If you head to Japan and
some other countries; the U.S. included looks like you could become a happy
homeowner absolutely free of charge. The Japanese government has over 8 million
properties throughout the country that they're willing to either sell or the
best part; give away for free.
You can see a full list
of them in the whole price range in one of many online databases called Akiya banks. Akiya translates as vacant
house. And, these vacant houses are in pretty good condition. In case you had
any doubts, prices for them start at 0 yen and stop at 30 million yen, which is
around 270 thousand dollars. Vacant houses for sale or for free can be found
all across the island. According to The Japan Times, one in 10 houses in or on
the outskirts of the country's huge capital city Tokyo is empty.
All you have to do is
pick a house in the database, pay a few taxes and fees and you'll become a homeowner.
So, why would the Japanese government
want to do that? What's in it?
The truth is it's all an
attempt to solve the housing crisis that this country has been dealing with for
years now. It's not about a lack of affordable housing- but an overabundance of
abandoned houses aid mill. Remember Japan has a quickly aging population; a lot
of people are either passing away or moving into retirement homes leaving their
houses empty. Young people in the country don't marry early these days. So, they
don't give birth to enough kids to balance the gap.
There's that demographic
question, as well as another reason why, so many houses remain abandoned. It
has to do with the fact that the Japanese are rather superstitious and don't
want to live in houses with a sad history. So, no one is willing to buy homes
where there was tragedy or someone died. According to the Fujitsu Research
Institute, the number of abandoned homes in the country is still growing and
the experts there think that it'll reach 20 million by 2033. To avoid that, the
government is promising subsidies to those who want to renovate old abandoned
houses and the property becomes truly yours after just a few years of you
renting it. So, if you've ever wanted to have a house in the Land of the Rising
Sun, here's your chance.
