Getting a loan: Living in Japan with no US credit history

[Timothy Andersen]

Hey guys I'm at the beginning of my real estate investment journey, and I'm hitting a wall with getting a loan.

I'm a US citizen but I live here in Japan and have been living here for most of my life and as a result I don't have a credit history in the US. I have been looking for loan options here in Japan to invest in US real estate, but they are very limited with unattractive conditions and expenses. 

I'd like to look into what options I have to get a loan to invest in the US real estate. My credit history here in Japan is good: steady job with good salary, all payments paid on time, etc. I've heard of Nova Credit but Japan is not on their list of applicable countries. I wonder if there is a way to translate my Japanese credit history over to the US somehow.

My dad has a good US credit history and I'm going to look into having him cosign a loan as a fallback option, but if possible I'd like to avoid asking loved ones to take on risk on my behalf.

I could open up a bank account and take the time to build credit, but that sounds like a very expensive option. I would have to wire money over consistently and slowly build credit while not even living there. It also sounds like it'd take quite a bit of time, maybe a year or so.

Does anyone out there have any advice, or know of someone who has gone through a similar experience?

Cheers guys.