40% stake sold in The Ritz Carlton Kyoto
The Sekisui House Reit has acquired 40% joint ownership of the trust beneficiary rights to the The Ritz Carlton Kyoto for 17.8 billion Yen (approx. 160 million USD). The sale took place on January 31 and the seller was the Reit's sponsor, Sekisui House.
Keihan Real Estate to develop machiya guesthouses in Kyoto
On December 6, Keihan Real Estate announced plans to enter the machiya guesthouse business in Kyoto City. The company, along with Tokyo-based real estate flipper Intellex, plans to invest 2 billion Yen (approx. 18 million USD) in restoring 10 guesthouses over the next year.
Imperial Hotel sets its sights on Kyoto
On November 28 it was reported that Imperial Hotel, Ltd. is looking to open an Imperial Hotel in Kyoto City. A major contender for the new hotel is the historic 82-year old Yasaka Kaikan building in the Gion district.
15th century home in Kyoto demolished
A traditional townhouse dating back to the 1400s in Kyoto was demolished at the end of August. The Kawai Residence, located alongside the Tenjin River in Nakagyo Ward, was the oldest surviving townhouse in the city.
Kyoto’s most expensive apartment building is almost sold out
Kyoto City’s most expensive apartment building since 1995 is already close to selling out prior to the start of official sales. 90% of the apartments in The Kyoto Residence Gosho-Higashi have already been pre-sold to buyers, with the remaining 4 units offered in the first round of public sales held on October 13th. The four apartments are priced from 105 to 157 million Yen (approx. 935,000 ~ 1,400,000 USD). With an average price of around 1,600,000 Yen/sqm (approx. 1,325 USD/sq.ft), this is the most expensive apartment building to go on sale in the city since 1995. It has beaten a previous record set in 2015 by The Parkhouse Kyoto Kamogawa Gosho-Higashi which had an average price of between 1,300,000 ~ 1,400,000 Yen/sqm when new.
Housing starts in Kyoto drop 13.1% in 2017 as hotel construction overtakes apartments
Housing starts in Kyoto Prefecture saw a year-on-year drop of 13.1% in 2017 to 14,790 units, the second lowest level seen in the past 10 years. This is also the second year in a row to see a decline in new construction.
This has been attributed to a steep rise in the construction of hotels in Kyoto’s city centre, with developers choosing to focus on building hotels rather than apartment buildings. Construction of apartments has halved as a result. The tourism boom and demand for hotels has put pressure on land prices, causing them to reach a level where the land is no longer profitable for an apartment development. Read more
Kyoto approves minpaku rule requiring host to be within 10 minute radius of property
On February 23, Kyoto City approved a local ordinance that will impose strict rules on hosts of unlicensed short-term ‘minpaku’ accommodation.
For properties located in exclusive residential zones, hosts can only provide accommodation for a maximum of 60 days per year and only during the off-season winter months from January 15 to March 15. Both traditional machiya townhouses and properties where the host also lives on the premises may be exempt if certain requirements are met.Read more