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Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

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Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#151

Post by kaybe »

13of40 wrote: post #122
ArtWomb wrote: post #2

This is cool. Would not know where to begin with gut renovation in Japan, though. And some of these look quite weathered. In US for example, you can typically sub-contract parts of the renovation to get decent pricing. One team for the basement flooring. One for waterproofing / sump pump installation. And then perhaps install drywall / paint DIY. Of course this is aided by close availability to Home Depot, Lowes, and…

Slightly off topic, but I was in rural Portugal recently, and my impression was that about one in three buildings was in some state of ruin, from otherwise delightful little cottages with holes in their roofs and empty windows, to remains of ancient walls just clinging together by the sheer will of their graffiti. (This isn't to pick on Portugal either - I've seen it in several different parts of Europe.) For the les…

It might be more expensive to fix than a new house due to location, lots of specialized manual labour needed (you cannot use eg standard window because the holes in the walls are non-standard etc) and regulation (concerning building codes, appearances (especially in such a prime old-town location) and, if you're unlucky, monument protection), and probably some issues with moisture that you'll have to address, etc etc., and everything but the walls need to be redone.

Plus then you sometimes have issues due to ownership. It might belong to somebody in an old-people's-home who basically forgot about it. It might be part of an inheritance and the heirs are in conflict about what to do for many years. It might belong to somebody in another city, who doesn't want the trouble of selling and not the expense of fixing it and renting it out. The owner might also have an emotional attachment, and lacking the money to fix it. It might have been in the family for generations... etc etc.

It's surprising how many places are empty because the owners can't be bothered. It seems to me one of the better ways to find a way to live in German cities right now is to find an empty one, locate the owner and badger them into letting you rent it.

Then again, there is a political culture of squatting empty places as well, especially if they are derelict...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squatting

(https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hausbesetzung is a little better)

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#152

Post by innocentoldguy »

I went to Japan in March to buy one of these houses for a vacation home (I go to Japan once or twice a year). I could have bought a decent sized house in rural Japan for about $20,000 at the time, but most of them I looked at needed a ton of work and there weren't many shopping areas and other amenities nearby. I ended up buying an older condo just outside of Tokyo and fixing that up instead. It cost more, but it works for me.

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#153

Post by TheGRS »

ghaff wrote: post #41
TheGRS wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its just thinking of your house as a depreciating asset instead of an appreciating one. Much like a car. I actually can't imagine wanting to live in the same house for more than 10 years.

>I actually can't imagine wanting to live in the same house for more than 10 years. Why? Unless your needs/life change so much that you either need to move somewhere or want a fundamentally different property. (Which of course aren't uncommon.) But, in my case, my needs haven't radically changed. I've updated my 200 year old house to be like I want it. I can imagine a lifestyle change but it certainly wouldn't be to…

I probably worded that poorly, I meant I can't personally imagine living in the same house for 10 years. I can see why others would want to.

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#154

Post by seansmccullough »

rzzzt wrote: post #146
yardie wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a lot more complex than that. Usually these deals have tax liabilities and liens that aren't chargeable unless the city agrees to it. Anyone can tell you, there is nothing more expensive than a free house/boat/car.

Why don't they sell it at a discount, then?

They do, but you still have to pay the back taxes, which in a lot of cases are more than what you paid for the property.

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#155

Post by TheGRS »

13of40 wrote: post #122
ArtWomb wrote: post #2

This is cool. Would not know where to begin with gut renovation in Japan, though. And some of these look quite weathered. In US for example, you can typically sub-contract parts of the renovation to get decent pricing. One team for the basement flooring. One for waterproofing / sump pump installation. And then perhaps install drywall / paint DIY. Of course this is aided by close availability to Home Depot, Lowes, and…

Slightly off topic, but I was in rural Portugal recently, and my impression was that about one in three buildings was in some state of ruin, from otherwise delightful little cottages with holes in their roofs and empty windows, to remains of ancient walls just clinging together by the sheer will of their graffiti. (This isn't to pick on Portugal either - I've seen it in several different parts of Europe.) For the les…

The larger issue of rural dilapidated housing seems way less of a structural or engineering issue and just more of a desirability issue. Not for the house itself, but for whatever the area is. If you have enough people in that area that want to stay there and more people moving in then the residents will either figure out a way to make the house work, fix it up, or replace it.

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#156

Post by innocentoldguy »

natalyarostova wrote: post #79
bobthepanda wrote: post #27

The US saw similar efforts in Detroit and other Rust Belt cities. That mostly just resulted in asset flippers hoarding houses and letting them fall into further disrepair. I wonder what steps Japan is taking to mitigate that possibility.

As an object level fact, Japan has a homogeneous culture centered around honor, which is much different from Detroit.

It's much less so today than it was when I first went to Japan back in the 80s. Still, the culture supports vending machines lining the streets and not a single little shit vandalizing them in sight.

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#157

Post by [deleted] »

ggggtez wrote: post #133
brixon wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rust belt and Detroit get cold in the winter. Homeless people gravitate to places that will not kill them in their sleep. The climate (temperate/weather, government, and population) are what draw homeless to specific areas.

The parent is implying you'd buy them the property, not just move them and still have them sleep outside.

[deleted]

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#159

Post by gwbas1c »

ska wrote: post #18
masklinn wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's probably the only country in the world where "used homes" are considered something to be ashamed of. That's generally true though it depends on the specifics e.g. they would renovate and maintain things like temples, ryokan or major multi-generational homes. It's the "personal" homes which are considered disposable (pretty much anything you'd have in a suburbs in the US for instance).

US is becoming more like that over time too, if you look at a lot of the new builds in subdivisions it's hard to imagine them lasting that long. I wonder if at some point the cultural attitude to "old houses" will become more like Japan's. [edit]: I find the downvotes curious - I know plenty of people living in ~120 year old houses, and plenty living in 5-15 year old new builds in subdivisions. None of us can really…

It just depends on what kind of home you buy / build. Most people don't understand that "custom home" often implies that the builder puts in higher quality materials.

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#160

Post by autokad »

dsfyu404ed wrote: post #145
fromthestart wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've clearly never lived in a shitty neighborhood.

Yes I have[1][2]. It's really not bad unless you drive yourself nuts worrying about things that will probably never happen to you. Yes, you see and hear the effects of crime everywhere but as long as your not know by your neighbors to be an ass, your house is harder to rob than most of the nearby ones and you don't associate with the wrong people you'll be fine. It's not like there's stray bullets coming through your…

murder is rare. assault, robbery, and burglary are not.

I prefer those things not happen to me

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