Gaijin couple buys an old Japanese farmhouse

[Buntaro]

Here is a fascinating article on a gaijin couple that buys an old Japanese farmhouse. Countryside house are becoming quite cheap as young people move to the cities and old people pass away. Here is a link to the article.

Expats buy Japanese country house for a song and get way more than they bargained for | CNN

An American couple buys a large Japanese country home (and the years of artifacts contained within). In a country known for sky-high real estate prices, buying a large country home (or "kominka") in Japan is still affordable, and for this couple, it was a dream come true.

www.cnn.com

 

[Petaris]

Similar to this: Tokyo Llama
Tokyo Llama, he talks about finding those cheap places and what they went through to get it. Also about loans when buying abandon places and the pitfalls that you can encounter. Its interesting.

 

[Majestic]

I wish that first article mentioned where the house was.

There is an old sake-brewing house in my wife's hometown that I think I could get for cheap, and I often wonder if I could do what the couple above is doing. Refurbish the place and life out a romantic vision of rural Japan. But I think it would drive me nuts after a while.

 

[Buntaro]

Tokyo Llama, he talks about finding those cheap places and what they went through to get it.

Yes, the Tokyo Llama videos are a good example of what to expect. He and his wife bought an old house in Ibaraki. He has a series of about 12 videos of the experiences he is going through as he refurbishes his old house.

There are several YouTube videos on how to buy an old inaka house. Here is one:

 

[johnnyG]

Similar to this: Tokyo Llama
Tokyo Llama, he talks about finding those cheap places and what they went through to get it. Also about loans when buying abandon places and the pitfalls that you can encounter. Its interesting.

This series is great because it shows all the work involved, and it also shows what horrible condition(s) you may have to deal with at first.

The CNN story skips the (huge, challenging) middle part, and really only shows the final product (only a couple glimpses of the beginning.

 

[musicisgood]

If I had the money, I would look in the Kyushu area with some land with an older home. I'd go to the city and see what is available first though.