House built in 178 but tilt and terminte damage

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UeNSaVOr
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House built in 178 but tilt and terminte damage

Post by UeNSaVOr »

I haven't been to see it in person (I have to schedule time to go a few prefectures away), but I got the following information on a property.

空室期間: 約10年
状態:雨漏り:なし(以前、修繕しているが可能性はある)
   傾き:あり
   床抜け:あり
   白蟻:あり
   残置物:あり

It's a bit under 500man, over 3500m^3, and in a location both wife and I can live with. I know it's hard to say without seeing the property itself, but what would your gut reactions be? How hard might it be to mitigate these things?

My longterm goal is to move, save cash, and build a new house on the property. Without permanent residency yet, however, trying to demolish and do that and get a loan for it all is seeming rather impossible.

Thanks!

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Zasso Nouka
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House built in 178 but tilt and terminte damage

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Obviously can't say much without seeing the property but would initially guess the house is in pretty bad shape and you are buying the land with permission to rebuild. To get an idea if the price is fair how much would a similar sized property in that location be ? How much is demolition going to cost there ?

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House built in 178 but tilt and terminte damage

Post by Savot »

In my experience one of the unique things about Japanese real estate agents is that they can be overly honest. I remember when we were looking for our place the agent told us that it was impossible to access the property in winter. While it’s definitely a little harder with all the snow it’s a long way from being impossible. We also viewed another house where the agent flat out told us we didn’t want to buy the place and proceeded to point out all the faults. I’m not saying that’s the case here but you’d probably get the same set of information even if the issues listed were relatively minor.

That said, I’ve had a bad experience in another country with termites where neither the agent nor the building inspector knew (disclosed?) their presence. They can do a lot of damage (often unseen) so you probably want to be extra careful there. They’re particularly hard to get rid of and repairing the damage is usually quite expensive. That may be less of an issue if you’re planning on tearing the place down and rebuilding though.

Good luck with your search!

Incidentally, is the thread title accurate? I read it as saying the house was built almost 2000 years ago!

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House built in 178 but tilt and terminte damage

Post by UeNSaVOr »

Savot wrote:
Tue Apr 18, 2023 8:46 am
That said, I’ve had a bad experience in another country with termites where neither the agent nor the building inspector knew (disclosed?) their presence. They can do a lot of damage (often unseen) so you probably want to be extra careful there. They’re particularly hard to get rid of and repairing the damage is usually quite expensive. That may be less of an issue if you’re planning on tearing the place down and rebuilding though.

Good luck with your search!

Incidentally, is the thread title accurate? I read it as saying the house was built almost 2000 years ago!
Timberframe home, gently used, 900 previous owners, hehe.

I have no idea how much termite remediation costs, but I'll look into it. We'll basically have unlimited time and freedom to poke around, according to the real estate agent, so I'll be looking for all the signs I can.

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House built in 178 but tilt and terminte damage

Post by UeNSaVOr »

Zasso Nouka wrote:
Tue Apr 18, 2023 6:30 am
Obviously can't say much without seeing the property but would initially guess the house is in pretty bad shape and you are buying the land with permission to rebuild. To get an idea if the price is fair how much would a similar sized property in that location be ? How much is demolition going to cost there ?
It seems cheaper than some other properties of the size in the area, but it's also in a sorta weird location with regard to roads on all sides of it. It does have a couple of neighbors inside that little loop of roads, one of which is a shrine. It's also tempting because if I wanted to scale up in the future, there's a chance I could buy adjacent plots.

I'll have to check on demo costs; I'm not sure.

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House built in 178 but tilt and terminte damage

Post by Tora »

Old houses start returning to nature quite soon after being abandoned without attention for a few years. Mold is one of those things that many people underestimate. In can have very adverse effects on your health.

Termites can be a real deal breaker. Knowing how much damage they’ve done is one of the most important things here. I was quoted at¥300,000 for our house of less than 100m3. That was 4-5 years ago so I assume prices have gone up 30% or more. They should come back every 5years and retreat it. I chose to treat it myself with a borax and borate solution. It was unpleasant and I am always wondering if I made the right choice but i also think my imagination needs to take a chill pill sometimes.

Also look for leaks or places where water has been coming into contact with the walls or foundation. Water causes rot, mold and creates the moist conditions that termites love.

If you can get inside and have a look under the floors and above the ceilings, it will give you a much better idea of what you’re getting into. Better yet, find/pay a pro to look at it with you and give you a realistic guestimate on price/demolition if you don’t have the experience to do it yourself.

Visit the area/house on different days/seasons/times to see how it changes and if you’re ok with those conditions. My brother bought a house without doing that and said it was a Big mistake.

If your family is not gung ho about diy and living rough while trying to live in a house you’re trying to renovate can be a good to create marital disharmony. I’m ok with that and think it creates a stronger appreciation for the finished home. However, My wife developed serious health and attitude problems living in an apartment 15 minutes away and only visiting a couple times away :lol: She likes it now but I sure could’ve used more of her help along the way…. I guess I can’t blame her as she (like a large majority of Japanese people) grew up in a non Diy culture where overpaying someone to do simple things you can be bothered to learn about is the norm.

Random but very relative quotes:

“It always takes 3 times longer than you plan”
TRUE in my case

“Living in the house while renovating it is a guarantee that it will never get done”
True so far in my case, unfortunately. But I claim “constant evolution” in my own defense :roll:

“A (wo)man should build at least one house in their life”

“The first house you build is never what you want”

“What professionals say is often the course you should have taken”
Painfully TRUE in retrospect

“Paying someone to do it is often cheaper than doing it yourself”

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House built in 178 but tilt and terminte damage

Post by UeNSaVOr »

Tora wrote:
Tue Apr 18, 2023 10:34 pm
If your family is not gung ho about diy and living rough while trying to live in a house you’re trying to renovate can be a good to create marital disharmony. I’m ok with that and think it creates a stronger appreciation for the finished home. However, My wife developed serious health and attitude problems living in an apartment 15 minutes away and only visiting a couple times away :lol: She likes it now but I sure could’ve used more of her help along the way…. I guess I can’t blame her as she (like a large majority of Japanese people) grew up in a non Diy culture where overpaying someone to do simple things you can be bothered to learn about is the norm.
I hadn't thought of having an inspector/pro come out because I know it's not long for this world, but that's probably a good point for demo. Wife is definitely less DIY than me, but we'd keep our rental until everything is complete anyway. Thank you!

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House built in 178 but tilt and terminte damage

Post by Tora »

UeNSaVOr wrote:
Thu Apr 20, 2023 7:53 am

I hadn't thought of having an inspector/pro come out because I know it's not long for this world, but that's probably a good point for demo. Wife is definitely less DIY than me, but we'd keep our rental until everything is complete anyway. Thank you!
It all depends on how long you want/expect the house to last. Make sure your wife is easygoing or onboard with diy building and Inaka life if you want happy married life to last…

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House built in 178 but tilt and terminte damage

Post by Eric in Japan »

Savot wrote:
Tue Apr 18, 2023 8:46 am
In my experience one of the unique things about Japanese real estate agents is that they can be overly honest. I remember when we were looking for our place the agent told us that it was impossible to access the property in winter. While it’s definitely a little harder with all the snow it’s a long way from being impossible. We also viewed another house where the agent flat out told us we didn’t want to buy the place and proceeded to point out all the faults. I’m not saying that’s the case here but you’d probably get the same set of information even if the issues listed were relatively minor.
The reason they don't want you to buy the house is because it is dirt cheap and they will get no profit from it. I bet they showed you some more expensive properties after that.
"... so, the cucumbers said to the cabbage, `Lettuce Go.`"

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