Delivering Japanese Real Estate Information and More!

Japan has entered a new era – Reiwa. Below are some of the major events that happened in the real estate industry.   Civil Law Amendment in Real Estate The civil law amendment in April this year is getting the spot light in the real estate industry. One of of the major changes that will take place is the regulation regarding lease guarantor.   ・An upper guarantee amount must be set for a personal lease guarantor ・In case the lessee or guarantor passed away during the lease period, the principal amount will stop during the time of death.   …the …

Many investors purchased properties in Japan with the anticipation of an optimistic growth in the real estate market driven by 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. With a few months left to 2020 Olympics, investors are curious about the value of their properties. Today, I am going to introduce the expenses that comes along with property selling in Japan. Brokerage Fee This is a fee paid to the broker who conducts the selling process on behalf of the owner. The maximum amount is stated by the real estate brokerage act. For transactions over 4,000,000JPY, the fee is as below. Final sale price …

Japan is well known for its convenient lifestyle. You can find over 50,000 convenience stores across Japan that operate 24 hours a day and 365 days days a year. Since the first convenience store established in 1974, it has become an essential existence in everyday life. The distance to a convenience store is often used as an appealing point in rental apartment advertisement. While convenience stores are already concentrated in Tokyo, many people prefer to have one within a couple minutes by foot. More Than Just Groceries Besides groceries and basic medications, you can find ATM and printing service in Japan’s …

Servicearea in Japan are parking spots on expressways for travelers to take a break and fill up their tanks. Lake Suwa Service Area   The first service area was Otsu Service Area, built in 1963 in Shiga Prefecture. It is located on Meishin Expressway – the very first expressway in Japan connecting Osaka and Nagoya. Service area serves an important role in preventing traffic accidents caused by fatigue from long drives by providing drivers a place to rest. What can you find in Service Area? The development of service area have been advancing over years. They are well equipped and …

2019’s most desired room features chosen by tenants was published by the national rental housing news in October 2019.   Features that contribute to rent increase   Necessary features in recruiting tenants   Every year, a survey regarding tenants’ needs is conducted among management companies and real estate agencies. 365 companies participated in this year’s survey on ”features that contribute to rent increase” and ”necessary features in recruiting tenants”. Free Internet Access is the Key to differentiate your apartment The number one feature that contributes to rent increase is free internet access on both single and family-type properties. Free Internet …

Customers check not only the room, but also the common area of an apartment. According to the latest edition of tenant-satisfaction survey conducted by Recruit Sumai Company, more than half of the participants stated that they look at the condition of the common area when renting an apartment. Among the above participants, 84% of them answered that they take into consideration of the disposal station in the process of renting. The condition of the common area reflects how well a property management company is doing their job. Regardless of how nice a room can be, an unhygienic and faul smelled …

Japan is a hazard vulnerable zone. Every year, Japan gets hit by numerous natural disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, typhoons, floods, and even volcanic eruptions. Depending on the area, the destruction of natural disasters can be more severe than that of other area. Hazard Map by Japan Government The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has published a map showing area that are under the risk of floods, mudslides, and tsunami. This map also shows at what level the area is at risk of the above natural disasters. Below are maps showing areas near Tokyo that are under the risk …

Tokyo became one of the fastest growing markets for private lodging with the lack of hotel availability in Japan and the increase of inbound tourists. In popular areas of Tokyo, tourists have to make their reservation 6 months ahead of their trip. Seeing the gap in supply and demand of accomodation, many property investors shift from traditional rental to vacation rental. Vacation Rental Industry and Private Lodging The vacation rental industry has existed since decades ago. It is a type of renting where travelers temporary stay in a furnished house or apartment in alternative to hotels. These apartments can be runned by professional …

Have you heard of ”Interior-Coordinator”? Interior Coordinator is a professional who uses various forms of decoration such as furniture and lighting to create an aesthetically pleasing living space. While this qualification is not required in property management, the knowledge of interior design can come in handy when considering the operation of furnished rental apartments and lowering vacancy rate with home staging. Moreover, this is significatly crucial in the case of renovation. Make your property more appealing by home staging We all know the importance of first impression. It is proven that 83% of people’s first impression is determined by what they …

Storage is one of the most important factors being considered when looking for housing. Renovating a Japanese-styled wardrobe into modern closet, installing shelves and organizers to make storage more useful are ways to improve apartments’ value. However, for rooms that are too small or with unique shapes preventing them from installing storage space can consider placing storage ”outside”. Japanese Style Closet Modern Closet   Rental Storage at Common Area Following the rules of land-to-building ratio, it is possible to utilize the empty space in your property to install ”rental storage”. For instance, it costs 500,000JPY to install five 1 m2 storage. …