Batterymarch Group LLC is a full service independent real estate brokerage firm specializing in the downtown Boston market. More about our services here.

“The Batterymarch Insider” is a brief snapshot of our current market thinking. As always, our “terms of use” apply. We encourage you to subscribe.

In this issue:

• Price vs. Value – Beware of the Money Grab
• New and Noteworthy – Penthouse Sellers Raising Prices – Maybe It’s Not Transitory?
• 4 West Hill Place, unit 4 – Good Value on the Flat of the Hill – Well Bought
• 22 Liberty Street, unit PH2A – Seaport Flipper Hits a Home Run – Well Sold

What’s Catching Our Eye

Price vs. Value – Beware of the Money Grab

Early in my career, I worked for my family’s broker-dealer where we specialized in trading the securities of closely held public companies. These securities traded by “appointment only” in the “Pink Sheets” and included companies like Boston Sand & Gravel, Nantucket Electric Company, Bar Harbor Water Company, the Boston Athenaeum, and the list goes on. Like high-end real estate, the over-the-counter market was illiquid and highly inefficient. Our clients depended on us to do proprietary research to get the valuations right.

Batterymarch Group LLC is a full service independent real estate brokerage firm specializing in the downtown Boston market. More about our services here.

“The Batterymarch Insider” is a brief snapshot of our current market thinking. As always, our “terms of use” apply. We encourage you to subscribe.

In this issue:

• Flipping Condominium Units – It’s an Awful Way to Get Rich
• New and Noteworthy – A Great Back Bay Building Gets Better
• 90 Commonwealth Ave, unit 2/3 – Driving Architects into an Insane Asylum – Well Sold
• 314 Commonwealth Ave, unit 2 – A Great Apartment, With Bragging Rights – Well Bought  

What’s Catching Our Eye

Flipping Condominiums – It’s an Awful Way to Get Rich

Ten years ago, buying and flipping new development condominium units in Boston was somewhat rewarding. Developers were happy to leave a little financial meat on the bones for the flippers because they were able to sell out their projects quickly. Flippers today are learning the hard way that this has become a very crowded trade.

Batterymarch Group LLC is a full service independent real estate brokerage firm specializing in the downtown Boston market. More about our services here.

“The Batterymarch Insider” is a brief snapshot of our current market thinking. As always, our “terms of use” apply. We encourage you to subscribe.

In this issue:

• “Deep Space” – The Rockefeller 27 Foot Rule
• New and Noteworthy – Back Bay & Beacon Hill High-End Market is on Fire
• 205 Commonwealth Ave, unit 6 – A Back Bay Wallet Fight? – Well Sold
• 100 Belvedere, units 11A & C – The Belvedere vs One Dalton – Well Sold  

What’s Catching Our Eye

“Deep Space” – The Rockefeller 27 Foot Rule

No office space can be more than 27 feet from a window. These were the marching orders that the architects were given when designing Rockefeller Center. Why 27 feet? Because it was determined that, given New York City’s latitude, 27 feet is the maximum distance that sunlight can permeate windows of an office building. The term “deep space” is used by architects to describe interior space beyond the reach of natural sunlight.

Batterymarch Group LLC is a full service independent real estate brokerage firm specializing in the downtown Boston market. More about our services here.

“The Batterymarch Insider” is a brief snapshot of our current market thinking. As always, our “terms of use” apply. We encourage you to subscribe.

In this issue:

• Real Estate Marketing – Fact vs Fiction, Buyer Beware
• New and Noteworthy – Taking a Loss In the Back Bay
• 250 Beacon St, unit 17/19 – A Fair Deal, But Needs Work – Well Bought
• 212 Commonwealth Ave., unit 2 – An Oversized 3 Bedroom Triplex – Well Sold  

What’s Catching Our Eye

Boston Real Estate Marketing – Fact vs Fiction, Buyer Beware

If you’ve ever wound up on a real estate mailing list, you’ve likely been inundated with market updates, generally highlighting how fantastic the market is and always painting a rosy picture. It’s the strategy of the brokers to have their market cheerleaders (a.k.a. their sales agents) pumping out an endless stream of dribble. Consumers need to be aware that these firms don’t have compliance departments reviewing this material and the data is often manipulated.

Batterymarch Group LLC is a full service independent real estate brokerage firm specializing in the downtown Boston market. More about our services here.

“The Batterymarch Insider” is a brief snapshot of our current market thinking. As always, our “terms of use” apply. We encourage you to subscribe.

In this issue:

• Architecture and Design Don’t Lie, They Always Reveal Their Age 
• New and Noteworthy – Mayoral Candidates See Higher Residential Taxes
• 28 Chestnut Street – …and the Cabots Only Talk to God – Well Bought
• 7 Mount Vernon Place – Developer Makes Out Like a Bandit – Well Sold  

What’s Catching Our Eye

The Single Biggest Mistake Buyers Make – Paying Full Price for Outdated Properties

They say that architecture and design don’t lie – they always reveal their age. Take a walk around the Back Bay and it’s easy to distinguish the original buildings, which were built in the 1800s, from the buildings that were built in the early/mid 20^th century.

Batterymarch Group LLC is a full service independent real estate brokerage firm specializing in the downtown Boston market. More about our services here.

“The Batterymarch Insider” is a brief snapshot of our current market thinking. As always, our “terms of use” apply. We encourage you to subscribe.

In this issue:

• Back Bay vs Seaport – Less is More in the Seaport
• New and Noteworthy – Other People’s Money on Beacon Hill
• 37 Branch Street – Oddball House/Street, Fair Value – Well Bought
• 15 Marlborough, unit 4 – All the Money for an Older Renovation – Well Sold  

What’s Catching Our Eye

Back Bay vs Seaport – Less is More in the Seaport

We see the appeal of living in the Seaport. It’s new and vibrant, with good energy, especially during the summer months. But the Seaport isn’t without its critics. The normal knocks include the cold winter winds whipping off the water, rising sea levels, the monotony of the boxy glass architecture, and the lack of an established neighborhood. We continue to struggle with the Seaport value proposition.

Batterymarch Group LLC is a full service independent real estate brokerage firm specializing in representing buyers and sellers in the downtown Boston market. Contact us today to learn how we can help you. More about us here.

“The Batterymarch Insider” is a brief snapshot of our current market thinking. As always, our “terms of use” apply. We encourage you to subscribe.

In this issue:

• Batterymarch Mid-Year Awards – The $10 Million+ Condo Club
• New and Noteworthy – Big Rollers Rolling Out of the Mandarin?
• One Dalton – Big Tickets, Big Mortgages – Well Sold
• 100 Revere Street – A Great House, Quirky Kitchen – Well Bought 

The Batterymarch Awards

$10 Million+ Condo Club Edition

As the market moves into its seasonal summer slow period, it’s time for our semiannual $10 Million+ Condo Club Awards (condominiums currently offered for $10 million+).

There are currently 11 club members.  Here they are:

“The Batterymarch Insider” is a brief snapshot of our current market thinking and some highlights of what we see going on in the downtown Boston market. As always, our “terms of use” apply. We encourage you to subscribe.

In this issue:

• 100 Beacon – Bidding Price War
• New and Noteworthy – Lagrange Street, a “Sought After Location.” Seriously?
• 20 Louisburg Square – Shhh… They Paid $15 Million – Well Sold
• 388 Beacon Street – A Great Cooperative Apartment – Well Bought  

What’s Catching Our Eye

100 Beacon Street – Bidding Price War

Unit 1C at 100 Beacon Street, a 1,984 square foot 3 bedroom hit the market last week for $2.95 million ($1,468/sf). Located on the first floor facing the river, the unit has a nice private outdoor terrace. This unit last traded back in 2016 for $3.1 million, so it looks like the seller is motivated.

Batterymarch Group LLC is a full service independent real estate brokerage firm specializing in the downtown Boston market. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.

“The Batterymarch Insider” is a brief snapshot of our current market thinking. As always, our “terms of use” apply. We encourage you to subscribe.

In this issue:

• 100 Shawmut – A Visit to the Other Side of the Tracks
• New and Noteworthy – “Lights Out” at 36 Commonwealth
• One Dalton – A Few Resales – Well Bought
• 43 Commonwealth – Great Location and a Fair Deal – Well Bought  

What’s Catching Our Eye

“The Batterymarch Insider” is a brief snapshot of our current market thinking and some highlights of what we see going on in the downtown Boston market. As always, our “terms of use” apply. We encourage you to subscribe.

In this issue:

• Market Update – Inventories Remain Stubbornly High
• New and Noteworthy – $3,200+/sf in Downtown Crossing?
• Mandarin Oriental, PH2B – “The Great Blight of Dullness” – Well Sold
• 190 Beacon Street – Great Unit, Even Better Price – Well Bought  

What’s Catching Our Eye