Marunouchi’s first high-rise to be demolished
Another building by an iconic architect is destined for the wrecking ball. This time it is the first high-rise to have been built in the Marunouchi business district in front of Tokyo Station.
Poorly managed apartment buildings of concern in Tokyo
Apartment buildings do not magically care for themselves. They require the apartment owners to be proactive about ensuring regular maintenance and repairs are carried out. By doing so, a building can last a long time while also helping with the resale values of those apartments. A poorly maintained building can become unpleasant to live in and resale values can plummet.
Quick real estate news summary for the week
Tokyo house prices increase by 9.2%, office vacancies climb for 14th month, and 68 major developments planned for Tokyo. Below is a quick weekly summary of some of the recent goings-on in the Japanese real estate market.
Building a wooden house? Construction costs may be on the rise
Planned infrastructure spending in the US is having a knock-on effect on the price of lumber, pushing wood prices up 35% this year. As of April 23, 2021, CME lumber futures are five times what they were in April 2020.
What does this ‘wood shock’ have to do with Japan? With the majority of new detached house construction built with wood frame, the skyrocketing cost of raw materials is likely to make homes more expensive. Approximately 70% of wood used in home construction in Japan is imported.
MUFG to rebuild Marunouchi HQ
MUFG Bank is planning to redevelop their headquarter building in Tokyo’s Marunouchi district. Plans are expected to be firmed up by 2022 with a construction schedule to be announced at a later date.
Firms accelerate sales of real estate holdings
As anticipated, some of Japan’s major corporations are fastening the sell-off of their prime real estate holdings as the effects of the pandemic continue. Finding buyers for these key assets is easy, with worldwide monetary easing seeing wealthy funds on the hunt for real estate in safe and stable environments.
8% of short-term ‘minpaku’ rentals close since start of pandemic
According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the number of registered short-term ‘minpaku’ rentals nationwide has dropped from a peak of 21,385 in April 2020 to 19,520 as of March 2021.