The Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Index released this week shows that Boston real estate prices are up 1.4% from our low in September 2005. Most parts of the country seemed to bottom out in the summer of 2009 and from there began a slow recovery. Many markets have now fallen below that 2009 “bottom” too, but not Boston. The Case Shiller composite of cities index shows prices decreasing 1.8% since that composite “bottom” in 2009. Hmm…so that really wasn’t the bottom in many markets.
As we fortunate folks in Boston know, we fared much better than most. Atlanta has declined another 17.2% from its low in July 2007. Las Vegas has declined another 19.3% from its ow in August 2006. On the other end of the spectrum San Francisco has increased 8.7% since its low in in May 2006.
Here is some interesting context as we try to make sense of all this analysis and what it means to us in our specific neighborhoods. At 2005 year end, which was near Boston’s historic low, the average sales price for a condo in the South End was $527K. At year end 2011 the average sales price of a condo was $656K, an increase of 14.6%. At 2005 year end the average price of a Back Bay condo was $1,038K. At year end in 2011 it was $1,045K, a .07% increase.
As you can imagine the 1.4% increase in prices from the low in Boston in 2005 represents an average of all neighborhoods. This composite average price increase is a result of the incredible variety of prices, inventory type, location, condition, and of course supply dynamics in Boston, and drives home the huge variety of buying and selling opportunities that exists today.