The Boston Back Bay neighborhood is a walker’s paradise.

I was walking from my Boston Beacon Hill office to a Back Bay condo for sale showing recently when I recalled a 2023 National Association of Realtors (NAR) survey on home buyers and walkability. Bottom line? Boston condo buyers will pay more for a home with high walkability ranking.

Proximity to retail shops such as Copley Place, restaurants and public transit became more of a focus during Covid, but demand has only grown since. Particularly in a neighborhood like Boston where driving and finding parking is a major headache, being able to stroll to your local café or sushi spot is often the reason people want to live here. Seventy-eight percent of NAR’s 2,000 survey respondents said they’d pay more for a home in a walkable community, and about half said they preferred a walkable community and shorter commute, even if it meant living in a smaller condo or having topay a premium for housing.

In my 20 plus years as a Boston condo for sale broker, I’ve had numerous conversations at initial meetings with new buyer clients during which they told me that it wouldn’t be worth living in the city if they couldn’t walk to restaurants, retail and have easy access to public transportation (T).

If you’re new to downtown Boston and aren’t familiar with the most walkable neighborhoods, please contact us at 617-595-3712 for info. I can put together a list of Back Bay condos or Beacon Hill apartments that will help guide a home search. And sites like Walk Score can help vet locations. You can click on their map that accompanies the property address and see what’s nearby, from bars, restaurants and groceries to cafes and entertainment.

Source: Back Bay

Boston Back Bay condos for sale in 2024.

Click Here > Boston Back Bay Apartments for Rent