American Pilot Purchases a Second Home in Japan and Effectively Utilizes it as a Monthly Rental When Not in Use

At first, he was interested in an older apartment in Nakameguro and was motivated to renovate it himself. However, after seeing the Gotanda property, which was along the Meguro River with cherry trees lining the street, he was impressed by the open view and the renovated state of the apartment. He really liked the property and decided to purchase it. The property’s location was perfect—just a few minutes’ walk from Gotanda Station and with the cherry blossoms of Meguro River right in front of the property. Listening to the client’s needs, I suggested a property that would be comfortable to stay in during his vacations. I am happy that I was able to introduce a property that he truly liked without being swayed by preconceptions, but rather based on my experience and knowledge of what would be a good fit for him. He will now set up furniture and appliances, and during periods when he’s not using it, he plans to rent it out on a short-term monthly rental basis.

Message from the Captain:

As an international airline Captain from the US, I have travelled to Japan many times for work and found it to be my favorite destination.  As a pilot, I also get many days off and travel there on my free time, so I decided to look for a second home in Tokyo.

I particularly enjoy Autumn & Spring in Japan but would be happy to rent out my place during Summer & Winter. IREA/Axios was the key.

IREA found me a great 2-bedroom place right on the Meguro river and just a few minutes walk from the Yamanote line. It’s a wonderful location where I can jog along the canal, enjoy coffee on my balcony overlooking Tokyo’s famous sakura trees, and have easy access to both airports and all the great areas of Tokyo.

It’s near impossible for foreigners not living and working in Japan to get a Japanese bank account but I was able to wire the down payment and closing funds to IREA’s account and they transferred it to the seller at closing, all very smoothly.

Once the closing was done, I would have to pay electric, gas, taxes, condo association fees, etc -all in Japanese and without a local bank account. Tsuyoshi’s second company, Axios property management again was the key. I was able to wire a year’s worth of funds to the Axios account and they pay all my bills when they come due.

Tsuyoshi also gave me great pointers on furnishing the place so it not only works for me, but is also attractive to potential renters. He even found me a local contractor to install 2 new air conditioning units. I have no idea how I ever would have found a contractor for a job like that without Axios. Really great support.

I’m just so happy with IREA and Axios. They took the stress out of buying my second home in Tokyo and setting it up for my use and rental. I give them my highest recommendation.