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The government is in a tough spot. The largest retirement asset for most people is their homes. The second largest is their 401k. With baby boomers starting to

The government is in a tough spot. The largest retirement asset for most people is their homes. The second largest is their 401k. With baby boomers starting to retire in droves, the government has no choice but to keep housing prices and stock prices inflated so that retirees can cash out. If housing or stock prices decline for an extended period, it would be politically and societally destabilizing.

ezoe 7y ago
>The largest retirement asset for most people is their homes. That is if they actually own their homes. In Japan, large potion of current working generation can't afford to own a land and house. So the real estate is not going to be the largest retirement asset for the most people in Japan. That and the fact Japanese population is shrinking so there will be less demand for it, I'm wondering the real estate value will continue to raise like it currently is.
- rangibaby 7y ago
  > That and the fact Japanese population is shrinking so there will be less demand for it, I'm wondering the real estate value will continue to raise like it currently is. Japan's population is shrinking as a whole but still growing in cities (especially Tokyo). You can already get a house in the countryside for free : https://inakanoseikatsu.com/category/不動産物件/無償譲渡（0円）の空き家物件/ https://inakanoseikatsu.com/category/不動産物件/無償譲渡（0円）の空き家物件/
  - User23 7y ago
    Is this offer open to Americans or only Japanese citizens?
    - basementcat 7y ago
      Not really free and there are strings attached. But a great deal if you qualify and really want to live there. https://www.rethinktokyo.com/free-houses-japan-countryside https://www.rethinktokyo.com/free-houses-japan-countryside
      - rangibaby 7y ago
        They are very cheap costs for the size of the house. I think the real “string” is economic, which is the reason these houses ended up abandoned in the first place. They’re almost entirely in places with fuck all going on.
    - ezoe 7y ago
      No. But you probably don't want to own these house anyway. First of all, you still have to pay to the real estate agent for completing the required transaction regulation. You also have to pay tax on transaction and yearly. Some house owner actually pay you on transaction for the hope of freeing from above yearly tax cost. They are so desperate to un-own the asset. It has practically no value yet, the tax is calculated like it had a value once upon a time. You must also know that in Japan, you can't abandon the real estate. Once you own it, you must own it until you transfer it to the other willing to own it. It's not an asset, it's a debt, burden you for the rest of your life. If you actually purchase these free house and pay the tax and transaction cost, it's not over. Nobody want to rent it. And you can't practically live it. If it does, it won't be sold in zero JPY. Water, Power and Gas pipe need replacing as well as floors, walls and ceilings too. If you repair all of these, it's actually cheaper to scrap and build a new house. It will be better by all means, it meets all the recent regulation of anti-earthquake, anti-typhoon building standard. These regulation exists because of the reasons and you don't want to live in a house that doesn't satisfy these regulation for your life. The land itself has no value. It's located at very inconvenient places. The best case, you have to drive hours just to go to the local store. In most cases, it's located at small island so you have to use ship instead of car.

ezoe 7y ago

>The largest retirement asset for most people is their homes. That is if they actually own their homes. In Japan, large potion of current working generation can't afford to own a land and house. So the real estate is not going to be the largest retirement asset for the most people in Japan. That and the fact Japanese population is shrinking so there will be less demand for it, I'm wondering the real estate value will continue to raise like it currently is.

rangibaby 7y ago
> That and the fact Japanese population is shrinking so there will be less demand for it, I'm wondering the real estate value will continue to raise like it currently is. Japan's population is shrinking as a whole but still growing in cities (especially Tokyo). You can already get a house in the countryside for free : https://inakanoseikatsu.com/category/不動産物件/無償譲渡（0円）の空き家物件/ https://inakanoseikatsu.com/category/不動産物件/無償譲渡（0円）の空き家物件/
- User23 7y ago
  Is this offer open to Americans or only Japanese citizens?
  - basementcat 7y ago
    Not really free and there are strings attached. But a great deal if you qualify and really want to live there. https://www.rethinktokyo.com/free-houses-japan-countryside https://www.rethinktokyo.com/free-houses-japan-countryside
    - rangibaby 7y ago
      They are very cheap costs for the size of the house. I think the real “string” is economic, which is the reason these houses ended up abandoned in the first place. They’re almost entirely in places with fuck all going on.
  - ezoe 7y ago
    No. But you probably don't want to own these house anyway. First of all, you still have to pay to the real estate agent for completing the required transaction regulation. You also have to pay tax on transaction and yearly. Some house owner actually pay you on transaction for the hope of freeing from above yearly tax cost. They are so desperate to un-own the asset. It has practically no value yet, the tax is calculated like it had a value once upon a time. You must also know that in Japan, you can't abandon the real estate. Once you own it, you must own it until you transfer it to the other willing to own it. It's not an asset, it's a debt, burden you for the rest of your life. If you actually purchase these free house and pay the tax and transaction cost, it's not over. Nobody want to rent it. And you can't practically live it. If it does, it won't be sold in zero JPY. Water, Power and Gas pipe need replacing as well as floors, walls and ceilings too. If you repair all of these, it's actually cheaper to scrap and build a new house. It will be better by all means, it meets all the recent regulation of anti-earthquake, anti-typhoon building standard. These regulation exists because of the reasons and you don't want to live in a house that doesn't satisfy these regulation for your life. The land itself has no value. It's located at very inconvenient places. The best case, you have to drive hours just to go to the local store. In most cases, it's located at small island so you have to use ship instead of car.