Luxury never left.  New owner Tavistock Group brings a fresh approach to comfortable luxury at the St. Regis Residences Buckhead with four new model homes. This is the pinnacle of condominium living and you will see why from the photos. Each of the 52 residences in the building is either a quarter, half or full floor condominium and that makes for truly spacious units.

Tavistock Group took over the building in February 2011 (for an undisclosed dollar amount) and made numerous changes to the hotel and residences. They felt the property needed to be more approachable and could benefit from an extra sparkle. They poured more money into the property to upgrade the common areas and began working on four new model homes, one of which I previously featured on my blog. The end result was a quiet upgrade of a pretty much brand new property – which I am sure most people wouldn’t think needed any upgrades at all. They set the new standard for quality condo living with five-star service and amenities.

Stan Topol & Associates designed this stunning condominium that takes up one-quarter of the 20th floor. The North-East exposure provides beautiful views of the Buckhead skyline, as well as the Peachtree corridor and West Paces Ferry Road. This particular condo has approximately 4,132 square feet inside with 3 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, one-half bath and service entrance. The unit can be purchased with or without the furnishings. Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature

These are the sales I have compiled over the course of the year noting the 40 highest luxury condo sales for 2011! Sovereign and the Ritz-Carlton appear most often on the list, along with some additional new construction buildings (and some resales too). I kept track of the 40 highest closed luxury property sales, which resulted in $55,344,507 in sales. It’s probably not as high as we would like it, but the market has picked up significantly and this year has started off with a bang!

This is the list, ordered from the highest sale to the lowest: Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature

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If you have been reading my quarterly results posts, you will notice in previous periods the sales in the upper ranges were few and far in between. The new data now shows the train has indeed left the station and more buyers are purchasing condos above the $800,000 price range. This is more than double the transactions from last quarter (on my previous list). The results are encouraging and exciting. As a side note, only two transactions on my list were cash and the rest were all financed (lenders are now starting to get comfortable with giving money to buyers in high-end condos).

I have targeted the highest sales above $800,000. Missing from the fourth quarter is Sovereign which had closings in every quarter up to now. But don’t worry, they have a condo under contract for $2,700,000.

1. St Regis Residences Buckhead Unit 1730 | Closed on 10/20 for $3,300,000 (MLS Available Properties)
2. Ritz-Carlton Residences Buckhead Unit 3402 | Closed on 12/1 for $2,414,394 (MLS Available Properties)
   
3. The Mansion on Peachtree Unit 41B | Closed on 11/18/ for $2,150,005 (MLS Available Properties)
4. The Bellingrath Unit 3 | Closed on 11/29 for $1,350,000 (MLS Available Properties)
5. The Brookwood Unit 1901 | Closed on 10/6 for $1,135,700 (MLS Available Properties)
6. Park Avenue Unit 29S | Closed on 12/15 for $1,165,00 (MLS Available Properties)
7. Ritz-Carlton Residences Buckhead Unit 3107 | Closed on 12/14 for $1,113,500 (MLS Available Properties)
8. Regents Park Unit 9 | Closed on 10/21 for $1,050,000 (MLS Available Properties)
9. West Wesley Townhomes Unit 4 | Closed 12/2 for $1,000,000
10. West Wesley Townhomes Unit 3 | Closed 11/2 for $1,000,000
11. West Wesley Townhomes Unit 5 | Closed 10/28 for $990,000
12. West Wesley Townhomes Unit 1 | Closed 11/7 for $980,000 
    
13. The Brookwood Unit 2001 | Closed on 11/11 for $970,000 (MLS Available Properties)
14. Above the Four Seasons Unit 4310 | Closed 12/19 for $919,900 (MLS Available Properties)
15. 2500 Peachtree Unit 704 |Closed on 10/26 for $895,000 (MLS Available Properties)
16. 2500 Peachtree Unit 606 |Closed on 11/29 for $830,000 (MLS Available Properties)
    
17. Ritz-Carlton Residences Buckhead Unit 2304 | Closed on 10/06 for $805,000 (MLS Available Properties)
    
18. Ritz-Carlton Residences Buckhead Unit 2104 | Closed on 12/13 for $799,500 (MLS Available Properties)

Aside from these results, there are 12 Pending Sales in FMLS (First Multiple Listing Service) ranging from $618,000 to $2,700,000 and 209 Pending Sales ranging from $200,000 to $579,900 as of today. So yes, there is activity in the market. This does not include units under contract that are not listed in the MLS, like from new construction developer units. And, as we learned in the past, we can’t count on pending sale because they may or may not close. What we can count on are solid sales.

The days are flying by and we are pretty close to the end of the year. I’ve been super busy as the market continues to heat up and our inventory continues to shrink. I pulled the highest sales for the third quarter and the results were interesting. New construction condos are continuing to sell very well in all price ranges. Since this post is about the upper price range, I have targeted the highest sales above $700,000. You’ll notice that buyers are now going to a variety of properties and not just Sovereign like last quarter (which pretty much dominated the highest closings).

So what does the top 8 list look like?

1. Sovereign Unit 3304 | Closed on 8/12 for $1,300,000 (MLS Available Properties)
   
2. The Aberdeen Unit 1101 | Closed on 8/29 for $1,285,250 (MLS Available Properties)
3. Gallery Unit PH 2601 | Closed on 9/23 for $1,000,000 (MLS Available Properties)
4. Park Place Unit 37E&F | Closed on 8/01 for $975,000 (MLS Available Properties)
5. Ritz-Carlton Residences Buckhead Unit 1801 | Closed on 7/22 for $956,725 (MLS Available Properties)
6. Ritz-Carlton Residences Buckhead Unit 2404 | Closed on 8/04 for $799,500 (MLS Available Properties)
7. The Atlantic Unit 4502 | Closed on 7/01 for $733,033 (MLS Available Properties)
8. Astoria Unit 901| Closed on 7/29 for $726,000 (MLS Available Properties)

There is plenty of activity in the lower price range also. The under $300,000 category continues to thrive and we are starting to see a sellers market emerge. Surprising and exciting!

Next quarter we’ll see the first sale happen at the Mansion on Peachtree (since the new owners took over) and another building which has recently come back to market. Exciting stuff for the condo market and a definite sign the market is coming back to life in full force.

Watershed restaurant, an award-winning Southern-inspired eatery that pioneered the Decatur dining scene when it hung its shingle on a converted gas station 13 years ago, is re-locating to The Brookwood, a 219-unit, mixed-use condominium community located on Peachtree Street in the heart of the historic Brookwood neighborhood. The move will empower owners Ross Jones, Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers and Chef Joe Truex to realize their dream of growing the business with private dining, a patio and a wealth of parking.

They plan to maintain the integrity of the Watershed brand, including the inspired cuisine of acclaimed Chef Truex, while updating it with a modern sensibility reflective of the new location. Diners can expect to see General Manager Jones on the floor and Chef Truex in the kitchen of this Smith Hanes-designed 175-seat jewel. If you look at the photos above, the restaurant will be located on the right corner of the building. Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature

The wait is over! About a week ago, I went to TOMO Japanese Restaurant on the first night it was open. I couldn’t wait any longer! The restaurant is in the “soft opening” stage, but you will not be able to tell any difference. It feels like they have been open for years, and they have! (Just not at this location.) The new restaurant is slightly larger in size and now has a full bar and outdoor terrace, two things the last location lacked. It was definitely a good move to Buckhead!

The restaurant is located at the base of the new Ritz-Carlton Residences Buckhead. A gorgeous new condominium project just steps away from Atlanta’s best shopping! TOMO is a welcome addition to the Buckhead restaurant scene, so be sure to check it out. I think it’s the best sushi in Atlanta. Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature