Professional Photos are Coming. It may be purchased before they hit the MLS. I can't wait. Nor can buyers. This photo is three months old. Just Listed and Open House Sunday 1007 Thomas Street, Key West. This sweet two story home has been completely rebuilt from bottom to top and front to back. The house has impact windows and doors including a three panel door at the rear which opens out to the garden and new heated & chilled pool.. You can see all he little people at the top of the Key West Lighthouse from the living room.There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The master bedroom is on first floor. It is so sweet you''ll need to see a dentist when you leave.  The galley style kitchen is bright and sunny. It has real custom wood cabinets, quartz counter tops, Viking Range and a Ther... 02/05/2022

I received the email copied immediately below. I found the blog referenced in the email which is copied below that. I came across your blog about my family home This home located at 307 Truman Ave belonged to my grandparents. Five generations have lived in that home before the passing of my grandfather in 1993, then my grandmother selling it and relocating to Georgia shortly after. I never wanted to see it go on the market and if I ever have the opportunity to purchase it back into my family I would.   The restorations that have been done on the home over the years is beautiful! The current owners were kind enough to invite me in one day as I was passing by and I mentioned that I had lived there 30+ yrs.   Upon entering the front door, my life and all my childhood memories started rushi... 02/03/2022

Just about every town or city has a Mon & Pop store with a commercial business on the ground floor and living space on the second. A few months ago a Mom & Pop building was added to the Key West MLS. I remembered that time years earlier when I showed the same building to a prospective buyer.  The building was a two story concrete block building located half a block away from historic Duval Street. The building itself was not historic but the location and commercial zoning made it valuable. The "right" business at that location could make the owner a mint.Thousands of tourists walk by that spot each week. Thousands.After checking out the ground level the listing agent, my buyer, and I used an exterior staircase at the rear of the property to go to the second floor apartment. This is Key ... 02/02/2022

  I finally got to take a full tour 628 White Street yesterday afternoon during an open house. It is a beautiful Old Town landmark.There lookers inside when I entered, as I walked around, and when I left. A steady stream of potential buyers.  Before we look around, checkout the photo taken from the same location in 1965 - half a century ago.  This is one very pretty home. Great lines. Oh, and HARC, dormers were used in Old Town. HARC hates dormers.  Other than the fence being added, not much else has changed. I know the current owner replaced the original jalousie windows with impact glass windows. It is super quiet and hurricane safe inside.As I approached the front door I sensed I had been in this house before. There is off street parking on the right. The front porch is prim and prop... 01/31/2022

    Just Listed 317 Whitehead Street, Key West. The building at the top left is an historic structure and cannot be taken down. The building on the right is actually concrete block construction and has been approved from demolition by the City of Key West Historic Architectural Approval Commission. The plans provide for the construction of a similar new Conch Style building plus second floor addition that extends far to the rear. The photo just above show the approximate location of where a new pool and sundeck area could be located. The area woul have a new fence and garden and would not be like anything visible today. I remember walking up and down Duval Street many times on my first visit to Key West. I ventured east and west on some of the side streets which then were a bit "sketchy... 01/30/2022

It's Winter in Key West where today the temperature reached 76 degrees. What's the forecast where you live? I saw reports of record cold temps up north. Imagine living at water's edge looking out to the Atlantic Ocean every morning, noon, and night. You could - if you buy the just listed end unit at Key West Beach Club Condominiums. The real estate market is crazy here right now. I promise that if you snooze, you will lose on this baby. While every Beach Club Condominium unit has a direct ocean view, only a few have front and side views like this one. It has east views from both the living room and the guest bedroom. Equally important, the property to the east is a nature preserve where no buildings will ever be built. I'll show you later. The center hall foyer deliverers guest to midpo... 01/25/2022

 1003 Seminary Street, Key West. Casa Marina Area. All new exterior. All new interior. Pool. Guest Cottage. Two bricked off street parking spaces. Near the beach. Near Old Town. Near Perfect. Furnished. Interiors by BEN TEAGUE DESIGNSUNDAY    11:00 to 2:00 $2,300,000 Furnished CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION Offered by Gary Thomas Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West  01/23/2022

Recently a prospective  customer asked me about a Key West neighborhood. We drove through the area where I pointed out houses I had sold or knew something interesting or maybe salacious. I pointed out where some famous people live (or used to live before they died or were ushered out of town). I discussed how many police we have in Key West and how little crime. And that I feel safe living here. I told them about the time I was walking on Whitehead Street moments after a local bank had been robbed.There were cop cars with lights blinking and uniformed offices everywhere. I surprised to see so many undercover police (some dress like Hells Angels) with badges displayed and carrying guns. It was a massive display of force you just would not expect in such a small island town. The police im... 01/22/2022

 Just Listed 58 Golf Club Drive in the Key West Golf Club Community. The original developer selected this and the adjacent unit as model units because of their prized views of the second fairway. The 2,449 Sq Ft lot is larger than most and features a gorgeous private pool. Most homes do not have pools.Styled as a "cottage, this 1,060 Sq Ft town home has two bedrooms, two and one-half bath."s. The home has a recently updated kitchen and bathrooms. But it is that killer view that commands attention as soon as you enter the front door. What a killer view it is.       There is a guest bath located just off the kitchen and under the stairway to the second floor. The furnishings may be purchased separately.   I have sold over forty homes in the golf club over the years both as listing agent a... 01/21/2022

 from: October 1, 2018Latch Key Dogs in Key WestUnlike many places across the United States, most houses and condos in Key West are shown by the listing agent instead of by accessing a lock box. This is both a tradition and a necessity as Key West many if not most listings here are viewed as both special and may also be tenant occupied. Special listings can be either very expensive homes that require strict control as to who goes inside or making sure that a potential buyer does not get injured while viewing a house in need of repair. But all rules have exceptions including the house on Watson Street I showed several years ago. I remember the day and circumstance quite well. The listing agent told me she could not be present. The house was on lock box. She gave me the combination and sa... 01/20/2022

  There are dozens of not a few hundred people out there who live on their computer searching the Key West MLS, Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com websites for new listings in Key West. I have been writing about this phenomenon for years. Like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, they seek to find a home in Key West to replace the locals and take up living in Paradise. They make an annual pilgrimage to Key West to search in person walking the streets, looking for For Sale signs, taking phone numbers, calling agents, attending open houses, and talking to locals in bars- they know the real story. Now they are among us. Thousands of them. For months I have been predicting new MLS listings. They just have not materialized in the numbers we have experienced in years. What was predictable, has just n... 01/18/2022

Not too long before the pandemic a friend and I traveled to New York City in mid August for a few days. I never experienced such oppressing heat in my life. All eight million residents swarmed around me wherever I went. It was like being dropped into a snake pit. It was a near fatal mistake which I vowed to never repeat. A few days later we rented a car and drove to the Catskills to stay at a friend's house in Calicoon Center, New York. The temperature dropped by maybe thirty degrees and the million of people diminished to a couple of dozen.    We had planned to stay four days in our friend from Key West's bungalow and then drive to Boston. However, upon arrival we discovered another woman friend of the owner had moved into the house along with her aged father. She apparently arrived fi... 01/13/2022

I got a chance to preview 1221 Margaret Street a few weeks ago. I was really impressed. Really! I have written about this small group of single family homes built at the edge of Old Town in 1999. Some share a rear driveway which allowed the developer to build big houses on smaller lots than official building code required. Note the two off street parking spaces on either side of the front entry. Let's look inside.  All of the houses replicated the revival style architecture of our historic homes. The builder created new interiors that had the look of older homes. The owner of this property undid the original and remade a better version that brings this home into the 21st Century with pizazz. Walls were removed, floors replace, new kitchen added, bath rooms upgraded, and on and on.   The... 01/12/2022

If you have been living on the Internet searching for a place to call your own in Key West, the new listing at 526 William Street may be the place you have been hoping to find. While I expected many new listings around Christmas, that did not happen. This Delancey Hall two bedroom main floor condominium is the exception and is an exceptional one at that. I have written about other units in this building before, and I sold a similar second floor unit several years ago.The building was renovated in the early 2000's by Toolbox Construction, one of the best general contractors in Key West. They consistently do quality projects. This unit has been meticulously maintained. It is move-in ready.  The owners on the first floor share "sitting rights" on that porch and the owners on the second flo... 01/09/2022

  Do you know the way you feel when you are blown away by music, a picture, a meal, a drink, an odor? While searching the Key West MLS for upcoming open houses and I noticed  a property described as a renovated duplex of just 1,176 sq ft. I thought to myself "That's odd. I thought it sold in 2021." I checked the MLS database and, sure enough, it did sell. It was listed for $1,250,000 on February 27, 2021 and reduced to $1,150,000  on March 29th. Even though the market was brisk, it did not sell. The listing was "cancelled"on May 17th and relisted the same day at $1,095,000. It went under contract twelve days later. It sold on June 16, 2021 for $1,075,000 cash. I never saw the inside but the listing photos looked great. The house dates back to at least 1889. I found photos o the house ta... 01/08/2022

 Pardon my absence these past few days. I have not been away or ill. Instead, I have been super busy selling houses - thee in a week and working on another. That;s enough about me, let's take a look back at 2021 - the year that was in Key West Real Estate Sales. There was so much apprehension when the world shut down at the beginning of the pandemic - especially from Key West Realtors who feared their livelihoods would be crushed. I was optimistic because I was sure the people who loved Key West would return. Florida has a lot of cities and beaches, but there only one Key West. It's like having a choice between a COKE or an RC Cola. Similar but not the same. The Real Thing or a not-so-good imitation. When the Sheriff lifted the barricades and the TSA let travelers back into town, Key We... 01/07/2022

How Gay Was My Villafrom: July 16, 2015 Update: I was meeting with some former customers a few days ago. The gent found me from my blog and said his favorite blog was How Gay Was My Villa. This is for you, Bill. Key West is a great place to live. You can be and do just about anything and everything. Except for some do-gooders who sit on some public commissions, we all try to stay out of each others "business".  The rich and not so rich often live side-by-side. One's station in life does not matter. Gay and straight live together. Generational Conchs and newbies from around the world live and work together. People of different faiths, different races, and political persuasions all get along. We are an accepting community. The openness and welcoming nature of Key West as a community was o... 01/06/2022

It was eleven years ago when I blogged about 525 Simonton Street when it was offered for sale as a "short sale" at what I called the bargain asking price of $1,999,000. But it does not matter. I was right. I told you so! I showed it. I promoted it. Somebody bought it for just $1,440,000. That buyer expanded the living area at the rear and added a second pool. They spent some money but not "THAT MUCH" money. The renovated property SOLD on Monday for $7,100,000. Congratulations to the Seller, the Buyer, and the Realtor on the sale. This was and is a beautiful building in a great location. Success is not hard to predict when you have those two things in common.    01/04/2022

   The Southernmost Buoy was damaged by an intentional fire set by two bros taking selfies. Be on the lookout. The police have clear video of them in the act. They might get a fair trial in Jacksonville or Panama City. Might. Doubtful in Key West.  It will be repaired. It will come back.punks! 01/02/2022

2021 started out real shaky. January 6th scared the hell out of me. And a lot of people. Then the Inauguration happened and things started to go back to normal - at least as normal as we could get at the time. I think most people have an optimistic outlook on our future. Of course the people I come into contact with are successful people. Achievers. Winners. That is why they have money to spend. And never forget this: We live in America. Even when we are down, we get back up and thrive. I really believe we can achieve anything. 2022 will only be better. Right after travel to Key West was allowed in mid 202o we saw the beginning of a surge of visitors that has not stopped. Many of them bought houses, condos, and investment properties.  2020 was a very good year for me. 2021 was an even b... 12/30/2021