New apartment supply in Tokyo drops for 5th month
Supply of brand-new apartments across greater Tokyo between January and May has fallen to the lowest levels seen following the crash of the bubble in 1992. Rather than release new apartments onto the market, developers are focusing their attention on reducing unsold inventory.
According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, a total of 2,206 brand-new apartments were released for sale across greater Tokyo in May, up 55.2% from the previous month but down 10.4% from last year. This is the fifth month in a row to see a year-on-year decline in supply. The average apartment size was 68.16 sqm (733 sq.ft).
Tokyo sees drop in new listings for first time in 19 months
According to REINS, a total of 2,749 second-hand apartments were reported to have sold across greater Tokyo in May 2019, down 20% from the previous month and down 1.3% from last year. The average sale price was 33,250,000 Yen, down 2.2% from the previous month but up 0.6% from last year. The average price per square meter was 518,000 Yen, down 2.8% from the previous month but up 1.4% from last year. The average age of an apartment sold was 21.63 years.
Tokyo office vacancy reaches lowest level in 29 years
The office vacancy rate across Tokyo’s central five business districts dropped to 1.64% in May, down 1.04 points from last year and the lowest level seen since December 1990 when the rate was 0.39%.
A forecast of new apartment prices between 2019 and 2025
On May 28, the Japan Real Estate Institute (JREI) issued their latest medium-term forecast for the price of brand-new apartments in Tokyo’s 23 wards. As we saw last year, price predictions have again been revised upwards from earlier forecasts. In 2019, the average new apartment price is forecast to be 1,065,000 Yen/sqm, up 0.4% from 2018 and 7.7% from an earlier forecast.
Tokyo Apartment Sales in May 2019
The following is a selection of apartments that were reported to have sold in central Tokyo during the month of May 2019:
Local market report: Daikanyama (2019)
Daikanyama is as fashionable and trendy as Omotesando, but with a more laidback vibe on weekends. Sitting in a prime position between Ebisu and Shibuya Stations, it is a great place for a lucky few to call home. It is extremely difficult to find suitable homes and apartments on the market in this neighborhood due to a naturally limited inventory (a lot of the neighborhood is low-density), while many of the residents tightly hold onto their homes for the long-term.
Let’s take a look at the current real estate market conditions.