Long time, no post...
Since my last post I've sold two houses and one condo! Definitely got off to a great start this year. Our markets generally slow down during the Summer months and this Summer has been no different. We vacationed on the west coast of Florida twice - once to help my brother move to Sarasota from Connecticut and the other for my college friend's wedding. Lots of golf too! I joined the Golf Club for the Summer deal and have been walking twice a week and using a cart with friends on the weekends. It is HOT out there.
Refocusing on my real estate career, sending more flyers, newsletters and attending more social functions. I have a new top five favorite in Key West, Labor Day Weekend's "BrewFest!!!" It might be second to the St. Paddy's Day Bar Stroll... Lots of new buyer leads are keeping me busy but I'm really hopeful to get some more sellers. Sellers HAVE to sell but buyers are not nearly as likely to follow through. I'll be listing a mobile home at Geiger Key this Fall.
The one property I really want to sell is 12 Cannon Royal on Shark Key. The sellers are wonderful people, very motivated to sell and willing to negotiate on the price but of all the buyers we've had come through -none have made a serious offer. Five sales out there so far this year so with less inventory I'm hoping to get it under contract by the end of the year. Should be publishing a price reduction next week!
I recently acquired a bocce team. Team DeBOCCEry plays on Monday nights at the Southernmost Bocce League. Now we are "Team DeBOCCEry" sponsored by Brian Trible/Coldwell Banker Schmitt. Moral is up and we already have our first win of the season! Bocce is incredible enough that it deserves it's own blog post. Stay tuned....
Friday, September 9, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
New Year = New Listing!
Happy New Year!
My holiday's were excellent and I hope yours were too. On Friday I got a late Christmas present or an early birthday one... While in my office on White St. a little old lady and her grand daughter walked right in and asked if I could help sell her house. No problem! I took down the preliminary information and began researching. It's an intensive process that kept me busy for about four straight hours. On Saturday morning I had a package full of disclosures, listing agreement with addenda and a comparative market analysis.
We met at her house at 10:00AM and I got a tour of the property and the grounds. It's almost 2,000 sq. ft. sitting on a 10,000 sq. ft. lot! That's enormous for Key West! The structure is a true Concrete Slab house. The foundation, the external walls, the internal walls and the roof are all concrete. That's how they did things in 1958! The current owner bought the house with her late husband that same year. Can you believe it was wired for surround sound throughout the entire house? Way ahead of it's time.
Unfortunately, the winter of '58 - '59 followed by the summer of '59 paired with the house settling on it's foundation was enough to send cracks through out the entire structure. Every wall has at least a minor crack and the corners of the house show veins of cracks. It's the biggest detractor from the homes value but because it happened so long ago and hasn't gotten any worse over the last 60 years, we're hoping it doesn't turn off any proposed buyers.
It's wall to wall terrazzo floors which are comprised of 3' by 3' squares with brass inlay. It needs a professional polishing but it's going to really sparkle for the next owner. The bathrooms are all original and are in great condition. It's pretty amazing. Everything in the house is original from 1958 except for the kitchen appliances and the washer/dryer.
The ceilings are made from "California Yellow Pine" which allegedly are termite proof. In Key West, anythings possible... There are scars on the ceiling in a few places that represent the battles that have been fought against termites from time to time over the last sixty years. We've been termite free for over five years now and have a contract with an exterminator with warranty. 97% of the pine wood ceilings are in mint condition.
In the late 1950s and early 1960's the owner and her late husband would take their boat out to Sand Key which is the site of the old Sand Key lighthouse. A brick lighthouse was built in the 1827 and destroyed in the "Great Havana Hurricane of 1846." The owner's would grab a few bricks, sea shells, conch shells and pieces of coral each weekend and built a unique brick wall in the house and a coral/shell wall that goes around the entire property. It is very cool.
She signed all the paperwork and by noon I was taking pictures. I took over 150 photos and widdled them down to 55. All of them are in the virtual tour I put together, 30 of them are in the Key West MLS listing and 25 on Realtor.com. Here is a link to the virtual tour!
We're going to start at $449,000 which is honestly the lowest price per square foot within all of the listings within 1/4 mile. I wanted to list it a little bit lower but we compromised at $449,000 because I wasn't giving as much credit for the super big lot we were working with. Most comparables were on lots less than half as big! I'm very happy with the listing I've put together and the list price.
Wish me luck!
My holiday's were excellent and I hope yours were too. On Friday I got a late Christmas present or an early birthday one... While in my office on White St. a little old lady and her grand daughter walked right in and asked if I could help sell her house. No problem! I took down the preliminary information and began researching. It's an intensive process that kept me busy for about four straight hours. On Saturday morning I had a package full of disclosures, listing agreement with addenda and a comparative market analysis.
We met at her house at 10:00AM and I got a tour of the property and the grounds. It's almost 2,000 sq. ft. sitting on a 10,000 sq. ft. lot! That's enormous for Key West! The structure is a true Concrete Slab house. The foundation, the external walls, the internal walls and the roof are all concrete. That's how they did things in 1958! The current owner bought the house with her late husband that same year. Can you believe it was wired for surround sound throughout the entire house? Way ahead of it's time.
Unfortunately, the winter of '58 - '59 followed by the summer of '59 paired with the house settling on it's foundation was enough to send cracks through out the entire structure. Every wall has at least a minor crack and the corners of the house show veins of cracks. It's the biggest detractor from the homes value but because it happened so long ago and hasn't gotten any worse over the last 60 years, we're hoping it doesn't turn off any proposed buyers.
It's wall to wall terrazzo floors which are comprised of 3' by 3' squares with brass inlay. It needs a professional polishing but it's going to really sparkle for the next owner. The bathrooms are all original and are in great condition. It's pretty amazing. Everything in the house is original from 1958 except for the kitchen appliances and the washer/dryer.
The ceilings are made from "California Yellow Pine" which allegedly are termite proof. In Key West, anythings possible... There are scars on the ceiling in a few places that represent the battles that have been fought against termites from time to time over the last sixty years. We've been termite free for over five years now and have a contract with an exterminator with warranty. 97% of the pine wood ceilings are in mint condition.
In the late 1950s and early 1960's the owner and her late husband would take their boat out to Sand Key which is the site of the old Sand Key lighthouse. A brick lighthouse was built in the 1827 and destroyed in the "Great Havana Hurricane of 1846." The owner's would grab a few bricks, sea shells, conch shells and pieces of coral each weekend and built a unique brick wall in the house and a coral/shell wall that goes around the entire property. It is very cool.
She signed all the paperwork and by noon I was taking pictures. I took over 150 photos and widdled them down to 55. All of them are in the virtual tour I put together, 30 of them are in the Key West MLS listing and 25 on Realtor.com. Here is a link to the virtual tour!
We're going to start at $449,000 which is honestly the lowest price per square foot within all of the listings within 1/4 mile. I wanted to list it a little bit lower but we compromised at $449,000 because I wasn't giving as much credit for the super big lot we were working with. Most comparables were on lots less than half as big! I'm very happy with the listing I've put together and the list price.
Wish me luck!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Key West Fantasy Fest 2010!!!
It's that time of year again!!! Fantasy Fest!!! The first indication of this event is the increased traffic that takes the liberty of observing 30 MPH speed limit signs and then going half that speed. The second clue that Fantasy Fest is about to start is the little electric cars that make U-Turns on South Roosevelt cutting across 4 lanes of traffic with out signaling or checking for oncoming traffic. But it wasn't until just now, as I sit at the front desk of my Coldwell Banker office on White St. that I saw two kids skateboarding with Spiderman masks, two gay men having a rift in our parking lot and a van drive by that had "Hell Awaits Sinners!" written on the side.
Drunken debauchery awaits us all, we just need to get down to Duval St. Fantasy Fest, for those that don't know, is our little island's version of Mardi Gras. Clothing is optional, costumes are plentiful and almost everyone is here for one reason - to have a good time! The event goes on for seven days with different themed parties held around the island. My favorites are the "Green Party" at Finnigan's Wake, "Red Party" at the Flying Monkey Bar and the Captain Morgan parade that stretches a mile and a half around Duval St. and down White Head. I'd like to post a video here but it'll be offensive so just go to YouTube and lookup Fantasy Fest. This year's theme is "Habitat for Insanity" which suits us locals just right. We are all a little insane - that happens when living on a 2x4 mile island.
We're going to try a new event this year. The first ever "Zombie Bike Ride." What an awesome way to start Fantasy Fest 2010! I'm not going to over do the costume because when riding a bicycle, it's best to not have things dangling that could get caught in the moving wheels and gears. I did a little maintenance this morning on our bicycles - filled tires with air, affixed cup holders, placed a boom box in the front basket and now I'm putting together a Zombie-Play list. Actually, I'm creating a Zombie radio station on pandora that I'll play from my iPhone through the boom box. ReCycle Bike Shop is putting this operation together and the party starts at 4PM in their parking lot. They've hired face painters to help zombify us. How cool is that? Can't wait to get some really cool pictures.
Drunken debauchery awaits us all, we just need to get down to Duval St. Fantasy Fest, for those that don't know, is our little island's version of Mardi Gras. Clothing is optional, costumes are plentiful and almost everyone is here for one reason - to have a good time! The event goes on for seven days with different themed parties held around the island. My favorites are the "Green Party" at Finnigan's Wake, "Red Party" at the Flying Monkey Bar and the Captain Morgan parade that stretches a mile and a half around Duval St. and down White Head. I'd like to post a video here but it'll be offensive so just go to YouTube and lookup Fantasy Fest. This year's theme is "Habitat for Insanity" which suits us locals just right. We are all a little insane - that happens when living on a 2x4 mile island.
We're going to try a new event this year. The first ever "Zombie Bike Ride." What an awesome way to start Fantasy Fest 2010! I'm not going to over do the costume because when riding a bicycle, it's best to not have things dangling that could get caught in the moving wheels and gears. I did a little maintenance this morning on our bicycles - filled tires with air, affixed cup holders, placed a boom box in the front basket and now I'm putting together a Zombie-Play list. Actually, I'm creating a Zombie radio station on pandora that I'll play from my iPhone through the boom box. ReCycle Bike Shop is putting this operation together and the party starts at 4PM in their parking lot. They've hired face painters to help zombify us. How cool is that? Can't wait to get some really cool pictures.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Coldwell Banker's 10-10-10 Sales Event!
Coldwell Banker is launching a Nationwide Campaign to help the sellers we work for to sell their property! It's called the 10-10-10 Sales Event because for 10 Days, select properties will reduce the asking price of their home by 10% starting on October 1st, 2010. The event ends on midnight of 10/10/10.
You can see all of the properties that are participating in the Florida Keys by clicking here!
Most importantly to me, my listing on Shark Key is participating in the 10-10-10 Sales Event and have reduced our listing price by 10%! To learn more about that property, please visit: www.12CannonRoyal.com
I chose to work for Coldwell Banker Schmitt Real Estate Co. because of their reputation for educating their agents far more than the competition. Since I've gotten here I've also learned that we work harder to sell your property than the competition. During the months of August, September and October Real Estate in the Florida Keys becomes notoriously slow as it is outside of our "Tourist Season" except for Fantasy Fest which comes towards the end of October (I'll be blogging about that soon enough!). To help get buyers and seller together we are participating in the 10-10-10 Sales Event. Just another example of how we try harder to sell your property and deliver the best customer service.
No matter where you live in the United States, Coldwell Banker's 10-10-10 Sales Event might be knocking down sales prices in your neighborhood. Keep your eyes and ears open for the marketing and remember, it's a great time to buy!
You can see all of the properties that are participating in the Florida Keys by clicking here!
Most importantly to me, my listing on Shark Key is participating in the 10-10-10 Sales Event and have reduced our listing price by 10%! To learn more about that property, please visit: www.12CannonRoyal.com
I chose to work for Coldwell Banker Schmitt Real Estate Co. because of their reputation for educating their agents far more than the competition. Since I've gotten here I've also learned that we work harder to sell your property than the competition. During the months of August, September and October Real Estate in the Florida Keys becomes notoriously slow as it is outside of our "Tourist Season" except for Fantasy Fest which comes towards the end of October (I'll be blogging about that soon enough!). To help get buyers and seller together we are participating in the 10-10-10 Sales Event. Just another example of how we try harder to sell your property and deliver the best customer service.
No matter where you live in the United States, Coldwell Banker's 10-10-10 Sales Event might be knocking down sales prices in your neighborhood. Keep your eyes and ears open for the marketing and remember, it's a great time to buy!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
My Summer Vacation - 2010
In beautiful Key West, FL we don't really have the true four seasons that I grew up with in Connecticut. With a latitude of 24.55 degrees, we are just 72 miles North of the Tropic of Cancer so one could say that we are in the tropics so we have more of a 2 season kind of climate - Wet and Dry. None the less we cling to the perception of the four seasons and celebrate the holidays that remind us of the different times of the year even though it really is like Summer 365 days a year.
For the first time in my adult life I had the freedom to truly be on vacation for a serious amount of time. Being married to a teacher makes it difficult to sit in a cubical, filing paperwork for nine hours a day when I could be with my wife (MJ), sipping a daiquiri by the pool... or something. Last year, as a banker, I had five days of vacation that were preceded and then followed by weeks of hell. If I could pinpoint one exact reason I retired from banking and became a self employed Realtor, it'd be that I could spend the Summer with my wife doing exciting things.
While MJ was teaching Summer School through the first week of July, I was prepping my clients and coworkers for my departure. Even though I wasn't going anywhere, right away, I wasn't going to be in the office. Thanks to the iPhone I was able to stay in constant contact with everyone I needed to via e-mail and phone. It was great. First up was a visit from my good friends from college, Dan and Heather (and unborn baby X) as they celebrated their one year anniversary of marriage and last hurrah before becoming parents. We did some jet skiing, hot sauce tasting, drinking, eating and relaxing. Have visitors come to my island always makes me appreciate where I live just a little bit more.
After they left, MJ and I went to visit her family in Miami Springs. We brought our dog, Kilo and my golf clubs. I got in five rounds of golf in four days at the Miami Springs Municipal Golf Course which is larger, more forgiving and in better condition than the course I usually play at. I consistently broker 100 (which has long been a goal) until my last round where I couldn't shake my case of the shanks. I stopped keeping score, started drinking jack & diets and swore off ever playing another round of golf in my entire life. On the bright side, MJ's family is wonderful, loving and all about cooking. Works for me because I love to eat! So long healthy diet... We enjoyed our time in Miami. Below is a picture of MJ & Kilo hanging out at her parent's house during Tropical Storm Bonnie.
Next up we spent a full week with my parents in Danbury, CT. These are my old stomping grounds and I loved every second of it. On different visits home I like to see certain groups of friends and family so on this trip I decided it would be all family. My Mom was very happy to have us at the house and stay in every night! The cool night time temperatures were awesome and sat on the deck almost every night soaking it in. While in Connecticut we also visited my brother for a few nights and caught a rock concert at Mohegun Sun. That was pretty cool but kind of loud. Made me feel old... MJ & I went to the movies with my parents - twice, painted vases for my Mom, mowed the lawn, grocery shopped, read books, etc. We tried to pretend like we lived there just to see how it felt.
We then made our way to Ithaca, NY to spend some time with my sister's family. My sister is one of the greatest people I know and it had been a long time since I visited her in Ithaca. I was excited to have remembered how to get to her house, which is a 4+hour car trip, without the aide of a map or electronic device. They live a life of goodness up there and we were so happy to have been able to gel into their family. We went to a picnic, hiked multiple gorges, ate fresh black berries right off of the vine, hiked some more and got to meet up with my brother-in-law's parents whom are excellent people themselves. The highpoint (for me) was being able to take one of my nephews to his first NASCAR race at Watkins Glenn. It was my wife's first time attending that specific race and I had been there multiple times before. It was loud, hot, smelled of burned rubber and gasoline and we loved every second of it! Pictured below is MJ and I in a gorge!
The picture below is of my nephew and I at the race:
On the return trip we spent some more time with my parents in Connecticut, a few more days in Miami and then finally got back to our condo in Key West after 23 days of being away. Never has it felt so good to be home! Now the only question is, what will we plan for our Summer Vacation of 2011?
For the first time in my adult life I had the freedom to truly be on vacation for a serious amount of time. Being married to a teacher makes it difficult to sit in a cubical, filing paperwork for nine hours a day when I could be with my wife (MJ), sipping a daiquiri by the pool... or something. Last year, as a banker, I had five days of vacation that were preceded and then followed by weeks of hell. If I could pinpoint one exact reason I retired from banking and became a self employed Realtor, it'd be that I could spend the Summer with my wife doing exciting things.
While MJ was teaching Summer School through the first week of July, I was prepping my clients and coworkers for my departure. Even though I wasn't going anywhere, right away, I wasn't going to be in the office. Thanks to the iPhone I was able to stay in constant contact with everyone I needed to via e-mail and phone. It was great. First up was a visit from my good friends from college, Dan and Heather (and unborn baby X) as they celebrated their one year anniversary of marriage and last hurrah before becoming parents. We did some jet skiing, hot sauce tasting, drinking, eating and relaxing. Have visitors come to my island always makes me appreciate where I live just a little bit more.
After they left, MJ and I went to visit her family in Miami Springs. We brought our dog, Kilo and my golf clubs. I got in five rounds of golf in four days at the Miami Springs Municipal Golf Course which is larger, more forgiving and in better condition than the course I usually play at. I consistently broker 100 (which has long been a goal) until my last round where I couldn't shake my case of the shanks. I stopped keeping score, started drinking jack & diets and swore off ever playing another round of golf in my entire life. On the bright side, MJ's family is wonderful, loving and all about cooking. Works for me because I love to eat! So long healthy diet... We enjoyed our time in Miami. Below is a picture of MJ & Kilo hanging out at her parent's house during Tropical Storm Bonnie.
Next up we spent a full week with my parents in Danbury, CT. These are my old stomping grounds and I loved every second of it. On different visits home I like to see certain groups of friends and family so on this trip I decided it would be all family. My Mom was very happy to have us at the house and stay in every night! The cool night time temperatures were awesome and sat on the deck almost every night soaking it in. While in Connecticut we also visited my brother for a few nights and caught a rock concert at Mohegun Sun. That was pretty cool but kind of loud. Made me feel old... MJ & I went to the movies with my parents - twice, painted vases for my Mom, mowed the lawn, grocery shopped, read books, etc. We tried to pretend like we lived there just to see how it felt.
We then made our way to Ithaca, NY to spend some time with my sister's family. My sister is one of the greatest people I know and it had been a long time since I visited her in Ithaca. I was excited to have remembered how to get to her house, which is a 4+hour car trip, without the aide of a map or electronic device. They live a life of goodness up there and we were so happy to have been able to gel into their family. We went to a picnic, hiked multiple gorges, ate fresh black berries right off of the vine, hiked some more and got to meet up with my brother-in-law's parents whom are excellent people themselves. The highpoint (for me) was being able to take one of my nephews to his first NASCAR race at Watkins Glenn. It was my wife's first time attending that specific race and I had been there multiple times before. It was loud, hot, smelled of burned rubber and gasoline and we loved every second of it! Pictured below is MJ and I in a gorge!
The picture below is of my nephew and I at the race:
On the return trip we spent some more time with my parents in Connecticut, a few more days in Miami and then finally got back to our condo in Key West after 23 days of being away. Never has it felt so good to be home! Now the only question is, what will we plan for our Summer Vacation of 2011?
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Key West Poker Run
We survived! This past weekend my wife and I did the "Peterson's Harley Davidson Key West Poker Run." It started at Cutler Bay (just south of Miami) and finished in Key West. Since we started in Key West that made for a 320 mile round trip that took approximately 9 hours. We were a little timid about the Harley crowd but they played nice and we minded our own business for the most part.
The first stop was at "Gilbert's" at Mile Marker 108 in Key Largo, FL. It's underneath that huge bridge at the beginning of the 18 mile stretch. There weren't very many bikers there so we got our cards, had a drink of water and hopped back on my cruiser and began heading South (West I guess).
Next stop was at "Smugglers Cove" in Islamorada. They had live music, drink stations, big barbecue, t-shirts and inflated prices. I dropped $30 on a cheeseburger, Corona and a diet soda. We enjoyed the shade and the music and were hopeful that the next stop was only 30 miles away.
Poker Run Stop #3 was "The Island Tiki Bar" at Mile Marker 54 - just outside of Marathon. For the first time in our trip we saw hundreds of motorcycles. We had passed thousands that were going South as we were headed North but it felt like we had just caught up to the end of the pack. We almost always go to Keys Fisheries exclusively when visiting Marathon but they have more to offer. The service at this restaurant was awesome - food good and they kept my waters coming quickly.
Over the seven-mile bridge and through Big Pine we went and got to "Boondock's" in Ramrod Key. Place was packed with the wonderful customer service you can always expect from the staff there... Finally saw some friends we knew there and that was nice. Diet soda for me and the Mrs. and dropped $6... So it goes during bike week I guess...
Last stop on the Poker Run! "Schooner Warf Bar" in Old Key West. I haven't felt that accomplished since I rode from Hartford, CT to Big Pine back in 2005. We were exhausted but took the time to mingle with the other bikers and tourists. That was nice and we felt very cool in our leather jackets, pulling up to the bar. One Miller Lite was enough for me and we headed home.
On the way home I decided to take Duval Street. It was INSANE. Hundreds and hundreds of bikes parked on both sides of the street. No cars allowed - just tourists walking along taking pictures of the motorcycles. It was very cool to idle along Duval through all of the madness.
Once we made it home - quick shower, nap and I was ready to watch some college football. It was an awesome trip, lots of fun and nice to end up where we started just 9 short hours before.
The first stop was at "Gilbert's" at Mile Marker 108 in Key Largo, FL. It's underneath that huge bridge at the beginning of the 18 mile stretch. There weren't very many bikers there so we got our cards, had a drink of water and hopped back on my cruiser and began heading South (West I guess).
Next stop was at "Smugglers Cove" in Islamorada. They had live music, drink stations, big barbecue, t-shirts and inflated prices. I dropped $30 on a cheeseburger, Corona and a diet soda. We enjoyed the shade and the music and were hopeful that the next stop was only 30 miles away.
Poker Run Stop #3 was "The Island Tiki Bar" at Mile Marker 54 - just outside of Marathon. For the first time in our trip we saw hundreds of motorcycles. We had passed thousands that were going South as we were headed North but it felt like we had just caught up to the end of the pack. We almost always go to Keys Fisheries exclusively when visiting Marathon but they have more to offer. The service at this restaurant was awesome - food good and they kept my waters coming quickly.
Over the seven-mile bridge and through Big Pine we went and got to "Boondock's" in Ramrod Key. Place was packed with the wonderful customer service you can always expect from the staff there... Finally saw some friends we knew there and that was nice. Diet soda for me and the Mrs. and dropped $6... So it goes during bike week I guess...
Last stop on the Poker Run! "Schooner Warf Bar" in Old Key West. I haven't felt that accomplished since I rode from Hartford, CT to Big Pine back in 2005. We were exhausted but took the time to mingle with the other bikers and tourists. That was nice and we felt very cool in our leather jackets, pulling up to the bar. One Miller Lite was enough for me and we headed home.
On the way home I decided to take Duval Street. It was INSANE. Hundreds and hundreds of bikes parked on both sides of the street. No cars allowed - just tourists walking along taking pictures of the motorcycles. It was very cool to idle along Duval through all of the madness.
Once we made it home - quick shower, nap and I was ready to watch some college football. It was an awesome trip, lots of fun and nice to end up where we started just 9 short hours before.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)