New construction pre-sales slowing
Over the past three years, the number of buildings selling out before completion has dropped to just 50%. For some developers, this can spell disaster, but a surprising number have the patience to wait and take a slower approach to sales.
Tokyo office vacancy rate hits new low in November
The average vacancy rate for prime office space in Tokyo’s central five business districts hit a new low in November, dropping 0.07 points from the previous month to 1.56%. This is the lowest vacancy rate seen since December 1990 when the average rate was just 0.39%. Meanwhile, average rents have increased for the past 71 consecutive months.
Okinawa real estate market outlook turns dim
The outlook for Okinawa’s real estate market has shifted negative.
Tokyo Apartment Sales in November 2019
The following is a selection of apartments that were reported to have sold in central Tokyo during the month of November 2019:
Tokyo Bay’s largest retail complex to open in 2020
Sumitomo Realty & Development has released details on their mega retail project for Ariake island in Tokyo Bay.
Property tax abatement may be extended
The government is firming up plans to extend the special tax reduction on annual property taxes that applies to new construction. It is hoped that the planned extension would help alleviate the added costs in buying new housing after the consumption tax rate was increased to 10% last month.
Median sale price of new apartments up 2.1%
According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, the median price (not the average) of a brand-new apartment released for sale across greater Tokyo in the first half of 2019 was 53,990,000 Yen, up 2.1% from the first half of 2018 and up 4.0% from 2017. The average price, meanwhile, was 61,370,000 Yen, up 2.9% from 2018 and up 4.3% from 2017.