The things people ask us.

Selling requires the consent and signature of every co-owner. But it's fine to consult us before that's settled — in fact, that's exactly where most people get stuck. We can even help put together material to explain things to your siblings. If you like, we'll join and explain the terms in person.

We can still appraise. Registration must be completed before handover, though (it has been compulsory since April 2024). We can introduce a judicial scrivener and give you a cost guide with the appraisal.

Even after renouncing an inheritance (filing with the family court to receive neither assets nor debts), whoever was using or looking after the family home at the time keeps the duty to look after it. And the scheme that lets the state take over the land can't be used while a building still stands on it. Details are in Renouncing an inheritance doesn't make the house disappear.

Leave them. We dispose of the contents, so no clearing out. For the Buddhist or Shinto altar we may ask you to arrange the closing rite; if you don't know how, ask us.

→ Clearing costs and order, and how the altar and farm machinery are handled

Farmland needs the agricultural committee's permission and follows different procedures from a house lot. Sometimes we can take it, sometimes not; we check the registered land category and give you a clear answer. If you don't know it, we look it up.

→ Selling a family home with rice fields or forest, in detail

→ The neighbours complain about trees overhanging (the rules, and selling with the trees)

Sometimes. Because we repair and pass the house on rather than demolish and clear, land that cannot be rebuilt on can still be worth something to us. We judge after seeing it.

There are houses we can't take. If the damage reaches the frame and it can't be repaired, the appraisal may assume a cleared lot, or come back with no price at all. Most of the posts or beams rotted through, the roof framing collapsed, the whole thing leaning from the foundation up — in houses like that, repair costs more than rebuilding, so we tell you so honestly and give you a demolition quote instead. Beyond that, we also can't take farmland or forest on its own, a house where some heirs can't be reached, or one outside the areas we cover, as it stands. Which one applies is something we can only answer after seeing the frame on site.

→ How to tell a damaged house that can be fixed from one that can't

Of course. There is no charge at all. We contact you once; say "no thanks" and you won't hear from us again.

We hold the key, check the house and report with photos and video. The contract can be done by post or online. Many of our clients are far away.

Consultation, site survey and appraisal are all free, and there is no brokerage fee when we buy. If a survey or boundary confirmation is needed, we set out who pays what in writing before the contract. No extra charges afterwards.

A sale to us is not advertised, so no listing goes out and no sign goes up. If the neighbours need to be told, we decide when and how with you.

No. Viewings are free and come with no obligation. Some end with us saying "don't buy this one". If that saves you from a house you should not buy, the viewing did its job.

Yes. We attend the agent's viewing as the builder. Tell us the date, time and place in advance and we will arrange it. Even if we cannot get under the floor or into the roof space that day, we tell you what we can judge from what is visible.

Send us the listing URL or photos and we will tell you from the documents whether it is worth a trip. Many people group their viewings around a visit home or a holiday. Everything can be done over LINE.

Yes. Spot repairs — fixing a leak, adding inner windows, replacing one bathroom — start from a few hundred thousand yen. A full renovation is not a precondition. If you plan to do more later, we tell you which jobs should come first.

Toyama, Ishikawa and Gifu prefectures and their municipalities have schemes supporting vacant-house renovation and relocation. The conditions and windows differ by municipality and change every fiscal year. Tell us where and when you plan to live and we check what applies, and help prepare the paperwork.

Yes. With old houses, no drawings is the norm. From photos and the location we give a cost range; we measure the house when things move forward. Land registry documents and title deeds are not needed at this stage either.

It depends on the scope. Partial work such as inner windows or a bathroom starts in the ¥2 million range; a full renovation of a 130–200 ㎡ house runs about ¥15–30 million. These are construction costs and exclude the purchase of land and building. Real figures and schedules are published on each project page.

The construction itself takes about two to four months. A project centred on insulation and underfloor heating and a full renovation of both floors each took two months; a guesthouse with two new bathroom sets and exterior wall work took four. Add time for design, and for permits where needed.

It depends on the scope. If the work can be split — ground floor only, upstairs only — it is sometimes possible. While the bathroom or kitchen is out of use, though, we will ask you to stay elsewhere. We propose what is realistic after seeing the house.

Not if the insulation is done properly. Cut corners there and within a few years it is "still cold" again. In Case 02, insulating first made a house whose temperature and humidity stay stable without running the air conditioning all year. We recommend this approach to anyone who cares more about running costs than the upfront cost.

We judge after seeing the house. Hokuriku farmhouses are framed with thick beams and posts, so the structure is usually sound, but the foundations and the amount of bracing wall differ from today's standards. We set out the reinforcement needed and its cost up front — it is hidden work, so it is the item most likely to be added later otherwise.

We do that. We have opened a kominka as a minpaku guesthouse, and can advise on the Minpaku Law filing and fire-safety requirements. Depending on the use, a change-of-use permit under the Building Standards Act or a health office licence may be needed. We check that before design starts.

Three months at the fastest, usually about six. Design and the quote take one to two months; using a subsidy adds the application period. If you have a start date in mind, talk to us and we work back from it.

Finishes and fittings can be changed up to a point. Insulation and structure cannot be undone once the work has advanced — which is why we ask you to decide those first.

Any time — we would rather you did. Inside the walls and under the floor will never be visible again once finished. Photos taken then help with maintenance later.

The site survey and the rough estimate are free, and there is no charge if you decline. Fees begin when we move into detailed design.

Because it depends on the building's condition and how far you go. Foundations, the roof and termite damage in particular cannot be confirmed until opened up. At the estimate stage we flag the items that could go up.

A renovation loan, or a mortgage that also covers the purchase, may be available. Banks treat old buildings differently, so talk to us once you have a house in mind.

It does make a difference. Windows lose the most heat, so doing the inner windows first is the right order. But if there's no insulation under the floor, the cold at your feet will remain. If your budget allows, we recommend doing the windows and the underfloor together.

Not if the insulation is done. Underfloor heating without insulation just keeps pushing up the energy bill. In our project we insulated first and then added underfloor heating.

Yes. Insulation stops heat moving in either direction, so it works on winter chill and summer humidity alike. That is why renovations that skimp on it get called "muggy in summer".

We check the current condition as part of the free site survey. If you need a formal assessment report, for a subsidy application for instance, there is a separate fee.

No. We don't take the building down; we replace only the damaged members. The foundation, roof and the sound posts and beams stay, so the starting point is completely different from a rebuild.

First we set a target for how far to raise the seismic resistance, then carry out the reinforcement work. The cost changes with how far you raise it, so we set out the reinforcement needed and its cost in writing beforehand. From there we decide together, weighing it against your budget.

You can. Keeping the tiles to match the local townscape is a valid choice. We then size the seismic reinforcement for a heavy roof. Lighten the roof or add reinforcement — we tell you which suits the house after seeing it.

Often from stains on the ceiling or discoloured posts in the roof space. But water travels unexpected routes, so the cause is not always directly above the stain. At the survey we look at the roof from above and the roof space from inside.

Yes. But since it needs scaffolding, doing the exterior walls, gutters or some insulation at the same time gives better value. If you plan to do them anyway, combining them ends up cheaper.

No. Fire-safety equipment, drawings and other parts of the filing go hand in hand with the construction, so we do it with you. We start by checking whether the filing can be approved at all. Who does what, and in what order, is set out on the page Filing to start a minpaku in Toyama.

You can apply for a hotel business licence under the Ryokan Business Act. The night limit disappears, but the building requirements and the construction cost change. We decide which route to take after looking at the occupancy you expect and the figures.

Many owners outsource cleaning and key handovers. It's important to decide who will run the guesthouse, and how, before you plan it. Otherwise, more guests won't mean more money left in your pocket. We decide the layout from the design stage with that in mind.

Yes. We are a registered private-lodging (minpaku) management operator (registration: Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (01) No. F06163), so the notification stays in the owner's name while we handle bookings, cleaning, keys, dealing with neighbours and reporting to the prefecture. There is no fixed monthly fee — you pay only a pre-agreed share of the lodging revenue, plus actual costs separately. For details, see Private-lodging management and operation in Toyama.

Please do — before is the time. Buying a house that cannot meet the change-of-use or fire requirements is irreversible. Pre-purchase viewings are free.

Yes. Shop downstairs and home upstairs is common; we then design separate circulation and fire compartments. Mixed use changes the requirements, so we sort it out before design.

Construction takes two to four months depending on scale. Add design, and the change-of-use and health office consultations. Tell us your planned opening date and we work back from it.

Yes. There are two forms: the company leases directly from the owner (we broker the contract), or the company buys the house and owns it. We search across the vacant and second-hand houses we have bought, listed properties and the akiya banks, and a builder joins every viewing. The steps when you ask a provider are on How to choose a leased-housing provider in Toyama. Details are on Company housing and staff dormitories in Toyama.

Yes. The Technical Intern Training operational guidelines set rules for accommodation. Bedrooms need at least 4.5 ㎡ per person, excluding parts that can't actually be used such as an alcove or closet. You also need individual storage for personal belongings, a window with an effective daylight area of at least one-seventh of the room's floor area, and heating. For Specific Skilled Worker status, the basic standard is 7.5 ㎡ per person. At the viewing we measure each bedroom and tell you, property by property, how many people it can house under the rules. For details, see Accommodation for technical interns and specified skilled workers in Toyama.

There's no one-word answer. It depends on your finances, how long you'll use it, and the property's condition. The usual split is: lease if the headcount is likely to change within about three years; buy if you plan to use it for ten years and want to fix things up. That's not a hard rule, though. We handle both leasing and the introduction and renovation of properties, so you can talk to the same team either way. For details, see Company housing and staff dormitories in Toyama.

Tell us where and when, and we check which schemes look usable at that point. But they change every fiscal year and close when the budget runs out, so we cannot guarantee it.

At the estimate stage we show you both figures, with and without the subsidy, so the plan does not collapse if it falls through.

Yes. We adjust the scope of work to meet the requirements and help prepare the documents. Since most schemes require applying before work starts, we plan the schedule with you.

Yes: all of Ishikawa and northern Gifu (Hida). Kanazawa has its own page; Noto, Komatsu, Kaga and the rest of Ishikawa are on the Ishikawa page. From our office in Yatsuo we drive as far as Kanazawa, Takayama and Shirakawa-go. If you live far away, we can start from photos and documents.

The purchase terms and the way we appraise are the same. What we look at differs, because snowfall, windbreak trees and water and sewer connections vary by area. The 14 municipalities of Toyama each have a page on their local conditions.

Ask us anyway. We check the house ourselves; many of our clients are heirs living elsewhere, and we can hold the key and visit.

After inheriting a family home, decide within three months whether to accept or renounce the inheritance, and complete the inheritance registration within three years. In between, notify the city about property tax and decide whether to sell or keep the house. We have set it all out on this page.

You are obliged to complete the inheritance registration within three years of learning that you received the house through inheritance. For inheritances before April 1, 2024, the deadline is March 31, 2027. We have set it out on this page.

If a family home inherited with siblings stays co-owned, every owner must agree to sell it or to demolish it. The basic step is to decide first, in the discussion on dividing the estate, whether to sell and split the money or have one person take the house. We have set it out on this page.

The heirs pay property tax on an inherited vacant house, even before the inheritance registration. It is a tax on whoever owns the property on January 1 each year, and the heirs take over the share for the year of the death too. We have set it out on this page.

Even after a parent moves into a care facility, the parent still owns the house, so the parent is the one who sells it. If the parent can make decisions, they sign the contract themselves; if they cannot, for example because of dementia, an adult guardian sells it with the permission of the family court. We have set it out on this page.