Real Estate Management and Sales
Real Estate Management and Sales (REMS) is responsible for the maintenance, site assessment, and disposition of the City’s tax foreclosed and surplus property.
These properties can include vacant parcels, as well as residential, commercial, and industrial properties. REMS manages the process through which tax-foreclosed land and buildings are managed, maintained, and ultimately disposed of so that they can return to productive use in the community. This work often involves:
- community meetings about what to do with land and buildings in our custody
- crafting and issuing Requests for Proposals, and
- overseeing the review selection process of bidders.
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26 Court Street
Boston, MA 02108
WHO WE SELL TO
We sell City property to developers or others who want to make the community better. We sell our property through a competitive process that starts with the City publishing a Request for Proposals.
By law, we can only choose a buyer who meets all the requirements listed in the Request for Proposals (RFPs). We do not accept offers on properties outside of our official process. Each RFP will have specific criteria we use to evaluate submissions.
WHAT WE SELL
Not all of our property is available to buy. Some areas, like underwater parcels or floodplains, can't be developed.
We won't sell property that is undevelopable. We also don't sell property that's meant for public open spaces, like our urban wilds. We ask ourselves two main questions when we decide whether or not to sell City property:
- Will the current real estate market support the development?
- Does the local community want the property to be developed?
We get the community involved when we’re ready to sell. Usually, this happens through public meetings and online through our Building Housing platform. Local residents help shape our requirements for the Requests for Proposals. Developers present their ideas to the community for feedback.
WHEN YOU BUY CITY PROPERTY
We have to make sure the property qualifies for development before we put it on the market.
Submitting a Request for Proposal doesn’t necessarily start the process. We make sure your plans meet the community's needs before moving forward.
- We won't sell property to buyers who want to hold onto the property and wait to develop when the market improves. You have to start developing within the time frame we give you. If you don’t, we either grant you an extension or take back the property.
- Sometimes, we'll sell property to use as open space or parking. The property will come with a covenant that protects it from further development.
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN BOSTON
We developed a list so the public can learn about real estate projects we're working on. You can browse our active projects and give us your opinion on them.
Our Building Housing feature has information about properties in all stages of development. If you got a notice about a property sale, you can find that information here. You can also browse your neighborhood for active development projects, City-owned land, and land for sale.
YARD SALES
Do you own a deed-restricted lot adjacent to your property? From 1997 to 2021, the City sold lots considered to be non-buildable to adjacent property owners. This program is retired, but now, lots sold under the Yard Sale program may be eligible to have deed restrictions amended or waived.
Learn more about this policy and its eligibility requirements. For more information about the options available for your lot, fill out the intake form below. The intake form is the first step in the restriction amendment application process.
Yard Sale Restriction Intake Form
View a full list of MOH's Housing Policies here, including the City's underwriting and loan policies.
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26 Court Street
Boston, MA 02108
