When it opened its doors to both residents and guests in 2001, the Ritz Carlton Hotel & Towers Boston Common offered a new level of luxury to Bostonians who sought the comforts of the condo-hotel lifestyle, the aura of the Ritz Carlton name, and some of the most prominent views in the city.  Eight years later, the development remains one of the most popular luxury buildings to call home in downtown Boston, but, have the high-end accommodations lost some of their mystique?

Turnover in the development has slowed over the past several years, while inventory is up, and the number of days it is taking to sell a unit is higher than past years.  There are over 300 luxury condominiums spread across the two Ritz Carlton Towers that sit at the junction of Avery and Washington Streets in Midtown, a stone’s throw from Boston Common.  Since the Ritz’s inception, there have been a large handful of luxury condominium developments to hit downtown Boston, but it was only recently that a large-scale luxury development, 45 Province, came online in the Ritz’s backyard.

“Luxury is not diminished by company.  The entire Boston market has moved toward full service buildings, elevators, concierge, and quality management.  Boston has become a well to do city.  Buyers are looking for and paying for the best of the best of the best,” says William Shirreff, a residential sales agent with Otis & Ahearn, who currently has multiple listings for sale at the Ritz Carlton.

Since 2006, when 56 condos sold in the development (an approximate 18% turnover rate), the number of units that have sold at the Ritz has continued to decrease year on year.  For the first six months of 2009, there has been six (6) sales at the Boston Ritz Carlton condos, significantly behind the pace of 2008 total sales of 36.  Coupled with a high inventory of 35 currently available units in the development, the numbers alone beg the question of whether the Ritz Carlton condos are beginning to lose their momentum as one of the most coveted condo developments in downtown Boston.

“For me it is the location of the Ritz Residences that is the distinguishing difference.  Every full service building has unique characteristic that attracts particular buyers.  I like  the easy access to transportation, e.g. the new ramps to the Expressway at the end of Essex Street,  four “T” transit lines within a block, and short walks to Financial District, Theater District, Charles Street and Copley Square, and the Common and Public Garden at your door,” comments Shirreff.

The median list price for the 35 currently available luxury units is $1,369,000 (while the $1,918,457 average is a much higher number than the median mainly due to the $8.5 million listing price of Manny Ramirez’s penthouse), with an average price per square foot of $980, and average days on market (DOM) of 142.  If compared against 2006 – 2009 sales data (table below), DOM may continue to rise for currently available units given a potentially inflated average price per square foot asking price.

Regardless of the numbers, the classic Ritz name and brand, along with the amenities and location of the development, will continue to drive interest in units at the Ritz Carlton Boston.

“It is the features associated with a particular unit that attracts buyers more than a particular floor plan.  Light, view and terrace or balcony are features most mentioned by buyers.  The particular units I’ve found that “wow” a buyer are the penthouse in the North Tower, the “E” units on high floors in the South Tower, and the units with terraces available in the Ritz III Residences,” says Shirreff.

In March of this year, we noticed that the inventory of available Ritz Carlton condos was growing (see Ritz Carlton Flush with Available Condos), and since that time, there has been approximately 28 units at the two building development that have either gone Under Agreement or have Sold. Today, the inventory level of condos for sale in the Ritz Carlton Boston is now sitting at 23 units, priced from $540,000 to $4,250,000.

All current Ritz Carlton Boston Listings: Ritz Carlton Condos (1.9 MB PDF)

For more information on the Ritz Carlton Boston condos, or any other luxury downtown development, please contact us using the link at the top of this page.

The number of available condos at the Boston Ritz Carlton Towers have continued to tick up over the past several months, with 16 currently available units for sale, and another 6 currently Under Agreement – there has been a lot of action at the luxury Midtown location.

There aren’t too many developments that rival the Ritz in terms of size, and availability of units, perhaps Harbor Towers is the only one (see Interesting Week for Boston Condo Pricing for further commentary on what is happening at Harbor Towers). The Ritz, however, is a classic concierge property that has a strong brand name going for it. Price per square foot is currently all over the map at the Ritz, stretching from $570 to $1,600 (list prices from $699K – $5.295 million).

All Ritz Carlton Listings: Ritz Carlton Condos (23.9 MB PDF with photos)

Why the build up in inventory at the Ritz? Quite possibly we’re seeing such a trend because of the new ultra luxury developments that are hitting the market, be that 45 Province right nearby, the Clarendon Back Bay, Mandarin Oriental, Bryant on Columbus, Battery Wharf, or even the Intercontinental, which is quite similar in genre to the Ritz. The Ritz was built in 2000, so it is a relatively new property, but perhaps does not have the same freshness, ceiling height, amenities, or location of other new developments in downtown Boston. There are many different unit types and styles at the Ritz, yet a fair amount of the units have more of an old world type charm to them versus some of the cleaner lines of more recent developments. Nonetheless, the higher units provide commanding views of the city, the Common, the Charles River, and the Harbor.