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Japan has amazing zoning laws. "How an Average Family in Tokyo Can Buy a New Home" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGbC5j4pG9w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

• panglott 9y ago
  was about to quip that Japan also has 100-year mortgages, until I saw this: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/1061951895900047 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/10619518959...
• chrisseaton 9y ago
  I'm from Europe and I don't understand why 'brand new' would ever be a desirable thing in buying a home. Both the video and you said it as if it was - is that common in the US and Japan? Where I live in England you want a house that's as old as possible in most cases. Older houses are usually in more desirable locations, with better space around them, and far more character.
  • 0x4f3759df 9y ago
    New homes are generally more desirable in the US, unless you live somewhere interesting like Boston, NYC, SF, then the old buildings might be much more expensive, due to location and heritage. I think Japan's zoning laws are great because in the US, generally you cannot walk to anything interesting (bar, coffeeshop, restaurant), because nowhere near your home is zoned for commercial, there are exceptions in the big cities obviously, but much of the population lives in non-walkable suburban layouts. I sometimes wonder if the Europeans know how good they have it... So many beautiful walk-able cities and only a train ride away. I'm in Minnesota so there's basically nothing interesting for 1000 miles.