Luxury onsen planned for Lake Shikotsu, Hokkaido
August 25, 2016Real Estate News,Hokkaido,All,Hotel News
Tsuruga Holdings will be developing a luxury hot spring resort in Shikotsuko Onsen in Chitose, Hokkaido.
The hotel group plans to demolish the existing Shikotsuko Hokkai Hotel and replace it with a 3-storey, 24-room hotel with completion scheduled for early 2018. The new resort will feature open air ‘rotemburo’ hot spring baths in each room.Read more
Taiwan company buys building in Ota-ku for short-term accommodation
August 24, 2016minpakuReal Estate News,All,Hotel News,Tokyo
Tokyo-based real estate developer, Best Way, has sold one of their apartment buildings in Ota-ku to Taiwanese corporation Wellglory.
The building is currently under construction and due for completion in January 2017. The property was sold in anticipation of a potential further relaxation the the short-term leasing rules in Japan.
Earlier this year Best Way announced that they were building a 5-storey apartment building in Ota-ku that was specifically designed for short-term rentals. The building will contain 17 studio-type apartments. Units will feature connecting doors that allow flexibility and to cater to changing needs from occupants. It will also have additional security features as well sound-proofing and a coin laundry for guests to use.Read more
Average apartment rent in July 2016
August 23, 2016Real Estate News,Rental Market,Market Information,All,Osaka,Nagoya,Tokyo
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
August 22, 2016Real Estate News,Market Information,All,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
August 19, 2016Buying a home in JapanBuyer Beware!,All
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
August 18, 2016Real Estate News,Market Information,All,Tokyo

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
August 17, 2016Real Estate News,Market Information,All,Tokyo

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