Truman Annex (Key West, FL)
By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
As I began this blog about 507 Noah Lane in Key West I looked up at the photo and took in the simple design of this home, the sun, the blue sky, the palm trees and green grass and the lyrics of Ella Fitzgerald came into my mind "Summertime, and the living is easy..." It's still officially winter everywhere but Key West where today the temperature is going to be a comfortable 82 degrees. Tourists and locals will be heading over to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park and Beach - just a couple of blocks way from this house. Ah, yes, the living is easy if you live in Key West.   This nearly 1,800 Sq Ft three bedroom / three bath home looks old but was actually built new in 1996. The gated front entry gives the property a sense of refined dignity. There are first and second floor porches for peop...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
 Looks like home - if you lived in Key West that is. Just Listed by Preferred Properties, 102 Southard Street No. 3, Key West, Florida. This is a one bedroom Shipyard Condominium special Truman Annex Transient Rental License. The unit if offered turn-key.        This stylish one bedroom condominium in the Shipyard has the special Truman Annex transient license and a very impressive rental history. Designer upgrades include new kitchen, bath, floors, sound-proofing and high-impact glass. The front door opens onto Southard Street just steps from the new waterfront park. This second floor unit has French doors out to a large sunny deck and there is assigned parking and a community pool. This home is offered completely turn-key.  Condo Fees are $785 monthly and include Bldg Exterior Mnt; Bu...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
Many frequent travelers to Key West will recognize the address of 620 Thomas Street as being the location of the Shipyard Condominiums in Truman Annex. I'll venture that most wouldn't associate the word "luxury" with units that they stayed in however.  While 620 Thomas Street #281 does have a valuable Special Truman Annex Transient License which permits owners to rent units for 25 weeks each year, this home has only been used as a second home by this owner. Take a look at the photos and you may agree with my decision to call this unit affordable luxury.This two bedroom, two bath unit is about 100 sq ft larger than most of the other units and offers owners more practical use. Having a second bathroom is a plus no matter whether a condo is used as a full time home, a vacation retreat, or ...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
The above photo shows the "Outer Mole" in Key West, historically the area where Navy vessels were moored while in port. I added an Arrow to show the location of 107 Front Street #217 at Harbour Place Condominium. Today the mole is where huge passenger ships park while thousands of day visitors come ashore to tour the Isle of Key West. Later in the day the ships depart to motor to their next port of call.The Sunset Key Pier is located at the north edge of the mole where the Sunset Key motor launch and pleasure craft move in and out of port. At sunset private and commercial sailing boats chase the sunset. On some nights the views are quite spectacular. But even on gray days and in storms the views will always be interesting.I got the opportunity to see this Harbour Place waterfront pentho...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
The 600 block of Fleming Street in Key West during the 1920sFront Street in the Truman Annex, Key West in the 2010sThe two photos above show how much Key West has changed in the past 100 years and how much things remain the same. Last week I wrote a blog about the big house at 923 Fleming Street where I remarked about notation on an early Sanborn Fire Map that Fleming Street was bricked. That remark was noteworthy because many streets back then were dirt. Bricked streets signified that the houses belonged to the wealthy. Followers of my blog know that the houses on Fleming Street today are still among the most expensive in Key West. The color photo above shows Front Street in the Truman Annex addition to Key West which was developed in the early 1990s. Most of single family homes locate...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
There are seven distinct communities at Truman Annex in Key West. The one with the Million Dollar Views is Harbour Place Condominiums. If you are reading my blog you may be considering the purchase of a home or condo in Key West - perhaps you are looking for the perfect place to retire to in a few years. Or maybe you are just looking for a safe place to invest some excess cash in the hope that it will multiply in value as our economy prospers in the years to come. You probably want a place where you can enjoy all that Key West has to offer and make some money along the way to help pay for that investment. The new condominium listing at 109 Front Street, Unit No. 109 at the Harbour Place Condominiums in Key West may be the place you have been hoping to find. All a new owner needs to do i...
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By Gary Thomas, Realtor to the Dreamers
(Preferred Properties Key West)
During the Spring of 1987 I attended a party held at the World Famous La Te Da hosted by proprietor Lawrence Formica who introduced Pritam Singh to Key West society and announced plans for the Truman Annex. I wish so much that I had a camera that night or that I could find a photo online.  In today's world of Twitter and Instagram,  there would be several such photos. But 27 years ago people did not record every day events like they do today. In fact that day was not an everyday event. It was a transformative day in Key West history because the Truman Annex became the most popular vacation destination in Key West.  Pritam Singh redeveloped prime ocean front real estate that had been NAVY property for decades. He removed old structures, built seven new communities of condominiums, town h...
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