Aloha BP! Hawaii - Japan RE Investor

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Aloha BP! Hawaii - Japan RE Investor

Honolulu, HI · Member since 2017 · 231 posts · 191 votes

Greetings Everyone!

Kiley here. I am new to the BP site but have been a hard-core podcast listener since discovering these amazing shows. Unbelievable gold mine! I couldn't get enough and have bought and read a couple of the BP books as well.

I was born and raised in Hawaii where the weather is nice and the land is limited. I spent 7 years in Fukuoka, Japan after college. Got married up there and moved back to Hawaii in 2012. I currently work at a large (for Hawaii) local bank. My wife and I bought our first condo when we realized that rents were higher than what our mortgage payment would be (2013). Fast forward to today and both prices and rents in our market have continued to rise annually.

We are now looking to invest in the Japanese real estate market.

I would love to meet up and talk real estate with anyone living in, or visiting Hawaii. Also, if any BPers are living and/or investing in Japan I'd love to hear your stories as well.

Of course, I am also very much looking forward to meeting everyone in the forums.

Fantastic to meet all of you!

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Rental Property Investor · Honolulu, HAWAII (HI) · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes

8y

Kiley Nakamura small world

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Duc Ong
Real Estate Agent · Honolulu, HI · Member since 2015 · 450 posts · 195 votes
8y
@Kiley N.
I'm an investor and realtor in Honolulu. Let's connect for a coffee or drinks and talk RE!
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Kiley N.
OP
Honolulu, HI · Member since 2017 · 231 posts · 191 votes
8y
@Duc Ong: Sounds great! I'll shoot you a message.
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Dave Van HornPro Member
Fund Manager · Wayne, PA · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
8y
Welcome to the site Kiley!
If you haven't already, you may want to search "Japan" in the forums. I've seen quite a few BPers based in Japan over the years.
Just doing a quick search myself I found two interesting threads:
https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/171...
https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/76/topics/266...
Podcast Guest on Show #273
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David Gotsill
Attorney · Tokyo, Japan · Member since 2016 · 184 posts · 145 votes
8y
Hey @Kiley N. - welcome to BP. As @Dave Van Horn mentioned, there are a handful of active BPers who invest in Japan. In my experience, any of these investors are generally happy to connect and address any questions you might have. For my part, I am certainly happy to do so. Some thoughts below - not meant to be discouraging. Please feel free to ask specific questions, connect and we can chat more.
I would note that many of the investors I meet in Japan target investments in the US. Although some of these same investors also have property in Japan, I'm not personally aware of individual investors in the BP community investing in Japan from abroad. One hurdle is that I don't think Japanese banks offer a loan product for (are willing to lend to?) overseas investors. Overseas investors are then left with a cash purchase, and fiven the high costs of property in central locations, many investors find that Japan may not be the best use of valuable cash.
I think borrowing would be an issue even if your wife is Japanese, unless you could somehow show that you live here (juminhyo), with documentable income here (kakutei shinkoku). FWIW, foreign investors face similar issues entering the US market, although for a price US lenders can be a little more flexible than Japan (no surprise there).
Other BPers may have different info.
Again, let me/the community know if you have any specific questions.
Best of luck!
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Naftali Tolibas
Tucson, AZ · Member since 2017 · 96 posts · 58 votes
8y
Hey @Kiley N.
Welcome to BP!
I grew up on Oahu, and it is a very hot market. My dad bought a house in Waipahu in 2000 and for about 180K and recently appraised it for 600K. I'd like to keep in touch and see how you grow. Maybe when I fly down we can meet up for some coffee and talk story!
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Lane Kawaoka
Rental Property Investor · Honolulu, HAWAII (HI) · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
8y
Kiley Nakamura small world
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Kiley N.
OP
Honolulu, HI · Member since 2017 · 231 posts · 191 votes
8y
@Dave Van Horn Appreciate you taking the time to find these links. Great discussions! I have searched before but most mentions of Japan seem to be people referencing the 80s bubble. Maybe my searching skills need some work. Interesting to read about your business in notes! I only have experience with origination. Looking forward to finding more of your wisdom around the forums. Thanks again!
@David Gotsill Thank you for reaching out. I am very interested in learning more about the Japan RE market from people on the ground. If there is a group or community forum for that I'd love to put out a Jikoshoukai to everyone. Appreciate your honest advice and would love to run some ideas by you offline. Will shoot you a message. Yoroshiku!
@Naftali Tolibas Congrats to your Dad! If only I'd been more RE-minded from a younger age... Let's definitely hook up when you're in town. My brother lives up in Gilbert and I saw some interesting development when I was up there visiting. Best of luck to you in AZ!
@Lane Kawaoka Yo Lane! Small world indeed!
1 Reply
Dean U.
Rental Property Investor · Honolulu, HI · Member since 2016 · 28 posts · 10 votes
8y
@Kiley Nakamura
Welcome to BP. I travel to Japan once or twice a year to see relatives (in-laws) myself. The last few years I've stayed in vacation rentals in Tokyo and Sapporo, never bought there, but these stays made me wonder about investing there. Let's chat sometime.
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