How should I find a apartment through a real estate agent?
What should I start to search for apartments?
If you can not read the Japanese language, probably it would be difficult for you to make use of the real estate searching site.
If you try to search the property in English words, some Real Estate sites will be displayed in the search result. Then probably you will input your conditions such as the area, size, and a type of layouts. But did you find a suitable apartment on the website?
You should know in advance to contact with an agent;
- The property on the website is not always available. It would work to get to know the market price, though.
- The number of properties for foreigners is quite limited because some landlords do not accept the foreigner. It means that you would have more options if you use a Japanese Real Estate site with Japanese words. But still the property on the real estate site is not always updated.
- English speaking realtors are very few in number.
- If you find a real estate agency, you have to check if they have a real estate license.
- The realtor you found probably introduce you a their own properties of which the realtor is closely related to landlords. Because the realtor has a responsibility to fill it up. Besides they have an incentive because most of the cases the realtor will receive the commission from the landlord.
- All the real estate agencies should be able to get access to the online property market only for the specialized realtors. It is called REINS [れいんず].
- In short even if the realtor you approached don’t hold a property you preferred, they can search more other properties by using REINS, then they will make contact with appropriate Realtor.
- The proportion of the percentage pay is relatively higher than the other industries, so the realtor wants to complete a lease contract as many as possible, as quickly as possible. It means that they want a client to make a decision quickly.
- The realtor’s reward is the equivalent of 1 month’s rent, which is the maximum. This is established by Real Estate Law. If the realtor don’t require you to pay a commission fee [CYU KAI TESURYO], in that case, they will get paid it from the landlord.