Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses • Hacker News Board

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#181

Post by sparkzilla » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 9:22 PM UTC

stcredzero wrote: post #32

ComputerGuru wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Japan doesn't renovate. It's probably the only country in the world where "used homes" are considered something to be ashamed of. People buy homes only to knock them down and start over, even if they're only a year or two old. EDIT: You can read about it here: https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2018/03/15/w...

Japan doesn't renovate. It's probably the only country in the world where "used homes" are considered something to be ashamed of. I had heard that older Japanese were very 'allergic' to anything used or old, as it reminded them of the time during the war and post-war when everyone had to scrounge for everything. There was this thing in the 90's called '{some derogatory term}-shopping' where you'd dumpster dive in wel…

Not exactly dumpster diving. The Japanese simply left their not-so old stereos and appliances on the street, where people like me were only to happy to give them a second life.

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#182

Post by neic » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 9:24 PM UTC

mikekchar wrote: post #169

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.

It's not easy to asset flip in Japan. I have no idea about this program. I live in Japan and I haven't heard about it, so I'm not sure what the deal is. However, people in Japan don't buy used houses. Due to the large number of earthquakes, etc, older houses are felt to be unsafe. A house on a property is actually a liability because the new owner will have to knock down the house in order to build a new one. I'm abs…

What reasons do people have for not wanting a perfectly good 20-30 year old house for half the price of a new one?

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#183

Post by sparkzilla » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 9:25 PM UTC

beager wrote: post #47

Isn't it prohibitively hard to reside in Japan as an outsider? How can they expect to move up to 8mm houses unless predominantly to existing Japanese? Am I missing something?

Japan is actually quite a cheap country to live in, especially outside Tokyo. But even, in the city, costs for food and daily living are reasonable.

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#184

Post by spc476 » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 9:25 PM UTC

ams6110 wrote: post #107

endorphone wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Saying it's the place to be seems a bit an overreach. That building, as an example, is in a neighborhood that is just block after block of wasteland, with derelict abandoned houses falling to disrepair, and the empty lots where they removed them before. This particular building likely has no furnace, pipes were probably removed, and almost certainly requires many tens of thousands in upgrades. It seems like illusory…

No furnace is not a big deal by itself, but likely no windows, no wiring, no plumbing, no fixtures. What remains likely has mold, lead paint, and other hazards. It's at best a gut-to-the-frame-and-rebuild. If severely weather damaged it might even be a tear-down.

The Google Street view [1] shows it needs at least new doors and windows. Maybe even a new outer wall on the second floor (or the very least the ivy removed before it does more damage).

[1] https://goo.gl/maps/XmmdxPm45Q32

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#185

Post by zik » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 9:28 PM UTC

neic wrote: post #182

mikekchar wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not easy to asset flip in Japan. I have no idea about this program. I live in Japan and I haven't heard about it, so I'm not sure what the deal is. However, people in Japan don't buy used houses. Due to the large number of earthquakes, etc, older houses are felt to be unsafe. A house on a property is actually a liability because the new owner will have to knock down the house in order to build a new one. I'm abs…

What reasons do people have for not wanting a perfectly good 20-30 year old house for half the price of a new one?

Earthquakes are commonplace in Japan. You don't want an older house which may be structurally compromised.

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#186

Post by sparkzilla » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 9:30 PM UTC

aaroninsf wrote: post #58

Not immediately seeing any information on whether foreigners can acquire these houses, or if it's limited to citizens or permanent residents etc.

There's no restriction, but these properties are really in a bad way. You might also want to look at Japan Real Estate: https://www.realestate.co.jp/en/

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#187

Post by freetime2 » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 9:30 PM UTC

pj_mukh wrote: post #77

mettamage wrote: post #52

So wait, there are places where there are houses being given away (e.g. US, Japan and Italy as far as I know) and I'm a person that has the ability to work remotely. Am I missing something? Is this my ticket to cheap housing and a more stress free life? At what point am I going to be scammed and/or disappointed?

Is it just me or is the prospect of working from home in the middle of nowhere terrifying? When you work from home, you wanna leave home often, where do you go if you're in the middle of nowhere? I work from home in the middle of a dense city, pay a premium for it! You leave home and there are about 100 places (cafes, theatres, museums, parks etc.) I can go to that are walking distance. Is that possible in say rural…

I work remotely from "rural" Japan. I am surrounded by rice fields and mountains, but also only a 10 minute drive or 20 minute bike/bus ride to the city center where there is shopping and night life. From there it's a couple hours to Tokyo by bullet train, which I visit a handful of times a year.

There are old or abandoned houses nearby that can be had for very little money.

I love being in the mountains. I get outdoors for cycling, hiking, running, or skiing almost every day.

The language barrier is a bit scary, but fortunately I knew enough to get by on day-to-day tasks. Google translate is also a godsend.

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#188

Post by natalyarostova » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 9:32 PM UTC

innocentoldguy wrote: post #156

natalyarostova wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

In Kyoto the free, public bathroom, in the middle of the city, was cleaner than my own bathroom. Whereas in Seattle I won't use one for fear of syringes.

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#189

Post by timr » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 9:34 PM UTC

neic wrote: post #182

mikekchar wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not easy to asset flip in Japan. I have no idea about this program. I live in Japan and I haven't heard about it, so I'm not sure what the deal is. However, people in Japan don't buy used houses. Due to the large number of earthquakes, etc, older houses are felt to be unsafe. A house on a property is actually a liability because the new owner will have to knock down the house in order to build a new one. I'm abs…

What reasons do people have for not wanting a perfectly good 20-30 year old house for half the price of a new one?

The most commonly cited reason is earthquake safety: the standards for construction are constantly increasing, and old homes are perceived as unsafe.

That said, the entire housing industry in Japan has formed around the idea that homes are disposable. Unless they're very old (e.g. traditional/antique machiya and farmhouses) or apartments in large complexes, they're not built to last. Detached houses built since WWII, in particular, are more expensive to repair than to rebuild. This is probably the real reason that used homes are viewed negatively.

Re: Japan Is Giving Away 8M Abandoned Houses

#190

Post by pitt1980 » Wed, Nov 28, 2018, 9:37 PM UTC

dsfyu404ed wrote: post #76

coldtea wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only a property in Detroit in the deserted areas could mean frequent meetings with muggings, violence, etc. In Japan it will just be a regular house.

I have lived in crappy neighborhoods[1][2]. Violence is not likely to be an issue as long as you don't inject yourselves into your neighbors' business it's really not the big deal the upper classes make it out to be with all their hand wringing. Violent crime doesn't really happen that often per capita (i.e. odds are it will never happen to you). Not getting involved with drugs is like 90% of the battle. If you do ge…

This is a single person thing (especially a single male thing)

as a single male, I can reliable predict that I can mind my own business and probably be fine

as a parent, I can't reliably predict that my kids will mind their own business and probably be fine