Frank Quaratello over at the Boston Herald reports how a new book connects the dots of  how Governor Patrick ended up going from a Justice Dept. prosecutor of subprime lender bad boy Ameriquest to sitting on its board. Actually … we knew all of this, but the book apparently has some juicy details of the [...]

The following is summary of the 3rd Q Back Bay condo sales based on today’s LINK report (The entire report is on the blog post below)
Back Bay condo sales down -12.50% from 2009.
Back Bay average condo sales price up 10.37% from last year.
Median Back Bay selling price up 17.07% from 2009.
Back Bay price per sq. [...]

Both the Globe and the Herald today have pieces mentioning the trend we’ve been noting for some time: the number of condo units in Boston in most areas is falling, but average prices are UP. See yesterday’s post for full numbers, but for the third quarter, the number of condo sales fell about 25% compared [...]

The 3rd Q Boston condo sales LINK report is now available.
Boston Condo 3rd Q LINK Report.

The official LINK 3rd Q report hasn’t been published yet, but early LINK data is indicating that the number of Back Bay condos that were sold are down compared to the 3rd Q of 2009. However, both median and average sales prices are up, thanks in part to The Clarendon.
Back Bay condo sales 3rd Q 2010
Number of [...]

The AP is reported that Wells Fargo plans to refile documents in 55,000 foreclosure cases in 23 states that require a judicial procedure. The bank admits it made mistakes in “thousands” of documents (without being specific), but said it has no plans to halt any foreclosures.
In related news, Bank of America is scheduled to meet [...]

There’s several stories circulating today about the stalled Filene’s development in Downtown Crossing  in the media. The main thrust is that the City Hall is still not happy … but what can they really do? Here’s what’s in the papers: The city has taken eminent domain off the table (according to the Boston Herald); but is [...]

Boston luxury condos: 45 Province Street
Number of Boston condominiums sold – 24
Average 45 Province St condo sales price – $1,283,012
Median 45 Province St condo sales price – $1,085,000
Average 45 Province St price per sq. ft. – $920.00*
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Boston luxury condos: Boston W Residences
Number of Boston condominiums sold – 18
Average Boston W condo sales price – $945,207
Median [...]

Excerpts from the Boston Globe regarding the local housing market:
Karl E. Case, cofounder of the Case-Shiller index and a senior fellow at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, said he believed borrowers will eventually head back into the market.
He said that despite uncertainty, people who plan to be in one location for [...]

Reported in Boston.com’s Your Town section, a Beacon Hill resident wants to turn unused storefront space around the Hill into temporary art galleries. The idea is that owners of unleased/unbought commercial property can get some interest generated by hosting temporary art galleries — which give local artists much need venues for their art.
The idea is [...]