Tokyo apartment discounts in April
We have been receiving more than a few inquiries from keen buyers looking to snag a bargain in the current market, and we have been monitoring the market very closely. The bad news is that while reported transactions have fallen a lot in April, the data from REINS shows that price negotiations on in the residential market appear to remain relatively unchanged from last year. This is in line with what we are seeing on the ground. There are a few big discounts here and there, but they remain outliers.
Japan’s high-rise apartment market from 2020 to 2024 onwards
There are currently 103,100 apartments in 258 high-rise buildings planned for completion across Japan from 2020 onwards, however, the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide state of emergency declared in April 2020 may see some construction projects delayed as a result. This is an increase of 8,009 apartments and 27 buildings from the previous report issued by the Real Estate Economic Institute in March 2019.
Tokyo Apartment Sales in April 2020
The following is a selection of apartments that were reported to have sold in central Tokyo during the month of April 2020:
Tokyo apartment sales drop by over 50% as pandemic hits buyer sentiment
Reported sales of existing apartments across Tokyo’s 23 wards have sunk to record lows this month as the coronavirus panic and state of emergency scares buyers from making big purchases.
New apartment supply drops 35.8% in March
According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, 2,142 brand-new apartments were released for sale across greater Tokyo in March, down 35.8% from last year. This is the lowest level seen for the month of March since 1992.
A total of 1,500 apartments sold within the first month of sales, resulting in a contract ratio of 70.0% - a 2.2 point decrease from last year.
Tokyo office vacancy rate increases for first time in 9 months
In March, the office vacancy rate across Tokyo’s central five business districts increased for the first time in 9 months. The vacancy rate reported by Miki Shoji was 1.50%, up 0.01 points from the previous month, but down 0.28 points from last year.
Ueno hotel closes in order to preserve historic home
At the end of May, a historic ryokan founded around the former home of novelist Ogai Mori will shut its doors after 80 years of operations. The hotel has suffered from a spate of cancellations for both its rooms and restaurant as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak and is unable to continue to remain open.