First of all - apologies I messed up when signing up so JonB and JB are the same...
Well I am finally a land owner in Tokyo! No we just need to decide on a builder
Once we decided on a place it was just a question of following the check sheet - but boy is the check sheet long
But one thing I can confirm - realtors are the same the world over (I'll leave the rest to your imagination!)
Applying for a loan was realtively easy. We only actually applied to two banks Mizuho and Mitsui. Mizuho we found really flexible and helpful, Mitsui we found the usual chek lists etc that we expected. For up to 5 years fixed their rates were the same and beyond Mitsui was slightly better but not by enough to offset the Mizuho flexibility.
But boy what a lot of forms - don't ask how many I completely lost count after the first 10 or so!!! You will need to be able to write your name and address in Japanese and you will need a hanko that has been registered. A hanko serves as a signature but that does not mean someone else can fill out your name and address - oh no! You must do that yourself so get practicing...
I got the feeling Mizuho were so flexible they would even lend you the agents fees, taxes etc so 100%+ loan. But you will need enough for a deposit beforehand - we paid 500万円to the builder but again that is negotiable, normally they want about 10% at that stage.
It's not all doom and gloom these days buying in Japan. But I am sure it was made easier due to my Japanese wife and the fact that I have worked for my present company for over 10 years. Looking at the forms and talking to them I think it would be very difficult to purchase with less than three years employment in you current company - some things they just won't budge on!
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