Boutique vs. Tower Condos in Brooklyn

Updated Oct 10, 2026 · 7 min read

Boutique vs. Large, Side by Side

Most new condos in Brooklyn aren't towers. Boutique buildings, with fewer than 20 homes, are 88% of the plans we read: 851 small buildings against 30 large ones with 50 or more. But the large ones hold 29% of all the homes.

Each figure is the middle building in its group (the median), so one unusual building doesn't swing it. For building-by-building numbers, see the common charges and sales and sellout pages.

Price: Large Buildings Ask a Little More

The typical large building asked $1,350 per square foot, against $1,222 for a boutique building, about 10% more. Those asking prices come from Schedule A, the price list in every offering plan.

What buyers actually paid tells a similar story. Recorded closings came to a median $1,158 per square foot in boutique buildings and $1,170 in large ones. Against their Schedule A asking prices, boutique closings came in −3.1% and large-building closings −2.4%.

The catch: the gap may be as much about location as building size. The large buildings are concentrated in a few neighborhoods, led by Downtown Brooklyn/DUMBO, Flatbush, Brooklyn Heights. Boutique buildings are spread across the borough, led by Bed-Stuy, Bushwick, Carroll Gardens/Gowanus. Compare a building with its neighbors, not with the borough.

Space: Similar Homes, Either Way

The homes themselves are close in size. The median home is 913 square feet in a boutique building and 954 in a large one. Three-bedroom-plus homes make up 23% of boutique homes and 26% in large buildings. Studios and one-bedrooms are about the same share in both, 37% and 39%.

So don't assume a small building means bigger homes. Read the floor plans, and check Schedule A for any private outdoor space. That's often a "limited common element": a terrace or yard that belongs to the building but only your home can use.

Carrying Costs: The Biggest Difference

Common charges in the typical large building were $11,831 per unit a year, against $5,688 in a boutique building. Per square foot, that's $10.79 a year against $5.88. Common charges are your share of running the building: staff, insurance, utilities for shared spaces, repairs and reserves. The reason shows up in the budgets: 88% of large buildings' first-year budgets pay building staff, such as a super, porters or a doorman, against 34% of boutique buildings.

Real estate taxes follow the same pattern. The sponsors projected first-year taxes of $10,082 per unit a year in large buildings and $7,306 in boutique ones ($11.60 and $7.60 per square foot a year). These are projections, often with a tax break in place, so your bill can rise later.

The catch: lower costs come with fewer services. Many small buildings rely on a managing agent and outside contractors, with no one on site, and each owner's share of a big repair is larger.

Sellout Speed: Small Buildings Close Out Faster

Sold-out boutique buildings closed every home in a median 10 months. Large buildings took 2.3 years. That's from the first closing to the last, in ACRIS, the city's property records. Only 9 large buildings have sold out so far (against 78 boutique ones), so treat the large-building figure as a rough guide.

In a small building, you'll be part of a self-run association sooner, with fewer neighbors to share the work and the costs.

The catch: in a large building, the sponsor may own unsold homes for years. Until it sells out, it votes those homes and can shape the board, and a slow sellout can mean a sponsor-controlled building for longer.

Example Buildings

The two fastest sellouts in each group that have a building picture. All closed every home.

1. 305 23rd Street

   305 23rd Street · Sunset Park, Brooklyn · 11 homes · boutique

   

   Every home closed in 28 days, between Jul 30, 2021 and Aug 27, 2021, at an average $1,268 per square foot (Schedule A asked $1,210). First-year common charges: $7,148 per unit a year.

2. 25 Quincy Street

   25 Quincy Street · Clinton Hill, Brooklyn · 10 homes · boutique

   

   Every home closed in 38 days, between Mar 29, 2022 and May 6, 2022, at an average $1,245 per square foot (Schedule A asked $1,168). First-year common charges: $3,618 per unit a year.

3. Kings Place

   398 Kings Highway · Gravesend, Brooklyn · 51 homes · large building

   

   Every home closed in 15 months, between Dec 8, 2022 and Mar 8, 2024, at an average $761 per square foot (Schedule A asked $761). First-year common charges: $2,760 per unit a year.

4. Onyx Square

   2128 Ocean Avenue · Madison, Brooklyn · 56 homes · large building

   

   Every home closed in 17 months, between Sep 13, 2018 and Feb 10, 2020, at an average $664 per square foot (Schedule A asked $726).

What to Ask and What to Check

• Read Schedule B, the first-year budget. Is there a staff line? A super? If not, who handles a leak at night?
• Check the reserve fund in Schedule B. In a small building, a roof or facade job is split among few owners.
• Ask about tax benefits. Does the projected tax include an abatement or exemption, and when does it end?
• Ask how many homes are sold and closed. Check closings yourself in ACRIS or on our Sales & Sellout page.
• Ask how many homes the sponsor still owns, and whether it plans to rent them out.
• Read the amendments. Price changes and budget updates show up there. See how to find offering plan amendments.
• Have your attorney review the plan, including the bylaws on rentals, pets and renovations.

Related: The Williamsburg Condo Market · New Brooklyn Condos, From the Offering Plans