Are you aware that you can buy a house & lot in Japan for as little as $10,000. Surprising but true! Japan is a large market, with a plethora of cheap properties up for auction by the courts. Few other Western nations offer such cheap property so close to major infrastructure. Japan is unique in this respect, and it offers such a different life experience, which also makes it special. Some property is in rural areas subject to depopulation, but there are plenty of properties in the cities too. I bought a dormitory 1hr from Tokyo for just $US30,000.
You can view foreclosed properties listed for as little as $US10,000 in Japan thanks to depopulation and a culture that is geared towards working for the state. I bought foreclosed properties in Japan and now I reveal all in our expanded 200-page report. The information you need to know, strategies to apply, where to get help, and the tools to use. We even help you avoid the tsunami and nuclear risks since I was a geologist/mining finance analyst in a past life. Check out the "feedback" in our blog for stories of success by customers of our previous reports.
Japan Foreclosed Property 2011 - 2012 eBook - $19.95Download a copy of the table of contents.
This property is an average or typical property in rural areas. The external appearance is ok, but the internal appearance is old. You can do much better by doing more than the 15 minutes of random search I have done tonight. This property is in a rural area of Morioka City. You would likely pick this place up for minimum bid price of Y928,000.
It would make a great home for a Western retiree or traveller wanting a base in Japan, though I'd personally look for a place closer to an international airport. But as a tourist you can use Japan Rail passes anyway. The JR East pass even gives you free travel for any 4 days in a month, which is cool for holidays. It beats blowing USD10,000 on a ocean cruise.
Japan must be one of the best places in the world to establish a backpackers. I can think of several reasons why I suggest this: 1. The EXTREMELY low price of foreclosed property in rural areas 2. The lack of backpackers in Japan - they do have other options, eg. Guest houses, ryokans, YMCAs. 3. The availability of cheap Japan Rail passes for foreigners in Japan 4. The different cultural experience offered by Japan for foreigners 5. The very attractive Japanese nature
For an example of the cheapness of property in Japan, check out this place. I concede that this place needs some maintenance, but its hardly expensive at Y880,000. This is a file I downloaded from the Bit Sikkou website after just 10 minutes searching (randomly). If you want to efficiently screen these properties, the best approach is to use Google Maps to find the property location and download the PDF file at the bottom of the property descriptor. This descriptor provides many photos of the property, giving you a good idea as to whether further investigation is required. ----------------------------------------------- Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com
The economic outlook is likely to look decidedly poor for another 4-5 years. Retirees will be wondering what the implications will be for their savings. Global central banks have truly lead savers, investors and taxpayers up a creek without a paddle. Retirees are particularly vulnerable, so they will be wondering what to do. Like all issues in life – challenges are managed, not avoided. I have several options for ‘financially-decimated investors’: 1. Moving to New Zealand 2. Moving to the Philippines
These are both very attractive places to live, but for very different reasons. New Zealand has a great climate, a low cost of living for savers, a VERY LOW currency so your EUR, USD, YEN savings will convert nicely into a nice cash pool here. Fishing, mountaineers and outdoor fanatics will be particularly attracted to NZ. The country also has some compelling tax advantages on property. If you are interested in living and buying property in NZ, consider our NZ Property Report. The Philippines is appealing for different reasons. For Westerners it is a more exotic place, also with a cheap cost of living. But as always it depends on how and where you live. The appeal for many ‘old buggers’ is the opportunity for a second fling before they die. Who can blame them. Many Filipino women are so hot! I can understand the appeal of these girls even if the relationship is frivolous. Its easy to condemn such relationships, but there is always the opportunity to have an intellectual relationship with your mates. And the relaxed lifestyle of either place appeals. NZ does have the more appealing natural environment, but some might find it too cold. But maybe if your savings are adequate you don’t have to decide. Maybe you can afford to live in both places 6 months a year. Why not spend summer in NZ and the Philippines alternately. Otherwise you might like the cool mountain areas of the Philippines. There is something for everyone, so you don’t need to condemn yourself to a boring life in the West because the government misguided you through the last economic cycle. A few $1 beers in the Philippines or a mountain walk in NZ, and I dare say that those concerns will just disappear. For more information on living and buying property in the Philippines, refer to our Philippines Property Report. Both countries have good health care and shopping facilities. You can buy an appealing apartment in Manila or a house in New Zealand for as little as $US40,000. If you are interested in these two countries, consider some of our investment reports to avail of our free offer. ---------------------------------------------- Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com
New Zealand's two major cities: Auckland and Wellington are ranked at top 10 best places to live on earth. But there are many more cheaper cities around New Zealand like Christchurch, Dunedin and Otago on the South Island. Some of these smaller cities don't even rank a mention in international surveys because they are too small to rank on some analysts radar. British, Americans, Germans consider it a vacation of a lifetime to explore the whole country. Why? The beautiful scenery, first world country standards, friendly people, an abundance of outdoor activities, low cost of property and the lifestyle. New Zealand's scenic beauty has long been recognised. It became the set for movies like "Lord of the Rings", King Kong (by Peter Jackson), The Last Samurai, The Piano and The Frighteners. The current economic recession has immensely devalued the New Zealand Dollar which makes it a perfect opportunity to purchase property in New Zealand. On top of the majestic scenery, New Zealand is a tax haven for foreigners. There is no capital gains tax, transfer taxes, VAT/GST or wealth taxes in NZ, so rest assured that NZ property is tax-effective! Learn how to buy real estate in New Zealand and enjoy the benefits of a first world country in a first class nature setting. For more details..... ---------------------------------------------- Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com
If you are interested in the US property market, I would suggest considering the following chart. It provides an indication of the remaining overhang of ARM resets; but by no means is that the full story, so please read on. ---------------------------------------------- Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com
The NZ property market is shaping up as one of the most attractive property investment markets for the next few years. High yielding property and the collapse of the NZD make NZ the perfect counter-cyclical investment if you buy right! In addition, there is no capital gains tax, transfer taxes, VAT/GST or wealth taxes in NZ, so rest assured that NZ property is tax-effective! Learn more now!
New Zealand Property Report 2009 - Downloadthe table of contents or buy this report at our online store for just $US19.95.
Every time the world plunges into recession we witness a collapse in the NZ and Australian dollars. These small nations (NZ 25% the size of Australia) are the most heavily traded currencies in the world based a per capita comparison, and without a doubt the most volatile currencies among the OECD countries. The cyclical nature of their trading makes them compelling opportunities for not just forex traders, but property investors as well. Now NZ asset markets are still falling so you might think its premature to start buying property in NZ. It is true that city property is still too expensive. True enough! But there are bargains to be had in rural areas. Properties offering attractive yields, and of course the appealing forex rate, so for the next few years you will be able to pay off your mortgage in quick time. You can then use the property to pay off other loans as you acquire more property, knowing that when the currency starts rising, you would have established a self-funding asset position in the country. We think that in the next 6 months we are going to see the NZD fall to its historic low of $US0.40. The implication is that the NZD will have halved in around 18 months. We all know of the fate of Iceland. Three quarters of Iceland's businesses are bankrupt. Well, NZ is not nearly as indebted to the outside world, but its concerns will weigh on its currency. NZ is however in a much better position because of its food export earnings. But we will nevertheless rejoice in the weaker currency, taking every opportunity to buy more property and pay off our first. At some point we will start buying urban (city) property, but we are a long way from that point. I don't know of any country that can match the yields of Japanese foreclosed property at the moment, but for property investors interested in flipping NZ properties, the volatility of the NZD currency must appeal. ------------------------------------------------ Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com
There is a useful guide to buying property in Japan. Actually I don't advice buying property in the traditional market form real estates since there is still a plethora of foreclosed properties for sale in Japan. I would encourage you to instead investigate more about foreclosed property on this website and to read our eBook on foreclosed property.
------------------------------------------------ Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com
Japanese industrial output fell almost 10% in Dec 2008 whilst unemployment shot up from 3.9 to 4.4%, the fastest pace for more than 40 years. The pace of this rise belies the ease companies have in laying off casual contract workers. Some of the countries largest companies are slashing their workforce, with NEC saying it will retrench 20,000 workers worldwide. In the last year the number of unemployed has risen by 390,000 to 2.7 million. Household spending is down 4.6%, the 10th consecutive monthly fall. Core consumer inflation edged up 0.2%. The early phase of this recession is likely to see mostly temporary workers lose their jobs.
Prime Minister Taro Aso's boast that “Japan will be the first to emerge from the recession” may look increasingly hollow, but it’s probably not wrong. The Philippines and Japan are best able to weather this recession because they don’t have the high levels of household debt of many OECD countries. Japan will however suffer some pain due to the strength of the yen, which gained 23% against the US dollar in 2008.
The fact that the Japanese economy is not excessively leveraged means that property prices outside the CBD of the major cities will hold up well, and this is where the best yields on foreclosed property exist anyway. The poor investor sentiment should auger well for fearless investors and home buyers. Should people step with trepidation at the thought of taking on large amounts of debt? That depends. There is the prospect of higher inflation, so if it’s an owner-occupied property and your job is not secure, you are advised not to take on large amounts of debt. If it’s an investment property in a sought-after area, you should ensure the rental yield easily covers your interest repayments. This should not be so hard in outer city and rural areas. I was able to find properties offering unleverage yields of 13% per annum. They are very attractive returns if you can borrow money. This is not a time for growth property unless you know of a new gold mine starting up and are buying up all the houses in town. Therefore I recommend 'underloved' rural properties for the next few years, for living or rentals if the market allows. In Japan, the good news is that you don't need to go too far bush to find a very attractive yield. How about 4km from a railway, 1.3 hours from Tokyo.
In a few years, after city property has bottomed, you will have paid off your fringe property, and you will be ready to lunge into a city property anywhere in the world. Or you can sell your property, realise a forex gain, and buy a bigger house abroad because I dare say this recession will spark reform in Japan. Why? Because reform was delayed before by a strong Japanese export sector. There is no such salvation this time. But lets see....the Japanese do take too much pride in their capacity to suffer. Not my paradigm! :)
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com
This property is an average or typical property in rural areas. The external appearance is ok, but the internal appearance is old. You can do much better by doing more than the 15 minutes of random search I have done tonight. This property is in a rural area of Morioka City. You would likely pick this place up for minimum bid price of Y928,000.
