About Key West's Old Town

What a great month October has been for Key West Real Estate and for Rudy Molinet and Harry Hoehn's customers at Marquis Properties Realty!

We started the month by putting 631 Southard Street under contract. The property had only been listed for 66 days in the dead of summer and we received an all cash offer close to the asking price of $1,895,000. We actually had two different buyers ready to make offers during the same week on this property! Well priced, quality listings usually sell, even in these times. That has been the rule in real estate- location, location, location---and proper pricing. (Aggressive marketing by hard working Key West Realtors helps too!)

The following week we received an offer on 1108 Fleming Street. This house is pictured above. It is a gorgeous Key West historic home on one of the best streets in Old Town. It has off street parking, a lovely pool, three bedrooms including a guest cottage that can be accessed from a seperate lane behind the property.

Then last week we were swamped! Two offers on two different listings, both under contract. This weekend one of our clients made an offer on a Key West guest house. Next week we have three buyers in town looking at several properties ranging from $300,000 to $6 million. WOW, Harry and I are exhausted and exhilarated.

Why is this happening? Well I think that buyers are realizing that there are some great deals out there for Key West Real Estate. Inventory is shrinking and the listings that our company takes are all priced to what the current market is telling us they are worth. When Harry and I evaluate a listing, we run a market analysis to see what has sold, for how much and how they compare to the listing we are looking at. This process is time consuming but essential in assisting our customers list their homes properly.

We also aggressively market on the Internet, print and radio. This has worked great for getting the word out.

If you are looking for that Key West Property For Sale, please call Rudy Molinet at 305-240-1090. He will make sure that the properties you are looking at are priced properly and will help you find a great location and price. If you have a house to sell, call Rudy and he will make sure to evaluate your home properly and to give you an honest evaluation of market value. You should expect this from your Key West Realtor.

Check out my listings at www.rudymolinet.com You can also Search The Key West MLS

Happy Hunting!

Just listed by Preferred Properties (but not by yours truly), 511 Frances Street in Old Town Key West. The front porch is open and inviting. There is a chair on one side and a big swing on the opposite side. The porch provides a great view of the front yard with the white picket fence and the pretty houses that have been updated over the years.

CLICK HERE for an aerial view of 511 Frances Street. You will note it is located on the eastern edge of Old Town Key West. The 500 and 600 blocks of Frances have some of the most expensive and most photographed homes in Key West. The location is still within an easy walking distance to all of the attractions of Old Town but it is far removed from the zaniness. Maybe that it is why this location attracts buyers with money. You will note that 511 Frances Street abuts Carey Lane (one of the prettier little lanes in Old Town). The aerial view also shows the size of the lot which is pretty big for Old Town: 5,062 sq ft or 53' frontage X 97' depth.

This is how the listing Realtor describes 511 Frances Street:

"Built in 1983 is a true replica of a Key West old town home with the luxuries of today located on one of the very best blocks in Old Town. There are three large bedrooms separate from one another with unique style bathrooms, his and hers offices off the living room, and an a separate artist studio off the pool. There is a wonderful serene outdoor covered dining space for those large dinner parties surrounded by lush landscaping and gentle lighting. The interior is Dade County pine with vaulted ceilings and molding throughout. Located two blocks from the Seaport."

511 Frances Street is offered at $1,649,000 or $729 per sq ft. The house house has 2263 sq ft of interior living space. But it is the pool and rear deck where the real Key West style of living occurs. CLICK HERE for more detailed info and photos of this property.

If you would like to see 511 Frances Street, or any other house in Old Town, please call me,Gary Thomas, at 305.766.2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty Inc. We are the lower Florida Keys exclusive affiliated of Christie's Great Estates.

Just Listed (but not by me) 907 Elizabeth Street in Old Town Key West. You know the neighborhood. Seven Fish Restaurant is on the corner at Olivia Street (CLICK HERE). It's an easy to walk to St. Mary's Sar of the Sea Catholic Church CLICK HERE up on the opposite corner on Truman Avenue. Duval Street is two blocks west. The new Old Town Gym is a three block walk east of Elizabeth. The Coffee Mill is a couple of blocks beyond that. The point is the location is really convenient for the second home owner who wants proximity to everything. And here is the best part: this house is listed at $625,000 or $406 per sq ft. CLICK HERE for an aerial perspective of 907 Elizabeth Street. I even noted the location of Seven Fish to help the viewer.

This is how the listing Realtor describes 907 Elizabeth Street:

"Just an easy stroll to Duval Street, this is a lovely Conch House built in 1928 with two bedrooms and two baths, living and dining rooms with high ceilings and a nice eat in kitchen with Viking gas range and new refrigerator. Laundry room, 2 zone central air, a covered rear sitting porch that leads to a bricked patio and loggia with many mature palms and flower beds, and room for a pool."

The 1540 sq ft house sits on a very large lot (3275 sq ft or 25' x 131'). The house has the obligatory white picket fence. But the front has an electric gate that opens onto bricked off street parking CLICK HERE.

CLICK HERE for more detailed information on this listing and to view more photos of the inside and outside.

CLICK HERE for a look-back at what this house looked like in 1965. CLICK HERE to see it from a different angle.

If you are looking for a second home in Key West and would like to see 907 Elizabeth Street (or any other house) please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty Inc.

The very charming house tucked off the beaten path at 615 Grinnell Street (Rear) just got a lot more attractive. I have shown this property several times and I think it is poised for a quick sale. The reduced asking price is now $685,000 or $538 per sq ft. This is how the listing Realtor describes this home:

"Tucked away down a quiet Old Town lane is this lovely, renovated historic home. Three bedrooms plus a loft/office, high ceilings, quality finishes with an open floor plan for comfortable island living. Lush tropical lot, inviting pool and porches make this a Hidden Island Oasis in one of the best neighborhoods of Old Town Key West."

You can't see this house from the street. It is actually located at the tail end of the little lane mentioned above. The house has a wrap around porch on two sides. The pool and deck are on the third side. The north side abuts the adjacent lot. All three "public areas" are very neat and nicely landscaped. The owner recently added a gate to permit off street parking inside of the grounds. The lot is fairly large (approximately 50' x 60').

This is definitely a Key West house. You won't find one like this in the burbs, wherever you are. All of the rooms open to the outside. CLICK HERE to see the view from the kitchen looking toward outdoor dining and the pool. (There is even a small building that is just aching to become a poolside bar.) While none of the rooms are huge, they open onto each other and the vaulted ceilings and multitudes of French doors that open to the outside make the outside feel like it is part of the inside. CLICK HERE to read more detailed information on this listing and view several very good photos and even take a virtual tour. Speaking of tours: Grinnell Street dead ends on the Key West cemetery. You won't be seeing Conch Trains or Trolleys dragging tourists down the Grinnell Street. Most locals avoid it because they can get where they want more quickly. So if you are looking for peace and quiet, this street is one of the better addresses in Old Town.

This is not my listing. But don't let that stop you from calling me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or contact me by e-mail at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West, Florida. Our office is the exclusive Lower Florida Keys affiliate of Christie's Great Estates. It's Fantasy Fest Week in Key West. If you owned 615 Grinnell Street you could walk one block to join the People's Parade CLICK HERE on Friday. On Saturday you and your friends could walk four blocks to join in on the craziness on Duval Street. And on Sunday morning you could walk one half block to 5 Brothers CLICK HERE for a couple of shots of Cuban coffee and some Aspirin.

I showed 839 United Street last week. I had not been inside for a few years. The last time it was offered for sale it got purchased right away. I sort of remembered how cute it was -- how it meets the needs of a buyer that wants to buy that "Quintessential Key West Cottage" (the personification of idyllic living space in our little town). Well, I just fell all over myself again. This house just about everything a buyer could want - except the location.

I'll discuss the property first and then the location. 839 United Street is a 1350 sq ft main house with guest cottage. There are a total of three bedrooms and three baths. The lot is deceptively large (31' x 118.5') . The front yard is fenced and gated. The front porch belies the truth of this non-traditional shotgun style house. You see the actual entry is made into the living area midway through the house on the west side. The front of the house is where two of the bedrooms and bathrooms are located. The bedroom configurations are therefore larger and more user friendly. (See interior photos.)

The living area (kitchen, dining, and livingroom) open onto the rear of the house and have views of the pool and guest cottage where that third bedroom and bath are located. There is a side gate on the east side of the house that provides access to the rear area for the poolboy or guests staying in the cottage.

The livingroom has a big vaulted ceiling that makes the entire space seem larger. The Dade County Pine walls are artistically painted. The kitchen opens onto the living area so the cook is always part of the action. There is an indoor dining area but there is dining space by the pool as well. Oh, and the outside is wired for tunes. The pool gets lots of sunshine but it is also nestled by some tropical foliage so users can get the tan but not get baked if they don't want to. CLICK HERE to see some excellent photos that really showoff each room and living area.

639 United Street is offered at $790,000 or $585 per sq ft. It does not have off street parking. And it is located on what I call a feeder street. United Street is a somewhat busy street during the daytime. At night the traffic is infrequent. There is commercial activity across the street and there is a trailer court a couple doors to the east. But Duval Street is only two blocks to the west and South Beach is only a five minute walk to the south. A week ago I wrote about the property just to the south of the guest cottage (622 Louisa Street). CLICK HERE to see the pool there. 622 Louisa is a little grander, I will grant you that. It's got a better location, I'll grant you that. And it is priced $500,000 higher.

Fantasy Fest started last night. The King and Queen were crowned and town is full of party-goers and some potential buyers. If you are looking to purchase the nearly perfect Key West getaway place, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305.766.2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. We are an affiliate of Christie's Great Estates. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.