Japan can be… dare I say… old-fashioned when it comes to the internet sometimes, so the akiya house market really is spread out and difficult to navigate.
Your options are basically to work with a realtor (who generally have little financial incentive to help with cheap properties) or search through Japanese-language akiya bank websites on a regular basis (which takes a good deal of time and some know-how).
You could find a property through word of mouth – by getting involved in a community and understanding the area first. (Not a bad idea, right?! Especially if the destination is a small town in a rural area.) Or subscribe to social media accounts or newsletters.
You know I’m a big fan of old and affordable houses across Japan. But you know what really makes me frustrated? Scams. A few phony and copycat newsletters have apparently popped up recently that follow the Cheap Houses Japan format.
Cheap Houses Japan is the original of it’s kind, stemming from passion and lived experience of someone who cares deeply about Japan. The guy found a creative win-win solution for Japan’s housing surplus situation, provides great service to his subscribers, and has the most experience in ironing out any complications foreigners might encounter.
Not a scam! → Cheap Houses Japan on Instagram | CheapHousesJapan.com | Review
And I decided to do a little bit of detective work because some things just didn’t seem normal on those other accounts and you I think you will really want to know this…
Japan Home Quest (Instagram: @japanhomequest) is a scam.
The property pictured is designated tangible cultural asset, Juzen-Ryoin Temple. Unlikely to go up for auction, huh? Aaaaand a quick look into the public auction page for the city shows that 1. the property is not listed and 2. the dates are inconsistent. So it makes sense that users complain of scam in the comments:
Houses of Japan (Instagram: @housesofjapan) is a scam.
This one is so strange to me because the person even takes credit for it. Trying to get a few more followers, I guess. No shame?
Giant free house in Japan. Too good to be true? I’m familiar with how free houses look in this country and this one seemed off. A quick reverse image search reveals that the house 1. was not free (was originally posted for 5 million yen on ieichiba) and when followed to the full property listing, was off-market when it was posted to @housesofjapan.
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Luckily I haven’t heard of anyone being scammed out of larger house-sized sums.
Keep your wits about you. 😅
