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Which Real estate or builder to choose for a house?
Now, I have researched a lot and came across numerous real estate companies when choosing a house. Also I really liked the designs of made to order houses (注文住宅) as they look modern, new concept and latest amenities. Not that i hate or not like Pre-made houses (分譲住宅), I like them too depending on their design and amenities provided.
Could you guys please suggest a company for both the options and also the pros or cons bout it from your personal experience?
To reiterate, I am a 30 yr old male working in Tokyo and currently living in Yokohama. My budget is 40-60M JPY. Looking for house around Yokohama or nearby (with commute less than an hour from Shinagawa)
Thanks again! Appreciate your kind feedbacks.
your budget range is workable but tight for 注文住宅 in yokohama proper, so i'd flip the approach. instead of picking a builder first, go to the kodan or prefectural land auctions in kanagawa, you can snag a 100 sqm plot in tsurumi or kanazawa for 25-30m sometimes, then hire a small architect-led builder like g architects or uehara kobo who charge per sqm rather than a package. you end up with a better designed house for less than the big names quote, but you gotta handle the project management yourself, which is a pain if you're not used to dealing with contractors in japanese.
for 分譲住宅, there's a sweet spot nobody mentions: the leftover units in bigger developments that didn't sell in the first round. places like the parc maison series near shin-sugita or the sumitomo forestry stuff in kohoku often drop prices 10-15% after 6 months on the market. the builder's already done the land work and the warranty's intact, you just gotta be patient and negotiate hard. i've seen 50m units go for 43m that way.
one thing about your commute, the keikyu line from kanazawa hakkei or sugita is actually faster to shinagawa than the JR from yokohama station during rush hour, and the area's got more sea breeze which keeps
i get the made to order appeal but with 40-60m around yokohama, land eats half that before u even start. check out the tokaido line area like odawara or hiratsuka, land drops hard there and u can still get to shinagawa in 45-50 min on the shonan shinkansen if ur ok with the extra fare. local builders there like kawaigumi or nishimatsu do solid 注文住宅 without the tokyo branding markup.
for 分譲住宅, honestly look at what's in sakae ward or near kamoshida station on the yokohama line, those new-ish developments from 2018-2022 pop up at 45-55m with good insulation and modern layouts. the catch is the lots are tiny, think 70-80 sqm, and parking is usually a squeeze. but if ur single or a couple, that's fine.
one thing that rarely gets said, check the builder's bankruptcy history. i know a guy who went with a small local outfit and they went under mid-build, nightmare with the bank and the site. use the tokyo tochi kensetsu database or ask the realtor for the builder's financial statements. even the big names like seki sui house have had their moments, but the mid-tier ones like yukiguni or kumagai gumi are safer bets if u want
for 注文住宅 with that budget, look at the land first not the builder. in yokohama city proper, 40-60m gets u a tiny plot in kohoku or tozai, but if u stretch to yamato or zama or even fujisawa along the tokkaido line, the land gets way cheaper and u can still hit shinagawa in under an hour on the shonan shinkansen or JR.
i went with a semi-custom from a mid-tier builder called hebel haus, they do the asahi kasei frame stuff. pros are the insulation and earthquake tech is top notch, cons are the design options are limited unless u pay extra. if u want full free design, check out ichijo komuten, they're aggressive on pricing in kanagawa and their cooling/heating system is stupid good for japanese summers. but book a visit early, their showrooms are packed on weekends.
for 分譲住宅, u should actually consider the older stock from like 2005-2010 that gets resold. lots of those in totsuka or izumi ward are sitting at 35-45m with decent land, and u can spend 5-10m renovating the inside to ur taste. the layout might be dated but u get a bigger lot and better neighborhood than any new build in ur budget. plus the 10 year warranty from the original builder might still have
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Where can I find crispy, pan-fried bacon similar to a certain international style?
if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping
kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.
tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.