Tag Archive for Property

The lure of Japan’s hidden treasures “Akiya” : Why are so many houses empty in Japan ?

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Terrifying hidden crisis or treasures ?
In Japan, recycling is so much part of our culture.
And yet, it is also the norm for Japanese to demolish their houses with almost less thought than most people would give to disposing beloved ceramic bowls.
People believe homes are usually built to last 50 odd years. Japanese building culture is often described as ‘scrap and build’.
The reasons for this phenomenon range from the ageing to need for constantly updating building technology as it revolves.
With shrinking population, the result is a housing problem that is the opposite of what most countries face. Japan has too many houses that no one wants.
According to the government statistics, the number of vacant houses (空き家、akiya) in 2013 reached 8.2 million.
(But the 8.2 million includes houses/apartment units for rent that are only vacant temporarily as owners try to find tenants or buyers. So genuine empty homes that have been abandoned altogether number about 3 million)
Moreover, many who inherit a house are unable to sell them because of a shortage of interested buyers. The problem is particularly acute in rural areas.
According to one statistics, the top ten ranking of akiya in prefectures as of 2013 was as follows.
(The number indicates the percentage of akiya in dwellings of  each prefecture)
In these prefectures, 1 out 5 properties are empty.

1.Yamanashi   22%
2.Nanago        19.8%
3.Wakayama   18.1%
4.Kochi            17.8%
5.Tokushima    17.5%
5.  Ehime          17.5%
7. Kagawa        17.2%
8. Kagoshima   17.0% 
9.Gunma           16.6%
10.Tochigi          16.3%
10. Shizuoka     16.3%

（top10 ranking)

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THE IMPACT of NATURAL DISASTERS. Nankai Trough Earthquake : Risk in Tokyo Bay from future tsunami

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Cleanup, rescue operations underway in Japan after severe rains kill over 200 people and strand thousands in the recent flooding and landslides in west Japan.

On Mar 11, 2011, a devastating 9.0-magnitude quake struck under the Pacific Ocean, and the resulting tsunami caused widespread damage and claimed tens of thousands of lives.
It also sent three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant, causing Japan’s worst postwar disaster and the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.
The devastating tsunami hit sites along the Tohoku coast. 
A public beach just opened in Rikuzentakata on July 20, 2018 for the first time in eight years, underscoring the destruction of sites.

In 1703, an 8.2 magnitude earthquake（Genroku earthquake) along the Sagami Trough triggered a tsunami that rippled towards Japan’s then capital, Edo. It is estimated that a couple of thousands lives were lost.
Japan has a lot of natural disasters and many foreign investors are worrying about it.
A major earthquake is expected to strike sometime along the Nankai Trough, a submarine trench running off the Japanese archipelago from around Shizuoka Prefecture in Honshu to the seas east of Kyushu.

How at risk is Tokyo Bay from future tsunami by Nankai Trough earthquake ?
The Nankai Trough is a 700-kilometer-long sea-bottom depression that runs about 100 km off the southern coast from Shizuoka Prefecture to the Shikoku region.

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Japan’s real estate price update: Price up for 3 consecutive years. Very strong growth in Tokyo buoyed by the booming inbound tourism

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(Ginza, Tokyo)

The results are in. You will be surprised to learn that Japan’s real estate price -at least some spots are- is breaking the record set during the bubble period.

On July 2, 2018, the National Taxation Bureau announced the average value of a square meter of land for tax assessment as of January 1 2018.The nationwide average price went up by 0.7% from the previous year and it increased for three consecutive years. By prefecture, growth is high in the three major metropolitan areas such as Tokyo (up 4.0%), Osaka (up 1.4%), Kyoto (up 2.2%), Aichi (up 1.5%)The rate of growth is higher in all three major metropolitan areas than the previous year.The rate of growth in core local prefectures is rather high such as Hokkaido (up 1.1%), Miyagi (up 37%), Hiroshima (up 1.5%), Fukuoka (up 2.6%).Average price in Okinawa was up 5.0% and it is the highest rate of increase in Japan.
Here are some key facts.

Tokyo
In Tokyo metropolitan, the average price went up 4.0%, the five consecutive years.
Ginza Chuo-dori has broken its record high for the second year in a row.The top appreciation in Tokyo was 15.8% at Aoyama Street, Minato-ku, Aoyama 3, which is also an upscale residential area. A number of luxury brand flagship stores are located in the area.In terms of growth rate, Aoyama regained the top place for the first time since 2007.The second spot is Adachi-ku Senju 3’s Kita-Senju Station West Exit Square  and it went up by 14.5%.In addition to the revitalization of the area due to the effect of a few universities campus being relocated, the convenience to the center of Tokyo boosted it.
These are the some major and the most expensive spots in Tokyo 23 wards.
(price per square meter ‘000 yen and the growth rate)Read more

How the investment in a local city works ? : Opportunity to invest in center of Sapporo residential building. No down payment is needed

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(Night life Susukino in Sapporo)　　　　　　（Odoori koen)
No down payment is needed.
Remarkable opportunity in Sapporo is up for sale in Sapporo.
One of my business partners has come across a pretty good property in Sapporo in northern Japan.We don’t usually deal with a property in Sapporo.
However, as the project already has passed the provisional review by a premier Japanese bank, I am introducing it on his behalf.
Let’s find out how viable it is.
Oh, by the way, If you seek investment that can expect the appreciation of 20% over next 3 years,
Japan is not your destination. Please go and find a property in countries like Thailand or Vietnam.

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How to avoid the severe flooding in Japan ? : Over 200 people died in recent floods and landslides

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（From NHK)

Over 200 people have died in floods and landslides triggered by the recent torrential rain in western Japan in July 2018.

It is the highest death toll caused by rainfall that Japan has seen in more than four decades.

In Japan, 1300 municipalities released the hazard maps.

They namely pinpoint locations at risk of floods or landslides.

There was a time when the disclosure of hazard information raised many eyebrows as fanning people’s fears and lowering property values.

But after we saw the recent worst flooding disaster in west of Japan in four decades, this is no longer the case.

In the Mabicho district of Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, the flooded areas reportedly corresponded exactly to what the hazard map showed. To date, more than 40 bodies have been recovered from severely flooded residential neighborhoods, now blanketed with mud.

CNN report

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Is it end of booming real estate market in Japan ? : Kenbiya latest quarterly report June 2018

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(Nomizo -no-taki(Nomizo fall), Chiba pref)
Is a tidal wave finished in Japan ? It is about time to to buy a property ?
Japan’s one of the major online web sites for the investment properties ‘Kenbiya’ recently announced the latest  market trend on the properties that are registered on the site in Japan.
It is not an official report by the public sectors but the research shows the quick snap shot of the market trend.The research results cover the period between April 2018 and June 2018
on properties in Japan for each market segment.
Let’s take a closer look at the result.
Overview on all Japan
Condo unit
The gross yield of registered properties is almost unchanged at 7.69% ( minus 0.02 points compared with the previous term).
The average price fell slightly to 14.24 million yen (-3.85% from the previous term).
Residential apartment building
The gross yield of registered properties rose slightly to 8.91% ( plus 0.13 points). The average price is 67.4 million yen ( minus 2.06% from the previous term).
The average price for the apartment buildings declined for the first time since 2013.
Residential condo building
Registered yield slightly increased to 8.06% (plus 0.09 points).
The average price slightly went up to 16,329,000 yen (plus 0.66%)

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New Survey Reveals the Bank loan Is the Biggest Challenge Facing in Real Estate Investment in Japan: But investors are still bullish

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Are you bullish or bearish ?
Two surveys by the major institutions revealed that both institutional investors and individual investors are bullish about the real estate market in Japan.
In the survey released by the Japanese real estate research institute in May, real estate price has been rising steadily due to the recovery of corporate performance and the expectations for the Tokyo Olympic Games and Abenomics.
The survey was conducted mainly for institutional investors.
However, 72 % of respondents say the real estate investment market is seeing the peak for the time being.
83.2% of respondents say many deals with remarkably low yields are appearing, compared to 68% in the previous survey in October 2017.
As for the view on investment in the next coming year, 90% of respondents say they will actively continue to make investments, up one point from the previous survey.
It indicates that the general consensus is still bullish.
Only 8% of respondents say they will be stopping the making new investment. Regarding the real estate market, attention is paid to interest rate trends in the United States and the monetary policy of the Bank of Japan.

As a whole investors’ willingness to invest is very positive
Regarding market expectation, the majority of institutional investors say that the market will expand in the next 6 months in both Tokyo and Osaka.Read more

1.5 hour by car from the center of Tokyo, enjoy the magnificent ocean view adjacent to Pacific Ocean: Unspoiled real estate opportunities in Kamogawa

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(Sunset in Katsuura city)

* Foreigners can buy a property in Japan without having special qualification.

The days with the ocean view spreading in front of you will make your time away from your busy city life. You can enjoy BBQ, parties etc in the garden with your friends.
Minamiboso area -Minamiboso city, Tateyama city, Kamogawa city and Katsuura city- in Chiba prefecture
can offer you such priceless time.
If you have never been there, you would be amazed to see the beautiful blue ocean.
Okinawa is better ?
Well, there is really no comparison.
I am not saying Kamogawa is the most beautiful in the world and have topped the list of dream holiday destinations.
There’s no doubting the allure of its perfect white sand beaches and swaying palms in Okinawa or Ishigaki islands.
But you can’t go to Okinawa every week.
Kamogawa certainly is a good place to get away from busy Tokyo and treat yourself to a view of the blue oceans, and wide skies.
In fact, in order to captivate the opportunities due to the recent market dynamics in private lodging law, I am seeking a property (house) to renovate and run as a hotel in Kamogawa right now.
Today I am discussing the viability of the investment in Kamogawa and surrounding area.

Where is Kamogawa ?

(Map from Tokyo to Kamogawa city)

Kamogawa (鴨川市 Kamogawa-shi) is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
As of May 2018, the city had an estimated population of 32,789. It is a small city.
Kamogawa is near the southeastern tip of the Boso Peninsula, facing the Pacific Ocean, about 70 km south of the prefectural capital, Chiba City,
and about 85 km from Tokyo.
The area has a warm maritime climate with hot summers and mild winters.
(perfect for weekend villa or second house !)
Kamogawa is home to Mount Atago, which at 408.2 m (1,339 ft) is the highest point in Chiba Prefecture.

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Flipping akiya houses dependent on knowing costs, the local housing market : What is a key to success ?

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(Tokorozawa station, Seibu line)

* Foreigners can buy a property in Japan without having special qualification.
Do you want to join the small handful of people who are doing the house flipping here ? 
Maybe we have got a better solution to abandoned houses problem in Japan.
Apparently home flipping investment is a lucrative and fulfilling way to make thousands of dollars within a short period of time in US. But it can also be a difficult and frustrating endeavor when things go wrong.
And things will often go wrong. I have read about the stories that investors talk about the various obstacles in their way. Flipping homes requires hard work, persistence, and a great deal of patience,
because you’ll inevitably encounter problems in the process.
What about the flipping houses Japan ?
Since there are so many abandoned houses here in Japan, can we do something similar ?
The answer is yes and no.
Let me start with the background by quoting an article in The Japan Times.

Background
The Japan Times on December 26, 2017 says “Over 8 million properties across Japan are unoccupied, according to a 2013 government report. Nearly a fourth have been deserted indefinitely, neither for sale nor rent.
In Tokyo — where 70 percent of the people live in apartments — more than 1 in 10 homes are empty, a ratio higher than in cities like London, New York and Paris.
And that figure is expected to soar in the coming decades as deaths outpace births in a super-aging society where more than 1 in 4 people are 65 or older.

Nomura Research Institute, prominent research firm, projects the number of abandoned dwellings to grow to 21.7 million by 2033, or roughly one-third of all homes in Japan.
Meanwhile the population, which peaked nearly a decade ago, is forecast to fall 30 percent by 2065, creating an ever-increasing pool of uninhabited houses.”

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Now, the real truth about the real estate investment in Japan : Kabocha no Basha and Suruga Bank scandal

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In today’s uncertain economy, dynamic growth potential with low risk is tempting.
Real estate companies are constantly manufacturing the opportunities to captivate the naive investors.
Kabocha no Basha was one of them.

Suruga Bank Scandal background
Japan’s Financial Services Agency has launched an emergency inspection into Suruga Bank over investment irregularities involving women-only shared houses.
Suruga Bank extended over 100 billion yen ($915 million) in loans to about 700 people, mainly middle-aged salaried workers, to invest in Kabocha no Basha — or “Pumpkin Carriage” ; women-only shared houses operated by Smart Days.
Tokyo-based Smart Days also worked as a middle man between Suruga and investors and solicited investment from salaried workers, pledging to pay them rents for 30 years.
But Smart Days struggled with low occupancy rates and stopped paying the rents to owners they promised in January 2018.
Smart Days filed for bankruptcy in April 2018.

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