The blizzard of 2015 — and the storms that followed — were enough to make most Bostonians rethink their parking situations, and Hub home buyers have plenty of options when it comes to properties with off-street spots for cars.
Those more desirable properties come with premiums, of course, the extra cost of which depends on the neighborhood.
"(Parking) always has a value no matter what the snow situation is," said Janet Deegan, a Realtor at Coldwell Banker in Jamaica Plain. "But it will have higher value right now when we have so much snow on the ground — and probably into the spring market because of the abundance. My guess is it won't go out of people's consciousness for a while."
The MLS Property Information Network lists 250 condos and single-family and multi-family homes for sale in Boston that come with parking — driveways, deeded spaces in alleys, parking lots, garages and rented spaces.
For a Jamaica Plain home worth $300,000 to $400,000, parking can add about $20,000 to the list price, according to Deegan. "If it was garage parking, it would be more valuable than if it was just a parking spot in a driveway," she said.
Many Dorchester homes have off-street parking — most of it outdoors, according to Realtor Craig Galvin, of the Galvin Group, who estimates it can add $25,000-plus to the cost of a property.
Galvin recently sold two similar condos in triple-deckers near Adams Village. A 985-square-foot condo with off-street parking listed at $319,000 and sold for $314,000. A larger 1,050-square-foot condo without parking listed for $315,000 and was put under agreement for $295,000.
"Just like any other area, if you have parking, it makes your life a lot easier," Galvin said.
A loft-style, five-room condo at The Foundry in South Boston – a neighborhood where 44 percent of the condos sold last year offered parking — went on the market this week with deeded, uncovered parking in a gated lot. It was listed for $549,000 on Tuesday morning, and there were 13 showing requests within four hours.
"The parking has been why these have sold so quickly," said Nick Hanneman, an agent with The Hanneman + Gonzales Team at Robert Paul Properties.
Even Boston condos with transferable rented parking — meaning the parking is an extra annual cost — typically have higher median sales prices than condos without rental spots, said David Bates, a broker at William Raveis Real Estate.
"If you can secure a rental spot that you can give to the buyer — even though you may not have the rights to the spot — more often you'll get a better price," he said.
Midtown — the area from Downtown Crossing to Tremont Street — had the highest percentage of condos for sale last year that came with rented, assigned or deeded parking at 82 percent, followed by Dochester at 64 percent, according to a report by Bates. Only 19 percent of Beacon Hill condos had off-street parking.
In the Back Bay, parking always has held a premium, according to Michael Carucci, president of Group Boston Real Estate.
"The situation has only got worse with the closing of the Danker Donahue Garage on Newbury Street, which is being converted to retail space," he said. "It's the convenience of having it. Would you pay $3 million to have your wife drive around the block with a car full of groceries looking for a place to park?"
Carucci who deals in high-end properties, said his clients always are looking for off-street parking.
"In some cases, even if they don't need it, they want it for resale value," he said.
