Reuters: The "Ghost House" Market is Heating Up
Reuters reported on June 30 that the average price of a 70-square-meter second-hand apartment in Tokyo's 23 wards has surged by more than a third within a year, reaching 100.9 million yen (about 6.97 million yuan), setting a new historical high. In this context, properties involved in incidents such as murder or "lonely deaths" (defined in Japanese law as "psychological defect real estate") have become a new choice for investors and young homebuyers. Professional real estate consultant Kazutoshi Kodama pointed out that with the soaring housing prices, these previously avoided "ghost houses" have now become an option in the market. Data shows that villas in central Tokyo once sold at half price, 50 million yen (about 3 million yuan), due to murder cases, far below market price; while data from the professional institution MarksLife shows that the average return on investment for such properties is as high as 8.4%, far exceeding the 3.55% return level of ordinary apartments in Tokyo. Faced with the surge in "lonely deaths" caused by an aging society (there were about 21,900 cases last year where the body remained undiscovered for more than eight days), some agents have introduced Buddhist purification ceremonies and "no-ghost certificate" services to eliminate buyers' psychological trauma. Mari Shimamura, a 24-year-old office worker, admitted: "Even with discounts, I would never consider it. It's not just about fearing ghosts, but those unfortunate histories themselves are really terrifying."
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836316168993929/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.