4 ms·

It doesn't seem like it went into much detail but while many of these end up advertised to foreigners as cheap homes to buy, they're not really easy to just liv

It doesn't seem like it went into much detail but while many of these end up advertised to foreigners as cheap homes to buy, they're not really easy to just live in unless you already live and work in Japan. Simply buying an Akiya home and moving to Japan won't be sufficient to live there. Someone with more knowledge than me could probably explain this better though.

timr 2y ago
A lot of the most ridiculous deals you see online require that you update the building. The whole reason they're selling the thing for pocket lint or the price of a cheap bento or whatever is because they don't want it sitting there rotting. Local municipalities are going to be very skeptical of anyone without residence buying such a home.
- aredox 2y ago
  Exactly. That's also the deal behind those "1 € houses" - castles, even ! - that one can buy in Italy or Switzerland.
  - Faaak 2y ago
    Italy yes, but not Switzerland for sure! Maybe France or Spain?
    - aredox 2y ago
      There was the same deal in Switzerland! https://www.thelocal.ch/20220104/gambarogno-the-latest-swiss-village-to-sell-houses-for-one-franc https://www.thelocal.ch/20220104/gambarogno-the-latest-swiss... It floundered, because it wasn't just practical to do anything in such a remote place.
    - tstrimple 2y ago
      Don't count the Swiss out. Everyone likes building castles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_castles_and_fortresses_in_Switzerland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_castles_and_fortresses...
  - robocat 2y ago
    On 1€ houses in Italy: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/patrica-italy-town-one-euro-homes-struggle/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/travel/patrica-italy-town-one-euro-h...
- rootusrootus 2y ago
  Sounds much like the situation in Detroit. I know someone who tried to pull that stunt and bought a house in Detroit for just a few thousand dollars. It really did not take the city all that long (less than a year for sure) to decide he was not going to fix the place up. They made him an offer he could not refuse -- give it to the Detroit Land Bank for nothin, or go to court.
  - m463 2y ago
    I remember browsing real estate sites with friends comparing monthly rents in california to outright housing purchases in detroit. But the former would have amenities while the latter had ... adversities.
- spike021 2y ago
  On the other hand, I also occasionally run across social media accounts showing condos available for purchase, not lease, in some more affordable wards of Tokyo and I seriously question if I should uproot my life here in the Bay Area, find a job in Japan, and then buy there. The cost difference for buying just seems so much better. Of course that drastically over-simplifies the realities of moving to Japan and won't work for everyone but just a thought process I go through every so often.

timr 2y ago

A lot of the most ridiculous deals you see online require that you update the building. The whole reason they're selling the thing for pocket lint or the price of a cheap bento or whatever is because they don't want it sitting there rotting. Local municipalities are going to be very skeptical of anyone without residence buying such a home.

aredox 2y ago
Exactly. That's also the deal behind those "1 € houses" - castles, even ! - that one can buy in Italy or Switzerland.
- Faaak 2y ago
  Italy yes, but not Switzerland for sure! Maybe France or Spain?
  - aredox 2y ago
    There was the same deal in Switzerland! https://www.thelocal.ch/20220104/gambarogno-the-latest-swiss-village-to-sell-houses-for-one-franc https://www.thelocal.ch/20220104/gambarogno-the-latest-swiss... It floundered, because it wasn't just practical to do anything in such a remote place.
  - tstrimple 2y ago
    Don't count the Swiss out. Everyone likes building castles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_castles_and_fortresses_in_Switzerland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_castles_and_fortresses...
- robocat 2y ago
  On 1€ houses in Italy: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/patrica-italy-town-one-euro-homes-struggle/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/travel/patrica-italy-town-one-euro-h...
rootusrootus 2y ago
Sounds much like the situation in Detroit. I know someone who tried to pull that stunt and bought a house in Detroit for just a few thousand dollars. It really did not take the city all that long (less than a year for sure) to decide he was not going to fix the place up. They made him an offer he could not refuse -- give it to the Detroit Land Bank for nothin, or go to court.
- m463 2y ago
  I remember browsing real estate sites with friends comparing monthly rents in california to outright housing purchases in detroit. But the former would have amenities while the latter had ... adversities.
spike021 2y ago
On the other hand, I also occasionally run across social media accounts showing condos available for purchase, not lease, in some more affordable wards of Tokyo and I seriously question if I should uproot my life here in the Bay Area, find a job in Japan, and then buy there. The cost difference for buying just seems so much better. Of course that drastically over-simplifies the realities of moving to Japan and won't work for everyone but just a thought process I go through every so often.