Case Study
An American couple purchases a second home in their favorite Meguro area.
This American couple, who love Japan and have visited the country many times, came across the IREA website and became interested in the idea of purchasing a second home in Tokyo and renting it out as a monthly apartment when not in use.
Overview
This American couple, who love Japan and have visited the country many times, came across the IREA website and became interested in the idea of purchasing a second home in Tokyo and renting it out as a monthly apartment when not in use.
Challenges
Since they were considering renting out their home as a monthly apartment, during our initial online meeting, they confirmed which areas were likely to be in demand, and then I began searching for a property for them.
However, the wife, who is so well-versed in Japan that she even attended Japanese language school in the United States, had a clear idea of her favorite area of Tokyo.
The property needed to meet all of the following criteria: expected demand for a monthly apartment, an area that the wife liked (e.g., Shinjuku Gyoen, Meguro, Sangenjaya, etc), and a size that the couple could live in within their budget. However, it was difficult to find a property that met all of these criteria.
Solutions
They compromised slightly on the location, and I conducted an online viewing of a property in Hatagaya, one station from Shinjuku.
The wife liked the property, but when I was looking at it on site, I noticed that the flooring in the bedroom seemed to be loose, which bothered me, so I mentioned that to the client.
We also had a local builder come to the site to check it out.
They said that the glue at the base of the flooring was likely peeling, so we received a rough estimate for replacing the flooring.
Through the seller’s agent, we negotiated a discount to cover the cost of replacing the flooring, and the client agreed.
I was also concerned about the noise that could be heard from the balcony, as it is along a busy road and close to the expressway, but the clients said it would be fine as long as the windows were closed.
However, the couple also wanted to see another property in Fudomae that they were interested in, so I also conducted an online viewing of that property.
Despite being one stop from Meguro Station of the Yamanote Line, it is a very quiet residential area with row of cherry blossom trees.
I found it to be quite different from Hatagaya, where the sidewalks are narrow and difficult to walk on.
I was convinced that this property would be a much better fit for the wife’s preferences.
However, with this property, they would have had to give up on the monthly apartment option.
In the end, the clients really liked the property and its location, and although it was unfortunate that it couldn’t be rented out as a monthly apartment, they said it was not a problem.
A few days before the contract was due, the client had a long layover at Haneda Airport while traveling to another country, so the couple used that time to come and see the property. After seeing the property in person, they were impressed and loved it, and after exploring the surrounding area a bit, they were able to sign the contract with peace of mind.
After purchasing the property, the client requested that the bedroom closet door be remodeled to a sliding door that would not interfere with a bed, so I obtained a quote from a renovation company.
At the same time, I showed them several beds from online shops that were the right size, and the client liked one of them, so in the end, renovations were not necessary.
Results
The couple currently enjoys shopping in areas such as Jiyugaoka, which are full of cute furniture and miscellaneous goods stores, and has furnished their room with lovely furniture and appliances.
I was very happy to receive a Google review and a handwritten card. Thank you very much.
Message from Kym-san (Google review)
Tsuyoshi-san, the Managing Director, handled our initial consultation and the closing process with so much care and professionalism.
Yumiko-san was our main contact for our home search, and she was absolutely amazing from start to finish. She’s organized, reliable, and always quick to respond. She prepared detailed listings for us to review, visited properties on our behalf, and provided virtual tours with follow-up photos and videos. Once we found our home, the closing process was smooth and stress-free, all handled remotely.
Even after closing, she continued to go above and beyond, coordinating cleaning, installations, and deliveries. She also surprised us with a thoughtful welcome kit filled with all the essentials for our first few days in Tokyo, which meant so much to us. There are honestly so many things she helped with that it’s hard to list them all.
We’re so grateful for both Tsuyoshi-san and Yumiko-san’s help and would highly recommend IREA KK to anyone looking for a kind, dependable, and professional real estate team in Tokyo!!!
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