Tokyo Apartment Sales in November 2015
The following is a selection of apartments that were sold in central Tokyo during the month of November 2015:Read more
Apartment asking prices in Tokyo increase for 16th month but supply-demand balance starts to shift
According to Tokyo Kantei, the average asking price of a 70 sqm (753 sq.ft) second-hand apartment in greater Tokyo in October was 31,970,000 Yen, up 1.2% from the previous month and up 12.3% from last year. This is the 14th month in a row to see a month-on-month increase in asking prices. The average building age was 22.3 years.
In Tokyo’s 23 wards, the average asking price was 49,780,000 Yen, up 1.3% from the previous month and up 17.0% from last year. This is the 16th month in a row to see a month-on-month increase. The average building age was 22.0 years.
In Tokyo’s central six wards (Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato, Shinjuku, Bunkyo and Shibuya), the average asking price was 69,690,000 Yen, up 0.7% from the previous month and up 15.8% from last year. This is the fifth month in a row to see an increase, although the rate of increase has slowed.Read more
3,200 unit apartment building for Nishi Shinjuku
A large development site situated between Shinjuku Park Tower/Park Hyatt and Opera City in Nishi Shinjuku may finally see some activity as the redevelopment association move forward on construction plans.
Current discussions call for two 65-storey high-rise residential towers containing around 3,200 apartments. A town planning decision will be made in 2016, and if approved, construction could begin in 2019.
A 60-storey condominium tower is currently under construction in Nishi Shinjuku 5 Chome. The Parkhouse Nishi Shinjuku Tower 60 was advertised as being the tallest apartment building in Japan based on the total number of floors, but if the Nishi Shinjuku 3 Chome Project goes ahead as planned, The Parkhouse won’t keep its title for long.Read more
Residential rental growth slows in Tokyo
According to Tokyo Kantei, the average monthly rent of a condominium in greater Tokyo was 2,681 Yen/sqm in October, up 1.3% from the previous month and up 3.0% from last year. The increase is due to a larger share of transactions in the Tokyo metropolitan area, which is pulling up the average. The average apartment size was 59.65 sqm and the average building age was 19.2 years.
In the Tokyo metropolitan area, the average rent was 3,184 Yen/sqm, up 0.1% from the previous month and up 2.7% from last year. The average apartment size was 57.08 sqm and the average building age was 17.4 years.
In Tokyo’s 23 wards, the average rent was 3,317 Yen/sqm, down 0.3% from the previous month but up 2.6% from last year. The average apartment size was 56.49 sqm and the average building age was 17.0 years.Read more
Construction scandal shakes new apartment sales in October
According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, 2,921 new apartments were released for sale in October, up 20.2% from the previous month but down 6.5% from last year. This is the second month in a row to see a decline in supply from the previous year and has been attributed to both an increase in prices as well as the discovery of a faulty condominium in Yokohama last month which has caused turmoil in the real estate industry. Before news broke of the construction mishap, the Institute were predicting 3,500 apartments to be offered for sale in October. Although Autumn is typically a period of heavy sales activity by developers, the sales of several projects were delayed due to the uncertainty following the Yokohama apartment scandal. Only one large-scale project (a building containing over 100 units) went on sale in October, down from four large-scale projects last year.
A researcher from the Institute said that visitor numbers to apartment show rooms were relatively flat, and it is possible that developers will continue to delay sales until consumer confidence in the new apartment market improves.
2,010 apartments were sold, making the contract rate 68.8%, up 2.8 points from the previous month and up 5.5 points from last year.
475 apartments in high-rise buildings (over 20 storeys) were offered for sale, up 36.5% from last year. The contract rate was 79.8%.
The average price of a brand new apartment released for sale in greater Tokyo was 53,640,000 Yen, down 0.5% from the previous month but up 17.6% from last year. The average price per square meter was 759,000 Yen, down 0.3% from the previous month but up 19.0% from last year.Read more
Chiyoda to see new record-setting luxury condominium
Average price: 2,680,000 Yen/sqm (2,035 USD/sq.ft)
*Update: This building has sold out as of September 2016*
Chiyoda’s Bancho area is about to see another record-setting condominium go on sale next month. Branz The House Ichibancho is currently under construction in Ichibancho. The second round of sales is scheduled to start in early December. 5 apartments will be offered for sale, ranging in price from 275 ~ 540 million Yen (2.25 ~ 4.41 million USD). Prices per square meter will range from 2,257,000 ~ 3,084,000 Yen (1,700 ~ 2,325 USD/sq.ft).
The 3-Bedroom apartments range in size from 121 ~ 175 sqm (1,302 ~ 1,883 sq.ft). Despite the large size and the high price, the apartments only have 1 bathroom each, with no bathroom for the master bedroom. It is quite common for condominiums in Japan to have only one bathroom as developers continue to build for the domestic market only.
The 12-storey building will contain 56 apartments, of which 48 will be offered for sale. Completion is scheduled for November 2016, with apartments ready for delivery to buyers from the end of January 2017.Read more
Condominium in Tokyo has construction permit revoked just prior to completion
A 8-storey condominium in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, has had its construction certificate revoked due to having inadequate emergency stairs. The building was less than 2 months away away from completion and the 100+ apartments had already been sold to buyers off-the-plan.
To further complicate things for the developer, local building height limits have since been reduced which means that even if the developer corrects the evacuation exits, the top two floors of the building may need to be removed in order to obtain a new building permit. Height limits in this neighbourhood were reduced from 27 meters to 22 meters in 2014.Read more