Housing and Real Estate Statistics for Foreigners in Japan (2024)

Released on May 11, 2024

A report of statistics and insights on the real estate needs of foreigners in Japan.

Using data from hundreds of foreign clients, Find Hokkaido Agents provides statistics and insights on the real estate needs of foreigners in Japan.

== FOREIGNERS REQUESTING REAL ESTATE IN JAPAN:
— 44% of foreigners want to rent an apartment/house
— 31% of foreigners request help buying property
— 12% of foreigners want a loan to buy property in Japan
— For transactions in Hokkaido, 48% want real estate in Sapporo
— 13% of foreigners in Hokkaido request property in Niseko

The number of foreigners visiting and living in Japan is increasing. For foreigners that want to spend more time in Japan, the need for housing or real estate is an important priority. Using data from hundreds of client requests, Find Hokkaido Agents provides original research on the most common types of real estate requests from foreigners.

Research based on our work with clients indicates the primary focus on real estate by foreigners in Japan is for rentals and apartments (44%), followed by the desire to buy residential or investment property in Japan (31%). In addition to requests to rent or buy real estate in Japan, foreigners commonly request help with real estate loans (12%), legal services (5%), and taxes (3%).
— Graham Hill, founder of Find Hokkaido Agents

This research is based on proprietary data from hundreds of clients, over several years (including inquiries from 2024). Over 450 contact records were manually coded by category to determine the foreigners’ real estate goals and the locations of the desired property. The client requests were sorted into categories including renting, buying, loans, legal services, interest in akiya, tax services, and more. The #1 specific request from this dataset was to rent an apartment in Sapporo.

Because most services are provided in Japanese only, foreigners in Japan struggle to rent and buy property. Recent information from Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism (MLIT) states that 60% of foreign investors rate the availability of information about real estate in Japan as “bad” or “very bad.”

Find Hokkaido Agents helps foreigners complete real estate transactions in Japan by providing a range of services including real estate consulting and introductions to local real estate agents. To date, the company has helped over 250 clients from countries including the United States, Singapore, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Real estate agents have helped clients rent and buy property in Sapporo, Niseko, Otaru, Asahikawa, Hakodate, and Obihiro.

All information and introductions for clients are provided free of charge.

At Find Hokkaido Agents, we offer a unique perspective on foreigners buying property in Japan, and local Hokkaido real estate business that can provide support for those kinds of clients.

We welcome collaboration with the press and other media.

Media Contact

• Phone: (+81) 50 5806-5302
• Email: press (a) findhokkaidoagents.com

We are a Japanese company, located in Sapporo, Japan (Hokkaido) serving clients from all over the world.  And locally, here in Hokkaido, we have helped local Japanese businesses and real estate companies find new clients and sell services.

For More Information:

— View the original release here
— Our whole list of past press releases