Imizu City — buying kominka and vacant houses

We buy vacant houses in Imizu City as they are.

Along the Uchikawa in Shinminato, fishing-town houses line the river. Narrow and deep, they are awkward to use as they are but well suited to conversion into shops and inns. Daimon and Kosugi have farmhouses on large plots. With the sea close by, walls and metalwork wear differently from inland, and the appraisal allows for that.

We buy vacant houses in Imizu City as they are, contents included. No clearing needed.
In Shinminato along the Uchikawa canal, many houses are narrow and share walls with their neighbours, so demolition costs add up.
Houses along the Uchikawa suit conversion into shops or guesthouses, and we also buy houses in the Taikoyama housing estates as they are.
A subsidy is the "Imizu City vacant-house measures support project".
Brokerage fee ¥0, free appraisal. As little as 2 weeks from the on-site survey.

Areas of Imizu City we cover

Shinminato

Around the Uchikawa

Daimon

Kosugi

Oshima

Shimomura

Ebie

and all of Imizu City

We cover other districts too. We are a builder in Yatsuo, Toyama City, and drive to Shinminato, Kosugi and Daimon alike. Just tell us where the house is and roughly what state it is in. Other municipalities in Toyama Prefecture are listed in Selling a vacant house or kominka in Toyama (overview).

Houses in Imizu City, and why they fall empty

Houses along the Uchikawa Houses along the Uchikawa in Shinminato, Imizu City, with fishing boats moored

※ Street scene in Imizu, not a property we handle. Photo: くろふね "内川の風景20210227-IMG 1608"(CC BY 4.0), cropped

Imizu mixes very different kinds of vacant house: narrow fishing-town houses packed along the Uchikawa in Shinminato, old post-road town houses in Kosugi, and Showa-era estates around Taikoyama. The Uchikawa area, nicknamed the Venice of Japan, has seen conversions into cafés and inns in recent years.

Houses in the dense old quarters often come with rebuilding or road-access restrictions, and many are hard to move through a broker. We buy as-is even if the plot cannot be rebuilt on or has no road frontage. Just tell us the location and condition to start.

If you want a broad view of prices before selling, see Using the akiya banks in Toyama. You can keep the house listed on an akiya bank and still ask us to appraise it.

How houses sell in Imizu City

Imizu has old houses packed along the Uchikawa River in Shinminato, called “Japan's Venice,” while the Kosugi side spreads out into housing estates like Taikoyama. Shinminato houses tend to be narrow-fronted and often joined to their neighbours, which pushes up demolition costs — a classic case of a house that's hard to move the ordinary way. On the other hand, the Uchikawa townscape draws interest from people who want to use a building as a shop or guesthouse.

Snow, roads and land in Imizu City

Shinminato and Hojozu along the Uchikawa River are among the most densely built town centres in the prefecture: houses about two ken (roughly 3.6 m) wide stand wall to wall along lanes too narrow for a car. A house joined to its neighbour has to be demolished by hand, since machinery can't be used. Demolition costs are high, and selling the land alone often ends up in the red. This is one of the districts where a no-demolition purchase works best.

The housing estates around Taikoyama were built from the 1970s onward. Some houses were built to the old earthquake standard, and some have ageing retaining walls. The ownership of these houses is now passing to the next generation. It's a different kind of vacant house from a kominka, but we can still take it on as it is.

Along the old Hokuriku road in Kosugi, plots are long and narrow and houses have often been extended again and again. No drawings surviving is no obstacle to an appraisal; we read the building's history on site.

If your house tilted in the 2024 earthquake and you are torn between repairing and selling, see Can a tilted house or kominka be repaired?

Subsidies in Imizu City

Imizu City has subsidies for demolishing or renovating vacant houses. Budget and conditions are set each fiscal year, and starting work before the grant is approved disqualifies you as a rule. Whether selling, renting or repairing is best can depend on the scheme, so we check it alongside the appraisal.

Imizu City vacant-house measures support programme
Subsidises demolition of dangerous, dilapidated or adjoining vacant houses. Requires the city's deterioration rating, a contractor within the city, and a plan for the cleared site.

* Check the municipality's official page for current availability and requirements.

Imizu City FAQ

Can I really sell a vacant house in Imizu City without clearing it out?＋−

Yes. In Imizu City too, we buy with the contents and the altar still inside; we dispose of them, so no clearing out. From fishing-town houses along the Uchikawa in Shinminato to farmhouses in Daimon and Kosugi, we take them all as they are.

How long from appraisal to handover in Imizu City?＋−

As little as two weeks from the site survey. A few days from your request to the visit, and the price within a week. The sea is close and walls and metalwork wear differently from inland, which we know well, so within Imizu City it goes smoothly.

Another firm said it can't be sold without demolishing. Is that true in Imizu City?＋−

We don't assume demolition. We repair the houses we buy and pass them on, so there is no demolition cost to deduct from the price. Many requests here come from heirs living outside the prefecture, and the better the condition, the bigger the difference. Appraisal is free, with no charge if you decline.

Will you buy a joined row house along the Uchikawa, or a house with a narrow frontage?＋−

Yes. A row house sharing walls with its neighbours is expensive to demolish, but since we repair rather than demolish, there is nothing to deduct for that.

Do you take vacant houses on housing estates like Taikoyama?＋−

Yes. Showa-era estate houses are restored differently from kominka (insulation, new layouts). We appraise with how houses rent and sell within the estate in mind.

Can a house flooded in the August 2026 heavy rain be sold?＋−

Yes. Flooded houses in Imizu can be sold too. But please tell the buyer that the house was flooded: if you knew and kept quiet, you can be held responsible later (Civil Code, Article 572). Whether to repair first or sell as-is depends on whether water came above or below the floor, and on damage to the frame. We give a price after seeing the house. For details, see Flooded in heavy rain: repair or sell?.

What should I check when choosing a company to buy a vacant house in Imizu?＋−

First ask whether they buy the house as it is with the contents, or price it after subtracting demolition. A house that shares walls with its neighbours, like those along the Uchikawa in Shinminato, costs a lot to demolish, so this changes the price a great deal. Then check that they explain the reasons for the price, and that saying no costs nothing.

For a vacant house in Imizu, should I sell by direct purchase, brokerage or the akiya bank?＋−

If you are in no hurry, the house faces a road and you can clear it out, you can wait for a buyer through brokerage or the akiya bank. Houses on the lanes along the Uchikawa, or non-rebuildable ones, often do not move through brokerage, and a direct purchase suits them better. A direct purchase pays less than a brokered sale, but needs no clearing out and no repairs.