing agent describes the new transient licensed home at 516 Catherine Street, Key West this way:"TRANSIENT! TRANSIENT! TRANSIENT! TRANSIENT! LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION! In Old Town Key West. Key West has always been a great place to come and enjoy your vacation time, why not make this your next great investment. You can enjoy this amazing property while you are here and just rent it out when you are not. You can come and go as you please and make money while you are away. An extremely well taken care of property, with great attention to detail, makes this an easy property to just take over and reap the benefits. Two bedrooms (2), Two (2) Full Bathrooms, one (1) large office and great salt water pool with outdoor shower makes this historic one thousand two hundred one...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
It was maybe fifteen years ago or so that I retrieved what looked like a federal income tax refund check from my mailbox. The envelope had one of those glass-like openings that showed the name and delivery address. Except that the name and address on the envelope were not mine. I was quite concerned that I got what might be some other person's tax refund check - so much so that I took the check to the Key West Post Office. I waited in line for my turn to see the postal clerk. When I was called forward I asked to speak to the Postmaster. The clerk left and a minute or so later a man appeared. I can't recall if the man was the actual postmaster or just a supervisor. I handed over the envelop with government check inside and expressed my concern that something so important was mishandled. ...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
 I was searching thru my old shoebox for a specific photo when I came across the pic above. This is or was the bathroom of former Key West royalty - two older gay men who lived the lifestyle of the Wish-I-Were-Famous. The vintage metal louver window is a dead giveaway that this bathroom is located inside a Mid-town or New-town Key West home built in the late 50's or 60's. I actually remember meeting the owners about twenty-five years ago. They were old then and were preparing to move up north. My broker at the time was going to list the house. I got invited along to see it. They were very nice, nah gracious to me. Inviting. They were proud of their home. It showed. I am making fun of it now and not so much of them. Well, I am. But it is pretentious. A lot of people are very pretentious ...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
   Just listed 3817 Flagler Avenue, Key West. The listing broker describes this 1.095 Sq Ft two bedroom, one bath ranch this way: "This bright and well maintained home has a lot going for it. There are two bedrooms plus a living/dining room, a large kitchen, a laundry room and a Florida room that opens to the enormous back yard. Plenty of room for a pool and outdoor living. Built and lovingly cared for by the same family, it is ready for your inspiration. Amenities and updates include a covered carport, central air, up to date appliances including a washer and dryer and a recent roof replacement. A great value in Key West." While I normally write about houses in Old Town and Casa Marina, today I write about a modest 1965 located on the far end of the Island of Key West. Only one family ...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
from August 8, 2017Key West - A True Story about Senior LivingToday's blog is a true story. All of my blogs (with a couple of exceptions like Bert and Ernie) are true. I want to make sure my readers know what I write is true.This is a story that while I think the drama as it played out is unique, the problem itself is pretty universal as more and more senior adults are living longer and longer creating issues for their children who themselves are either in or are quickly approaching Golden Years. It is one of adult of how adult children manage the care of their aging adult parents and how and where they live out their adult senior years. A few short years ago I was working with a woman I will call Shirley. Shirley lived in the Ft Lauderdale area. She and her husband had recently sold th...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
A few years ago I knew I had a sale during the open house of the first week of my listing. A lady buyer and her friend came to my first open house. The superlatives flowed from her mouth, not mine. The friend re-enforced her each time she saw something she likedThere was nothing not to like. It was just reassuring to hear the potential buyer saying how wonderful the house was. She could not have been there lounger than ten minutes at most. She first asked how long I would be there. It was a Sunday. I told her 2:00 PM. She said "I have to call my husband."Would I wait?" Would I wait? Of course I would wait! Then she said she would call her Realtor. Her Realtor! More lookers looked. They were looking around and commenting about her potential new house.Half an hour passed. Her Realtor show...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
 The two above photos of Sunset Marina were taken about twelve years apart. The top photo shows the Monroe County Jail which was opened in 1994.  This was about four or five years before the Key West Golf Club Community was developed. Six years later the Sunset Marina was built. Neither were attracted the location because of the jail but despite of it and its neighbor to north, Mt. Trashmore, the long time landfill. It was about this that the landfill was decommissioned and the sky high pile of trash was covered with soil and protective membrane and the planted to avoid erosion.  It is this jail where the wayward spend a day or too many if they disobey the law. Some came here to stay a few days, some came to start a new life, some may leave here to spend more time behind iron bars as gu...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
from January 26,  2009The Road to Recovery    I've mentioned many times that I grew up in one of Denver's suburbs in the 1950's. Life was much slower way back then. I don't have any access to old family photos of driving through the Colorado Rockies in the 1950's. The photo of the antique car isn't back in the 1950's. But it is illustrative of what our lives would be like if Interstate 70 had not been built. During the summers of my youth my parents and I would drive up to the mountains to go fishing. We would either go over Berthoud Pass toward Grand Lake, Loveland Pass toward what is now Vail (Vail did not even exist then), or over Monarch Pass toward Gunnison. There were no interstate highways. There were very few four lane roads for that matter. There wasn't any need for four lanes ...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
I watched in horror last week at the collapse of the Champlain Tower in Surfside, Florida last week and predicted the outcome of ultimate loss of life. I saw no way for any survivors. Not in that rubble. As the days have now become a week it will become a month of weeks and then more. Bodies will be discovered and identified. Services will be held. The cameras and incessant local news coverage will cease. We will forget and focus on the next tragedy - a raging fire in California or a hurricane in the Caribbean. There is always something awful. I was standing on the balcony of a three or four story hotel in Corpus Christie forty some years ago with Dan, a fellow attorney who worked in the same bank. We were there on a workout of a problem loan. I was leaning against the corner when Dan y...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
 Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West 1500 Atlantic Blvd Unit 408, Key West, Florida. This penthouse 2,038 square foot unit has a valuable Transient License which means it may be rented on a weekly basis every week throughout the year. It has spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean from the moment you enter this spacious two level unit. The listing broker describes the unit this way:  "This oceanfront penthouse at The Key West Beach Club includes a rare and valuable Transient License. It also has space for everyone with four bedrooms, three baths and a large private covered oceanfront terrace. The living room has a dramatic two story ceiling and opens to the terrace. The master suite and a guest suite are on the main floor plus two more guest bedrooms and a full bath upstairs. Th...
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