Taiwan Realty Co (台灣房屋), one of the nation’s leading real-estate agencies, yesterday said that it has established its first outlet in Japan, opening a branch in Tokyo.
The Tokyo office will help it provide better services to Taiwanese investors eyeing the housing market in Japan, the realtor said, adding that it intends to set up another branch in Osaka within a year to expand its coverage of the Japanese market.
Taiwan Realty president Kevin Peng (彭培業) said the rate of return in the Japanese property market ranges between 3 and 4 percent, beating the average return in Taiwan of about 2 percent, making it a viable opportunity for Taiwanese investors.
With business ties between Taiwan and Japan, particularly in tourism, growing in recent years, Peng said he believes that many Taiwanese investors will pay closer attention to the Japanese residential property market.
Yet Taiwan Realty’s plans for its presence in Japan go beyond catering to Taiwanese property investors.
It hopes to take advantage of its three other overseas branches, in Los Angeles, Kuala Lumpur and Vancouver, to build its business in Tokyo.
The realtor intends to pitch Japanese property in those markets and send groups of international investors to Tokyo to survey the property market there.
Peng said his company has set a sales target for the Tokyo branch of NT$5 billion (US$167 million) for this year by brokering 500 housing units.
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