How long did it take to sell an apartment in the first half of 2020?
How long were apartments sitting on the market and how much of a discount did they trade at? The below is summarized from a recent report provided by Tokyo Kantei that looks into any impacts that the coronavirus pandemic may have had on Japan’s residential real estate market in the first half of 2020.
83-yr old bathhouse in Osaka closes its doors
A historic and elaborately designed bathhouse in Osaka’s Ikuno Ward has closed its doors for good, ending 80+ years of operations. Gengabashi Onsen is thought to have been built in 1937 by a local landowner.
New apartment sales drop 82.2% in May
The number of new apartments released for sale across greater Tokyo in May dropped 82.2% from last year to just 393 units. This is the lowest volume since the Real Estate Economic Institute began reporting data in 1973. Showrooms remained closed for most of the month due to the nationwide state of emergency. The contract ratio was 72.3%, up 12.3 points from last year but down 6.6 points from April.
Nationwide supply of new condos in 2019 hits 43-year low
The total number of brand-new condos supplied for sale across Japan in 2019 reached the lowest level since 1976. Supply dropped by 12.0% from the previous year to 70,660 units. The greater Tokyo region saw a 15.9% drop, while the Kinki region (which includes Osaka) saw a 13.9% drop. In 1994, annual supply peaked at 188,343 units.
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.
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.
Central Tokyo apartment asking prices reach record high in September
Last month, the average asking price of a 70 sqm second-hand apartment in central Tokyo’s six wards (Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Bunkyo) exceeded the 80 million Yen mark. This is the highest level seen since real estate data provider Tokyo Kantei began keeping records in 2002.