Residential yields in Minato-ku - January 2016

According to real estate listing site Homes, the average gross yield on an apartment in Minato-ku in Tokyo was 4.6% in January, down 0.1 points from the previous month and down 0.7 points from last year. The average gross yield across Tokyo was 6.2%, showing no change from the previous month but down 0.6 points from last year.

The average asking price of a second-hand apartment in Minato-ku was 895,543 Yen/sqm as of January 1, up 0.6% from the previous month and up 6.2% from last year. The average asking price for land was 1,358,485 Yen/sqm, up 3.1% from the previous month and up 7.6% from last year.Read more


Tokyo Apartment Sales in December 2015

Tokyo apartment sales dec2015

The following is a selection of apartments that were sold in central Tokyo during the month of December 2015:Read more


New apartment supply forecast to rise by 4.4% in 2016

The supply of brand new apartments to be released for sale in the greater Tokyo area in 2016 is forecast to reach around 43,000 units, up 4.4% from 2015.

Japan’s consumption tax rate will be raised to 10% from its current level of 8% in April 2017. This is expected to lead to a rush in last-minute demand from buyers seeking to lock in the purchase price at the lower tax rates. The deadline to lock in a new apartment under the lower tax rate will be for contracts signed up until September 30, 2016.

According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, the construction scandal concerning falsified data about building foundations has had less of an effect that originally anticipated, and is not expected to impact on forecasts for 2016.Read more


Kawasaki City wants to curb supply of studio apartments

Kawasaki City in Kanagawa Prefecture is planning to introduce guidelines to limit the construction of small studio apartments. The city has seen a surge in development of ‘one-room’ apartment buildings and is concerned about the effects on local communities.

The new guidelines may increase the minimum apartment size from 18 sqm (194 sq.ft) to 25 sqm (269 sq.ft), and may require on-site building managers or caretakers. For a building with over 100 units, an on-site manager may be required, while smaller buildings may require a manager for a minimum set of hours per day or week. Garbage collection may be required daily. Developers, managers and residents may also be encouraged to join the local neighbourhood association. However, there will be no fines or penalties for failure to comply with the guidelines.Read more


Apartment prices along Tokyo's Ginza Line

The following table shows the change in apartment prices along the Ginza Subway Line (Japan’s oldest subway line). This subway line runs from Shibuya to Asakusa and passes through several of the city’s prime residential and business districts, many of which have seen a boost in prices over the past few years.

The average price across all stations on the Ginza line was 1,000,000 Yen/sqm in 2015, up 19.8% from 2014. The average building age was 21.0 years, down from 23.6 years in 2014. The average apartment size was 56.35 sqm (606 sq.ft), down from 60.76 sqm in 2014.Read more


Tokyo apartment asking prices up for 17th month in a row

According to Tokyo Kantei, the average asking price of a 70 sqm (753 sq.ft) second-hand apartment in greater Tokyo in November was 32,740,000 Yen, up 2.4% from the previous month and up 13.6% from last year. This is the 15th month in a row to see a month-on-month increase. The increase was driven by a larger share of sales in the Tokyo metropolitan area, which pulled up the average. The average building age was 22.2 years.

In Tokyo’s 23 wards, the average asking price was 50,630,000 Yen, up 1.7% from the previous month and up 16.9% from last year. This is the 17th month in a row to see a month-on-month increase. The average building age was 21.8 years.

In Tokyo’s central six wards (Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato, Shinjuku, Bunkyo and Shibuya), the average asking price was 70,560,000 Yen, up 1.2% from the previous moth and up 15.1% from last year. The average building age was 20.1 years.Read more


Tokyo apartment rents slide for second month

According to Tokyo Kantei, the average monthly rent of a condominium in greater Tokyo was 2,624 Yen/sqm in November, down 2.1% from the previous month but up 2.5% from last year. The average apartment size was 59.76 sqm and the average building age was 19.6 years.

In the Tokyo metropolitan area, the average rent was 3,157 Yen/sqm, down 0.8% from the previous month but up 3.1% from last year. The average apartment size was 56.99 sqm and the average building age was 18.0 years.

In Tokyo’s 23 wards, the average rent was 3,306 Yen/sqm, down 0.3% from the previous month but up 3.3% from last year. The average apartment size was 56.26 sqm and the average building age was 17.5 years.

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