ERA Worldwide

Japan lives with flowers of four seasons and appreciation of the flowers coloring each season is indispensable to understanding Japan-chrysanthemum in January, plum in February, cherry blossoms in April, hydrangea in June, etc. Those flowers, for example, will become foods or decorate dishes, according to the customs of the various regions. Also, the way of loving and enjoying flower blossoms are variant and have melted into every day life. So, Japanese people come to feel the new season by flowers.

Real Estate in Japan
Thanks to unprecedentedly low interest rates in the past few years, the real estate market in Japan is moving upward, especially the market of new, lower priced condominium units aimed at first time home buyers. However, the move up market remains slow, as many owners carry a mortgage that is larger than the current value of their house. So, complete recovery of the resale market will take more time. Due to over-supply in the residential rental property market, the vacancy rate is still climbing, ranging between 5-13%, creating harsh competition among brokers. Because of the accelerated expansion of Information Technology, great changes to the industry are foreseen in 2001.

About ERA in Japan
The year 2001 is the 20th anniversary of ERA Japan, which currently has 570 franchised offices. New business concepts recently introduced will spur the growth of ERA Japan to 1,000 offices by 2005. Newly established alliances with moving companies, computer companies, insurance companies, etc. will provide a greater benefit to consumers, along with the rapid introduction of Information Technology within the ERA organization.