The Back Bay neighborhood is one of the most popular areas to live in if you are looking for a combination of culture and luxury. The area is full of authentic Victorian brownstones, many of which have been renovated to contain some of the best examples of luxury Boston real estate. The area offers unrivaled shopping opportunities in Prudential Center and Copley Place. Many businesses have located their offices to this district, making your commute much shorter if your employer is among them.

North End is the city’s oldest residential district and is home to award winning real estate like Lincoln Wharf. Also known as Little Italy, this neighborhood is small but packed with cozy restaurants, charming parks and friendly residents. Historical sites like the home of Paul Revere live side by side with high end boutiques and cafes serving authentic Italian gelato. Numerous street fairs and festivals give you a good chance to mingle with your neighbors during the spring and summer.

Walk to the Boston Public Gardens or admire the Federal-style architecture from your new luxury condo in the Beacon Hill neighborhood. As the home of the Massachusetts State House, this area is full of both historical sites and cultural hot spots. You can have both sweeping views of the city and peace of mind by choosing the quiet and protected borough of Beacon Hill. It is considered the most prestigious neighborhood in the city, having been the home of John Hancock, Anne Sexton and Uma Thurman.

Boston Seaport's Pier 4

The Boston Redevelopment Authority recently gave the green light to New England Development’s plans to erect a new building comprised of residential and retail space on the Pier 4 wharf in Boston’s Seaport district. Plans for redeveloping the pier have been in the works for over thirteen years now, and originally the focus was on commercial space. As overall interest in office space in the area has gone down and South Boston apartments have been in high demand, the focus has shifted to a Phase One plan comprised of nearly 380 units plus three stories of parking for over 250 cars. The footprint of the building has been reduced to account for common space, and retail shops will find a home on the ground level. Architects ADD, Inc. penned the design.

Phase two will add a hotel in a second building, and phase three will bring a condominium building offering over 100 units. The entire development will house over 1200 parking spaces in total, and phase three will also include the extension of the existing Harbor Walk with the addition of a one acre park at the terminus. City planners welcomed the new ideas, with the plans for the space fitting nicely into Mayor Thomas Menino’s goal to make the now-vibrant Seaport neighborhood a true “24-hour neighborhood”.

New England Development projects construction time for phase one at 18 months. Phase two is being held until a hotel signs off on the project – given the desirable location and the popularity of South Boston real estate, the wait may not be too long. For now, those looking to relocate to the Seaport have myriad other options – contact Warren Residential Group today to learn more!

The Boston W Hotel still has 71 luxury condo units available.

Earlier this week, W Boston Hotel and Residences developers won in court to exit bankruptcy, but under the condition to sell 71 unsold condos in the Boston luxury building to cover its debts.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Joan Feeney approved SW Boston Hotel Venture’s plan for reorganization amidst protest from top creditor Prudential Insurance, which shelled out more than $181 million for the project.

With the ruling, SW Boston Hotel Venture will be given the opportunity to pay creditors in full.

The W Boston Hotel is a 235-room hotel and 123-unit luxury condo tower that was built in October of 2009, but found itself bankrupt by April 2010 after unsuccessfully selling condos to keep revenue flowing into the Theater District project.

Efforts by Prudential to foreclose the building were rejected as well as the company’s objections to the plan for reorganization.

SW Boston plans to pay back the $52 million it owes to Prudential through the cash earned from condo sales over the next three years, then repay $10 million to the city of Boston in a loan they owe, and move on to the lesser amounts to other creditors.

Currently 52 units have already been sold with another eight under agreement.  There are still many more Boston luxury condo units available at the W Boston Hotel.  If you are interested in any of these properties and would like to know more, please contact our Warren Residential offices today and let our expert real agents help you!

Asana
776 Boylston Street
617-535-8888

For a Thanksgiving menu with an oriental twist, those living in a Boston loft could easily move their Thanksgiving dinner to Asana. Their Thanksgiving Day menu is four courses, with starters such as five-spiced poached seckel pear with La Pearl blue semifreddo and a main course of turkey with potatoes, chestnuts and vegetables. An adult can dine at the restaurant for $76 while a child will dine for $34. Call in advance to make reservations, as Thanksgiving day is a popular day to eat at a Boston restaurant.

Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro
25 Charles Street
617-723-7575

For Thanksgiving Day, the Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro affords its diners the luxury of enjoying a true New England Thanksgiving dinner without the hard work that goes into it. At $53 a person, diners enjoy a multi-course menu on Thanksgiving Day at this restaurant. The menu includes lobster bisque, turkey breast, New England soft cod stew, winter vegetables and homemade pies and tarts for desserts. You can’t go wrong with this classic take on the Thanksgiving meal, with a New England twist.

The Beehive
541 Tremont Street
617-423-0069

For those living in South End Boston condominiums who are looking for a truly unique way to spend Thanksgiving Day, The Beehive is the answer. This restaurant is offering live entertainment all day on Thanksgiving, as well as an a la carte menu that gives guests the luxury of choosing exactly what they want for their Thanksgiving meal. Menu items include pumpkin soup, farm-raised turkey, cranberry chutney, parsnip mashed potatoes and pumpkin chocolate chip cheesecake for dessert. In addition, the restaurant offers a vegetarian Thanksgiving menu as well as a menu for “little pilgrims” who may not eat as much.

Dante
40 Edwin H Land Boulevard
617-497-4200

If you happen to live in Cambridge condos, consider spending your Thanksgiving Day at Dante. Dante is offering a traditional yet elegant Thanksgiving Day menu. This prix fixe, three-course menus features all the wonderful aspects of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with touches of elegance and class. The menu includes Vermont turkey with stuffing, sweet potato fries, maple Brussels sprouts and cranberry sauce. For dessert, the restaurant is offering a sampling of four different homemade pies topped with homemade ice cream. Boston residents can’t go wrong dining traditionally on Thanksgiving Day at Dante.

Of course, these are just a few of the restaurants offering Thanksgiving Day menus in the city of Boston. Those living in Boston waterfront condos are sure to find plenty of options when they try and decide where to spend their Thanksgiving holiday. Just remember: you can still enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving Day meal, with all your friends and family by your side, without the work of cooking a turkey, timing your side dishes and baking the absolute perfect pie. Let some of the best restaurants in Boston do the work for you, so you can truly enjoy your holiday and reflect on everything you have to be thankful for.

1) Hire a junk removal service. You’ve probably seen ads for various national chains, and if you pay any attention to them you’ll notice that their marketing is aimed mostly at the suburbs, not at places like Boston and Cambridge. However, most national chains do have branches that can serve all of Boston and the surrounding neighborhoods. Their rates are usually based on volume and are very reasonable for the amount of stuff you might want removed from a Boston luxury condo.

2) Contact your Boston condo association to see what cleaning services are included in your condo fees. Some might be optional – it’s always worth finding out if something you need taken care of is already paid for thanks to your association fees.

3) Donate any winter clothes that you know won’t be seeing another season to charity. Let’s face it – that argyle sweater has had a good life, but this is its’ time. Go online and research charities that offer pickup at your home; there are plenty to choose from. Most even offer receipts for your donation, so you can write off your generosity at tax season next year.

4) Search for a house cleaning service to handle the really dirty work. Unless you really enjoy scrubbing grout, chances are you wouldn’t mind spending a reasonable amount of money to not do so, ever. Many local cleaning services will clean an entire Boston loft for less money than a reasonable dinner out on the town, and you’ll be helping the local economy instead of just scrubbing grout.

5) Get out and enjoy the weather! You’ve just donated to charity, stimulated the economy, and cleaned your condo – all without lifting a finger further than to your checkbook or bank card.

Going once, going twice, sold….to 11 lucky buyers of beautiful luxury condos at the Bryant Back Bay!

Price points at this auction were much higher than most of us expected.  They averaged close to $100/sq. ft. more than the previous Bryant auction a year ago.  This says a lot about the strength of the Boston luxury market and helps reinforce a recent article in the Boston Globe where they talk about how prices of downtown condos are closing at the highest prices in a decade yet sales volume is down close to 25% compared to the same period last year.

Here is a PDF with the breakdown of the units sold:

The Bryant Auction Results #2

In case you missed the auction, there are a couple of homes on the higher floors which were not put on the auction block.  Here are some of the details:

Unit 1005 – $1,850,000 1877 sq. ft. 2 bedroom/2 bathroom with balcony

Unit 1002 – $1,650,000 1585 sq. ft. 2 bedroom/ 2 bathroom with balcony

Unit 901 – $1,485,000 1686 sq. ft. 2 bedroom / 2 bathroom

If you’d like to preview these luxury condos at the Bryant, please contact Nick Warren directly at nwarren@warrenre.com or 617-848-9616 ext. 706.

Here we go again!  This is the second time the Bryant Back Bay has auctioned some of their units.  Almost a year ago 10 luxury condos at the Bryant were auctioned off (we represented some of the buyers!) and now the remaining 11 are being auctioned at a closeout sale.

Units were selling at a decent pace over the past year but it looks like the developer just wants out at this point.  Here are the details:

- 11 Total units to be sold at auction

- 10 of these units are three bedrooms, three bathrooms.  1 is a two bedroom, two bathroom.

- Each unit comes with a garage parking space and a storage unit.  Additional parking can be purchased for $125,000

-Auction day is Sunday November 7th so you don’t have much time!  Contact us now at 617-933-9776 or nwarren@warrenre.com for a preview!

-THESE HOMES WILL RENT FROM $5000-8000/month!

Details about the Bryant Back Bay:

The Bryant Back Bay is positioned on the border of Back Bay and the South End which allows for convenience to some of Boston’s best attractions, dining, and entertainment.  Each home is accessed through a direct elevator into the homes allowing for privacy.

Amenities include:

• State of the Art Fitness Facility (coming in Dec. 2010)
• Private elevator access directly to residences from parking and lobby
• Secured, deeded self parking
• Klaus Fuchs designed lobby
• Private storage units
• Lobby attendant for personal errands
• Barkan management services
• Low common charges
• Pet friendly building

In order to register for the auction you must preview the homes with us sometime before the auction date of November 7th.

To do so, simply contact us at 617-933-9776 or nwarren@warrenre.com.

We are available:

Wed. – Friday 12pm to 5:30

Sat. – Sun. 12pm to 4pm

First off, it may be helpful to likening staging your home to that of literally staging a theatrical production. As the “director”, you have to use a critical eye to create an ambience via open space, décor, and furniture. When done correctly, you can create this feel for your buyers that can persuade a purchasing decision.

For example, the layout of rooms can generate ideas of how buyers can use the space. Where did you put the couch in relation to where you could put the TV? Is a mass of electrical cording indicating lack of outlets? Is that single computer on the office desk in front of a light-streaming window, which is reminiscent of model home catalogue? Anything that can be perceived as cramming to its limit can unconsciously make buyers feel uneasy. This is especially true for the snooping buyer who goes into an overflowing closet. A neatly organized office or living space conveys a feeling of accomplishment and success, as buyers feel as if they can get things done in your home. Something as simple as this can lead to an offer.

Here are three tips you can use to stage your home:

• De-clutter: Clutter is a give-in with any home, as we tend to accumulate over the years. However, it can be a huge distraction to potential buyers, as it’s difficult to imagine a home without the clutter.
• De-Personalize: Personal photos or trinkets can also hold more time and attention of your buyers than your actual home. Store these items temporarily, or pack them up – aren’t you moving soon?
• Brighten and Lighten: This goes back to the look of the model home catalogue, and going for that ideal atmosphere and aesthetic. A dark house with mood lighting can be good for your personal, creative ambience, but bright light is best for showing your home.

In following these simple things, you can improve your chances of selling your home through home staging. You want the potential buyers of your Boston loft to envision their life there – and to make you an offer!

View the full article here.

(Image is from a WarrenRe listing – click here for full listing details!)

There are currently 7 Beacon Hill condos for $300,000 or less.

Average price per square foot – $787

Sample Listing – 11 Irving Street Unit 1

Asking $295,000

335 Sq. Ft. Studio

$500,000

There are currently 25 Beacon Hill condos priced between $300,001 and $500,000

Average price per square foot – $680

Sample Listing – 92 Beacon Unit 4

Asking $499,900

743 Square Foot 1 Bedroom

$1,000,000

There are currently 31 Beacon Hill condos for sale between $500,001 and $1,000,000

Average price per square foot – $709

Sample Listing 66 Chestnut St Unit 2

Asking $995,000

1397 Square Foot 3 Bedroom

Where ever you see the button above you can just click it and it will allow all of you to immediately get your questions answered by one of our experienced real estate agents.  We know response time is important and this gives you the ability to get your questions answered fast!  We also figured a lot of you might be browsing while you were at work and this way you can still communicate with us without your boss catching you on the phone!!

The luxury apartment and condo building tours are still a long way from being complete (we have close to 100 HD videos to make) but we now have the ability to have them embedded on the site.  Keep checking back for updates but we have a couple samples up now that you can watch for the Mandarin Oriental Boston Condos and the Kendall Square Luxury High Rise Apartment building.

We are always looking for ways to make our site a better experience for our clients.  Some ideas we are throwing around for our next round of updates are:

-Keyword Search for Luxury Buildings

-Beautiful PDF Monthly and Quarterly Market Reports

-Advanced Real Estate Search platform that NO ONE ELSE HAS!

Let me know what else would make your Boston real estate search a better experience.  Send me an email directly at nwarren@warrenre.com.  I really appreciate it!