The average home sales price in Boston is just over $800,000, but what that buys you ranges radically from neighborhood to neighborhood. In tony Back Bay, you can expect to trade square footage for a desirable address. In ever-expanding South Boston, there’s a crop of new buildings where you can get a two-bedroom condo for less than $800,000. If you head to Dorchester, your money buys a lot more space, including single-family homes with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms.
Condos in Exclusive Back Bay or South End
Homes in two of Boston’s most desirable neighborhoods, the Back Bay and the South End, almost always come with hefty price tags. If your budget tops out at $800,000, you’ll be looking at condos. In the Back Bay, giant Victorian and Edwardian houses have been converted into condos, many of which are located on tree-lined Commonwealth Avenue Mall. The South End, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the largest urban Victorian neighborhood in the country, has also seen many of those mansions turned into condos.
[Read: A First-Time Homebuyer’s Guide to Boston.]
Amy Carlisle, an agent with Bushari Group Real Estate, says simply that the Back Bay is “really expensive.” She notes, “For $800,000, you can get an 810-square-foot, one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo in a high-rise, with one garage space and concierge service.” And keep in mind that condo fees will run more than $700 a month, she says.
Jennifer Gelfand, residential specialist with Keller Williams Realty, Boston — Metro, says that the South End is “all about location.” Properties near the shopping and restaurants of Copley Place or the Prudential Center, and close to the Back Bay MBTA station, are particularly sought after, she says. Gelfand recently saw an 824-square-foot, one-bedroom condo for $835,000. It had an updated kitchen and bathroom, central air and two decks — but no parking.
New Construction in the Trendy South Boston Area
Carlisle says, “South Boston has been up-and-coming for the last few years. Nothing was over $500,000 five years ago. Now, places can be in the millions.”
[Read: 4 Tips for Buying an Affordable Boston Home.]
South Boston used to be a gritty working-class-only neighborhood, but in the last few years, it has transformed into what Frank Celeste, Realtor with Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, calls “an urban oasis.”
Forget what you’ve seen on the silver screen about times gone by — today, South Boston has an abundance of excellent restaurants, breweries, the booming Fort Point Channel arts district, and gorgeous green spaces and beaches.
Celeste says homes in the neighborhood range from historic houses converted into condos, to two- and three-family houses, to brand-new luxury condominiums and town houses. New construction, especially near the waterfront, is booming.
Large Single-Family Homes in Dorchester
Dorchester is Boston’s largest neighborhood and might be one of the best places in the city to get the most space for your money these days. While part of Boston proper, Dorchester is so large that it has its own “neighborhoods,” so to speak, like the increasingly popular Savin Hill, as well as Fields Corner and Ashmont Hill.
[Read: 3 Boston Neighborhoods to Buy a Home if You Love the Outdoors.]
Carlisle calls Dorchester the “next big neighborhood.” She says, “It’s a bit further out, but for young couples who can’t afford to live in the city [downtown], it can be ideal.”
She recently saw a listing for a 2,500-square-foot single-family home, with three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and two parking spaces, for $749,000. It’s easy enough to get downtown from Dorchester, which has several subway stops throughout the neighborhood. Dorchester also contains 527-acre Franklin Park, one of the jewels of the city’s Emerald Necklace and home to the city zoo, a golf course, a stadium and plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation.
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What Boston Home Can You Buy for $800,000? originally appeared on usnews.com
