Gary Thomas

The very cute two bedroom Key West cottage located at 815 Eaton Street is offered as a short sale at the asking price of $325,000. The listing Realtor describes the house this way:

"Happy home. Quaint wrap around people watching porches frame this whimsical and romantic gingerbread Conch cottage. Lots of natural light and windows. Lovely Old Town neighborhood between William and Margaret. Relaxing retreat just around the corner from the historic seaport, orange and gold sunsets, tall ships, great food, tasty drinks and lively entertainment. Walk or bike to everything fun and interesting. Duval Street art and culture just a hop, skip and a jump! Excellent location for fun-lovers. Beautiful wood floors, 5 ft side yard, nice sized back yard. Pretty little front yard with a white picket fence. Huge cistern would be a great wine cellar."

The house has 725 sq ft of living space and was updated a couple of years ago. There are nice new floors and the kitchen looks relatively new. The second bedroom probably works better as a place for a child or as an office. It would be difficult to use as a full time bedroom.

The owner advised me that there is room for an 8' x 14' pool at the rear of the property and that the pool could be built to code setback requirements. (CLICK HERE to see what an 8'x 14' pool could look like.) The house needs a little re-working in my opinion (not because it needs fixed but because it could function better as an escape place with pool).

CLICK HERE to see the mls listing information and photos. The listing Realtor (no relation) created a virtual tour that really shows the charm of this little place. CLICK HERE to take the time to take that tour. It is worth it.

This house does not have off street parking but it has just about everything else a second home buyer wants (minus the pool).

This house is offered as a short sale. The listing Realtor told me that the lender has already agreed to the asking price and that a closing may be able to occur within 60 days or so.

If you are interested in scheduling an appointment to see this house or if you would like more information, please contact me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 or e-mail me at kw1101v@aol.com. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. in Key West.

I tell buyers all the time you can never tell what is behind the facade of some of the houses in Key West. Preferred Properties just listed Casa Louisa at 622 Louisa Street, and boy did my remarks ever hold true. Gee Whiz!

622 Louisa Street is located at the upper end of the Duval corridor about 1 1/2 blocks east of Duval and 3 blocks from the Atlantic. So it is close to where vacationers want to be without being right in the mix. And that is the point. The place is quiet and serene and just so relaxing. When you enter the formal entryway CLICK HERE you know this place is "apart" from the typical Conch house. You look to the right and see the great room that is flanked by four sets of French doors that open onto the side and rear decks and pool area. Off to the side is the snazzy kitchen CLICK HERE and adjacent dining alcove CLICK HERE. Both look out toward the black bottom pool and waterfall and the newly constructed guesthouse with en-suite bath.

Off to the left of the front entry is bedroom is the master bedroom with en-suite bath. This space is large and inviting, but cozy at the same time. So many places in Old Town "make do" and end up having small spaces to actually live. Not the case here. The second bedroom is located opposite the entry hall and it also has an en-suite bath. Everything in every room is "done". Correctly.

When I saw the black bottom pool with the waterfall CLICK HERE my jaw dropped. Just awesome. The lot is very large for Old Town. The decks are large and provide ample room for sunning. Imagine that, a place with a large pool with shade and also sunshine. So many places have one or the other. Not this place. Oh, there is also a tented dining pavilion CLICK HERE. There is off street parking and a formal bricked entry path that leads guests to the front door. The places is not ostentatious, but boy is it gracious.

I would really like to show 622 Louisa Street to a buyer that wants the best. This property is used as a long term vacation rental and it generates substantial income during the year. Because of that, advance notice is required and viewing may be somewhat limited. Casa Louisa is offered at $1,299,000. CLICK HERE to view the detailed listing information and see some great photos of the property. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to arrange a showing.

There is just one problem owing a place like Casa Louisa: if you want it to make money you can't use it. You need to share it. This property may be legally rented as a vacation rental for a period of twenty eight days or longer. The advance reservations in place convey with the property.

I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc., an affiliate of Christie's Great Estates. Let me help you fulfill your dream of owning a place in Paradise. CLICK HERE to search the Key West Association of Realtors mls database.

One of my very favorite homes in Key West just became a short sale. Some buyer is going to own one of the very best houses in all of Key West for a fraction of what it is worth. They don't make houses like this anymore. And you could not duplicate this house if you were to try to build a new one. The cost would be prohibitive. 906 Johnson Street is a 3720 sq ft estate type property situated on a 10,750 sq ft lot located one block from the Atlantic Ocean. You can see the Atlantic Ocean from the master bedroom and master bath on the second floor. The main house has a formal living room with fireplace and an informal family room overlooking the rear terrace. The west wing provides living quarters for staff. There is a separate dining area that overlooks the large pool and outdoor kitchen on the east side of the property. The master bedrooms and master bath have ocean views. These two rooms are just elegant without being prissy. There are two additional bedrooms on this floor-one even has a terrace overlooking the pool below. There is a fully contained guest cottage with living room, bedroom, small kitchen, and bath. Off to the far west you will find another casita or writer's cottage with its own bath.

Entry to 906 Johnson Street is made through a formal gated entrance. Brick pavers encircle the entire property as do gardens filled with towering palms and assorted tropical plants. This place is a gardener's paradise. Every point is different; every point is a delight.

I created a photo album of photos that show the house and its relationship to the neighborhood. CLICK HERE to see those photos.

Preferred Properties is the listing broker on 906 Johnson Street which is now listed at the short sale offering price of $1,769,000 or $476 per square foot. Remember, the bank set the asking price. This is truly a great buying opportunity for a discerning buyer. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing.

Just listed by Preferred Properties Coastal Realty (but not by me) La Casa Roja at 1403 Catherine Street in Key West, Florida. La Casa Roja is the kind of home that you would expect to see featured in Architectural Digest or Coastal Living magazine. It is of that caliber. But you lucky readers get to see it here in my little blog instead, keywestproperties.

CLICK HERE to see the before photo of this historic 992 square front home as it appeared five years ago with its white clapboard siding and chain link fence. If fit right into the neighborhood. But a very creative young architect and his partner bought the house and transformed it into a work of art. CLICK HERE to see the renovated property as it now appears. The six room house consists of the living room, kitchen, guest bedroom, guest bath, and master bedroom with en-suite bath. Other living areas include the outdoor lounge off the master bedroom, the open-air dining alcove near the pool, the bar off the kitchen, and the two story carriage house with upstairs loft. Each room or area is rich in architectural detail and quality construction. There is nothing "undone".

This simple little house is simply just that: a simple little house. But that is an understatement of grand proportion. It is elegant in its simplicity. The new wide oak plank floors were custom milled as were the extra-large crown molding and the extra-wide baseboards. New cedar doors were custom made. The original windows were restored to retain their character.

Doors and floor patterns in the original house were reworked to make the house flow efficiently. The relocated kitchen for example opens onto the hallway adjacent to the living room. The kitchen windows tilt and provide access to the covered outside veranda bar. I would not call this home a "party house", but it was certainly designed for an owner who loves to entertain in style. The kitchen is the heart of this home. And the several social gathering spots flow from or toward the heart of this home.

What was once the kitchen is now the master bedroom with its own private covered porch with hot tub. The master bedroom features two sets of pocketing French doors and screens which allow the room to open up to the back yard. Mirrored pocket doors conceal the generous ten foot long closet. Paneled wainscoting and coffered ceiling add depth and interest to this cozy retreat.

And then there is the two story carriage house. It's the perfect place to house your classic Key West car or the perfect place for your own gym, workshop, or studio. Upstairs there is a secret retreat that is just as simple and just as elegant as the rest of the main house. Some people skimp on things that are barely seen. Here, the barely seen is treated as a treasure for the very few.

I dare the reader to walk around the outside of this property and find something amiss or something not done. Every place you look you see solutions to everyday issues. Here is a "for instance": the front door hurricane panel was turned into a whimsical work of art and greets guests near the cocktail bar.

This is the kind of house a second home buyer should consider because the present owner designed the house and all of its components to standout from the crowd and function properly. It does. Indeed. Some readers may say "I could do that." Perhaps. But most of us see a home like this and admire it with awe. That is why I discerning buyer will seize the opportunity to own a property of this caliber.

La Casa Roja is offered at $1,299,000. If you would like to see this simply elegant property, please call me, Gary Thomas, at 305-766-2642. Some very lucky person is going to buy this little treasure and experience the elegance of living well...in Paradise. Preferred Properties Coastal Realty, Inc. is an affiliate of Christie's Great Estates.

P.S. I have shown this charming home to several buyers that actually purchased a home from me. They ended up hiring the owner-architect of La Casa Roja to design the remodel of their new Key West property. My advice to buyers: save the trouble and hassle of months and months of construction. Buy the real deal now.

A few years back Key West had an Assistant City Manager that was full of pomp and circumstance. He blustered about making Key West a leader in technology by getting the entire city wired for the future. I like it when government gets simple jobs done correctly and efficiently. I don't care if Key West is a leader, but I do care if things work correctly, efficiently, and as inexpensively as possible. This blog address but one issue: getting new utility services started.

I have a gripe about how difficult some departments or utilities have made the establishment of new service. It is a nightmare! This is the set-up. New property owners (and tenants that personally pay for utilities) must (1) fill out an application form to establish a new account; (2) pay a deposit to insure payment of monthly fees; and (3) demonstrate proof of ownership or proof of residency by providing a copy of a deed or a lease for the proposed new account.

The forms have repetitive and redundant information data fields. Some require disclosure of personal information such as social security numbers, driver's license numbers, birth dates, etc. Each utility asks the same basic information but then requires other information related to that departments specific account data fields. One utility requires that its form be be notarized and accompanied by a copy of a drivers license. But that same form can be faxed. It seems to me whoever created the form was trying his or her bureaucratic best to make the application as "legal" as possible.

My suggestion is simple: create one application form that meets the data requirements of all three utilities: Keys Energy, Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, and City of Key West Sewer & Trash. The same goes for Suburban Propane and Amerigas. They have made the transfer of existing systems in place from the prior owner to the new owner an absolute nightmare. Comcast Cable has its own outlandish requirements for installing new cable and Internet service. Whoever designed this requirement must have graduated from the Bank of America Screw The Customer Training Academy & Car Wash.

My Modest Proposal is for the electric, water, and sewer utilities to create one simple Application Form for New Service. This form could be filled out one time. It should contain general data fields to identify the owner (or responsible party) and ancillary data fields to link the new customer with the specific locator fields used by each individual utility. A simple form could be filled out one time and submitted by a buyer or closing agent as soon as title passes. Keep it simple, Cuz.