A Top Japanese Renovation Expert's Brutal Advice to Foreign Buyers

Comments · 238

• SH

  @shumatsuopost · 7 months ago · pinned

  What was the most surprising tip about renovating a home in Japan? Comment below 👇<br><br>FREE Guide: Real answers to all your top questions 👇<br><a href="https://akiyahub.com/articles/all-your-japan-property-questions-answered">https://akiyahub.com/articles/all-your-japan-property-questions-answered</a>

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• RA

  @railtonfeagus8539 · 7 months ago

  I&apos;m a long term foreign resident of Japan (33 years) and I&apos;ve owned 4 houses in total here, three of which I still own. One in Tokyo and two in the countryside (family holiday homes for us). The advice I give to foreigners who ask me about buying is always the same; if you&apos;re not buying in one of the major cities (Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Fukuoka etc), you should not expect to make money in the long term. And even in Tokyo, prices have gone up so much in the past 10 years, it&apos;s hard to see how they can keep going up even more. Unless you&apos;re buying at the super premium end of the market, in which case you&apos;re unlikely to be watching Youtube for advice! <br><br>If buying and renovating an akiya is your new hobby, and you don&apos;t mind not making any money, then go for it; it can be great fun! But if your goal is to flip the property or start an AirBnB (民泊）business it will be very difficult to make money at it, especially in the deep countryside (田舎・いなか). Near one of our holiday homes there are now five AirBnB&apos;s, all started in the past three years, and even in the summer they probably only have customers 1-2 days a week. I&apos;ve heard rumors that two more nearby akiya have been bought by a young couple who have moved from the city, and they want to start an AirBnB business as well. We get hikers through the area, and also surfers, but there just doesn&apos;t seem to be enough business to fill even the current accommodations. &nbsp;There are more and more akiya every year as older people die or move into care homes. The local population here was 43,000 in the 1990s, it&apos;s 31,000 now, and is projected to be 20,000 in 25 years time (in 2050). At that time more than half of the houses in the town will be empty. The long term outlook for property values in the Japanese countryside is really quite negative, so it really is best to focus on the fun and the hobby side of owning an akiya and not have unreasonable expectations of making money at it.

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• N3

  @N34R4T0M4T · 7 months ago

  I am happy to see more interviews in Japanese with experts like him

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• FR

  @fran.fndz.techart · 2 months ago

  the house i bought in osaka have 30 year warranty (and can extend to 60)! &nbsp;everytime i see something i dont like, i give a call and in less than a week they show up, check and then come back to fix it for free. its amazing!

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• OY

  @oyajiblues · 7 months ago (edited)

  My wife has a local company that checks on your house and airs it out and low maintenance. It is cheap. &nbsp;Well less than 100 us a month. &nbsp;But she had to sign a contract i think. &nbsp;No poison, dude japanese use poisons like round up for weeds and nasty stuff inside thee house. &nbsp;Becasue the old houses had to rely on air from outside as part of their &nbsp;way to fight humidity but it leaves alot of ways for bugs to get in. &nbsp;But whatever poison he is suggesting for wood eaters is sadly a short cut that is dangerous.

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• FO

  @fourspiralarms · 7 months ago

  とても良い動画、勉強になりました。多分日本語分からない人は気付かないかも知れないがShuさんはとても綺麗な(特に敬語)日本語使っていますね

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• LI

  @lindyhoppingfool · 7 months ago

  I am a former contractor. I have lived in Japan. The Japanese are only starting to look at old homes as an asset. Foundation issues are easily solved in the US but your contractor needs the skills to be able to correct for failures. Houses on raised foundations need to be inspected and the knowing the Earthquake history in the area is helpful. Any home but with Mortise and Tenon joinery and be saved period. Simple frame not so much. If the bones are dry and the roof is solid any building can be leveled and foundations can be corrected. I it costs money or manpower and Japanese may see these houses as complete losses. Always remember hillsides and water are the issue. If the house is leaking or the house sits on a hillside unless it is an extremely high end and well-built house you will have problems. &nbsp;My specialty was and remains preserving historic houses 75 years and older and you can at least consider what I am saying.

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• GL

  @glennamiles3566 · 7 months ago

  I really learned a lot from this video. I have no intention of buying a house in Japan but it&apos;s always interesting to see how other nations work within to support their infrastructure and designs in housing . I admire the work ethics involved in getting a client a positive outcome.

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• CO

  @Cooking_with_oil · 7 months ago

  What a fantastic video. Both are so engaging and I must compliment Shu-san on your natural ability to ask the right questions and draw out the insights your viewers and potential clients are after. &nbsp;🙌 🇨🇦

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• BL

  @bluefortytwo · 7 months ago

  One of my favorite videos from the channel so far. Lots to consider for my future home!

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• DO

  @DoubleSupercooler · 6 months ago (edited)

  Pretty much every story I have read on forums here or heard from people of &quot;leaving it to the professionals&quot; here has resulted in some absolutely crazy decisions and short-cuts by the trades people that foreigners would never consider. There&apos;s &quot;leaving it to the professionals&quot; and &quot;trusting their skills but checking every day what&apos;s going on. If you are going to remotely trust someone on your renovations, you need to visually keep on top if it every day.

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• MA

  @maximushd8627 · 2 months ago

  Watching from South America; very well put together review of issues to be considered in a renovation and post maintenance. The level of professionalism on both sides is really quite motivating.