RetireJapan

Unfortunately a lot of these English speaking websites have out of date and fuzzy information in general (IMO they care less about having accurate information than bringing you to their website to advertise their services). AFAIK the change from 10 years to 13 years is to accommodate for the recent change in consumption tax to 10%. I believe the conditions stay the same....?

Yeah, that's what I'm finding out :/

Thanks though, I'm sure I'll be posting more questions in the near future

Hi,

The 13 years tax reduction is the same system as the previous one. This is just to take into account the 10% VAT increase in October last year.

In terms of search agent, I would recommend to first identify the area you want to buy, then check on Suumo which apartments are on sale. When you found a few, contact directly the agents for a visit. After the visit they will all offer you to visit other apartments. They can actually make you visit any apartments available on the market because all properties on sale are registered on a national system called REINS. After the first visit, just pick up the person you think was the best fit for you, who understand your needs, who can easily communicate with you. You will see the differences. Just drop the others. Do not recontact them. Tell them you drop your search or already find.

Alternatively, you can go with some major agent such as Sumitomo real estate, Mitsubishi or Century 21 or Nomura.
I do not recommend very very local agent for your first purchase especially if your Japanese is limited. I recommend a well established company.

Cheers

Thanks eagleyes

Yes, I've heard of REINS when apartment hunting in the past - I assume it also includes land and home property information, not just apartments?

I would back up the previous poster. Try a few different agents until you find one who feels right. They get a hefty 3% commission so It should be someone who will do their best for you. In my experience, any agent can arrange for you to see virtually any given property, regardless of who is marketing it.

In my case "one who feels right" will also hopefully be able to speak english...

Edit: also... 3%?? That is very steep indeed! Is this typical for all agent commissions?

Unfortunately that is the rule which is not really challenged. It is actually 60,000 yen + 3% of the sale + Tax (10% now).
I have seen some websites promising to reduce the fees but I have not tried at all and do not know if these are scams.
Bear in mind that while it appears a lot they are doing a lot of work after you decide to purchase which involves many people and many important documents for your purchase. If you have a good agent, you can agree to pay for its services. If you think the agent has tried to screw you at some point or was not clear or not responsive to you, you can negotiate further these fees.

Good to know. Well, at this point I'm still browsing Suumo, Homes, etc. The dream would be to get land and build a home, but the dream would also be to have enough money for that...