I'd love to hear your thoughts on the video. Would you like to live here? Which type of home would you choose? Which neighborhood? I can help you with all of these choices. I've lived in Key West for more than 15 years and I've been helping folks buy and sell homes here for 13. Call 305-304-1708, email or leave your comments below. Have a great day!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Welcome to Key West: A Video
Instead of the usual written blog, today I'm going to do something a little different and share a video with you. I had this video created to show prospective clients a little about the life here in the "Fabulous Florida Keys." I hope you enjoy it!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the video. Would you like to live here? Which type of home would you choose? Which neighborhood? I can help you with all of these choices. I've lived in Key West for more than 15 years and I've been helping folks buy and sell homes here for 13. Call 305-304-1708, email or leave your comments below. Have a great day!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the video. Would you like to live here? Which type of home would you choose? Which neighborhood? I can help you with all of these choices. I've lived in Key West for more than 15 years and I've been helping folks buy and sell homes here for 13. Call 305-304-1708, email or leave your comments below. Have a great day!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
"Maxwell Gables" 55+ Compound with Pool & Tropical Gardens
One of the best things about homes in Key West is the sweet little gardens and pool areas you can find hidden behind the white picket fences visible from the street. No matter your location, you can discover a whole new world within the walls of your own property, only visible to you!
The exclusive Old Town “Maxwell Gables” compound located at 906 & 908 Frances Street (between Truman and Olivia) is a wonderful example, but without the all the upkeep. Each of the six townhomes are part of a homeowners association (HOA) that maintains the pool and common area (gardens!). You own your own townhome (land, too), but pay a small monthly fee ($250/month, which also includes water, sewer and trash removal) and share the stunning gardens and pool with the five other townhomes in the complex. And we’re talking a huge common area and nice-sized pool, all beautifully landscaped.
One of the neat things about this complex is that each townhome really feels like a separate home. They are NOT the cookie-cutter townhomes that you see in big cities or the suburbs; all six homes are completely unique in size, shape and design. They range is size from 800 to 1,700 square feet; four have two stories and two are only one level. Three of the homes front the street, while the other three have their sole entrances off the garden and pool area.
As fortune would have it, one of these townhomes is for sale! The newly-remodeled 906B has 841 square-feet of living area on two floors. The open living room has cathedral ceilings, skylight and French doors that open to a private deck. The designer kitchen features granite counter tops, wine refrigerator, wood cabinets and hardwood floors. The large master bedroom and bath are located on the first floor, with second (or guest) bedroom and bath privately located on the upper floor. And the stunning pool and mature tropical gardens are just outside your door!
This home is nested in the middle of the complex, accessible through the front gate and a gorgeous brick pathway through tropical foliage to its pink front door!
The Maxwell Gables complex is only for 55 and older, so if you’re of that age, this townhome might just be the perfect vacation home or retirement property for you! Give me a call at 305-304-1708 and take a look for yourself. You'll fall in love with it's charm and seclusion. This is what Key West is all about, folks!
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| Lush gardens and brick pathway in the Maxwell Gables Compound on Frances Street |
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| Tropical paradise in your own backyard. Clothing optional in the pool area. |
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| All six townhomes and the common areas are shown here. |
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| Entrance to 906 Frances Street showing Unit A and walkway to Units 906B & 906C |
As fortune would have it, one of these townhomes is for sale! The newly-remodeled 906B has 841 square-feet of living area on two floors. The open living room has cathedral ceilings, skylight and French doors that open to a private deck. The designer kitchen features granite counter tops, wine refrigerator, wood cabinets and hardwood floors. The large master bedroom and bath are located on the first floor, with second (or guest) bedroom and bath privately located on the upper floor. And the stunning pool and mature tropical gardens are just outside your door!
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| Kitchen and dining areas with French doors opening to private deck |
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| Open living area on main floor has hardwood floors and a cathedral ceiling |
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| Designer kitchen features granite countertops and wooden cabinets |
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| Master bedroom on ground floor |
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| Master bath on ground floor |
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| Second or "guest" bedroom and bath upstairs |
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| Private brick pathway leading to pool and rear units |
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| Pink front door to Unit 906B adds a touch of whimsy |
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| Property Appraiser's parcel map showing 906B Frances Street |
The Maxwell Gables complex is only for 55 and older, so if you’re of that age, this townhome might just be the perfect vacation home or retirement property for you! Give me a call at 305-304-1708 and take a look for yourself. You'll fall in love with it's charm and seclusion. This is what Key West is all about, folks!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Home Prices Rising, but Not yet Out of Reach for Buyers
Recently we've seen several news stories highlighting the upswing in the
real estate market nationwide.
MarketWatch reported annual
home-price growth in June “close to the fastest pace in seven years” with inventories
of existing and new homes remaining low. Home prices, including distressed
sales, rose 1.9% in June, and were up 11.88% from a year earlier, according to
the article. In May, prices were up a similar amount from the prior year, the
fastest annual growth since February 2006. Forecasters are predicting double-digit
growth through July.
Mortgage News Daily reported housing prices increased by "a remarkable 10 percent" in the first six months of 2013, the fastest pace for home price gains since 1977. This marks the 16th consecutive month that home prices have increased in relation to the same month the previous year. Amazingly, there were NO states where prices (excluding distressed sales) were down. Florida was one of the biggest gainers, showing a 12.7 percent increase.
Locally, a July 29, 2013, Key West The Citizen article reported the Florida Keys housing market recorded strong results during the second quarter of this year, with the Upper Keys leading the way. Keyswide, the median price for a residential property jumped to $370,000 during the months of April through June, up 8 percent from the same period in 2012, according to Multiple Listing Service data compiled by Coldwell Banker Schmitt Real Estate. The total number of sales rose as well, from 506 to 624 homes.
In Key West, closings increased 12 percent, from 170 in spring 2012 to 191 during the same period this year. Meanwhile, the median price in the Southernmost City jumped 17 percent, to $440,000, according to the article.
And there are signs the housing market will continue its upward trend in the Keys. At the end of June, pending sales throughout the island chain were up 14 percent over last year. Meanwhile, the length of time a home is on the market has dropped from 15 months to 12 months. But the market still faces challenges from distressed properties, which comprised 17 percent of closings last quarter. Still, that's down from a peak of 45 percent in the summer of 2010.
The bottom line: A housing market that continues to rebound, despite headwinds from rising interest rates, yet home prices remain reasonable in a historical context, with most states near peak affordability levels. Including June’s increase, national home prices were about 19% below a 2006 peak. While there are concerns about a new housing bubble, data signal that prices aren’t too high yet.
I hate to say it, but I really believe now is the time to buy. Key West real estate historically rebounds more quickly than many other markets and we are already seeing that happen. Don’t wait! Contact me at 305-304-1708 and I’ll help you find your dream home here in the Fabulous Florida Keys!
Mortgage News Daily reported housing prices increased by "a remarkable 10 percent" in the first six months of 2013, the fastest pace for home price gains since 1977. This marks the 16th consecutive month that home prices have increased in relation to the same month the previous year. Amazingly, there were NO states where prices (excluding distressed sales) were down. Florida was one of the biggest gainers, showing a 12.7 percent increase.
Locally, a July 29, 2013, Key West The Citizen article reported the Florida Keys housing market recorded strong results during the second quarter of this year, with the Upper Keys leading the way. Keyswide, the median price for a residential property jumped to $370,000 during the months of April through June, up 8 percent from the same period in 2012, according to Multiple Listing Service data compiled by Coldwell Banker Schmitt Real Estate. The total number of sales rose as well, from 506 to 624 homes.
In Key West, closings increased 12 percent, from 170 in spring 2012 to 191 during the same period this year. Meanwhile, the median price in the Southernmost City jumped 17 percent, to $440,000, according to the article.
And there are signs the housing market will continue its upward trend in the Keys. At the end of June, pending sales throughout the island chain were up 14 percent over last year. Meanwhile, the length of time a home is on the market has dropped from 15 months to 12 months. But the market still faces challenges from distressed properties, which comprised 17 percent of closings last quarter. Still, that's down from a peak of 45 percent in the summer of 2010.
The bottom line: A housing market that continues to rebound, despite headwinds from rising interest rates, yet home prices remain reasonable in a historical context, with most states near peak affordability levels. Including June’s increase, national home prices were about 19% below a 2006 peak. While there are concerns about a new housing bubble, data signal that prices aren’t too high yet.
I hate to say it, but I really believe now is the time to buy. Key West real estate historically rebounds more quickly than many other markets and we are already seeing that happen. Don’t wait! Contact me at 305-304-1708 and I’ll help you find your dream home here in the Fabulous Florida Keys!
Friday, August 2, 2013
New Photos for 405 Olivia
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| From this view of 405 Olivia, you can see the second-floor porch and the large brick parking area |
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| beautiful tile shower in second bath |
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| one of the full baths |
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| Gorgeous Chef's Kitchen! |
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| Love all the natural light! |
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| French doors from the kitchen and main living area give you easy access and a view of the pool, deck and gardens |
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| Can you see yourself here with a lounge chair and a tropical drink? |
In case you didn't read our previous blog post, this home at 405 Olivia St. in Key West is located directly across the street from the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum complex. (Neat location!) With 1,385 square-feet of living space and a 3,829 square-foot lot, it's offered at the 'pre-listing' price of $1,250,000 and it won't last long in the Key West real estate market today. Give me a call to see it in person: 305-304-1708.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Even Hemingway Would Have Loved This Place!
We are ‘pre-marketing’ this just-completed renovation at 405
Olivia St., located in a unique and exciting spot in Key West. Here’s your
chance to live next door to one of the most influential American authors of all
time. Well, not him, but next door to his former home. The house at 405
Olivia St. is directly across the street from The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum complex in Key West.
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| 405 Olivia viewed from Hemingway House across the street |
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| brand new pool! |
With 1,385 square-feet of living space, this classic
two-story “Conch” house has the perfect mix of old and new.
Did I mention the
entire house has been completely renovated? Three bedrooms, three new bathrooms,
beautiful big chef’s kitchen with stainless steel appliances, granite
countertops, hardwood floors, French doors leading out to a lush landscaped
outdoor space with wooden deck and covered cabana perfect for your very own "tiki bar" by the pool. Enjoy people-watching at its premium from either of your two
porches on the first or second story.
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| Chef's kitchen with granite countertops& stainless steel appliances |
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| new hardwood floors |
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| view of pool and covered cabana from second floor |
You’ll fall in love with this house for its location, renovations, size and style, but the astute buyer will also note that it’s situated at 13 feet above sea level in an X zone, so flood insurance is NOT required. (That’ll save you several thousand dollars a year!)
This home is being offered at the ‘pre-listing’ price of
$1,250,000. And the way the Key West real estate market is today, we don’t
expect it to last long! Please call Steve now at 305-304-1708 for your
‘pre-listing’ private preview.
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