Most downtown inventory is condo or loft, which means HOA due diligence matters as much as the unit itself — reserve fund health, any pending special assessments, and rental-restriction rules if you're weighing a short-term-rental angle. I walk every downtown buyer through the HOA docs before we write an offer, not after, because a great unit in a poorly-funded building is still a problem you're buying into.
Noise and foot traffic are real considerations too — a unit two blocks off Pack Square on a Friday night is a genuinely different experience than the same square footage a few blocks further out. It's worth touring at night, not just during a Tuesday-morning showing, before you commit.
I've closed sales in two different downtown buildings — a loft on Broadway near the Pioneer Building and a unit right on North Market Street in the historic core — so I can walk you through what ownership actually looks like in either style of building, not just the listing photos.