Supply of new apartments in Tokyo shrinking

According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, 4,641 new apartments were released for sale across greater Tokyo in March, up 75.1% from February but down 9.7% from March 2013. This is the second month in a row where the apartment supply has fallen below the level from last year.

Since Spring in 2013, demand for new apartments has exceeded developer expectations and supply is starting to run short. The current stock of 3,828 apartments at the end of March is about half of the normal level for greater Tokyo.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Secondhand apartment sales in March - REINS

According to REINS, 3,994 secondhand apartments were sold across greater Tokyo in March, up 20.6% from the previous month and up 4.3% from March 2013. The average sale price was 26,650,000 Yen, down 1.0% from February but up 2.7% from last year.

The average price per square meter was 416,600 Yen, down 200 Yen from February but up 4.9% from last year. The average apartment age was 19.40 years and the average apartment size was 63.96 sqm (688 sqft).

The Tokyo Metropolitan area saw 1,983 apartments sold, up 20.9% from February and up 6.1% from last year. Read more

by Zoe Ward

Residential yields and vacancy rates in Minato-ku - April 2014

According to real estate listing site Homes, the average gross yield on an apartment in Minato-ku in April was 5.4%, down 0.1 points from March. The average gross yield across Tokyo was 7.2%, down 0.1 points.

The vacancy rate remains unchanged at 9.9% across Minato-ku and 11.0% across Tokyo.

The average asking price of a secondhand apartment in Minato-ku was 781,143 Yen/sqm as of April 1, up 0.1% from the previous month. The average asking price for land was 1,113,333 Yen/sqm, up 4.6%.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Secondhand apartment prices in February - Tokyo Kantei

According to Tokyo Kantei, the average asking price of a 70 sqm (753 sqft) second-hand apartment in Tokyo's 23 wards was 41,420,000 Yen in February, up 0.8% from the previous month and up 4.8% from last year. The average apartment age was 20.5 years.

In central Tokyo's six wards (Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato, Shinjuku, Bunkyo and Shibuya), the average apartment price was 56,830,000 Yen, up 2.1% from the previous month and up 10.4% from last year. The average apartment age was 20.6 years.Read more

by Zoe Ward

New apartment prices in Tokyo up 26%

According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, 2,651 new apartments were released for sale across greater Tokyo in February, down 24.1% from last year but up 45.2% from the previous month. Record snowfall across Tokyo in February caused some developers to postpone sales until March, which caused the drop in numbers.

Demand still remains strong with a contract rate of 80.6%, up 4.2 points from last year and up 2.0 points from January. Read more

by Zoe Ward

Tokyo bayside apartment bubble to burst after Olympics?

Tokyo Bay IslandsThere are currently 149 large-scale apartment buildings (those with a total floor space of over 10,000 sqm) planned in Tokyo's 23 wards. Of those, several projects located in the bayside area are of a major scale with a floor space of over 100,000 sqm.

What impact could this future supply have on the apartment market on these manmade islands in Tokyo Bay?Read more

by Zoe Ward

Chika-koji land prices in major cities up for first time in 6 years - MLIT

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) announced the 2014 'chika-koji' assessed land values on March 18. According to the latest data, both commercial and residential land prices rose in Japan's three major cities for the first time in six years.

In Greater Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, residential land prices were up 0.5% and commercial land prices were up 1.6% over the 12 months to January 1, 2014.

In central Tokyo, residential land prices were up 5.9% in Minato-ku, 8.7% in Chuo-ku and 6.0% in Chiyoda-ku after negligible changes in 2013. In fact, residential and commercial land prices increased in each of Tokyo's 23 special wards.

Read more

by Zoe Ward