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| How did you search for an apartment? |
I did most of my research on the internet. I checked many different websites, and compared the location, distance from train station, and prices. When I found an interesting property on the website, I contacted the agent for a viewing.
The Yokohama Kukan website was the best website I saw on the Internet. I especially liked the Google Maps, the photographs, the videos and the detailed comments and evaluations from the agents. This allowed me to ‘experience’ their properties before I actually visited them. |
| What were your concerns when purchasing the apartment? |
My biggest concern was the contract and other important documents. Since the contract is all in Japanese (not my native language), I needed to have strong trust with the real-estate agent.
Saitoh-san took a lot of extra time to explain the important points to me in English. So I felt comfortable with the contents of the contracts and documents. Also, he introduced me to other people in his trusted network for legal services. So the entire process was very smooth. |
| Do you have any advice about the loan process? |
I would recommend that people should have more than one option for financing. Then if one option is not possible, you can have a back-up plan. For example, approach more than one bank and try to get pre-approval for your loan.
In my case, I approached one bank, but their decision making process was too slow. Luckily, Saitoh-san negotiated an extension for me. Then I was able to use my backup plan for the loan.
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