Keisuke Hanaoka is a real estate salesperson from RISE Corp. Born in Kanagawa Prefecture, where the famous city of Yokohama is located, Hanaoka is Japanese and has spent some time in China learning the language. 

REthink Tokyo sat down with Keisuke Hanaoka to talk about his time in the real estate industry and about Tokyo's property market and, more specifically, how RISE is attracting Chinese buyers in Tokyo. 

Click here to read Part 1 - Get to know salesperson Keisuke Hanaoka/花岡 啓介 from RISE Corp

Are there any particular Chinese Cities or regions that you see or expect to be most interested in Japan real estate?

From the perspective of cities and regions, Chinese people have the greatest potential for the purchase of property. Although China cannot easily remit money abroad, it still has a population of 1.3 billion and their salaries are rising.

It is expected that more Chinese people will invest in Japanese real estate. In the past, people in first-tier cities such as Shanghai invested in foreign real estate, but now people in non-first-tier cities such as Chengdu, Chongqing and Dalian are also considering investing abroad. In other regions, Hong Kong people prefer to buy either very high-end luxury homes or low-cost studio apartments with very high returns. Both types of real estate currently exist in the Japanese housing market.

Taiwanese people who bought houses in the early days have begun to consider selling Japanese real estate. Some people will consider selling before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In addition, Taiwanese people are very willing to buy Japanese real estate for their children who are studying or working in Japan. There are more and more foreigners living and working in Japan now, and we can expect this demand for housing to continue.

從城市與地域來看，中國人的購房潛力最大。雖然中國大陸無法隨便把錢匯到國外，有些不便，但是中國人口13億之多並且他們的薪水還在上升中，可以期待更多的中國人投資日本不動產。以前上海等一綫城市的人投資國外不動產，可是現在成都重慶大連等非一綫城市的人也在考慮投資國外。其他地域的話，香港人比較喜歡購買要麽非常高級的豪宅要麽非常高回報率的低廉小套房。這兩種不動產在日本房市目前都有存在。台灣人當中早期購房的人已經開始考慮出售日本不動產。有的人會考慮2020年東京奧林匹克之前出售。另外，台灣人很愿意爲了來日本留學工作的子女購買日本不動產。現在在日本生活工作的外國人越來越多，可以期待這個購房需求繼續存在。

What advice would you have for Chinese buyers looking to purchase or rent property in Tokyo?

If you are considering buying an investment property, I suggest that you compare its rent with the market rate before you buy it.

When the property is rented again in the future, it is very important that the same rent can find the lessee. To put it another way, it is best that you increase the rent and also can find the lessee. You should also pay attention to the cost of decore. For example, a property that the lessee has occupied for more than 10 years with a stable rental income sounds good.

However, when a house that has not been decorated for more than 10 years starts to re-lease, it may take a lot of money to decorate. In this case, it may be better to buy a property that has just been renovated and just started to rent. If you are considering buying a property for your own residence, I suggest that you see whether Japanese people like it first. If the condition and the location of your property are not what they would buy, you may encounter difficulties in the future when you want to rent it or sell it.

考慮購買投資房產的話，我建議您購房之前要瞭解租金行情，以及現租金的合理性。正在出租中的房產將來承租方退租的時候，同樣的租金能不能順利找到承租方甚至説有沒有提高租金找到承租方的機會，這個很重要。還有要注意的是裝潢成本。比方説，承租方已經居住10年以上租金收入很穩定的房產聽起來很不錯。可是，承租方退租了，10年以上沒有做裝潢的房子重新開始招租的時候，可能需要花不少錢進行裝潢。這樣的話還不如購買剛做完裝潢剛開始承租的房產。考慮爲了自己居住購買房產的話，我建議您購房之前要瞭解您想買的房產是否日本人也喜歡。如果您購買日本人不太去買的條件及區域的房產，將來萬一要出租出售的時候可能會遇到困難。

What would you like to see changed in the industry in 5 years?

Information technology (IT) will bring great change to the real estate industry. VR viewing and online disclosure statement, although not yet popular, are very convenient for overseas customers. VR allows for overseas customers to view a property without having to leave their location. For example, if you wear a VR head-mounted glasses in China, you can see the interior of a Japanese house, as well as the view from the balcony, the public facilities such as the entrance hall and the corridor of the building, and the surrounding environment of the building. It will provide a preliminary understanding for customers who cannot easily travel to Japan to see houses.

In terms of online disclosure statements, Japanese law stipulates that before signing a contract for sale and purchase, the real estate agent who has the certification must explain the important matters of the contract and the detailed contents of the house to the buyer in person. In this case, the customer can sign the contract after understanding the detailed contents of the contract and the housing. The online disclosure statement of the lease was made available in October 2017. In other words, if you rent a room which is located in distant place from where you are living, you don’t have to go all the way to listen a face-to-face explanation. If the online disclosure statement of the buying is opened in the future, it would once again be more convenient for overseas customers to buy Japanese real estate.

VR看房與IT重説等，雖然目前還沒有那麼普及，可是IT會給不動產行業帶來很大改變。這兩個都對海外客戶來講很方便。關於VR看房，海外客戶利用VR技術，比如説在中國帶上VR頭戴式顯示器可以看到日本房產的房屋内部、陽台眺望、大樓大廳走廊等公共設施、大樓周邊環境等等，可以身歷其境。對於不在日本不方便隨時來看房的海外客戶來講，作為初步的瞭解上會有很大的幫助。關於IT重說，重說是重要事項説明的簡稱。日本法律規定，在買賣與租賃簽約之前，必須要由持有“宅地建物取引士”證書的人與客戶當面説明記載簽約與房屋詳細内容的重要事項。這樣的話，客戶聽完説明並瞭解簽約與房屋内容後可以簽約。2017年10月租賃的IT重說已經解禁。也就是說租房的話，現在不需要當面説明，透過電腦視頻説明即可。如果將來買賣的IT重說解禁的話，海外客戶更方便進行買賣簽約動作。

What are some key opportunities in the marketplace at the moment?

Private lodging houses (such as AirBnB), and decoration are both key to Japanese real estate at the moment. Private lodging house can be rented to overseas tourists day by day through websites such as AirBnB. Such short-term rental income is much more than the general long-term rental income. This is an opportunity to improve rental income. In June 2018, the "Residential Accommodation Business Law" relating to private lodging houses was implemented. Although the law stipulates that the number of rental days per year is less than 180 days, the previously vague rules are clearly stipulated, and you can legally operate your private lodging house on the basis of the law now.

Decoration is also a recent key word. Nowadays, Japanese young people pay more attention to the convenience of going to work when they buy a house. In other words, they want to buy a house close to the center of Tokyo that is near the station. Such a house is not cheap. This leads some people to buy a house that is older and cheaper, or a house that have already been decorated. Although Japanese people prefer to buy a new house, more and more people are considering buying old houses now. Some real estate companies specialize in buying old houses, and then after the decoration, they sell and make money. The Japanese market of the old houses is expanding.

「民泊（民宿）」「裝潢（舊屋換新顏）」是最近日本不動產的關鍵詞。第一，「民泊（民宿）」是像酒店一樣按日出租的。比方説，房東透過AirBnB等網站一天一天租給海外旅客。這樣的短期出租收入比一般的長期出租收入多得很。有機會改善租金收入。2018年6月民泊相關的「住宅宿泊事業法」開始施行。雖然法律規定一年出租日數180天以下等限制，可是以前模糊的規則都有明確規定，現在可以按照法律合法經營民宿。第二，「裝潢」也是最近的流行詞。現在日本年輕人購房時更重視上班的方便性。就是想買離車站近上班方便的東京中心位置的房子。這樣的房子不便宜。所以有的人購買屋齡較老便宜一些的房子自己進行裝潢，或者購買已經裝潢完畢的屋齡較老的房子。雖然日本人比較喜歡購買新房，可是現在越來越多的人考慮中古屋。有的不動產公司專門購買中古屋，然後做完裝潢後，再出售賺錢。日本中古屋市場持擴大趨勢。

How do Chinese buyers go about looking for real estate in Japan? Online, physical inspections, buyers agents, print media, chanel marketing etc?

Chinese people have access to Japanese real estate information through briefings, web searches, friend introductions, etc. First, some real estate companies hold investment briefings in China to invest in Japanese real estate. Chinese people who are interested in Japanese real estate can participate in these briefings to learn about the market. The general contents of the briefing are the Summary of the Japanese real estate market, the introduction of the Tokyo area, the description of the purchase process, the taxation and other related notes, and the introduction of individual Japanese real estate. After listening to the briefing, if you want to know more, you can also communicate with the real estate agent of the company one-on-one.

Second, Chinese people can search for Japanese real estate information on the internet. Nowadays, there are many websites that introduce Japanese real estate in Chinese language. However, if you want to buy commercial real estate such as buildings and hotels, there is not much information that can be found on the internet. It is best to ask for information through real estate agents.

Finally, there are friend introductions. Some Chinese people are very interested in buying Japanese real estate, but because they rarely come to Japan, they don't know much about it, and don't have time to study it. This means they don't know what property to buy. It's interesting that some of them decided to buy Japanese real estate without coming to Japan and looking at the actual property. They tend buy property in the same building as relatives and friends who know more about the Japanese real estate market and spend time studying what Japanese property to buy. They trust the purchases of relatives and friends. Chinese people believe more relatives and friends than online information and book knowledge. This is something to pay attention to when communicating with overseas customers.

中國人透過説明會、網頁搜索、朋友介紹等等接觸日本不動產訊息。第一，有的不動產公司在中國舉辦投資日本不動產説明會。對日本不動產有興趣的中國人可以參加説明會瞭解日本不動產。説明會内容大概為日本房市概括、東京區域介紹、購房流程説明、稅務等相關注意事項説明、個別日本不動產的介紹等等。聽完説明會後，如果想進一步瞭解的話，也可以一對一的方式跟不動產公司溝通。第二，中國人可以在網絡上搜索日本不動產訊息。現在網絡訊息很發達，也有很多不動產相關網站用中文介紹日本不動產。可是如果想買一棟大樓酒店等商業不動產的話，網絡上能搜到的訊息不多，最好通過不動產中介人索取訊息。最後，很有意思的是朋友介紹。有的中國人對投資日本不動產很有興趣，可是因爲很少來日本，瞭解不多或工作繁忙沒有時間研究日本房市等，不知道購買什麽日本房產好。他們裏有的人在不來日本不看房子的情況下竟然決定購買日本房產。他們購買的就是和他們親戚朋友買的同一棟樓的房產。他們親戚朋友比自己瞭解日本房市，也花了不少時間研究才決定購買那棟，他們覺得這樣的話，跟著親戚朋友購買應該錯不了。相比網絡訊息與書本知識、不動產中介人的介紹等，中國人更相信親戚朋友。這是與海外客戶溝通的時候更要注意的地方

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