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moogo is live. Contracts explained in English.
The081's property line, moogo.jp, is live. Contracts and the statutory disclosure are in Japanese. moogo handles the transaction itself and goes through the same document in English. Brokerage covers any property type, anywhere in Japan.
By Icy, Founder & CEO of The081
Licensed Real Estate Broker (License No. 15131) | Registered Accommodation Manager (MLIT No. F03122) | Operating in Kyoto since 2019
Buying a home in Japan means Japanese paperwork. The contract, the statutory disclosure and the registration documents are all in Japanese. On signing day a licensed transaction specialist reads out the property's rights, restrictions and risks, in Japanese.
moogo.jp is now live, the property line of The081. The081 goes through that same disclosure again in English, from the first call to the day title transfers.
That works because 081株式会社 is licensed and runs the transaction itself. A buyer is not handed to a broker who only works in Japanese.
Brokerage covers any property type, anywhere in Japan. A Kyoto machiya, an apartment bought to let, a tower flat to live in: one process.
Buying from overseas
Japan places no nationality or residency condition on owning property or land. A visa, a Japanese address and Japanese are not conditions of purchase.
The difficulty sits elsewhere. Financing for non-residents is limited, and a purchase brings no visa or status of residence.
Most of the buying process does not need the buyer in Japan. Viewings and negotiation run on video and email, and the disclosure can be given over live video with English alongside. Registration documents vary by country, and the judicial scrivener confirms them case by case.
After the purchase
A house that has been bought can stand empty, house its owner, take a tenant or take guests. In Kyoto and Nara the same team can run it afterwards, as a licensed short stay or a furnished monthly rental. From purchase through to sale, nobody is swapped out.
For a house meant to take guests, the order reverses. Whether a licence can be obtained is settled before the price is. Zoning and the road at the front decide it, ahead of any renovation budget.
The081 runs its own guest houses in Kyoto and Nara, so it can read the licence question on a given building. When the answer is no, that is said before the purchase, not discovered together afterwards.
moogo.jp lists the homes for sale, the monthly rentals and the short stays. Each step of the purchase is set out there too, including the overseas transfer and the documents registration asks for.
The documents stay in Japanese. What each clause means can be heard in English before anything is signed.