Apartments in Tokyo continue to shrink in size
Struggling to find a large apartment to buy in Tokyo? There’s a good reason for that.
Brand new apartments over 100 sqm in size supplied across greater Tokyo in 2019 accounted for just 1.9% of total supply. This is a slight improvement from the 1.3% share in 2018.
New housing starts drop 4% in 2019
New housing starts across Japan in 2019 dropped 4.0% from the previous year to 905,123 units. This is the third year in a row to see a year-on-year decline. This was primarily due to a tightening on lending for investment-type apartment blocks after a widespread loan fraud scandal came to light in 2018.
Tokyo Apartment Sales in January 2020
The following is a selection of apartments that were reported to have sold in central Tokyo during the month of January 2020:
New apartment supply in 2019 reaches lowest level in 27 years
In 2019 a total of 31,238 brand-new apartments were released for sale across greater Tokyo, down 15.9% from 2018 and the first time in three years to see an annual drop. Supply has dropped to a third of the level seen in 2000.
Tokyo’s 23 wards saw a 13.9% drop, while Kanagawa saw supply fall by 12.5%.
Existing apartment prices in Tokyo up 3.4% in 2019
The average asking price of a 70 sqm (753 sq.ft) existing apartment in Tokyo's 23 wards reached 55,660,000 Yen in 2019, up 3.4% from 2018. The average building age was 24.5 years, up from an average of 23.5 years in 2018.
New apartment supply in December drops 14.3%
According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, a total of 6,392 brand-new apartments were released for sale across greater Tokyo in December, up 94.1% from the previous month but down 14.3% from the previous year.
Apartment rents in greater Tokyo climb 4.5% in 2019
The average monthly rent for a condominium-type apartment across greater Tokyo in 2019 was 2,886 Yen/sqm, up 4.5% from 2018. This was primarily due to an increase in rents within the Tokyo metropolitan area, while Yokohama City saw rents fall.