November rental data - Tokyo Kantei

According to Tokyo Kantei, the average monthly rent of a condominium apartment in greater Tokyo was 2,552 Yen/sqm, in November, up 0.8% from the previous month and up 3.4% from last year. The average apartment size was 58.87 sqm (633 sqft) and the average building age was 19.0 years.

In Tokyo's 23-ku, the average monthly rent was 3,111 Yen/sqm, up 1.0% from the previous month and up 4.2% from last year. This is the highest it has been since February 2011. The average apartment size was 55.70 sqm (599 sqft) and the average building age was 17.6 years.Read more

by Zoe Ward

New apartment supply in greater Tokyo up 22.3% in November

According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, a total of 5,006 apartments were released for sale in greater Tokyo in November, up 42.8% from the previous month and up 22.3% from last year.

Of those, 3,984 apartments were sold, making the contract rate 79.6%.

The average new apartment price across greater Tokyo was 49,670,000 Yen, up 1.2% from the previous month but down 0.7% from last year. The average price per square meter was 694,000 Yen, down 2.4% from the previous month and down 3.7% from last year.Read more

by Zoe Ward

The latest revision to earthquake-retrofitting laws and what it means for old apartments

What the latest revision aims to avoid - A collapsed building blocks the road after the 1995 Hanshin Earthquake in Kobe.

The revision to the law to promote earthquake-resistant repairs to buildings went into effect on November 25. This revision obligates the owners of large-scale buildings such as hotels and other institutions to undertake earthquake-resistant building inspections, of which the results will be made public. It also applies to buildings alongside designated major roads. In the event of a major earthquake, there is a risk that older, unsafe buildings could topple onto roads and block access for emergency service vehicles.

So what does this mean for apartments in ageing buildings?Read more

by Zoe Ward

Second-hand apartment prices in central Tokyo up 35.4% from last year

According to REINS, the average price of a second-hand apartment sold in central Tokyo's 3 wards (Chiyoda, Chuo and Minato) was 50,870,000 Yen in November, up 4.1% from the previous month and up 35.4% from last year. The average price per square meter was 867,000 Yen, up 2.9% from the previous month and up 25.6% from last year. The average apartment age was 16.47 years and the average apartment size was 58.68 sqm (631 sqft). Read more

by Zoe Ward

Central Tokyo's first 5-storey wooden building completed

Ginza wooden building 4

Last month, Mitsui Home completed the construction of a 5-storey wood-frame building in Ginza.This is the second 2x4 wood-framed 5-storey building to be built in Japan, and is the first in central Tokyo. In April 2012, a 5-storey apartment building was competed in Setagaya-ku.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Residential yields and vacancy rates in Minato-ku - December 2013

According to real estate listing site Homes, the average yield on an apartment in Minato-ku in December was 6.0%, up 0.2 points from last month. The average yield across Tokyo remains unchanged at 7.6%.

The vacancy rate in Minato-ku remains unchanged at 9.9% and 11.0% across Tokyo.

The average asking price of a secondhand apartment was 715,557 Yen/sqm as of December 1, up 1.34% from the previous month. The average asking price for land was 1,071,212 Yen, up 0.17% from last month.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Market for secondhand apartments improving

The prices of secondhand apartments are moving on up. According to Tokyo Kantei, the average asking price of a 70 sqm apartment in greater Tokyo was 28,210,000 Yen in October, up 1.1% from the previous month. This was the first time in 8 months that the price had exceeded 28 million Yen.

Unlike new apartments, private sales of second-hand apartments are exempt from consumption tax (it is, however, charged on the brokerage fees). While the planned increase in the consumption tax rate may not directly impact the resale market, sellers are starting to see that the market is improving and are in less of a hurry to sell.Read more

by Zoe Ward