Tag Archive for Property investment

Real estate investment in Japan : Beautiful Stories, Hard Realities

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Beautiful Stories, Hard Realities

Real estate agents/realtors are always holding seminars in Tokyo, Osaka and elsewhere, luring in amateur investors (for Japanese investors so far)

and telling them beautiful stories of how this person or that person got rich in the property market.

I never exaggerate such successes in my seminars, although of course they do exist.

Instead, I always tell the audience true stories from my experience and those of other clients and inexperienced investors, and in particular about the mistakes made.

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Buying a very affordable condominium in Japan ?: Do the due diligence

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Irresistible ?

I receive a number of inquiries about very affordable and yet old condominiums from foreign nationals.

They don’t know much about Japanese market.

Japan is facing serious social issues including ageing society and shrinking population.

And old condominiums are facing similar realities especially in the regional areas.

I am not saying all old condominiums are risky but please do not jump at the gun only because they are cheap.

You need to carefully investigate the property and check the potential risks.

Real estates are totally controlled by the market mechanism and they are cheap for a reason.

That said, if you carefully search, you could get a relatively good investment.

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Essentials : How is the real estate ownership registered in Japan ?

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Just the basics.

Today I am going to share some basic laws and regulations on the real estate in Japan.

1 How does the real estate registration work in Japan ?

The real estate registration system is governed by the real estate registration law (不動産登記法）

Properties are registered in the real estate register which gives the basic information of the property and its

rights/titles.

The registration record can be reviewed at the legal affairs bureau. (法務局)

The registration information can be accessed by the internet by paying a small fee (you can also

get a copy of registration at local legal affairs bureau.

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Despite the turbulence in the residential market segment, office buildings are in shortage

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The vacancy rate is historically low in almost two decades since January 2002.

The vacancy rate of office buildings  in May in the five central wards, Tokyo (business districts, Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya)

was announced recently by office building brokerage firm Miki Shoji in Tokyo.

The vacancy rate dropped by 0.06 points to 1.64%. 

Vacancy rate is the lowest since 2002.

Office buildings in central Tokyo continue to have very few vacancies.

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We support akiya investment but only on a fee basis (YouTube)

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Are you interested in Akiya ?

We receive an inquiry almost everyday about akiya investment.

They are mainly from western countries such as US,  Canada and Australia.

Almost everyone just wants to buy a cheap akiya house for their financial benefit.

But akiya investment is not easy.

The stickiest issue is the renovation cost.

It could be very significant and a way more than the value of the houses.

We don’t search akiya for free.

If you want to buy akiya,  you need to hire me on a fee basis

otherwise please contact other agents who can handle akiya on a commission basis.

(but I do not think there is any)

 

You need to understand how the Japanese system works and the traps and

challenges that exist.

Akiya (unused house) is cheap for a reason !

 

Please watch my YouTube video for more details.

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Do you need an inkan (seal, name stamp) to buy a property in Japan ?

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(How to use inkan)

What kind of documents do you need to have for the registration of your property ?

After you acquire your property, you want to register your ownership with the officials here, right ?

If you don’t register your ownership(title), you can not legally argue that your property is yours.

You need the officially backing from the government.

Japan has the system called ‘Real estate registration’ (FUDOSAN-TOUKI 不動産登記)

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How the commission for agents (realtors) works in Japan ?: Risks you should watch (YouTube)

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How the commission for agents (realtors) work in Japan ?
The system is very different from that of USA.

In the US, sellers pay the commission to the sellers agents (listing agents) and buyers don’t pay the commission.

(Later, sellers agents split the commission with buyers agents)

In Japan, a buyer pays the 3% commission to buyers agent and a seller pays the same 3% to sellers agent (listing agent)

3% is the statutory rate and not negotiable (it is but I don’t negotiate).

Japan has been infamous for the problem of “dual agency”.

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HARUMI FLAG project in Tokyo : Biggest condominium development in the history : Will it fail or succeed ?

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When the key project takes a tumble ?

The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will be held in 2020 summer.

The athlete’s village will be actually renovated and sold as condominiums, rental apartments, and commercial facilities after the Olympics approximately four years after the games.

The development project after the Olympics was named “HARUMI FLAG”.

It is a massive project.

In light of very defensive movement of the new condos in last several months,

many industry figures are bracing for the outcome of the sales.  

Total of 4145 condos units will be for sale and 1487 units of rental property (rental units) will be entering the rental market.

It is the biggest condominium development project by far in the industry history.

By the way, the consortium already announced that two high rise condo buildings will be also built in the site but the details are not

released yet. (the above 4145 units do not include two high rises) 

The development area (Harumi Flag) will be accommodating about 12,000 residents.

The development is a very rare joint project by the consortium of Mitsui Fudosan Residential, Mitsubishi Jisho Residence, Nomura Real Estate, Sumitomo Real Estate,

and other 10 major developers will be engaged. 

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Can foreigners get a MORTGAGE LOAN for home in Japan ? : Key Factors

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Are you curious about the mortgage loan in Japan ?

Few individuals have enough savings or liquid funds to enable them to purchase property outright.

It is normal for home purchases to be funded by a mortgage loan.

A mortgage loan is used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or alternatively by existing property owners to raise funds

for any purpose, while putting a lien on the property being mortgaged.

The home mortgage loan is widely available in Japan, too.

The best referral source for obtaining a foreign national mortgage loan is a local real estate broker that works in Japan.

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