Residential yields and vacancy rates in Minato-ku - February 2014
According to real estate listing site Homes, the average gross yield on an apartment in Minato-ku in February was 5.4%, down 0.4 points from January. The average gross yield across Tokyo was 7.4%, down 0.1 points the previous month.
Developer seeks to cancel contracts in luxury Aoyama apartment building after fault discovered
Mitsubishi Jisho Residence is currently in the process of cancelling sale contracts on apartments in The Parkhouse Grand Minamiaoyama Takagicho after a construction fault was discovered.
Just before Christmas in 2013, an anonymous post on an online discussion board mentioned that there had been some core drilling into the concrete. Drilling holes in concrete to take core samples usually indicates a potentially serious problem. Adding to suspicions, Mitsubishi removed the sales page for the project and removed any mention of the new building from their website a few days later. The building still had 3 apartments left for sale.
The message boards lit up with comments from concerned buyers who were desperate for an official response from Mitsubishi.
Ralph Lauren Building in Omotesando to be sold for 35 billion Yen
Mitsubishi Corporation have entered into final negotiations to purchase the Espoir Omotesando building for 35 billion Yen (340 million USD). The sellers - Secured Capital Investment Management, Orix and Trinity Investment - acquired the building in 2010 for 31 billion Yen. It was one of the biggest transactions in Japan that year. Read more
Chuo-ku facing challenging road to Olympics
The bayside area in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, including Kachidoki and Harumi, is seeing a surge in development and high demand from buyers following the Olympic announcement several months ago. But there are concerns that the current infrastructure may not cope with the rising population, which is expected to grow by 30% in coming years.
Large supply of apartments in the pipeline
Developers are now racing ahead to build new condominiums in bayside sites that had previously laid dormant for several decades.Read more
NHK to Redevelop Shibuya Broadcasting Centre
Television broadcaster NHK announced plans to redevelop their broadcasting centre in Shibuya. The project is expected to cost approximately 300 billion Yen and will be completed by 2025 (although the president of NHK expressed a desire to have it completed by the 2020 Olympics).Read more