Tokyo apartment sale prices increase for 66th month

According to REINS, 3,819 second-hand apartments were reported to have sold across greater Tokyo in March, up 11.5% from the previous month and up 2.7% from last year. The average sale price was 33,690,000 Yen, up 0.5% from the previous month and up 7.1% from last year. The average price per square meter was 521,100 Yen, up 1.8% from the previous month and up 5.7% from last year. This is the 63rd month in a row to see a year-on-year increase in sale prices.Read more


Two floors in ARK Hills sell for 3 billion Yen

Two floors in ARK Mori Building - the office tower in the ARK Hills complex located in central Tokyo - have been acquired by Heiwa Real Estate REIT. Heiwa paid 3.085 billion Yen (approx. 29 million USD) for the trust beneficiary rights to the 30th and 31st floors from an unnamed seller.Read more


Chuo-ku to remove floor area ratio allowances to curb population growth

Tokyo’s Chuo ward is planning to abolish the floor area ratio (FAR) allowances in an attempt to curb the district’s rapid population growth. Up until now, a FAR allowance of as much as 20 ~ 40% could be given to residential developments in certain zones. For example, if a developer chose to build a new apartment building in Tsukiji or Kyobashi, the normal FAR for the land might be increased from its current limit of 500% to 700%, allowing a much larger building. Read more


Renovation company Intellex joins Kyoto guesthouse market

Intellex's first guesthouse, located near Kiyomizu Temple.

Intellex, a property renovation giant, announced their entrance into Kyoto’s guesthouse market. The company will start buying traditional machiya townhouses, renovate them and operate them as licensed guesthouses for tourists who want to rent an entire house for the duration of their stay. The project cost is estimated at 480 million Yen (approx. 4.5 million USD) to be spread across five guesthouses.

Their first guesthouse is a 100-year old, 2-storey machiya house located alongside Chawan-zaka, the road that leads up to Kiyomizu Temple. It has a total building size of 111 sqm (1,194 sq.ft) and can host groups of up to 10 guests. Nightly rates range from 36,000 ~ 60,000 Yen and up, depending on the season and number of guests.Read more


Home buyers and sellers: Building inspection guidelines introduced this month

From April 1st, 2018, licensed real estate agencies must include a clause in agency agreements with buyers and sellers that make note of home inspections. The added clause will indicate (1) whether the real estate company has an affiliated home inspection agent that they have a referral program with, and (2) if a home inspection has been carried out within the past 12 months and the main details of those inspection results.

If an inspection has been carried out, the contract of sale will have a clause whereby the seller and buyer both confirm the results of the inspection. An outline of the results will also be included in the Explanation of Important Matters documentation which is read to the buyer before contract documents are signed.

It is important to note that there is no obligation or requirement for a seller to carry out a home inspection, although it is hoped that the revision will make more consumers aware of building inspections. A seller might choose to carry out an inspection when listing their home for sale to provide some comfort to potential buyers.Read more


30% of old buildings in Tokyo at risk of collapse in strong earthquake

The New Shimbashi Building (c1971) poses a high risk of collapse in a major earthquake. There are plans to eventually redevelop this building into a high-rise although negotiations with land-owners are taking longer than anticipated.

On March 29, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government released data from earthquake resistance inspections on public buildings built to the old ‘kyu-taishin’ earthquake codes (pre-May 1981). A total of 251 kyu-taishin buildings, representing a third of the total, were determined pose some risk of collapse in the event of an earthquake producing a seismic intensity scale (shindo) of a 6-upper or above. Of those, 156 were found to be at high risk of collapse.

The publication of this data is the result of a revision to the Act for Promotion of Renovation for Earthquake-Resistant Buildings that was introduced in November 2013. Under this revision, public buildings used by an unspecified number of people, such as hotels and commercial facilities, with a floor area over 10,000 sqm and built to the old kyu-taishin earthquake codes are obligated to carry out earthquake resistance inspections, the results of which are made public. This also applies to old buildings located alongside emergency roads. Although the revision requires building owners to carry out inspections, there are no obligations or requirements to conduct the retrofitting.Read more


Central Tokyo’s 3 wards to see 30%+ population growth by 2045

According to estimates by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, the population of central Tokyo’s three wards (Chiyoda, Chuo and Minato) is expected to increase by over 30% by 2045 as more and more people move to the city center. In contrast, the Tama district, which is the very western side of Tokyo and includes Hachioji, Tachikawa, and Mitaka, is expected to see a double-digit percentage drop in resident population. By 2045, Tokyo will be the only district out of Japan’s 47 prefectures to have seen an increase in population.Read more