For most expatriates relocating to Japan one of the most daunting tasks is to find suitable accommodations, apart from the aspect of being uprooted to
a country with a completely different culture, customs and language and business practices. Nonetheless, the majority of expats have found their Japan posting
to be a richly rewarding experience, personally and professionally. For those with children, although kids are quite resillent and usually the party
most opposed to moving (do not want to leave friends and change schools), be advised that they are usually the ones who do not want to leave Japan once
it is time to head back or to go onto a third-country posting instead of repatriation.
As I have lived in Tokyo for about 18 years, I know the city and country quite well and have been in many apartment complexes and houses. I
understand the importance of convenience, be it for the breadwinner's commute or proximity to schools (if applicable), shopping and dining options,
and for the spouse, nearness to friends and other social opportunities. We will take into account all the variables/factors to find the Japan
housing that you seek. Some of these probably include:
* Most housing targeted for the expatriate community is quiet but there have been a number of families who have had to move because of noise (too near to expressways or other noisy thoroughfares), dogs/cats, windows not thick enough to block out noise, etc.
How many realtors factor the aforementioned or realize they are important for expatriates? They are important because we are used to a different
lifestyle. The average commute for the Japanese worker is over one hour, door-to-door, one way. We highly recommend that you and your family
members avoid this, especially if traveling on trains/subways which can be so crowded that four or five people are in contact with your body!
As opposed to the large Japanese real estate firms we act as your advocate, looking after your best interests. For renters we negotiate not only prices but also conditions, which certain brokerages cannot or will not do because they are looking after the interests of property owners. We do not "steer" our clients to certain properties like other brokerages do. Why do they do this? To get both ends of the commission, from the landlord and the commission you pay, and because the landlords of those properties they steer you to are those who will close deals quickly, and while they might put forth conditions you wish to see in the contract, most of the time they will avoid pushing these, which might benefit your side of the lease agreement. These brokerages often will refuse to show you properties which are not represented by them. It is highly likely that the one in which you are best suited for is represented by another broker but you might not ever see it. Many expats end up utilizing four or five brokerages to find housing because none of those representatives are willing to show them properties in which they do not have exclusive representation. We can show you almost any apartment or house.
Our company is principally staffed with bicultural and bilingual individuals who grew up in the west. Our clients utilize us because they feel comfortable with our communication liasing between Japanese property owners and western and Asian buyers and our business acumen. Let us show you the advantages of utilizing Platinum.
If you have queries with any Japan real estate matter, even advice, please do not hesitate to contact me at:
