Boston Condo Guy

After opening to the public in late 2007, the Philippe Starck designed redevelopment of Boston's D4 Police Station in the heart of the South End can now boast of having a resale condo in the 25-unit boutique luxury development. Fitted with all of the upgrades and amenities, unit 11 was listed for sale several days ago. The 798 square foot one-bedroom one-bathroom condo with a small outdoor terrace and a tandem garage parking space is listed at $729,000 ($914 per square foot). Condo fees are approximately $651 per month.

For more information about unit 11, see First Resale at D4 Condos

For more information about the development itself, see Boston D4 Condos

Our recent look at the movement in the South End condo market of downtown Boston demonstrates that the sheer number of condos being sold has absolutely decreased over the past year, however, other pertinent data points paint a unique picture.

Perhaps most notably, it's a picture of the survival of the fittest, in that the condos that are being listed for sale are commanding excellent sales to original list price ratios, staying on the market for a shorter amount of time, and overall, there is a smaller amount of inventory.

Get an in depth look at our most recent featured article on Boston South End condo statistics, including a 5 year historically analysis along with corresponding charts.

The City of Boston has an Assessing Department that is responsible for accurately determining the value of all real and personal property located within the City for the purpose of taxation. The City takes the assessed value of a condo and applies a residential tax rate to it to determine gross tax bills.

The City of Boston publishes a residential tax rate table to help guide you in estimating your taxes based on your assessed home value. For 2008, for every $1,000 of assessed value in your condo, you are taxed $10.99.

For more information, visit the Boston Condo Blog to learn how to estimate Boston property taxes for a $515,000 condo.

We ran a recent poll, asking visitors to vote for their favorite new Boston condo development, and the results are finally in. We asked visitors to raise their hand for the Boston condo development that they are most excited about, and the winner is: The D4 Condo Development in the South End. D4 edged out another top contender, the Battery Wharf Waterfront condos in Boston's North End.

Six new condo developments across Boston were on the voting block, as well as write in candidates, and the public has spoken. Read more about the winner.

We had the pleasure of stopping in to visit the Meads of Commonwealth condos this evening. We've seen a lot of Boston condos, but the Meads really are second to none. The thirteen unique Meads of Commonwealth units are currently spread across three buildings at 413, 415, and 419 Commonwealth Avenue, range in size from 1,827 to 5,711 square feet, and in price from $1.875 million to $6.2 million. Some of the striking features of the Back Bay Meads Condos are:

• Stunning ceiling heights in the majority of the units - some units have 12 foot ceiling heights, with the lowest being in the eight to nine foot range
• The sheer expanse of the units - you could literally get lost in some of these units, they just flow from room to room, and amenity to amenity
• Excellent craftsmanship across the board - gleaming hardwoods, tasteful crown molding, and solid one and three quarters inch doors
• High-end finishes - gourmet kitchens with Sub-Zero and Bosch appliances, laundry rooms with Bosch washer and dryers along with custom utility sink, custom closets in the master suites, classy frosted glass on some of the master suite bathroom doors

There has been quite a lot of traffic that has flown through the sales center (Unit 2, the model unit that serves as the sales center headquarters has actually sold, and the new owners will be moving in within the next several weeks). Thus far, three of the thirteen units have sold, and two are currently being negotiated (including the 5,700 square foot $6.2 million penthouse. The penthouse is overwhelming, a sheer delight to walk through, along with the jaw-dropping 2,000+ square feet of terrace space. The developers continue to entertain and accommodate customizations, and will continue to do so, even with occupancy right around the corner. The Meads of Commonwealth are a real delight. For current availability and buying information, please contact us.