Massachusetts is a state so rich in history that you can’t trip over a rock without discovering a plaque commemorating the time that George Washington tripped over it. And when it comes to culture, almost every town in the state has a little something to offer, from the Berkshires (Jacob’s Pillow) to the North Shore (Peabody Essex Museum). But when it comes to luxury real estate, there were only two spots to be in the Bay State in 2012: Boston, or Nantucket.
So, at least, must be the conclusion drawn from a look at the top 10 residential sales of 2012. Throughout the year, our weekly gossip report feature has taken a peek at the top residential sales and for a year that started out with a lot of gloom and uncertainty, when it came to the high end, 2012 managed to set some records.
Though its sister island Martha’s Vineyard is perhaps better-known as a presidential vacation spot, this year the return of buyer interest in Nantucket’s beachfront brought home the laurels to Gary Winn of Maury People Sotheby’s International Realty. His $18.3 million sale on Sherburne Way was most expensive residential listing to sell in 2012. Meg Ruley of Atlantic East Nantucket Real Estate was close behind him, with her $14 million sale on Lincoln Avenue taking the second slot, and Winn’s colleague J. Craig Hawkins was on their tail with an $11.3 million listing on Hulbert Avenue.
Heidi Drew, whose own $8.9 million sale at 7 Grant Ave. was also one of the highest on the Nantucket, said the high-end market has been stellar throughout the year. “People know what they want, on the island,” and when a desirable property emerged this year, there were often multiple offers.
Back on the mainland, the crown was taken by 15 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston, with the $12.5 sale this spring helping kick off one of the best spring markets the city has ever seen. The property, a historic landmark, was “truly one of the last of its kind,” said Jeannemarie Conley of Otis & Ahearn, the listing agent.
Kevin Ahern, president of Otis & Ahern, said by his count, 2012 will be the second highest year for sales volume in the Downtown Boston market, second only to 2008, with a record number of sales over $1 million. “In 2008, we had 452 sales [over $1 million] and this year we’re going to be touching 500,” he said. “The high end was really strong.”
That renewed interest in the high-rise market in Boston helps account for the $10.3 million sale at 776 Boylston St., where listing agent Terrence Maitland at Landvest said the property’s connection to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel was a huge selling point with the eventual buyer. “It’s a very popular building right now,” he said. Maitland was also the listing broker for the 10th property on our list, a $9 million sale in Brookline, but that we’ll have to just attribute to skill.
But, possibly the most successful name on our list will be a surprise to no one. Tracy Campion, the queen of Boston luxury and broker/owner of Campion & Co., was the listing broker on a $9 million sale in a converted Emerson College dorm at 100 Beacon St. and for the $10.5 million sale on Lee Street in Brookline. Campion & Co. was also the exclusive listing brokerage for the former Bradley Mansion at 409 Commonwealth, whose 14 units were all sold or under agreement by the end of the year, at prices ranging from $2.8 million to $4.7 million.
Though the biggest sales of the year may have been concentrated in a small area, 2012 was also a year which saw some record setting suburban sales. Thoreau might have been able to make due on $2 a day in a shotgun shack, but these days a view of Walden Pond will cost you a fair bit more – a 16-acre spread in Concord with views of the famous lake set a new high mark for that town in May with an $8.6 million sale. It should be no surprise that the agent was Brigitte Senkler, one of Coldwell Banker’s top agents in North America and a well-known name in Concord since she founded her own agency there in 1983.
Western Massachusetts also held its own this year. At $9.8 million, the Stockbridge mansion known as Elm Court would have been the sole property breaking the top 10 west of 495. However, the present owners converted the former Vanderbilt retreat into an inn, disqualifying it from the list.
Email: csullivan@thewarrengroup.com
