The Search
Some of the lots I looked at were canal front, but in areas without neighborhood amenities. I did not think we would want to be on the road every time we needed something. The only road through the Keys is Highway 1 (the Overseas Highway). Basically; one lane in each direction for 100 miles. Most accidents are head on collisions; a bigger car is part of the agenda, too.
Other lots were at lower elevations, yes; lower than 5 feet above sea level. When you consider that most of the Keys are about 5 feet above sea level, how much lower can a lot get? I did not want to find out. Some areas are windy, some close to marshlands (mosquitos!), some neighborhoods seemed too funky for us.
One lot was next to a boat ramp. I thought about all of the traffic and noise early in the mornings. The creepy part was, as I looked at the lot, the neighbor was watching my every move from his roof top balcony! It’s not usually unnerving, but this guy looked like a mafia don! Black suit, black shirt and black tie, all on a 90 degree day! That lot was not for me; probably a low crime area though.
The Sombrero beach area is a nice part of Marathon. The waterfront homes are of a nice quality and even the homes on “dry lots” were well kept. The beach is within walking distance of the neighborhood and a lot of the amenities such as shopping, library, hospital, and restaurants are close by. That narrowed down the search area.
There were four lots available at the time of “get it now or else!” I chose the corner lot. It was a little farther from the state park beach but close to a large lagoon (connected to the Atlantic) and is more amenable to stealing views from at least 2 directions. If we built up as high as possible we hoped we could see over the exist houses of our neighbors as well.