Buying Property in Japan

  1. Can you actually buy property in Japan?

    Yes, with fewer restrictions than almost anywhere. What the house does not give you: a visa, and a bank account.

  2. Why Japan, and why now

    Nine million empty houses, and the honest version of what that number contains.

  3. Visas: what the house does not give you

    There is no golden visa. The routes that do exist, and which are realistic.

  4. How to search for properties yourself

    The listings are public. They are just in Japanese. The fifteen terms that get you through them.

  5. Why nobody replies, and what a buyer’s agent changes

    Your enquiries go unanswered for structural reasons. And the fee is the same either way.

  6. Reading a Japanese property

    Land holds value, buildings do not. And on an old house, the seller’s liability is usually removed entirely.

  7. What it really costs

    Budget 6% to 10% on top of the price. A worked example from a completed purchase.

  8. The buying process, and how long it takes

    Two weeks in the fast case, two to three months from abroad. What stretches it.

  9. Buying from overseas

    You can complete without setting foot in Japan. The affidavit is the one thing that cannot be rushed.

  10. Money: transfers and financing

    Plan on paying cash. And a bank wire is not the only way to move it.

  11. After you buy

    What ownership costs each year, managing from abroad, and the rules on short-term letting.

  12. Common mistakes

    The specific ways a Japanese purchase goes wrong, and why termites are not the problem you think.

  13. Taking the first step

    Good property moves in days. Being unready is what loses it, not price.

  14. What we do, and what we don’t

    Who we are, what we charge, and what we will tell you that you may not want to hear.