When you buy a downtown Austin condo, you are really buying part of a building. The services, staff, amenities, maintenance, location, style, community and construction quality are more important than the particulars of any individual unit. That’s why our listings are organized by building — research shows that buyers first choose a building and then pick a unit. When it comes to urban Austin condos, the building is the product.
Not surprisingly, price per square foot varies widely for downtown Austin condo buildings. With values ranging from $197/SF at Greenwood Towers to $472/SF at the 5 Fifty Five Condos atop the Hilton, the data clearly shows that the building is the most important determinant of condo values. So, when you buy a condo unit, remember that the building will be the most important determinant of investment return.
Here are the details on actual building-by-building MLS sales over the last 14 months:
Downtown Condo Transactions: 1/1/2008 to 2/28/2009
Building |
Year |
# Sales |
$/SF |
Avg SF |
Five Fifty 05 |
2004 |
6 |
$473 |
1430 |
Nokonah |
2001 |
7 |
$442 |
1414 |
Brazos Place |
2008 |
12 |
$370 |
927 |
360 |
2008 |
4 |
$368 |
775 |
Austin City Lofts |
2003 |
11 |
$353 |
1718 |
Milago |
2006 |
26 |
$344 |
1047 |
Westgate |
1965 |
4 |
$325 |
699 |
Sabine |
2007 |
5 |
$312 |
1287 |
Railyard |
1983 |
8 |
$296 |
892 |
Plaza Lofts |
2002 |
3 |
$291 |
1190 |
Posada Del Rey |
1964 |
5 |
$282 |
1015 |
Avenue Lofts |
1999 |
2 |
$279 |
1095 |
Penthouse |
1973 |
5 |
$254 |
728 |
Cambridge Condos |
1964 |
11 |
$254 |
1456 |
Brown Building |
2000 |
6 |
$250 |
848 |
Villas on Town Lake |
1982 |
5 |
$241 |
1080 |
Towers Town Lake |
1983 |
8 |
$228 |
1467 |
Greenwood Towers |
1966 |
5 |
$197 |
667 |
As usual, these values exclude private transactions for units not listed on MLS. For example, hundreds of original transactions in 360 conducted by first time buyers purchasing from the sales center are not included. All resale and new transactions listed on MLS should be included.
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