A Parking Spot For Sale on Tremont Street? Here’s Why It’s a BIG Deal

Alright, let's talk about something that sounds incredibly boring on the surface but is secretly one of the most talked-about, fought-over, & HIGHLY coveted assets in a city like Boston: a parking spot. Not just any parking spot, though. I’m talking about a deeded, for-sale spot in a gated lot right on Tremont Street, directly across from the Boston Common.

If you’re not from around here, you might be thinking, "Who cares? It's a slab of asphalt." But if you've EVER tried to own a car in this city, you know this is the real estate equivalent of finding a unicorn. It’s a BIG deal. And honestly, understanding why tells you pretty much everything you need to know about living in Boston.

Here's the thing you have to understand about Boston: our parking problem isn't new. This isn't a recent "oh, there are too many cars now" issue. This city has been struggling with where to put its vehicles since the 1920s. Seriously. Back then, car ownership exploded from around half a million to over 9 million in a decade, & cities like Boston with their charming, narrow, pre-automobile streets started to choke. The situation was so dire there was talk of just banning cars from downtown altogether.

By the 1950s, it was a full-blown crisis. Suburban malls were popping up with a magical feature: TONS of free parking. Downtown Boston merchants were panicking, so the city started getting aggressive. They used eminent domain to tear down historic buildings to create parking garages. In 1956, a "super automated garage" was built on Hayward Place, a modern marvel for its time. There was a massive, multi-year political & legal battle just to get approval to build a garage under the Boston Common itself.

So when I say the struggle is real, I mean it's been real for nearly a century. The city was designed for feet & horses, not Ford Explorers. And that fundamental conflict is why a simple, guaranteed place to put your car feels like the ultimate luxury.

When a parking spot like the one at 170 Tremont Street comes up for sale, it’s not just a convenience; it’s a piece of sanity. I dug into some of the listings for spots in this building, The Parkside, & it gets pretty interesting. We’re talking about valet parking spaces, meaning you pull up, hand your keys over, & walk away. No circling, no squeezing into a tight spot, just pure, unadulterated convenience.

But here’s what makes it a TRUE asset: you can often buy these spots even if you don't live in the building. The listings explicitly state they can be sold to "owners, renters, or office workers outside Parkside Condominiums." This transforms it from a simple amenity into a legitimate real estate investment.

And the costs? Well, they're not nothing. Listings from a few years back showed single valet spots going for $45,000, with a monthly condo fee of around $281. Another listing for a tandem (two-car) self-park space down the street at 151 Tremont was listed for $105,000. It sounds wild, but when you look at the alternatives, it starts to make a weird kind of sense.

If you've ever paid for monthly parking in a downtown garage, you know the pain. Rates can easily be $400, $500, or even more. As one person on a Reddit forum pointed out when discussing a $70,000 spot in the South End, "If you need garage space rent...is going to run around $400+ a month. That $400 goes to some giant property owner. If you buy this for $70k you're holding an asset that will likely appreciate and paying that rent to yourself."

And that’s the crux of it. That monthly fee you pay to a garage is just... gone. It's rent. But when you own a deeded spot, you're paying fees, sure, but you also own an asset that is almost guaranteed to hold its value or, more likely, appreciate. Boston isn't getting any bigger, & they certainly aren't making more parking. The supply is perpetually scarce, & the demand is relentless. This makes parking spots a surprisingly stable, low-maintenance investment. One of the coolest parts about the 170 Tremont spots? The listing mentioned NO property taxes are levied on them, just the condo fees. That's a HUGE plus for an investment property.

This is especially true for people tired of the daily grind. The daily parking hunt is a soul-crushing experience. Reddit is filled with desperate cries for help: people spending 30 minutes circling their own neighborhood after work, friends who refuse to visit because parking is impossible, & the constant, low-grade anxiety about street cleaning tickets or getting your car towed. One user lamented, "The fact that resident parking permits are FREE and unlimited in Boston... is insane... Free permits are not doing car owners any favors if it means having to search around for hours to find a spot."

Let's not overlook the "gated lot" aspect of this. A gated parking system is about more than just a barrier; it's about creating a controlled, secure environment. In a city, that peace of mind is invaluable.

First, there's the security. The burglary rate in gated areas is significantly lower than in non-gated ones. You're not just protecting your car from theft, but from the everyday dings, scrapes, & vandalism that can happen on a busy city street. No one is going to accidentally sideswipe you while trying to parallel park. No one is going to lean against your car, use it as a workbench, or let their dog... you know.

Second, it's about guaranteed access. A gated lot ensures that the only people parking there are the ones who are supposed to be. You never have to worry about someone stealing your spot. This eliminates the #1 frustration of on-street residential parking: seeing someone who doesn't live there take up a precious spot. It also means no solicitors & less random foot traffic.

And honestly, there's a sense of privacy & quiet. You pull in, you park, you leave. No drama. No notes left on your windshield from an angry neighbor who thinks you parked too close (or didn't move your car for a week). It's your spot, end of story.

Look, I get it. Most people don't have a spare $50,000 lying around to buy a parking spot, even if it's a good investment. So what do you do? You could resign yourself to the monthly garage fees, which can feel like setting money on fire. Or you could brave the streets, with all the circling & stress that entails.

But here’s where things are getting a little smarter. There’s a whole world of new parking solutions popping up. We're seeing everything from smart parking apps that show real-time availability to fully automated robotic parking garages that whisk your car away into a vault.

And then there are peer-to-peer solutions, which are honestly pretty cool. This is where a platform like Prked comes into play. The concept is simple & genius: it connects people who have unused parking spaces—like a driveway or a spot in a private garage—with drivers who need a place to park. It’s like Airbnb for cars. For a driver, it means you can find a convenient, affordable spot in a real neighborhood, often for way less than a commercial garage. For the homeowner, it’s a way to make some passive income from an underutilized asset. It’s a flexible, modern answer to an age-old problem, bridging the gap for those who need a reliable spot without the massive upfront cost of buying one.

A parking spot for sale on Tremont Street is more than just a headline; it’s a symptom of Boston’s core identity. It’s a story about history, economics, frustration, & the relentless search for a little bit of convenience in a city that doesn't like to make things easy.

Owning a spot like this is about buying your time back. It's about eliminating a major source of daily stress. It's about making a savvy investment in a city where space is the ultimate commodity. It’s a tangible, asphalt-paved piece of the Boston dream.

So yeah, it’s a big deal. For anyone who has ever cursed the parking gods while circling the same block for the fifth time, it's the ULTIMATE power move.

Hope this was helpful & gives you a little peek into the wild world of Boston real estate. Let me know what you think