fj.life.in-japan

Just the FAQs, ma'am, just the FAQs

The incomplete, unauthoritative answers to some, but not all, of your questions on life in Japan

updated August 05, 2001
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Housing Rantecdotes

Come on'a Ed's House, Ed's House'a Come on

My house cost 25 million yen to build. And that doesn't include the price of the land. It's out in the boondocks so I had to dig a 30 meter deep well because the water line doesn't reach my house. The well alone cost about 2 million....

One problem with fixer-uppers in Japan is that you basically have three difficult and expensive options.

1. Find a construction company that will reform your house. Very expensive and they will cut every corner that can be cut because the building inspectors in Japan are employed by the contractors. And besides, they don't bother inspecting houses.

2. Do it yourself and find out that the cost of building materials is twice what they should be because you are not the owner of a construction company.

3. Have it torn down and replaced with a new house. This is oftentimes cheaper in the long run because "reform" labor costs are higher and much more labor intensive than building from the ground up. I'm sure that you want insulation in those walls, more than one electrical outlet in the kitchen, perhaps a roof that doesn't leak, windows that actually open and close, a front door that has a real lock, a toilet that doesn't smell like a vacum car in the summer or freeze over in winter, or maybe even replace those Japanese sliding doors so that there's a bit of privacy for mom and dad.....

The third alternative will give you two basic choices.

1. Go with one of the big housing firms like Daiwa or Sekisui and get a house which has been pre-designed to save the contractor as much money as can be done. This is the cheapest way to go, but you will probably not be happy with the quality of materials, or the construction methods used.

2. Go with a small contractor who will cut every corner possible; agree to build to your specifications, and then build according to his; say anything and everything is possible, and then act innocent when you point out the discrepancy between what his responsibilities are and what he has taken responsibility for. This is expensive, but not that much more, and you at least have a say in what kind of materials are used. e.g. I have solid core Anderson doors and windows imported from America. Sekisui might do that for a custom job, but you'll be charged sekisui charges for having Anderson ship it to the construction site.

Case in point: (just one out of a hundred) The small contractor who built my house was paid to take care of ensuring that I have approval from the city to get gas, electricity, phone lines, and..... a water line. He didn't tell us that he was turned down by the city for a water line because the closest water line is too far away. He merrily hooked my house up to the closest neighbor's water line. He did this by hooking it up *after* his meter.

Also.... after I had repeatedly told him that I wanted insulation in every wall and floor, he agreed to install it, and when I came to check up on how the house was going, I found the dry wall guys were busy putting up the dry wall without any insulation. I hustled down to the local do-it-yourself store, bought some insulation and started putting it up myself. The carpenters went nuts. It seems that until they are finished, it's not my house. I made a big stink about it and the contractor did the same thing I did. He went down and bought a bunch of insulation, but I'm still angry that half of my first floor inside walls don't have any insulation in them. The guy just couldn't understand that insulation cuts down on noise.

Oh, and he had a fire at his company which saw all the as yet uninstalled trim for my custom built American sashes burn to a crisp. Fortunately, he had installed all but the attic window trim pieces so it's not soooo bad. Unfortunately, while he got paid damages by his insurance company, the windows in my attic are still sitting there with no trim.

There's lots more ranting where this came from, but I think you get the general point. If you think renters have to bend over and take it, just wait'll you start on your house. bwahahahaha!

Ed Mills

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Points to Ponder

Can a foreigner buy a house in Japan?

Yes. The first order of business in buying a house is coming up with the money, then finding a place that meets your budget and needs.

So first, the money. If you don't have permanent residency, you basically have zero chance of getting a housing loan in Japan. Also, I know of no country that will give a housing loan for a home purchase in a foreign country, so good luck getting the cash from a bank in your home country.

There are three ways around this little problem. The first is, of course, to obtain permanent residency. The second is to pay cash. More on that later. The third is only available if you have a Japanese spouse: put the loan in his or her name.

So, now you have your home buying budget, and it is now time to find a house. Naturally, the amount of money you have to spend will affect your buying options considerably. The "typical" Japanese way to do it is to buy some land, knock down any house already on the land, and have a new one built. While prices vary widely, 30 million yen with a 35-year loan (you end up paying 60 million total) seems like a good average ballpark figure.

But if you have to pay cash and can't shell out 20 million yen or so, there are bargains to be had. I have seen fixer-uppers in the countryside for as little as 1.5 million yen, and 5 million is not that uncommon. Of course, a downside of living in the middle of nowhere is there is very little work. That's why it's so cheap.

If you can read Japanese, the following sites have listings for used homes:
 Furusato Net
HOME'S

There are also a number of magazines that cater to country living. One of them is "Inaka Gurashi."

In addition to the normal warnings about buying a used house anywhere, there are a couple special things to be careful of when buying a used house in Japan. Be sure to confirm the following:
* Am I buying the land too?
* Are there water and electricity hookups? If not, how much will it cost to put them in?
* What is the toilet situation? Are there flush toilets (suisen; either sewage hookup -- very unlikely in the country -- or septic tank) or is it outhouse style (kumitori)?
* What is the road frontage (the more and wider roads your land faces, the higher the propery taxes)?

In addition, ask the following if you are planning to buy land and build on it:
* Is the land zoned as rediential (takuchi)?

One interesting possibility if you will be building your own home is to be "given" and old Japanese house. Many families want to get rid of their old Japanese home for a nice modern one, but for sentimental reasons don't want it destroyed. So they offer the home to anyone who will remove it from their property. There are companies you can contract that will dismantle the house, transport it to your property, clean up the frame, assemble it, and put up new tatami and shoji. All this will cost roughly the same as building your own home, but in return you will have a great old Japanese house if you are into that sort of thing.

Ryan Ginstrom

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