Canadian firm to invest US$9.5 billion in Japanese real estate
On October 12, the Nikkei newspaper reported that Canadian investment firm BentallGreenOak (BGO) plans to invest up to 1 trillion Yen (approx. US$9.5 billion) in Japanese real estate over the next two to three years. The company is anticipating that corporations will start selling off their office and hotel real estate holdings as the global pandemic continues, creating buying opportunities.
US$600million+ resort condo development for Niseko
Another week, another multi-billion Yen project announced for Niseko. Singapore-based Shenning Investments is developing a luxury Capella-branded resort in Niseko’s Hanazono district with a planned opening in 2024 ~ 2025. The total cost of the project has not been disclosed but some have estimated it to be over 70 billion Yen (approx. 664 million USD).
Debt relief for homeowners could arrive in December
The Financial Services Agency (FSA) is firming up plans that would reduce or exempt home loan repayments for struggling borrowers. These are extraordinary measures that would apply to those who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impact, and help to prevent home foreclosures and personal bankruptcies.
Tokyo Apartment rents hit ceiling
According to Tokyo Kantei, the average advertised monthly rent of a condominium in Tokyo’s 23 wards was 3,845 Yen/sqm in September 2020, down 0.4% from the previous month but up 4.6% from last year.
Quick real estate news summary for the week
Office vacancies worsen, Nippon Building Fund makes a US$2 billion acquisition in Tokyo, and a potential extension to the home loan tax deduction. Below is a quick weekly summary of some of the recent goings-on in the Japanese real estate market.
Demand returns to Tokyo’s once-overlooked suburbs
If you think the residential real estate industry is suffering at the moment, think again. Data shows that brokerages and developers are just as busy now as they were last year.
The problem with trying to buy an abandoned ‘akiya’
The Japanese countryside is dotted with old, rambling shacks and farmhouses that look empty and abandoned. They can even be found in urban settings. You may think it’s a simple process of just pulling the title with the owner’s name on it, giving them a call and offering a few Yen to take the old home off their hands. And voila, you now have a charming fixer-upper of your own?