Mains water not connected
The listing says the water main runs along the front road but the house is not connected. You pay the connection levy plus the pipework into the house.
Estimated Immediate Capital Expense
¥300,000 – ¥800,000
Find out if that cheap Japanese house can ever be rebuilt
Paste a listing link and get the road, setback, zoning, utilities and true all-in cost in about a minute.
- Article 42 road check
- Setback land loss
- All-in cost estimate
Listing URL — any Japanese property site
Works with any site that posts akiya or property listings — national portals, prefectural akiya banks, city hall vacant-house pages, or an agent's own site.
How it works
1
Paste the listing URL
Any single property page — a national portal, an agent's own site, or a city hall vacant-house page. 3 free checks a day without an account; unlimited with a free account.
2
The listing is read and translated
Roads, utilities, structure, price, commute and nearby services are pulled from the Japanese page.
3
The risk is graded and the setback calculated
How much land a narrow road forces you to give up, and what's left to build on.
4
You get the report
True cost, price context, location health, renovation tier, negotiation points, subsidies and deal-breakers.
SAMPLE REPORT — FULLY UNLOCKED
Every section a paid report includes, shown on an example house. Paste a real listing URL above to replace it.
CONDITIONAL — SETBACK REQUIRED
Proceed with checks
No outright deal-breakers, but 2 points must be confirmed with the publisher before you make an offer.
A 1978 wooden house on 182 m² in Komaki, Aichi. The road in front is 3.6 m wide, so a 0.2 m setback applies on rebuild, and mains water is not connected yet. Expect roughly ¥2.4M of lifeline and paperwork costs on top of the asking price before the house is liveable.
Buyable, but not at the advertised price上水道 前面道路本管より要引込建築確認済証・検査済証なし築1978年 旧耐震
What this house really costs
Asking price is the small part. This is the planning band from offer to moving in, plus what it costs you every year afterwards.
Total to a habitable house
¥14,479,760 – ¥21,701,800
≈ $96,532 – $144,679 at ¥150/$1
Price, purchase taxes and fees, lifeline connections and a renovation allowance.
Cost of owning it, per year
¥76,064 – ¥160,752
Property taxes, insurance, septic servicing and neighbourhood dues — payable whether or not you live there.
Buy it
¥4,379,760 – ¥4,561,800
Price plus statutory fees and taxes at settlement
Connect it
¥1,200,000 – ¥2,900,000
Allowance for mains water connection, septic tank replacement
Make it liveable
¥8,900,000 – ¥14,240,000
Based on the disclosed floor area
Planning bands, not quotes. Connection and renovation allowances are industry ranges for rural vacant houses; the exact figures depend on quotes you obtain locally.
Is the asking price fair?
How the price compares to nearby recorded prices and official land values.
No price benchmark available
We could not find a recorded transaction or published land-price point near this address. Compare the asking price with recent sales in the same district.
No price benchmark data is available for this address.
Official land values are annual benchmarks, not transaction prices. Use this as a sanity check, not an appraisal.
Location health
Whether the town is stable or shrinking — and what that means for services and resale.
Gradual decline
- No clinic or hospital listed nearby — check emergency access
- 9-minute walk to the nearest station
- Daily shopping listed nearby — ピアゴ 小牧店 (approx. 900 m)
Based on the listing address, access, services and hazard flags. Census-based population and vacancy figures would refine this score; they are added when available.
Renovation condition
Rough condition band based on age, structure and the listing's own wording.
C
Major structural work
Full gut, seismic upgrade or structural repairs likely.
Estimated renovation band
¥8,900,000 – ¥14,240,000
Based on 89 ㎡ floor area
Why this tier
- Built in 1978, before the 1981 earthquake code — seismic upgrade likely
- Kitchen, bath, electrics or finishes likely need renewal
Planning estimate only. The actual cost depends on the condition you find during inspection and on local contractor rates.
Location, commute & nearby places
Everything the listings actually say about where this house is and what is around it.
AddressJapanese term: 所在地 — the address as printed on the listing. Many rural listings stop at the neighbourhood and leave out the block number.
愛知県小牧市小牧原新田
Neighbourhood only — the block and lot number are not published. Ask the seller before ordering any survey or registry search.
Nearest stationsJapanese term: 最寄駅 — the closest railway station and the stated travel time. Walking times on Japanese listings assume 80 m per minute.
- 小牧原 Station · 名鉄小牧線Japanese name: 名鉄小牧線 小牧原駅9 min on foot
- 小牧 Station · 名鉄小牧線Japanese name: 名鉄小牧線 小牧駅18 min on foot
Nearby placesJapanese term: 周辺施設 — shops, schools, clinics and public offices the listing names near the property, with its own stated distances.
Shops & supermarkets
- ピアゴ 小牧店Japanese name: ピアゴ 小牧店approx. 900 m
Schools & childcare
- 小牧市立小牧小学校Japanese name: 小牧市立小牧小学校12 min walk
Deal-breakers first
The findings most likely to stop a purchase, checked against this listing.
The road in front is only 3.6 m wide
Rebuilding means giving up roughly 2.4 m² of your land to widen the road, for free and permanently.
Building completion paperwork appears to be missing
Most Japanese lenders refuse a mortgage without the completion certificate, and it complicates any future extension.
Negotiation leverage
Every finding in this report is also a reason to pay less. Use these lines with the agent.
A defensible opening offer
¥0 – ¥0
Asking ¥3,800,000 minus the quantified connection and renovation allowances in this report. Offer below it; settle inside it.
2.4 m² of the plot becomes road when rebuilding
Roughly 2.4 m² must be given up as road on any rebuild, so the usable land is smaller than advertised — the price should match the usable area, not the listed one.
The waste system must be replaced
The toilet/waste system has to be replaced at roughly ¥800,000–¥1,500,000. Asking the seller to share that cost is standard.
Mains connection is not yet done
The buyer inherits the connection works and municipal levies — several hundred thousand yen at least — which should be reflected in the price.
Article 42 Road & Setback CalculatorJapanese law wants a 4m-wide road in front of a house. If the road is narrower, you must give up a strip of your own land when you rebuild, so the usable plot shrinks. This shows how deep that strip is and how many square metres it costs you.
Road widthJapanese term: 幅員 — the legal width of the road in front of the plot.
3.6 m
Article 42-2 deemed road
FrontageJapanese term: 間口 — how many metres of the plot actually touch the road; at least 2m is required.
12 m
Min. 2m required (Art. 43)
Setback depthJapanese term: 後退距離 — how far the building line must move back from a narrow road.
0.2 m
(4m − width) ÷ 2
Land given upJapanese term: 提供面積 — the area of your plot that legally becomes road.
2.4 m²
Setback × frontage
Listed land area: 182 ㎡ → effective buildable land after setback: 179.6 ㎡
Assumes the widening is shared with the opposite side. If a river, cliff or park faces the plot, the whole strip comes from this land and doubles.
Infrastructure & Utility Audit
Water Source
Connection Required
Sewage
Single-Tank Jōkasō
Gas / Energy
Propane Gas
Electricity
Connected
Single-household septic tank
A 単独浄化槽 only treats toilet waste. If a public sewer reaches this street you must convert or connect, which is the expensive scenario.
Estimated Immediate Capital Expense
¥800,000 – ¥1,600,000
Confirm connection status, ownership, and current contracts with the listing publisher. Ask for the contract amperage and the age of the panel and water heater.
All-In Purchase & Closing Cost Estimate
Breakdown of mandatory Japanese agent commissions, judicial scrivener fees, and registration taxes.
Total Estimated Cash-to-Close
¥4,379,760 – ¥4,561,800
≈ $29,198 – $30,412 USD at ¥150/$1Adds approx. +18% overhead
Listed property price
¥3,800,000
Agent commission
Maximum for low-cost homes (≤ ¥8M). Chargeable only if agreed in writing with the agent before the contract
¥330,000
Title registration & legal scrivener
¥160,000 – ¥250,000
Contract stamp duty
Reduced contract rate in force for contracts signed through 31 March 2027; the standard rate is double.
¥1,000
Transfer registration tax
2% of the assessed land value plus 0.4% of the building, paid at registration. The band assumes an assessed value of 60%–80% of the asking price.
¥38,760 – ¥60,800
Property acquisition tax (billed later)
Billed directly by the prefectural tax office 3 to 6 months after settlement.
¥50,000 – ¥120,000
Total cash needed (estimate)
¥4,379,760 – ¥4,561,800
Notice for International Wire Transfers: Most Japanese judicial scriveners and sellers require payment via local Japanese bank transfer (Furikomi). Foreign exchange fees, intermediary bank deductions, and currency buffer accounts typically require an extra 2–3% in liquidity.
Planning estimate only. Actual registration and acquisition taxes depend on the government-assessed value, exemptions, and the transaction structure.
Renovation & Demolition Feasibility
Statutory structural hurdles, asbestos survey obligations, and estimated teardown costs.
Demolition & Site Clearance Estimate
Narrow Road Surcharge Applied¥1,470,000 – ¥2,000,000
Constrained Access (< 4m road). Heavy excavators and 4t trucks cannot enter. Manual labor (手壊し) or micro-machinery required. A +50% access surcharge is applied to the estimate above.
Tip: If demolishing before rebuilding, note that vacant land loses the residential land tax reduction, multiplying the annual land tax by up to 6x until new construction begins.
Structure: Wooden (木造) · 89 ㎡ floor area · built 1978
Statutory Renovation Flags
4-Gō Structural Reform Triggered (4号特例縮小対象)
Under national Building Standards Act reforms, 2-story wooden homes are no longer exempt from structural review. Any major structural renovation or floor plan alteration involving more than 50% of structural pillars, beams, or load-bearing walls requires full architectural structural calculations and formal Building Confirmation (建築確認申請) through a licensed Kenchikushi.
Mandatory Pre-Construction Asbestos Survey (大気汚染防止法)
Structures erected prior to 2006 carry high risk of asbestos in exterior siding, roofing slate (スレート波板), and acoustic spray. Japan's Air Pollution Control Act legally mandates an electronic asbestos inspection report submitted by a certified surveyor before any demolition or renovation exceeding ¥1,000,000.
Structural Alteration Boundaries (DIY vs. municipal review)
No filing needed: interior finishes, fittings, kitchen and bathroom replacement, non-structural partitions, and like-for-like roof or siding recovering. Municipal review is triggered by: increasing floor area (増築), changing the building's use (用途変更), rebuilding more than half the roof or structural frame (大規模の修繕・模様替え), and any work after demolition down to the frame.
Planning estimate only. Demolition quotes vary with site access, asbestos content, and waste disposal distance; confirm with a licensed contractor and your municipality.
Money you may be able to claim back
This property fits these subsidy categories. Amounts are indicative national bands — the City Hall script below already asks for the live figures.
Septic tank conversion grantJapanese name: 浄化槽設置補助金. Most municipalities pay 40–60% of the cost of replacing a single-tank or vault system with a combined septic tank. Must be applied for before the work starts.
typically ¥300,000 – ¥900,000
Most municipalities pay 40–60% of the cost of replacing a single-tank or vault system with a combined septic tank. Must be applied for before the work starts.
Demolition aidJapanese name: 老朽危険家屋等除却補助. Cities worried about collapse pay part of the demolition of old or designated-at-risk empty houses. Often requires the owner to apply before teardown.
typically ¥200,000 – ¥1,000,000
Cities worried about collapse pay part of the demolition of old or designated-at-risk empty houses. Often requires the owner to apply before teardown.
Seismic diagnosis & reinforcement grantJapanese name: 耐震診断・改修補助. Pre-1981 houses (old earthquake code) usually qualify for a free seismic inspection and a large subsidy toward reinforcement work.
diagnosis often free; works typically 50–80% subsidised
Pre-1981 houses (old earthquake code) usually qualify for a free seismic inspection and a large subsidy toward reinforcement work.
Akiya renovation / relocation grantJapanese name: 移住・空き家改修補助金. Akiya-bank municipalities and depopulating towns pay new residents toward renovation. Conditions (age, residency years, registered address) vary by town.
typically ¥300,000 – ¥1,000,000, more for families
Akiya-bank municipalities and depopulating towns pay new residents toward renovation. Conditions (age, residency years, registered address) vary by town.
Grants almost always have to be applied for before work begins, and several require the seller to apply — ask before signing anything.
This is the unlocked sample view. On a real report, cost detail and some risk cards unlock after purchase.