Free Houses in Japan: Hidden Costs, Drawbacks, and Online Search Tips Explained
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- Опубликовано: 3 май 2024
- You've heard that there are free houses in Japan. Japan is filled with many akiya homes; homes that have been vacant for a long time. And now, many akiya homes are being given away for free by cities and individuals. But, are free houses in Japan really free? In this video, I delve into the world of free houses available in Japan.
First, We'll explore the ins and outs of finding a free house in Japan online. Is there a hidden gem waiting to be claimed?
01:24
Next, I shine a light on the drawbacks of free houses in Japan. While the prospect of a free home may sound enticing, it's essential to be aware of the potential challenges and limitations that come with it. I discuss common issues and considerations to help you make an informed decision.
06:45
Finally, I uncover the hidden costs associated with obtaining a free house in Japan. From renovation expenses to property taxes, we break down the financial implications.
12:53
Whether you're intrigued by the idea of free housing or considering it as a viable option, this video provides invaluable insights to guide you through the process.
Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe!
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Shout out to Taede @ / @taedefilms
for helping me film some of the footage in the video. If you need a great film maker in Osaka, be sure to check him out! You can also contact him at @cynemathis
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Been trying to fight this myth for years. Got a livable house for $43K, no restrictions, including agent and closing costs, on public transport, near a beach. Free houses in Japan are unending money pits. The only way they are free is in the way they free you of your time and yen.
That's really cool, dude! I hope you share more about that! Sounds like you nailed it.
lol Yeah, I felt the same as you. I got tired of seeing clickbait articles talking about it. I felt compelled to make a video about it.
Exactly- such clickbait nonsense especially now with inflation on building materials.
yeah, materials costs are insane... should have started my renovations 3 years ago 😪
@@DIYJapan Thank God for the Yen vs Eagle Buck exchange rate. It has netted me something like a 50% discount in dollars.
Lived in Japan for 29 years. Lived in the Japanese countryside and have family in a village with no stores and half the houses are empty. It is depressing. For some it may sound appealing but the countryside is a very lonely place for most foreigners. You can get proper houses in big cities on the cheap.
Most towns we looked at fit your description… our town luckily is kinda touristy so it’s still vibrant… maybe too so lol 😂
That's because most foreigners are obsessed with being around a lot of people lol. I'm from the country. I love the country. I love nature. I love growing my own crops/produce. Also, it only takes one lever to no longer be lonely. Give it 10 years and we'll have a community 😂
Hey, do you know why they dont remove the empty houses? I guess a small village doesn't feel as deppresing as a dead village
City people who used to live easy life, buy anything they need at store, go everywhere using car maybe stressed living in village.
Most of village people grow their own food and do lot of physical avtivity.City people may found this stressed.
I used to live in big city.
After retire I live in small city near village.
I want to move to village.
I love nature and village life.
I grow my own food now.
@@someone-3499 it's so ironic because people in cities are scientifically more stressed than people not living in cities because of all of the unnatural things, especially the exposure to so many toxins.😅
I myself was able to purchase my house (built in the 60s) for about 5k USD from the Akiya bank. The only extra costs were basically lawyer fees handling all the paperwork and sign over of ownership. About an extra 1k. After that the house was completely livable as is however EXTREMELY outdated. I’m gonna say the only real costs after o bought the house was all the DIY renovation that I did both inside and out. Less than 5k in cost of materials . After that I also owned the land which contained parking as well as a secondary smaller house (I used for storage) . It was quite a lot of land and property for the price. So I’m gonna say with proper research and contact with someone from city hall who helped in the entire process it was completely doable and extremely cheap. I also want to add I made a lot of local friends who helped with advice and even lent me tools. Also property taxes are only about 700 per year. Located literally waterfront ,seaside in Yamaguchi prefecture.
Can I please contact you for more details?
Nice!! That’s a great find! Many places were like that before the pandemic. I feel like property prices, even for Akiyas, popped up when the pandemic finally finished. Now houses are floating around 15k+
@@DIYJapan I moved here back in 2018. Just before the pandemic. Had no idea prices rose so much. Recently a friend of mine moved here from France and works for the city hall . He was able to get a free house from the owner . The only stipulation being that he restore the house . While it is a free house he tells me it’s nothing but stress as he’s having to spend an enormous amount of money to renovate himself, as well as the surrounding overgrown land. He’s dreading having to bring in equipment to dig the land out. I guess it’s just about how you view your own situation. A blessing or a curse 🤷♂️
Who was your agent
@@Well_dunnWell_dunn she wasn’t really an agent but more of a city worker who worked for city hall in that department. I was able to find her when contacting city hall about a house that I saw for sale online. Unfortunately, well for the better I guess, she ended up leaving and going into business for herself. This was almost 6 years ago now. My family was actually the last that she worked with before leaving so she took extra care of us and we were very fortunate for that. Anyway with just a bit of research and lots of emailing , it’s totally doable. They are very accommodating if they know you are serious and even went so far as to tour the property on face time while we were still in the states. Good luck to you!
Some towns have incentives for rennovations of certain parts. Example, 20% of a roof replacement of Kawara tile, for example.... but with a max of 200,000 yen. In my case it was close to 4 million yen. Theres also some difficulties with older land plots being wholely or partially classified as Farmland - which normal people cannot buy still (though this is changing now slowly, some towns already allow normal people to buy the land but its very, VERY strictly watched to prevent unapproved use of the land). For us, it wasnt free, but it also wasnt overly expensive. Doing the rennovations ourselves as a hobby for 3 years now. Got past the half way mark just recently. We adjusted the insurance coverage recently, the inspector was surprised how well the condition had improved. Gotta thank YT for providing most of the learning material I used to be able to do this.
Yeah the farm land laws seem to be relaxing a bit... but there is more to go with those. It's a tough one though, Japan definitely needs more local food production. It'll be in trouble soon if they erase all their farm land to development. But no one wants to be a farmer in Japan so it's tough.
Congrats on the half way mark! It's tough but keep going!
Good info, well done and congratulations.
A very well thought out video. There’s another RUclipsr @RealRuralJapan with a post called Navigating Japanese Culture. Watching this and his one should be essential watching for anybody wishing to jump on to the Akiya/Japanese countryside bandwagon. Very different approaches but equally very informative. Thank you. 🙏
I'll have to check out the video... I think navigating Japanese Culture is too taboo for me to touch... too many people have strong opinions about it.
This video demonstrates well how the free houses are very much not void of costs. However I would find it a lot more interesting if you had compared and contrasted it with the costs of obtaining a house normally. Surely some of these costs are applicable to a normal purchase as well, the various service charges, taxes and upkeep costs. It would be interesting to see an accounting estimation of the full cost over 10 years of these two options.
The way I see it at least is that while the idea of a free house is obviously a mirage, the more interesting question is whether or not it is a cheaper way to get a house at the end of the day/decade.
That would take quite a lot of time and research indeed. A lot of people live in my area who, by the looks of it, have never done renovations. It just depends on the individual and what they are capable of living with and accepting. Everyone has a different level of comfort and living standard.
So even if I made such a video, some people can accept more than others in terms of discomforts and that would affect the price dramatically.
In the end, if you own the house outright then it's already a savings in money compared to having a 30 year mortgage... I dunno... it's hard to quantify.
Excellent, informative and as always spiked with humor! Great watch. Thank you.
Thanks always!
The information interjected with the comedy is so clean and sharp. The comedy helped hammer home the pitfalls. Without it, this would have been a slog to go through for many. Great job on the scripting.
Much appreciated! I tried my best not to make it boring lol
Really well-put together video and very informative!
Appreciate it!
Fantastic info and great professional video. It's really nice to see quality videos on RUclips!
Glad you appreciate the effort put into it!
Very enjoyable and very informative. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it!
lol it's like a reverse HOA telling you what to do after you get the house for free, but you have to live there for 10 years, forced to do community activities, forced to do the renovations within three years awhile paying out of pocket the 45,000.00 dollars in Renovations and how much labor and materials that will cost you too. Then give tax fee 6000. lawyers fee 500, another 500 fee extra strings,
MMM You need to make a video of what type of community activities are what they do the history behind them too. See ya great video!
they also want babies.
I hope to share my experience with the community service thing soon in a future video. Every community is different... and although I am not required to participate in anything, I bought my houses, but my wife feels compelled to do so because of how it looks upon us if we don't.
This phenomenon does not only affect Japan. In France, we have the “house for 1 euro” program. But it's generally the same thing. You pay 1 symbolic euro BUT you commit to living in the house for years, investing tens of thousands of euros to renovate the house with a time limit, etc.
Exactly… and from what I heard, you pay high cost real estate agent fees and you have to hire their local tradesmen to do the work. Seems pointless.
I am elderly, unable to do repairs myself but have a small inheritance. These schemes are very seductive but I doubt they are doable unless you are a young, diy expert with quite a lot of savings. Disappointing as I have been homeless and would love my last years to be reasonably secure where I could make a garden as my legacy.
@@DIYJapan In France I never heard about those terms. I think you rather have to go to the maire and you directly make the deal with him. So real estate agent is not required (at least from what I know). Pointless ? I agree. Most of the times probably. There was a documentary about this in France and I - and others people - were pretty embarrassed. The buyers of those 1 euro houses were very excited, and we were like 🤔🤔I mean, the houses were in very bad shape and I'm pretty sure they could find much better with less constraints. Not to mention the fact that many of these houses may be in a protected area (which involves much more expensive work and complicated procedures)
If you are interested you can also take a look at the same kind of program in Italy. It looks pretty bad to my eyes too🤥🙂
@@kalayne6713 Exactly. It's seductive. And that's the problem. I think it's essential to be aware of all the constraints and terms before being seduced. But I understand. I myself when I saw that for the first time, I was like "Oh, look like an incredible deal !". Then now, after watching it closely, it looks like garbage.
Same in Italy, I once found an entire Spanish town for sale for roughly 200k euro featuring 6 or so houses a bar a hotel etc.
At first I was thinking, this guy makes terrible videos. Then I realized, he's doing it on purpose for comedic effect. Sugoi. Liked and subscribed.
Thanks! I do have an odd sense of humor maybe lol
I always enjoy your videos , thanks for this one as it’s something that needs to be told to the world and those wanting a free house .
My pleasure!
Thanks for breaking it down for us in a simple way ! Congrats! Rly enjoying ur content here! Best Regards from Brazil!
Brasil!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for watching! Brazil is across the world! 🗺️ nice! 👍
So this is not a good idea for someone who is looking to flip. But for someone who would actually like to live in it, it is an option.
Flippers beware indeed. But as a livable and very affordable house... probably the best bang for the buck given you find the right deal in the right location.
Thanks. Good informative video.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for explaining in simply terms.
Most welcome!
Good stuff! Very well made video.
Thanks man, means a lot coming from Anton In Japan! I watch your channel as well!
Great video and very informative!
Glad it was helpful!
great video. Well explained.
Appreciate it!
Good to know the information !
Thanks for your research on this topic
My pleasure
Great explanation. Love it handsome!
Excellent video Danny.
Thanks!!
fantastic video, liked and subscribed
Thanks for the sub!
Thanks for the information 👍
You’re welcome!
Loved the article. Humorous and informative. Well done. Show me more. I’ve already bought a few places. But never for free.
Thanks! 🙏
Thanks for the information 🙏🏻
My pleasure
Thank you great video
Glad you enjoyed it
Been waitin' for you to get this video made, boa! Good on ya! Maybe we'll let you stay in the community organization a while longer!
My wife attends the meetings for me lol I can pull the gaijin card on this one and just be the useless foreigner lol
nicely explained
👍
Great video! Finally somebody telling the truth! Thanks so much.
You're welcome!
I noticed that you first pointed out that buildings are separate from land in both (potential) ownership and taxes. The entire discussion after that only refers to free houses but doesn’t state if they include the land and if they do, whether the land is free or not. I have seen some other videos where the land was owned by someone else and not part of the offer. This can be either a blessing or a curse or both. If the land owner is willing to work with you or very lenient, doing the renovations and getting the necessary permits can be pretty easy and simple. Then, the real advantage is that you only pay taxes on the house, which can be a lot cheaper. However, if the land owner is difficult or not responsive, getting things done can be near impossible. In cases like that, getting the renovations done in the allotted timeframe can be almost impossible.
The worst part is that you probably can’t know how the land owner will be before committing unless you are a local and know them or about them. And if you are a foreigner, this can hurt you with them as they may not want to work with you for a variety of reasons.
Both are usually included together. After all, the city owns it so they would want to tax you on both and not just one. It wouldn't benefit them. But of course you can easily check just by asking not just the city but any individual that is giving the house away.
Entertaining. Ive always wondered what it might be like to live there for a while.
I'm going to start adding content about living here soon. But I guess, in the end, home is where you have family and can make friends. They are the ones that really make a place no matter where you are.
Another great video, thanks, with humor and the important data! Some people do like the challenge of fixing the really derelict homes. There's the question of community integration and support, as in is there more support for a person who joins this scheme rather than a person who buys a home independently? People in the countryside are so welcoming and knowledgeable, I find.
I think some of the houses deserve another chance at life for sure. There are some beautiful old traditional houses that deserve to be restored. There is just not enough people with the time, money and willingness to do so. Belonging to the community definitely has its perks. Many people might not like the prying eyes but I have nothing to hide lol Our community has been nothing but helpful for the most part.
One thing I can say your humor is everything bro you said yeah where?? 🤣🤣
Brilliant video. Thank you so much, very clear and well produced.
How easy or difficult was it for people trying to find tradesmen, particularly carpenters, plumbers and electricians who are well versed in fixing up these kinds of traditional homes?
It can be a challenge in some areas. Depends on the town. Kyoto prefecture probably has more than most since it’s more traditional and still in demand because of tourism.
@@DIYJapan Got it. Thank you again for the cool video.
I've been dying just to go visit Japan 🇯🇵 a free house im welling to live out there for ever
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IS EXCELLENT!!
Not gonna lie, I'd love it too... too hard to convince my wife of that though lol
Love the humor! No thanks, no free house needed.
thank you for the video. maybe I'd think about renovating some of the beauty you shown, but... doko desuka....?
Where is up to you. You could point a finger anywhere in Japan and find cheap homes. Then it's just a matter of finding a town and area you like.
thats the hero we been waiting for! keep exposing the naked truth!!
🙏
i almost added a nasty comment because in the opening , you answered YES there are free houses in japan. Thankfully I had an open mind and finished the video
lol thanks for sticking with it to the end! ✌
Honestly, living in a house in the countryside in japan, sounds like a dream. Imagine integrating with the local community and stablish your life there (10years), who knows maybe start a family and live a healthy lifestyle away from the city smog and social disparity.
However, there's clearly obstacles to be aware of, i wouldnt mind to invest 10 years there, problem is work, making money and get retirement pension. Those are the real questions a men must know the answer for.
Awesome video thanks
I won the lotto, I’d never move there though . I’ve seen enough anime to know there’s demons.
It makes sense if you have a desire to live there for a long time. You’d be surprised, many jobs are available because nit many working age people to take them. They are not the best paying jobs but enough to live a nice simple life. Thanks for watching!
Thanks!
Thanks so much! 🙏
11:00 my first though when hearing that
In the US the gift tax only applied to the Giftee, not the recipient.
I never got or gave anything for free so I didn't know the specifics lol That's a crazy system that almost guarantees no one is going to gift you anything.
Idk where you got this idea, it's usually the recipient paying taxes on gifts in the US. Look at the fine print on any sweepstakes, it'll usually say the winner is responsible for that because the IRS treats it like income.
If it's leaning, leave it...
Thanks for the video mate. Let the people know! 😂
Hope your reno's are going well. ❤
Thanks 👍 All is going well so far! Just taking my time and trying to enjoy life at the same time!
Honestly, still sounds like a great deal if can remotely guarantee costs fall within $60k for renovations over that 3 years.
As a foreigner would be only right to involve self in some community activity to improve language skills and understanding of the culture.
I would be wary of any legal loophole that allowed repossession if put a foot a wrong with something.
Renovations can definitely be less than 60k, especially if you do the work yourself. No legal loopholes but if for instance you did have a 10 year resident stipulation, and left, then you’d be billed for the asset value of the house in full.
I agree though, most community events are a great way to get to know your neighbors and practice the old tongue lol because their dialect is strange compared to the cities.
Thank you for the video. Just my opinion but I had to speed it up cuz it's a very slow paced video ! Hope this doens't rub you the wrong way
All good! I still have work to do on my pacing, I’ll keep it in mind! Thanks!
Merci mon ami!💪🇯🇵
Vous êtes les bienvenus.
Always a pleasure watching your videos, production is great! But if you had to pay all these fees too, why you chose to do it?
You don't. Or at least, if you pay some of them (agent/closing fees), you don't have the restrictions. You end up paying less, sometimes substantially so.
Because he is DIY Japan 😂
Well, I bought my house so I didn't get it for free. But I did have to pay similar fees when I bought it. It's pretty much standard in any country now to have such fees when purchasing a house. I remember in the U.S. my ''closing costs'' were in the thousands.
Didn't know this existed in Japan. The end result is similar to Italy where you spend lots to still live with very few people although I'm not sure full requirements for buying
I reckon 20 years my town will be half gone. Lots of old people passing away every year.
That's ok, you can always find another free places again
FREE Cookies!!! for home delivery. No Wait. What? The delivery fee is how much!!! A taste tax. Aww come on, I just some cookies with my free house. This video is definitely the reality of "FREE" houses in Japan that so many people need to hear. Well done.
That shipping and handling will kill ya lol But no one better ''handle'' my cookies lol
My understanding was a larger part of why these houses are vacant is also the property tax which is so high, (like land rates) the family of the owner does not wish to pay it - as incomes can be quite poor per hours worked in Japan. But the gift tax is a new point i have never heard before. Very Interesting.
Inheritance tax applies to all amounts afaik, so I think that is a bigger problem
@@SmartYouTubification inheritance tax too? So Gift Tax, inheritance Tax, land tax/rates?, and I suppose on top of that income tax too. Not to mention the doubling annually registration fee for a vehicle. No wonder nobody wants to live more than 30 minutes from the middle of a city anymore. In any other country you would have to wonder how the current political party doesnt get voted out, but i suppose all the parties leave the taxes alone. I feel really sad for the youth over there. ;(
@@phoenixx5092 yeah the unavoidable inherence tax for a property when it's owner dies ensure that most beneficiaries deny their inherence of the house of it's in the countryside, and these houses end up in an akiya bank because of it. Gift tax, a shrinking population and no immigration ensures that they stay there.
Property tax isn’t super bad… if you live in it. But if you don’t claim that house as your residence then they double the property tax. That’s where it becomes a liability. You don’t have the time to maintain it, pay double on taxes, and it’s worthless to sell…. It’s a big issue.
I think a cheap house is better than a free house, because in the end, a cheap house will be in better condition because the owners are confident enough they can sell it for something, and it will save you so much repairs and expenses that you would get from a "free" house.
That's true! People who sell their homes have taken better care of them and have some pride in selling them.
Depends on the location for the akiya. I believe you can stay at the akiya (free home) without any renovation needing to be done for a homeless person. There is a rule called MOP (Minimum Occupation Period) for housing costs half a million or millions of dollars for a small apartment unit only in some country as well. Jail for 5 years and up to 10 years too !!!
Is this a Japanese law? I’ve never heard of it… I’ll have to research it.
EXCELLENT ...
😀👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you! Cheers!
From what I can see you are better off buying an Akiya house around USD$15-20k as the TCO is better in the long run. Either way, you will be looking at USD$40-60k for a livable home.
Totally agree. And you have a bit more freedom to choose where to live as well.
So basically, the only scenario where they're really free is:
- Start thinking "A roof above the head is better than nothing!"
- Consult listings to verify the houses are indeed abandonned
- Freeload at your own discretion
lol one way you could do it lol Maybe no one would even notice lol
as much as I don't like these rules as a foreigner who would love to buy a Japanese home to live in, I imagine many communities here in the States would benefit from such rules and protect buyers and neigbhorhoods from house flippers who put cheap materials into condemned houses in order to make a profit when they resell them. I especially like the part about forcing people to be involved in the community. At least for a limited time, like maybe the first 2 years of purchasing. That would actually facilitate community bonds and civil responsibility.
It’s a good way of looking at it. You definitely have good points. The house flipping part is probably the main reason why they do it.
Is the land part of the house deal? ie free land? Is there running water? Or septic?
Land is usually included. Running water, for sure unless it’s super country and running on well water… the bathrooms are almost always septic or pit toilets. Rare to get one on sewage.
if all conditions are met, do you get both the land and the house or just the house alone? say after 10 years will those conditions (community service and living in the house for 10 years) still be viable or they goes away?
It is for land and building of course. You can move or do whatever you like after the 10 years. You can also move before the 10 years but then you’d be required to pay the value of the house in full back to the government.
Houses in the countyside in the middle of nowhere sound absolutely perfect in all honesty...😅
Right?! I have no problem driving a while to buy groceries... Just stock up when I go lol Night time is when countryside places shine... stars, extremely quiet, clean air. It's the best in my opinion.
Good work, I like this video so much 😊
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
@@DIYJapan yes may be in a future I like to spending many days after my retirement and a little cheap house is in my mind now.
The acting was so bad that it was funny and entertaining 😂.
Definitely not working in Hollywood anytime soon... or Bollywood for that matter lol
Is this vacant house in county side comes free with the land ownership or without it...
They usually include both house and land.
Hey, thanks a lot for revealing the truth.
My pleasure!
The girl at the end is adorable. Love the outtakes. I have heard the immigration to live in Japan from the US is very hard to do. True or False? Have a Magical Day.
It' true. Immigration is tough. If you don't work and get sponsored by a company then getting married is the only other route.
Thanks for the video, people keep asking me 😹
No problem 😊
Thank you..this is very informative. And you're so handsome too 😊
So nice of you! Thank you!
Alot of what you’re saying sounds very similar to the free homes in Italy
Makes for great headlines and attention grabbing... little else. The Italy one is just as crazy if not more so.
I’m a carpenter and woodworker and plan on doing this next year. Do you have any tips for finding a job as a carpenter in the Japanese countryside?
Hmmm definitely need to know Japanese. If you have a good baseline of Japanese then I think you would be in pretty good demand. Hello Work is a job center where you could look for local jobs in the area and they always have labor jobs open.
@@DIYJapan That’s awesome, thank you. My Japanese isn’t great but I can definitely get by. Much appreciated!
There's a good reason people give things away and it's usually not altruistic
Exactly. Always have to ask what the catch is.
Come to the philippines. It's good here.
I’d like to visit someday!
The real question is: what are you going to do in Japan once you have you "free" house in the middle of nowhere that needs $50K+ renovations to make it livable?
Some houses are ''livable'' but that is stretching the truth a bit. Most people, and I mean almost everyone, will say that most old houses in Japan are not livable. I think people are used to a higher degree of comfort in winter and summer than these houses are able to give and renovation costs are not cheap anymore.
What kind of visa do you have to get to live there full time?
Many different types but a work visa gets you only a few years at a time before renewal. Marriage is the second option… but could be harder lol
Really starting to understand what inspired Tom Nook
I searched that name because I don't know it... only thing that came up was a character from the game Animal Crossing lol is that right?
Even with all the fees and taxes, it's still a lot cheaper than buying a house in the US. A regular house would cost half a million dollars in the US. Wish i had tens of thousands of dollars though. I dont know how to fix and renovate nor do i even have that kind of moneu
If you manage your money well enough you can save $10k in 1-2 years and theoretically buy a cheaper home that needs some work. It’s the visa you’ll have to contend with after that.
@@DIYJapan I'm Mexican American, and with a Mexican Passport, I can stay in Japan for up to 180 days without a visa. Thats about half a year. I believe I have to renew it by 90 days. With the US Passport, I believe it's only up to 90 days without a visa.
Baltimore Maryland Is Giving Away Free Homes As Well
I’m waiting for the punchline lol are we talking about squatting laws?
@DIYJapan Punchline is Prostitutes and Drug Addicts Outside. Roaches and Rats Inside 🐀 🪳
I just subscribed, I think your channel is only going to get bigger
Appreciate it!
Also, whats to stop them after 3 years from saying that the house "doesn't meet expectations/requirements" even though it 100% does and just kicking you out and selling it on the market as a liveable residence. All you need is a 1 crooked official and they could do this easily.
That doesn't happen but they do inspect what you did. If for any reason they were not satisfied then they would just bill you the price of the house but they really are not like that at all. They are just happy someone took the house and lives in it.
Never trust anything that is free lol Thanks for the info!
Free 😂
They can take it back anytime as land.. Look at Australia 🇦🇺
I am looking to retire in Japan and want to look into these free houses, is it something that is worth doing? I have a small homestead here in the U.S. and look to do the same in Japan.
One of the eligibility requirements would be having residency here either through marriage or work visa. Basically legal to live here. Otherwise, you could buy a house but that would be through a private sale and even then, that doesn't give you the legal right to stay more than 90 days at a time.
No, there’s no special retirement visa in Japan, lol. Your best bet is to use it as a vacation home.
Big maybe on the Akiya, but prob look for the deals w/ the seller looking to cash out. Thank for making the video per usual.
Free Akiya rules on top of the restrictions make it an eye opener.
I wonder about homes thathave split business levels on the street & living quarters above: what renovations are allowed & would the new owner need to also have a business there too?
Not sure those split types would be going for free… they’d be desirable enough to sell for a good price. As for renovating them, exterior would need to go through the city planning and have proper permits to do anything but there is no law saying you can’t do it yourself. But you’d have to submit the plans yourself.
The bit where the foreign gentleman has a chat with the akiya project official, yeah, they don’t speak english there. Plus to get residency in jp is very difficult to get. You can’t just move and live there.
Good catch lol so true! I should have A.I.'ed my voice into Japanese lol
Many of these houses could be interesting if the town increases the time for renovating according to the size and the problems that the house have and exempt gift taxes and year home and land taxes during the renovation time allowed. But if not, keep it 😂
The gift tax is singlehandedly the worst part of it. Keep free free.
Is there any way for homeless Japanese to get into one of these homes is there any government programs for low income Japanese ?
No such things. I think cities want taxes… and they can’t collect from homeless people. Low income would make more sense but as far as I know no such programs exist.
@@DIYJapan thanks for the return comment,was watching a Japanese you tuber named Nomad push he’s 37 and homeless his channel was recognized by a tuber called Oriental Pearl , showing the amount of homeless people in Japan, some are people with mental disabilities, some are just down on their luck , it’s a shame with all the vacant homes that the government wouldn’t try to start a community were these homeless could farm and maybe produce income to pay back a loan from the government, have you finished your home yet?
Just because it's free, doesn't mean it's forever free. Also, it's real estate's strategy things to lure people more.
For sure it's a marketing ploy.
No duh lol. Who the heck expects a free renovated house done to their exact specifications in the location they want with their bills paid for? lol
The two houses you worked out the tax on are way overvalued also.
More taxes that way ¥¥
I would like to remind please how hard it is to become a citizen or even resident of Japan.
It's tough but not impossible.
Then use it as a vacation home. You don’t have to live there permanently.
Since these houses look generational ancient are there any peculiar history or maybe haunted stories associated with them?
Hard to say. If all the owners are dead the city may not know or you can assume the owners passed away in the house.
And, still, they're more affordable than anything here in the US...
This might not be a bad option if I don't mind the occasional quake.
Yeah, quakes can be scary.
10 years occupancy is crazy long... I think it would make more sense to have it at 3 years, to match the rebuild time.
Not a fan of the participation of activities as well >.>
3 years would be the magic number. I could see a lot of people jumping houses then.
Sometimes free is the most expensive thing someone will give you 😅😂
Always strings attached.
In the past, as a foreigner, you were not allowed to own land or houses unless you had a Japanese partner. I don't know about the situation today but hey, time and space are just illusion of the mind so who is creating rules and regulations about 'em???
💖😜😁
Now you can. In fact, it's well known that a lot of Chinese investors own a good portion of Kyoto city.
Its almost the exact same in Italy
I read that free houses in Italy come with really high real estate agents fee in the thousands of Euros 😵 Not to mention crumbling stone houses that only skilled craftsman can fix... which leads to high renovation expenses