Re: Buying a very old mansion
Posted: Mon May 06, 2019 1:29 am
One thing to check on is fees (and that there's nothing in arrears). Ones I've seen are 修繕積立金 and 管理費, but there may be others. For those combined, the newest buildings tend to be just under ¥20k/month, while older buildings can easily be ¥30-40k/month, and I've seen fees up to ¥50k/month for large, older units.
These are tied to floor size (sq. meters), so larger units will cost more than smaller units in the same building. Older buildings are more likely have supplemental fees for roof work, elevator repair/replacement, etc. Sometimes these are a one-off (a special assessment all at once), sometimes it's apportioned/collected monthly. You should check to see if there has been recent work done, or coming work scheduled/discussed, along with how that gets funded.
Edit: also, I once saw a place that was nice, but while it started life with gas (cooking, hot water), it had switched to electric for those things, since re-doing the gas plumbing was probably too expensive. Something to consider.
These are tied to floor size (sq. meters), so larger units will cost more than smaller units in the same building. Older buildings are more likely have supplemental fees for roof work, elevator repair/replacement, etc. Sometimes these are a one-off (a special assessment all at once), sometimes it's apportioned/collected monthly. You should check to see if there has been recent work done, or coming work scheduled/discussed, along with how that gets funded.
Edit: also, I once saw a place that was nice, but while it started life with gas (cooking, hot water), it had switched to electric for those things, since re-doing the gas plumbing was probably too expensive. Something to consider.