What would you have done differently?

Finding land, working a small plot or anything else countryside related
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Zasso Nouka
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Re: What would you have done differently?

Post by Zasso Nouka »

I don't know much about structural issues with houses but this seems somewhat alarming
dayunbao wrote:
Wed Jun 26, 2019 1:03 am
4. the foundation "looks fine" but windows in one part of the house are difficult to open/close, so the house has a bit of "slant"
It might be nothing and a lot might depend on how old the house is or when it started leaning. I'd also want to know why the floor and joists need replacing, if it's termites there could be a lot of other hidden damage that would need fixing.

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Re: What would you have done differently?

Post by Ibaraki llama »

dayunbao wrote:
Wed Jun 26, 2019 1:03 am

3. plumbing and septic tank might need work
We have the same issue at our place - this work could cost between 500K and 1 million in itself.

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Re: What would you have done differently?

Post by dayunbao »

Ibaraki llama wrote:
Wed Jun 26, 2019 7:54 am
dayunbao wrote:
Wed Jun 26, 2019 1:03 am

3. plumbing and septic tank might need work
We have the same issue at our place - this work could cost between 500K and 1 million in itself.
Good to know.

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Re: What would you have done differently?

Post by dayunbao »

Zasso Nouka wrote:
Wed Jun 26, 2019 4:57 am
I don't know much about structural issues with houses but this seems somewhat alarming
dayunbao wrote:
Wed Jun 26, 2019 1:03 am
4. the foundation "looks fine" but windows in one part of the house are difficult to open/close, so the house has a bit of "slant"
It might be nothing and a lot might depend on how old the house is or when it started leaning. I'd also want to know why the floor and joists need replacing, if it's termites there could be a lot of other hidden damage that would need fixing.
Yeah, that concerns me, too. I think I'm going to look for another house, but also change my criteria. I've been thinking more and more about living in a place that I own outright, and saving all the money I waste on rent. So I'm going to maximize cost and convenience over location. I've found a house inside the city that the last akiya was just outside of. The new house is only 1 km from the train station, and is also close to...well, everything. So I could easily walk or bike everywhere, and not need a car (which you have to have if you're living in the countryside). It's also cheaper than the other akiya, and has a small garage. Since it's in the city, it should be hooked up to the city sewers. So I wouldn't have to worry about septic tanks. I hoping that the house is in better overall condition than the other akiya, since it's not out in a forest. Based on the pictures, the outside looks...normal (it isn't a great looking house, honestly), but the inside is nice. A lot of wood everywhere. There are villas in the mountains all around the city going for quite cheap, so I could buy one of those later.

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gonbechan
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Re: What would you have done differently?

Post by gonbechan »

I would never buy in a villa estate. The buy in fee is very high and the yearly fee is also pretty steep.
They usually have non-city water and sewage fees as well.

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Re: What would you have done differently?

Post by dayunbao »

Well, the second house I was looking at, the one in the city, is on leased land. So even after buying the house, you'd have to pay rent for the land it's sitting on...weird.

I found another house, though. This one is on the coast. The listing has a warning that part of the house isn't registered. I don't know what that means, or how it would affect ownership. The translator I hired is trying to contact the listed real estate agency to find out. Anyone know what that could mean?

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Re: What would you have done differently?

Post by LeeB »

"Well, the second house I was looking at, the one in the city, is on leased land."

One word: AVOID!!

The whole purpose of buying a house to get out from paying rent to somebody else. And of course in Japan land is what has the value - the house is basically worthless after a few years.

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Re: What would you have done differently?

Post by dayunbao »

LeeB wrote:
Thu Jun 27, 2019 3:52 pm
"Well, the second house I was looking at, the one in the city, is on leased land."

One word: AVOID!!

The whole purpose of buying a house to get out from paying rent to somebody else. And of course in Japan land is what has the value - the house is basically worthless after a few years.
I agree totally. That's the reason I won't consider buying a condo in Japan. After buying it, you're stuck paying several hundred dollars a month is various fees...forever.

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Re: What would you have done differently?

Post by gonbechan »

With leased land, not only are you stuck with monthly payments on the land, you are liable for the removal of the structure when your lease is up. Something not many people are aware of.

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Re: What would you have done differently?

Post by LeeB »

"That's the reason I won't consider buying a condo in Japan."

Yes, I generally agree that in most instances buying a condo in Japan isn't a good proposition. as I've stated in other posts there are numerous areas that could cause problems.

However all that being said, there are a couple of instance where buying one would make sense.............

For many condos they depreciate in value as they get old. However, prime, high class condos in luxury buildings in the big cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, and maybe even Sapporo could appreciate in price. Here we are talking about condos that are priced in the millions - not one or two, but more. You know demand, limited supply and all that.

Second, if you are looking for a condo as a 'weekender' to use as a vacation getaway during certain times of the year it may actually be cheaper in the long run to buy one in order to have the freedom to use it and not pay the ridiculous cost of hotel rooms during the peak vacation times in Japan. You can buy condos in Onjuku for really, really cheap prices.

With the changes in the rental laws brought on by the popularity of AirBnb in Japan I don't know how they would affect you renting it out during the other times of the year when you don't use it. If possible that would help you recover the cost of the ownership fees.............

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