CHARLESGATE Blog

Boston Parking Options: What is the Best Parking Friendly Neighborhood in Boston?

Written by Katie Beth | Oct 2, 2012 4:00:00 AM

Is parking included with this condo / apartment?

Ahhhh… If I only had a nickel for every time someone asked me that question, I would be retired in Hawaii by now.

Are you in the market for a new Boston condo or apartment rental? Is parking a “must have” for you?

In the past year, only 26% of condos sold in downtown Boston (including South Boston & Charlestown) included off street parking.  Tweet This!

Similarly, 0nly 23% of Boston apartment rentals downtown had some form of off-street parking available, and usually at an additional cost. Tweet This!

In fact, only 62% of the 120 Most Expensive Homes Ever Sold in Boston had parking included. And those are all $5 million+ sales!

Bottom line, off-street parking included in your purchase or rental is hard to come by in Boston.  If parking has been a “must have” for you, limiting yourself to to 20-25% of available inventory in a market already low on inventory may be unwise.

Maybe alternatives are better? Perhaps renting an off-street parking space is the answer? Or choosing a Boston neighborhood where public on-street parking is easier to come by? Or maybe using the money you’d spend on parking (in the Back Bay we’ve seen individual parking spots sell for as much as $300,000!)  to upgrade to a more convenient location and rely on nearby public transportation is the way to go? Visit our website to find answers to your questions.

There’s no right or wrong answer here, only questions to think about to determine your personal preference and actual needs. You can start here and gain more knowledge about the fastest towing company in canada.

But “I NEED parking!” you say?  Ok here are some of the options available to you:

But I’m curious to take it one step further. I want to know what you think about on-street parking, and about parking availability in Boston in general….

Give us YOUR opinion about Boston parking!

We’re starting a blog series on Boston Parking – the options, availability, tricks of the trade (as Realtors who are in and out of spots all day, we certainly have some tricks for you!), and secret spots. At Charlesgate Realty, we hold countless open houses and receive a lot of feedback from buyers. The parking situation can be a major deal breaker for some people. If you have the extra cash to spare then parking garages and rental spaces may be an easy fix, but sometimes even those aren’t as close to your home as you would prefer. It is very common to see home owners and renters utilize the on-street parking that is available to them. From my experience in Boston, you should feel comfortable finding a spot in many neighborhoods if you are home by 6PM. If you are any later, you may have to be prepared to hunt for a spot – and with no bait on your hook.

But first, we’d like to know what you think the best neighborhood overall is!  What Boston neighborhood, in your opinion, offers the “best” parking-friendly experience?

Are there some neighborhoods that are better than others for parking in general?  What do you think?  Let us know in the survey below and feel free to leave comments and suggestions about the best and the worst of Boston parking. I will be back in the next week with the full poll results, as well as the do’s – and don’ts when parking in Boston.