Residential yields in Minato-ku - October 2015
According to real estate listing site Homes, the average gross yield on an apartment in Minato-ku in October was 4.5%, down 0.1 points from the previous month and down 0.5 points from last year. The average gross yield across Tokyo was 6.5%, showing no change from the previous month and down 0.4 points from last year.
The average asking price of a second-hand apartment in Minato-ku was 871,257 Yen/sqm as of October 1, 2015, down 0.4% from the previous month but up 9.3% from last year. The average asking price for land was 1,269,090 Yen/sqm, up 2.6% from the previous month but down 0.7% from last year.Read more
Japan’s first high-rise condominium to be redeveloped
After several years of discussions, redevelopment plans have finally been announced for the 62-year old Miyamasuzaka Building / Miyamasuzaka Apaato in Shibuya. Demolition of the current building is expected to start in February 2016, with the new building to be completed by 2020. The building’s owners association voted in favour of redevelopment in March 2012.
This was Japan’s first high-rise condominium. It was developed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Construction and completed in 1953. The building has 11 storeys above ground and one basement floor.
The typical apartment size in this building ranged from 39 ~ 43 sqm (420 ~ 463 sq.ft). Although the rooms may be small by today’s standards, the building was considered to be the epitome of luxury living at the time. When new, prices ranged from 600,000 ~ 1,000,000 yen, and almost all of the buyers were high-income earners such as bureaucrats, bankers or university professors.Read more
Tokyo apartment sales in September 2015
The following is a selection of apartments that were sold in central Tokyo during the month of September 2015:Read more
Bigger buildings in Tokyo as zoning regulations relaxed
In 2014, the Japanese government introduced a new rule to zoning codes that meant the space taken up by elevator shafts would no longer count towards the total building area, thereby allowing larger residential and commercial buildings. Since then, several projects have been amended to incorporate extra floorspace.
In some cases, the allowance has provided for an extra floor to be added to a building, which results in extra saleable or rentable area for developers.Read more
Central Tokyo apartment asking prices up 16.6%
According to Tokyo Kantei, the average asking price of a 70 sqm (753 sq.ft) second-hand apartment in greater Tokyo in August was 31,150,000 Yen, up 1.5% from the previous month and up 10.7% from last year. This is the 12th month in a row to see an increase. The average building age was 22.2 years.
In Tokyo’s 23 wards, the average asking price was 48,660,000 Yen, up 2.1% from the previous month and up 16.1% from last year. This is the 14th month in a row to see an increase. The average building age was 22.2 years.
Price growth in central Tokyo continues to show no sign of slowing, with the average price in central Tokyo’s six wards reaching 68,290,000 Yen, up 2.0% from the previous month and up 16.6% from last year. This is an increase of 33.9% from the most recent market bottom of October 2012, when the average price was 50,990,000 Yen. The average building age was 21.0 years.
Owners association wins lawsuit against sharehouse operator
The owner of a share house that has been operating out of a condominium building in Arakawa-ku, Tokyo, has been ordered by the Tokyo District Court to remove the interior partition walls that had been installed to create small share rooms.
The share house was a violation of the building’s management bylaws. The owners’ association filed a suit against the apartment owner, and the Tokyo District Court ruled in favour of the plaintiffs on September 18. The judge noted that the use of the apartment exceeded what was expected for a normal residential unit.Read more