So I previously lived in Japan, moved back to the states and am looking to move back in the near future for a different life goal (long-story-not-gonna-get-into-it).
This time around though, I’m looking to either rent or purchase one of those older style 店舗兼住宅付 places, yet I have absolutely no idea how to even look for those types of places online. I’ve searched on suumo, but can’t really see anything that resembles what I’m looking for. Are there better places for me to do research on commercial property or am I going to have to wait until I get back to Japan to do the leg work?
2 comments
Why not contact a realtor in the area you’re interested in directly?
Online sites like SUUMO depend on a battalion of realtors whose entire strategy is to take listings from elsewhere and input the data in their site. They often choose those properties that are most likely to sell, houses and condos that easily qualify for a loan or small properties that can be quickly sold for cash. 店舗兼用住宅 are an ambiguous category of property that are hard to get financing for but too expensive for many cash buyers. They also have complex permitting requirements, especially if you want to change the use of the shop portion to something else (from church to cafe, or clinic to sharehouse, etc.) For the hard cases and the unusual properties, you need the help of a professional realtor.
You do not even need to contact a realtor in the area you are searching. Every realtor has access to the database of these properties and can search it for you before you arrive in Japan. Some will even visit properties to photograph them for you. Choose your realtor based on their communication skills, not their location.