Purchasing Process

  • Review and confirm the contract conditions
  • Pay earnest money deposit
  • Visit Kyoto for signing of the contract

< Necessary Items for Contract Meeting >

  • Passport (for I.D.)

When both parties reach an agreement to make a contract, we will prepare all the contract documents (written in Japanese only, see below) and send them to you so that you can review the contract conditions in advance. Please feel free to ask us any questions, and be sure to resolve any of them on or before the contract meeting.

When finalizing the contract, please come to our office to sign the sale and purchase contract. We or the designated broker will explain the terms and conditions of the contract in Japanese prior to the signing (This procedure is in accordance to limitation of Building Lots and Buildings Transaction Business Act).

Governing Language
The governing language of the contract is Japanese only. All documents related to the contract will be prepared in Japanese, and will not be translated, neither in writing nor orally. Therefore, we ask all customers to hire a translator to have the contract documents translated (or provide you with a translated abstract) and/or reviewed on your behalf. We will send you all documents before the signing so that you have enough time to review the contents in advance. Please feel free to ask us any questions regarding the contract conditions, and be sure to resolve any questions on or before the contract meeting.
We would recommend you to hire a solicitor/attorney as your translator/reviewer as they have expert knowledge in real estate transaction laws.>>Who is a skilled solicitor/attorney?
Earnest Money Deposit
Upon making a sale and purchase contract, we request all clients to make an earnest money deposit up front to indicate their intent and willingness to execute the agreements laid out by the seller. This deposit is a portion of the overall payment for the property, and will also act as a guarantee deposit for penalties that may be incurred. The payment should be made via bank transfer in Japanese YEN by the morning of the contract-signing date. Please be advised that overseas transactions can take several days or more to be processed; we strongly encourage any payment be made well in advance to avoid any last minute complications. Bank transfer fees will be the responsibility of the buyer.
At this time, we will also ask you to pay stamp duty and the first half of the agent commission. >>More details of costs and taxes
Agent Commission
Properties are sorted into 3 groups by transaction terms.
  1. Seller is Hachise, no Broker
  2. Seller is Hachise, Broker is designated
  3. Seller is others, Broker is Hachise
Regarding B and C, The buyer will pay an agent commission of [3% of property price before taxes + 60,000 JPY] + consumption tax. This is indispensable and non-negotiable. Timing of the payment varies depending on the brokers, but the payment is generally made in two equal installments, the first when making a contract and another when finalizing the deal.
Solicitor/Attorney
In Japan, solicitors/attorneys handle legal process regarding real estate transactions such as certificate preparation and title transfer. We can introduce solicitors/attorneys who conduct business in English.>>More details of legal process