Tokyo apartment sale prices increase for 57th month
According to REINS, 3,333 second-hand apartments were sold across greater Tokyo in June, up 11.7% from the previous month and up 8.6% from last year. The average sale price was 31,620,000 Yen, down 0.3% from the previous month but up 4.8% from last year. The average price per square meter was 496,100 Yen, up 0.2% from the previous month and up 3.8% from last year. This is the 54th month in a row to record a year-on-year increase in sale prices. The average building age was 21.07 years.
In the Tokyo metropolitan area 1,750 second-hand apartments were sold, up 14.2% from the previous month and up 10.5% from last year. The average sale price was 38,640,000 Yen, down 1.7% from the previous month but up 3.2% from last year. The average sale price per square meter was 650,600 Yen, down 1.5% from the previous month but up 1.3% from last year. This is the 57th month in a row to record a year-on-year increase in sale prices. The average building age was 20.00 years.
23-storey apartment tower planned for Roppongi Itchome
Real estate developer Mori Trust is planning a 23-storey, 80-meter tall apartment building for a site in Roppongi. Completion is scheduled for late May 2019.
The Roppongi Itchome Project is located on the same block as Ark Hills Sengokuyama Mori Tower and across the street from Park Court Roppongi Hilltop. The site was previously a training building for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Mori Trust acquired the site in early 2010 and demolished the former office building in 2011.
Sales start in 50-storey high-rise in Osaka
Off-the-plan sales in the 50-storey Branz Tower Umeda North condominium began over the weekend, with the most expensive unit in the building - a 145 square meter three-bedroom penthouse - priced at 270 million Yen (approx. 2.37 million USD). A total of 218 apartments were offered for sale in the first round, representing a third of the total units in the building. Sale prices ranged from 36 to 270 million Yen and sizes ranged from 42 ~ 145 sqm (452 ~ 1,560 sq ft).
The 653-unit building is due for completion in November 2019 with apartments delivered to buyers from February 2020 onwards.
How long does it take to for an apartment to sell in central Tokyo?
We find many clients miss out on some great purchases because they assume they will have plenty of time before a property sells. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when trying to enter a major market like Tokyo is to think that you are the only buyer out there. In reality, there are a lot of buyers circling the market, especially in central Tokyo. The vast majority are domestic buyers who know the market and are able to pounce quickly.
Over 22,000 public housing units across Japan contained asbestos
A survey by public broadcaster NHK has found that there were over 22,000 apartments in public housing complexes across Japan that were built with materials containing hazardous asbestos.
From the findings, a professor from the Tokyo Institute of Technology has suggested that there is a possibility that as many as 230,000 former residents could have inhaled asbestos fibers while living in these apartments. While this does not mean that every former resident will suffer from health problems, the professor did point out that further information is needed from the national and local governments.
The investigation was carried out by NHK and the Japan Association of Mesothelioma and Asbestos Related Disease Victims and their Families. According to the results, the 22,000 apartments included 8,700 units in public housing complexes that once contained spray-on asbestos, as well as units in city housing and UR housing where minuscule amounts of asbestos were used in spray-on materials. They did not have access to data on public housing complexes that have already been demolished, so the number could be higher than estimated.Read more
New life for old homes in Onomichi
On the hillside leading up to Senko-ji Temple in Onomichi City, Hiroshima, sits an old wooden house built between 1921 ~ 1923. Despite being registered as a national tangible cultural property in 2013, the historic home had been left empty to rot on the hillside for decades.
Luckily, a local non-profit organisation has stepped in to restore the old property and convert it into a guesthouse. Repairs will start this month, with completion expected by February 2016.