But the six-hour drive and bubbling condo prices were prohibitive.

The Corcoran data showed that the average condo price jumped 54 percent, to $967,000.

And now average condo prices are higher than single-family prices for the first time ever.

In 1995, condo prices were still 30% below the earlier highs.

It is in the top 10 to 15 percent, he said, where foreign money has stabilized condo prices or forced them up.

Nor has the shift toward co-op-style behavior so far seemed to affect condo prices.

"A few years ago, who would have ever imagined these kinds of condo prices in Chinatown?"

At Beachfront North, town house and condo prices range from the high $500,000's to $1.5 million.

Commercial condo prices vary considerably, depending on a project's quality, level of finishing and location.

This renewed popularity has pushed condo prices up in tandem with single family homes.