Shinjuku office vacancy rate drops to 1% range
The office vacancy rate across Tokyo’s five central business districts of Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato, Shinjuku and Shibuya dropped to 3.22% in July, down 0.04 points from June and down 0.72 points from July 2016. This is close to the record low of of 3.03% reported in April 2008 and down from a high of 9.43% seen in June 2012.
The vacancy rate in existing buildings (excluding new construction) was 2.87% in July, down 0.74 points from last year.
In Shinjuku ward, the vacancy rate was 1.68%, down 0.06 points from the previous month and down 1.30 points from last year. The vacancy rate dropped to the 1% range in May 2017.
265m tall tower for Toranomon Hills district
More details have been released on the Toranomon Hills Station Tower which will be built on the north-west side of Toranomon Hills in central Tokyo. The building height will be 265 meters, which is 18 meters taller than the neighbouring Toranomon Hills tower and 17 meters taller that Tokyo Midtown.
Construction of the 49-storey tower is scheduled to start in 2019 with completion by 2022 2023.
Desperate sellers in ski resort town forced to pay buyers to offload apartments
Some owners, in an attempt to offload their apartments in aging ski resort towns, are paying companies to take the properties off their hands. For companies offering this relatively new service, charging fees to the seller is how they balance the risk of holding a property that comes with high running costs and limited resale potential.
How it works
According to the website of a company that specializes in buying up resort apartments, they ask the seller to pay them enough to cover the following:
Average apartment rent in July 2017
According to Tokyo Kantei, the average monthly rent of a condominium-type apartment across greater Tokyo in July 2017 was 2,631 Yen/sqm, up 0.5% from the previous month but down 0.8% from last year. The average apartment size was 60.03 sqm and the average building age was 20.8 years.
In the Tokyo metropolitan area the average monthly rent was 3,141 Yen/sqm, up 0.4% from the previous month but down 0.1% from last year. The average apartment size was 57.19 sqm and the average building age was 19.1 years.
In Tokyo’s 23 wards, the average monthly rent was 3,302 Yen/sqm, up 0.3% from the previous month but down 0.1% from last year. The average apartment size was 56.56 sqm and the average building age was 18.3 years.
New apartment prices in greater Tokyo up 16% from last year
According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, a total of 3,426 brand-new apartments were released for sale across greater Tokyo in July, up 50.0% from the previous month and up 3.3% from last year.
2,465 apartments were sold, resulting in a contract ratio of 71.9%, up 8.6 points from last year and above the 70.0% level said to indicate healthy market conditions. Unsold inventory at the end of July was 6,314 apartments, down 184 units from last year.
The average price of a new apartment across greater Tokyo was 65,620,000 Yen, up 16.3% from the previous month and up 16.0% from last year. The average sale price per square meter was 952,000 Yen, up 13.3% from the previous month and up 18.1% from last year.
705 apartments in high-rise buildings (20 storeys and above) were listed for sale, up 220.5% from last year. The contract ratio was 88.2%, up 34.1 points from last year.
The following buildings saw same-day sellouts* in July:
Restauranteur planning hotels for Karuizawa and Nasu
Restaurant and wedding function company, Hiramatsu, has announced plans to open an additional two auberge-style resorts in Karuizawa and Nasu.
Both resorts will have around 30 guest suites and are scheduled to open in 2020. The Karuizawa property is located on a 53,000 sqm site of leased land in Miyota Town, just west of Karuizawa. Annual revenues are forecast to be 1.1 billion Yen (approx. 10 million USD), and the total investment will be around 3 billion Yen (approx. 27 million USD).
Renovated machiya guesthouse in Kyoto makes 1 million Yen in first month
A renovated guesthouse located just 7 minutes from Kyoto Station has made a gross turnover of 1 million Yen (approx. 9,150 USD) in the first month of operations.
Yadoru Kyoto Washi-no-Yado is a 102-year old traditional Kyoto machiya-style townhouse that was given a full renovation and converted into a holiday rental. The occupancy rate for the month of July was over 97%. Over 80% of the guests have been foreign travelers, with visitors from China and Taiwan making up 60% of bookings.