Average apartment rent in July 2016

Japan apartment rent 201607

According to Tokyo Kantei, the average monthly rent of a condominium in greater Tokyo was 2,652 Yen/sqm in July, up 1.8% from the previous month and up 2.4% from last year. A larger share of transactions in the Tokyo metropolitan area, where rents are higher than surrounding areas, pulled up the average. The average apartment size was 59.40 sqm and the average building age was 20.0 years.

In the Tokyo metropolitan area, the average monthly rent was 3,144 Yen/sqm, up 0.4% from the previous month but showing no change from last year. The average apartment size was 57.22 sqm and the average building age was 18.3 years.Read more


Supply of investment-type apartments up in 2016

New investment apartments Tokyo

According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, the supply of brand new investment-type apartments in the greater Tokyo area in the first half of 2016 reached 4,121 units, up 19.3% from the first half of 2015.

Increasing construction costs and high land prices are forcing developers to focus on projects outside of Tokyo’s city centre. The highest supply was in Kawasaki City’s Kawasaki Ward which had 603 brand new investment apartments.

The average apartment price was 27,540,000 Yen, up 1.7% from 2015. The average price per square meter was 1,113,000 Yen, up 5.2% from 2015. The average apartment size was 24.75 sqm (266 sf), 3.3% smaller than last year.

34.0% of the apartments were priced under 25,000,000 Yen (the share in the first half of 2015 was 45.2%). Read more


Beware of agency-arranged building inspections

Recently, several of Japan’s major real estate brokerages have started offering home inspections on properties they list. In some cases the agency will offer to provide coverage for up to two years following the sale for any defects, but the fine print usually requires the property to already be free from defects and for the agency to act on behalf of both the buyer and the seller resulting in a double commission (a full commission collected from each party).

This poses a serious conflict of interest, since agents have a vested interest in the sale. Buyers should be cautious about relying on these reports. There may be cases where inspection reports arranged by the seller’s agency receive passing grades but fail to include obvious defects.Read more


New apartment supply in Tokyo down for 8th month

Imprest Bunkyo Todaimae
Imprest Bunkyo Todaimae

According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, 3,317 brand new apartments were released for sale in greater Tokyo in July, up 8.8% from the previous month but down 30.7% from last year. This is the 8th month in a row to see a year-on-year decline in supply.

A shortage in the construction of large-scale projects has been a contributing factor to the decrease in supply.

2,101 apartments were sold, resulting in a contract ratio of 63.3%, down 6.3 points from the previous month and down 20.4 points from last year. 220 apartments in high-rise buildings (over 20-storeys) were offered for sale, down 87.2% from last year. The contract ratio was 54.1%, down 26.9 points from the previous month and down 38.2 points from last year.

The average price of a new apartment across greater Tokyo was 56,560,000 Yen, down 0.3% from the previous month and down 5.0% from last year. The average price per square meter was 806,000 Yen, down 2.1% from the previous month and down 5.2% from last year.Read more


Tokyo apartment re-sale rankings by station in 2016

Roppongi Itchome
Roppongi Itchome

Tokyo Kantei released their 2016 report on price-to-book ratios (PBR) for apartments in greater Tokyo. The PBR represents the change in value of an apartment since it was brand new. The data is arranged by train station.

Roppongi Itchome Station: PBR 1.56

Roppongi Itchome Station was in top position in greater Tokyo, with a PBR of 1.56. The average price of an apartment when brand new was 101,550,000 Yen, while the average resale price was 158,850,000 Yen.Read more


Five banks to reduce home loan interest rates in August

Five of Japan’s mega-banks will reduce the interest rates on their home loans this month.

The 10-year fixed-term interest rates on home loans for new customers will be reduced between 0.05 to 0.10 points from last month, reaching record lows.Read more


Chinese developer to build luxury resort in Lake Toya

Lake Toya Hokkaido

Goldcommon Group, a Chinese property developer, is investing 10 billion Yen (99 million USD) into developing a high-grade hotel on the shores of Lake Toya in Hokkaido.

The resort will contain approximately 500 rooms for as many as 1,500 guests. The group hopes to create a resort suitable for long-term stays from wealthy tourists from China and other Asian countries. Operations are expected to commence in 2019.Read more