Second-hand apartment prices in central Tokyo up 15.6%

According to REINS, sales of second-hand apartments in greater Tokyo in August were up 16% from last year. A total of 2,250 apartments were sold during the month. The average price was 25,560,000 Yen (260,000 USD), up 3.5% from August 2012, but down 0.6% from last month. The average price per square meter was 400,100 Yen, up 5.3% from last year and up 1.8% from last month.

The average apartment size was 63.88 sqm (687 sqft) and the average building age was 20.08 years.

In Tokyo's central three wards (Chiyoda; Chuo and Minato), the average price per square meter was up 15.6% from the same time  last year to 823,800 Yen.Read more

by Zoe Ward

The Parkhouse Grand Chidorigafuchi Sold Out

All apartments available for sale in The Parkhouse Grand Chidorigafuchi have already sold out. 22 apartments ranging from 160 ~ 542 million Yen (1.61 ~ 5.46 million USD) were offered for sale earlier this month.

A total of 112 purchase applications were made, with each apartment received an average of 5.09.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Tokyu Hands Shibuya store sold for 10 billion Yen

Hulic have purchased the Nishi Shibuya Tokyu Building (aka the Tokyu Hands Shibuya Store) from a Tokyu-related company for 10 billion Yen (101 million USD). Hulic plan to redevelop the site when Tokyu's lease expires in 10 years.

The current building is 10 storeys with a total floor area of 13,000 sqm. It is on a 1,800 sqm block of land in the middle of Shibuya's retail precinct. It was originally owned by Tokyu Fudosan Group, but sold to a related fund in 2006 for 14 billion Yen.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Should you buy into the Olympics hype for Tokyo's bayside areas?

Don't let the Olympics overshadow your thought process when buying. 

Short-sighted buyers who buy under the hype of the Olympics could possibly find themselves in a difficult position after the games have finished.

Since the Olympics announcement last week, the real estate industry has been in a state of excitement as buyers scramble to buy apartments near the action. But the Olympics are still 7 years away and the event only lasts a few weeks. Can this excitement be sustained and what will happen to property prices after the games are over?Read more

by Zoe Ward

Shibuya City Office redevelopment confirmed

On September 10, an official decision was made to redevelop the Shibuya City Office and adjoining Shibuya Public Hall (C.C. Lemon Hall). The two buildings were completed in 1964, with the hall hosting the weight-lifting events at the 1964 Summer Olympics.

Demolition of the City Office will begin in 2015 and the new building should be completed by 2018. The building will be similar in scale to the existing ones. Part of the 12,500 sqm block will be converted to leasehold and may become the site of a future residential building.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Skyz Tower & Garden over half sold

Although completion is not expected until August 2014, 630 of the 1,110 apartments in Skyz Tower & Garden in Toyosu have already sold.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Resale value rankings for developers

Attractors Lab has ranked the top condominium developers by the average resale value of their apartments. In top place is Marubeni, followed by Taisei-Yuraku Real Estate and Itochu Property Development. Although these are the top ranked developers, they all saw a drop in average resale values since new.

The data is compiled from the average price of the developer's apartments when new and their average price when later resold. Data is only included for developers with over 30 buildings, and for buildings listed for sale from 2001 onwards.

Top developers by resale values:Read more

by Zoe Ward