Median sale prices rise in May, but sales volume dips

Condo sales in May in the 11 neighborhoods covered by Boston Homes rose 13 percent in a month-to-month comparison but dropped 8 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Listing Information Network.

Condo sales in May totaled 323, compared to 352 a year earlier and 385 in April.

In May, three condos at Parris Landing in the Charlestown Navy Yard were sold at prices that ranged from $288,400 to $534,000.

In addition, median selling prices exceeded those of the previous month in seven neighborhoods and were higher than those of a year ago in nine neighborhoods.

The South End/Bay Village, the Downtown/Leather District/Fort Point/Seaport area, South Boston, Fenway, East Boston and Dorchester saw condo prices increasing on both fronts as the housing market across the city is showing improvement.

The core market of the city – the Back Bay/Midtown, Beacon Hill, Waterfront and South End – has helped sustain the market and has kept median sale prices relatively stable, which is quite different from what has been happening in other parts of the country.

The Back Bay/Midtown neighborhood saw the highest median selling price in May, followed by the Downtown/Seaport area.

A two-bedroom, 1,355-square-foot condo at the Carillon at 185 Massachusetts Ave. sold for $812,250 in May, compared to the sale of a one-bedroom, 1,104-square-foot unit at the W Boston at 110 Stuart St., which sold in May 2010 for $655,000. In April, the median selling price was $897,000 for a two-bedroom condo at 295-297 Beacon St. with 1,262 square feet of living space.

The sum of $710,000 was the May median selling price in the Downtown/Fort Point/Seaport neighborhood. It was for a two-bedroom, 1,398-square-foot corner unit at FP3 at 346 Congress St. A year earlier the median selling price was $464,000 for a one-bedroom, 856-square-foot condo at FP3. In April, the median sale was a one-bedroom, 1,300-square-foot penthouse at 120 Lincoln St., which sold for $572,000.

In the South End, the median selling price was $560,000 for a two-bedroom, 860-square-foot condo at 271 West Canton St. In May 2010, the median sale price was $535,000 for a two-bedroom, 949-square-foot condo at 380 Columbus Ave. The sum of $529,000 was the median in April, which purchased a two-bedroom, 820-square-foot condo at 94 Waltham St.

The next highest median selling price was $420,000. In Beacon Hill, that sum purchased a two-bedroom-plus, 1,295-square-foot condo at 6 Whittier Place in Charles River Park. In Charlestown, that amount purchased a one-bedroom corner unit with 950 square feet of living space at 30 Monument Square, which also has deeded parking.

In May 2010, a two-bedroom, 545-square-foot condo at 25 Ridgeway Lane on the north slope of Beacon Hill sold for $437,000; last April, $405,400 was the median selling price for a 619-square-foot, one bedroom condo at 27 Bowdoin St.

A year ago in Charlestown, the median selling price was $395,000 for a two-bedroom-plus, 1,272-square-foot residence at 289 Bunker Hill St. April’s median selling price was $421,000 for a one-plus-bedroom, 940-square-foot condo at 10 Monument Square.

The median sale in May in the Waterfront/North End/Financial District was a one-bedroom, 870-square-foot condo at Harbor Towers I at 85 East India Row, which sold for $410,000. That contrasts with the sale of a one-bedroom, 827-square-foot condo at Lewis Wharf, which sold for $665,000 a year earlier and a three-bedroom, 1,354-square-foot penthouse at 158 Commercial St. that sold for $765,500 in April.

South Boston’s median selling price was $405,000 in May, which purchased a two-bedroom, 1,044-square-foot condo at 12 Ticknor St. A year earlier, the median sale was a two-bedroom, 776-square-foot unit at 324-330 West Second St. that sold for $355,000. April’s median selling price was $380,000 for a two-bedroom, 825-square-foot condo at 832 East Second St.

Fenway outdistanced Jamaica Plain in May. Fenway’s median selling price was $330,000, an amount which purchased a one-bedroom, 619-square-foot corner unit at 82 Jersey St. In May 2010, it was a two-bedroom, 1,307-square-foot condo at 394 The Riverway that was the median sale. Its price was $291,000. In April, the median sale was a two-bedroom, 722-square-foot penthouse at 390 The Riverway that sold for $284,000.

In Jamaica Plain, a three-bedroom, 889-square-foot condo at 85 Glen Road, which sold for $318,000, was the median sale in May. The median sale a year earlier was for a two-bedroom-plus condo with 1,003 square feet of living space at 115 Williams St. In April, $350,000 was the median selling price. It purchased a two-bedroom, 1,045-square-foot condo at 7-9 Sheridan St.

A two-bedroom, 925-square-foot condo at 502 Sumner St., which sold for $239,000, was the median sale in May in East Boston. A year before the median sale was a two-bedroom, 1,160-square-foot condo at 36 Horace St., which sold for $230,000. April’s median selling price in east Boston was $152,500 for a two-bedroom, 604-square-foot corner unit at 366-368 Sumner St.

A two-bedroom condo with 1,157 square feet of living space at 571 Freeport St. was the median sale in Dorchester in May. It sold for $235,000. That compares to $180,100 a year earlier that purchased a three-bedroom, 1,133-square-foot condo at 128 Cushing Ave. In April, it was a one-bedroom, 715-square-foot condo at 48 Coffey St. that was the median sale. It sold for $171,000.

In May, three condos at Parris Landing in the Charlestown Navy Yard were sold at prices that ranged from $288,400 to $534,000.

COURTESY FILE PHOTO / HAMMOND RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE