By Jeff Wynkoop There are a lot of options for those wanting to custom-build a house in Japan, and a lot of hurdles to overcome. In a previous article, we discussed how much it costs to build a house in... More

By Jeff Wynkoop In most respects, the process of buying property in Japan is very similar to buying real estate in any other country. However, the actual process can be opaque and time-consuming, especially if you do not speak or... More

By Jeff Wynkoop Have you ever come across a rice paddy wedged in between office buildings in a Japanese city? Most likely you were looking at a “Productive Green Area.” There are over 63,000 of these parcels of land scattered... More

By Jeff Wynkoop The National Tax Agency recently published its 2017 Roadside Land Values (路線価 or rosenka), and the key takeaway is that the national average price for land went up for the second straight year. Last year’s 0.2% growth... More

By Jeff Wynkoop Prices for investment condos continue to rise unabated. According to a leading real estate online site, the average per room price for condos in Japan was 15.5 million JPY in the April-June period, an increase of 3.8%... More

By Jeff Wynkoop Prior to making an offer to buy property in Japan, it is important to have a good estimate of your total out-of-pocket costs, and understand when the costs will arise in the buying process. Usually when buying... More

By Jeff Wynkoop Rates for fixed-rate home loans in Japan are still generally very low, even though the majority of banks raised their base rate for several types of loans in June. Main street banks currently offer an average rate... More

By Jeff Wynkoop The Japanese government has been unable to verify the legality of 53% of the 15,000 properties it surveyed and 30% of properties were found to be unlicensed. This is according to a recent government survey meant to ascertain... More

Jeff Wynkoop Average sales prices of newly-built condominiums in Tokyo’s 23 Wards are forecast to continue trending upward through 2020, albeit at a slower pace, according to a recent report by Real Estate Economic Institute (JREI). JREI also predicts that the... More

By Jeff Wynkoop For the first time since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, the average price of Japanese residential land rose last year on a national basis. This is according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s annual kouji... More

By Jeff Wynkoop Financing is available for foreigners buying property in Japan, depending on your residence status, income, and work history. Below is an overview of the visa status and work requirements needed to apply for a property loan, which... More

By Jeff Wynkoop Sales of pre-owned condos and detached houses in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area were up for the second consecutive year in 2016, hitting historic highs. This is according to a recent report (in Japanese) on 2016 real estate market... More

By Jeff Wynkoop There are signs a mini-bubble may be forming in Japan due to the sharp increase in the number of new apartment loans handed out over the last few years. アパートローン(apaato rōn, ‘apartment loans’ also known in English... More

By Jeff Wynkoop The Japanese cabinet has just cleared the way for full legalization of Airbnb-style (minpaku, 民泊) private-stay accomodations in Japan. Implementation in 2018 On March 10th, the Japanese Cabinet agreed to the contents of the draft law to... More

By Jeff Wynkoop In 2016 sales of pre-owned condos exceeded sales of new condos in the Tokyo area for the first time since records on both have been available (from 1996). Sales of pre-owned condos were up on a year-to-year... More

By Jeff Wynkoop For the last 70 years, Japanese government policy has focused on overcoming this country’s long-term housing shortage by supporting the construction and sale of new housing. However, in the last decade the government has begun changing its... More

By Jeff Wynkoop The Japanese Cabinet Office recently indicated its concern regarding the pace of development of new assets for the residential rental market in Tokyo. New construction in the residential market was severely affected by the increase in Japanese... More

By Jeff Wynkoop When buying a Japanese condominium, purchasers expect they are going to have to pay monthly fees to the Homeowners’ Association (管理組合 kanri kumiai). But one thing they are often surprised by is how common use areas (共用部分... More

By Jeff Wynkoop There are a lot of difficult decisions consumers have to make when choosing a home mortgage loan in Japan. Borrowers need to understand the impact these decisions have on the level of their monthly loan payments as... More