What Is Negative Gearing In Real Estate Investing? “Negative gearing” is when rental income revenue (R) is less than expenses (e.g. maintenance costs [M] and mortgage interest [I]): In other words: R-(M+I)<0 Alternative negative gearing equations also take into account other possible expenses such as council rights, insurance, etc. The result of negative gearing: The [...]
Read More
Warranties For Buyers Many consider a home to be one of the “biggest consumer goods,” even the biggest one. Would you buy a car or a computer without a warranty? Well, what about something that’s 10 or 100 times more expensive? Doesn’t such a purchase warrant a warranty? Good news: there are warranties for buyers [...]
Read More
What Happens To My Assets When I Get Divorced In Japan? Legal disclaimer: We do not assume any responsibility for the following article, about getting divorced in Japan and what happens to the couple's assets. If you have any legal issues, please consult a lawyer. When two people get married, a common vow is “Till [...]
Read More
Tax Deduction Guide For Home Owners We’re going to make some “foolish assumptions” about you. We’re going to assume that you live in Japan. We’re going to assume that you’re working, or at least receiving some kind of income in Japan. We’re going to assume that maybe, just maybe, you wish your Japanese taxes (income [...]
Read More
When Can I Raise My Tenant’s Rent? When can you raise your tenant’s rent? Is it even legally possible to do so? What are the laws regarding raising a tenant’s rent? First, two scenarios: James vs. Haruto James is a landlord, and Haruto is his tenant. They have a Regular Lease Agreement. In the past, [...]
Read More
What Types of Tax Returns Are There In Japan? For many employees in Japan, chances are that they don’t even have to touch tax returns (確定申告, Kakutei Shinkoku). Normally, the employer (or his or her accountant) fills out a tax return for each employee. This is typically “Tax Return A” (確定申告Ａ, Kakutei Shinkoku A), the [...]
Read More
Meet Michael. He’s a 59-year-old Tokyo resident. On LinkedIn, he’s a “Consultant”, an “Industry Leader.” He has “35 Years’ Experience Changing The World One Treasured Client At A Time In The APAC Region”. His LinkedIn profile contains an inspirational quote: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in [...]
Read More
When it comes to land, there’s no distinction between "old" vs. "new". However, when it comes to buildings, this is a decision that many new buyers face. Should you buy old (second-hand) property, or new property? Should you buy a second-hand house or a new house? Should you buy an old unit or a new [...]
Read More
There’s no doubt that Tokyo is a great city to invest in. Last year, land prices in Japan’s capital metropolis rose for both commercial and residential real estate, The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism announced in March. Land prices rose by 4.2% from 2018-2019. That was after the 3.4% rise from 2017-2018. Land [...]
Read More
An investment portfolio can contain many types of asset: cash, stocks, bonds, funds, and of course, real estate. How much of your portfolio goes into each asset class is referred to as “asset allocation”. Optimal asset allocation depends on three main factors: your goals, investment horizon, and risk tolerance. Therefore, the answer to the question [...]
Read More
