Here's the latest installment of Bates By the Numbers, a weekly feature by Boston real estate agent David Bates that drills down into the Hub's housing market to uncover those trends you would not otherwise see. Follow him on Twitter and check out his ebook, Context: Nine Key Condo Markets, 2.0.
What does it take to have the most valuable square feet in a market? It should take being the best-placed condo, in the best building with the best location in that market. But, judge for yourself, because here's a list of the condos that sold for the most per square foot in 2014 in some of the Hub's best condo markets. Note: The condos had to have at least 1,000 square feet to be considered.
Jamaica Plain. 3 Danforth Street, Unit B. This new development, described as "setting a new standard" in the listing remarks, had the only three JP sales which topped $564 a square foot. The most expensive of these was one of the third-floor flats, which was part of a striking, modern design that seemed to float over Danforth Street. This condo has floor-to-ceiling windows, unparalleled uniqueness, commanding views and a two-car heated garage with electric prewire. It sold for $575 a square foot.
Somerville. 1 Tannery Brook Row, Unit 2A. Somerville buyers paid big dollars for small amounts of square feet, but the most expensive square feet for a condo with more than 1,000 square feet belonged to this unit, which was described as a gut-rehabbed loft with two private balconies in the heart of Davis Square. It has one parking space and sold for $657 a square foot.
Charlestown. 197 Eighth Street, Penthouse 228. The most valuable square feet in a condo that was more than 1,000 square feet was this triplex penthouse in Flagship Wharf, a full-service building in the Navy Yard built in the '80s. The penthouse has a dramatic two-story, fire-placed living room with panoramic views of the Tobin and Zakim bridges, the U.S.S. Constitution, the Mystic River, the Bunker Hill monument and two garaged parking spaces. This impressive condo sold for $659 a square foot.
South Boston. 401 West First Street, Unit 403. This new-construction penthouse with a 600-square-foot deck and one garaged parking space sold for $749 a square foot and was the only South Boston condo over 1,000 square feet to command more than $650 a square foot.
North End. 44 Prince Street, Penthouse 04. This "stunning" (according to its listing) 3-BR, two-floor penthouse, located in the heart of the North End, is in a building built in 2005 and features a wall of glass that leads to a private terrace. This condo includes one garaged parking space and garnered $973 a square foot, making it the most expensive square feet in the North End.
Fenway. 43 Westland Avenue, Penthouse 4. This condo is one of four penthouse units in Fenway's newest building. It has two beds, two baths, 1,073 square feet, and a private roof deck, but no parking. It sold for $1,164 a square foot.
Cambridge. 975 Memorial Drive, Unit 306. Out of more than 450 Cambridge condo sales in 2014 so far, only six sold for more than $1,000 a square, the most expensive of which was this 1,382-square-foot, 2-BR, 2-BA with breathtaking views of the Charles and Kennedy Park in what the listing remarks described as "the finest doorman building in Harvard Square." This condo has one garaged parking space and sold for $1,247 a square foot.
South End. 505 Tremont Street, Unit 421. Only two South End condos surpassed $1,200 a square foot and the most valuable one was this condo at Atelier|505, a full-service building constructed in 2003 in one of the most popular parts of the South End. The condo has high-end finishes, a private landscaped terrace, and two garaged parking spaces. It sold for $1,291 a square foot.
Waterfront. 50 Battery Street, Unit 309/310. According to the listing, this "breathtaking" Waterfront residence was guaranteed to impress. It has 270 degrees of uninhibited harbor views, many floor to ceiling windows, customized high-end finishes, three garaged parking spaces, three private decks and a private boat slip. It sold for $1,793 a square foot.
Back Bay. 2 Commonwealth Avenue, Unit 16A. The strength of location and mesmerizing public garden views allowed this Carlton House condo to trump the newness of several Mandarin Oriental condos and become the most expensive square feet sold in 2014, not only in the Back Bay, but in all of Boston. This condo has two garaged parking spaces and sold for $2,744 a square foot.