He has been alongside me on the other deals so I’d like to give him equity/skin in the game and I don’t know how else to do itQuote from @Basit Siddiqi: Getting a property with a partner / friend will not help you from getting hosed on taxes.I wouldn't move forward - You mentioned beng a high income earner so your hourly rate is very high.

Is this normal cost or high?

These are becoming very affordable from retailers like Home Depot and Floor and Decor, and they really set you apart from builder-grade homes!

@Jay Hinrichs which BTW, 6% is high.

My income doesn’t show itself as being very high, but I have a relatively large amount of cash to put down.

And your net worth will thank you.If you still want to go ahead, you'd be better off buying a house than an apartment because, while the value of the building itself will go to 0, you'll still have the value of the land, bearing in mind that the land might actually lose value too given the depopulation and the yen depreciation.Sorry if I'm pooping a party but make sure you understand what you're getting into (which you're already doing by asking the forum) and then make the decision that's right for you according to your objectives.

It's too important of a role to be done by a moonlighter whose business doesn't rise and fall on it.- Understand what you value . . . do you want to have a phone call from the PM every Friday? 

Plenty of people invest remotely, and as long as you have modest expectations (not chasing the highest possible yield), and are using light leverage, and don't get suckered into buying in a part of town that you wouldn't feel comfortable visiting in broad daylight, plenty of people do this and do... fine.

I prefer Section 8 tenants to low income cash paying tenants but there is a damn good reason why many landlords won't put voucher holders in high end properties.

The country is the economic powerhouse of Europe, with a highly diversified economy driven by strong industrial, automotive, and technological sectors.