Ken Saishoji, a Tokyo real-estate agent, used to answer questions from potential apartment buyers about the proximity to train stations and prices, but that changed after the March disasters.
"The question almost 100 percent of the customers ask first these days is how strong the ground and the structure of the building are," said 46-year-old Saishoji, who was in charge of selling 198 units in a 28-story building in Yokohama at broker Nomura Real Estate Urban Net Co.
Mitsui Fudosan Co. and Mitsubishi Estate Co., Japan's two biggest developers, are adopting higher quake-absorbing methods to reduce motion during temblors in buildings taller than 20 stories. For builders such as Nomura Real Estate Holdings Inc., highlighting quake-resistant features has meant selling all apartments at the Yokohama project at prices 14 percent higher than average for the area.