about home choosing (1-20-10)

I personally believe that almost everyone at some point starts wanting to be alone apart from other people. Or rather, to stay together with a group, whether or not a snappy mother is included, or a person, may be uncomfortable at times. As a matter of fact, an argument on any trifling matter in a family happens only when its members are together. And this condition is a factor which helps the young solidify the motivation for starting an independent life (or semi-independent life being financially supported) moving to an apartment. Although there can be other reasons for taking such an action, like living close to one’s company or school, to live inside a private place must tend to promise a degree of comfort and appeal to some people.

Indeed in Tokyo, this style of living in connection with excitements and the convenience of modern societal functions has lured many university students from remote areas and helped them meet the opposite gender and build a relationship, since succeeding in it is perhaps easier when other family members don’t interfere. A brief lonely life may be a step toward making a family.

So, whilst the possibility of making a family is kept in mind, how long should this solo living last? Probably no one wants to continue wasting money on rent. Plus, the apartment would be too small to accept an additional dweller. The borrower of the apartment must face a turning point to seriously consider upgrading their home. What is the next ideal place to live in?

The options can be summarized: a newly built house, a second-hand house, a newly built condominium, and a second-hand condominium. And the location of the building is factored in too.

If the motivation for changing one’s home has evolved from romance to start a new life with the partner, a discussion should lead to a decision. There are elements to take into account:

1. Income

In the case of marriage, the (soon-to-be) wife may anticipate her family’s income to be reduced after quitting her job inevitably--a somewhat common phenomenon amongst Japanese--and pinning down where the income will likely settle plays a key role for the couple to decide on the price of a new home and a plan to repay loans.

2. The number of residents

It helps decide on the size of the home with its own number of rooms.

3. Location

In general, the closer to city centers, the easier a commute is, as the price of either a house or condo is higher. However, at the same time, the further from city centers, the more greenery and larger playing fields for kids.

Even if there seems to be no likelihood of a family’s expansion soon, to keep paying on someone else’s apartment may not be the most ideal norm. Instead, changing the object of the monthly payment to some second-hand condo is an open door.

I recommend a second-hand condo with approximately 60 square meters with some rooms. This size probably exercises the one-size-fits-all theory, not to put a resident at odds and leave them uncomfortable while it’s possible to increase the family size. If the subjective person has put aside the equivalent of a down payment and his/her monthly payment won’t rise significantly, this purchase seems sensible.

Areas around Tokyo, which can be proud of its convenient transportation system, abound in such second-hand condos with reasonable prices. And as Tokyo must outperform rural areas in offering jobs and help make a living, second-hand condos present a wide variety of locations whereas newly built condos and houses limit them.

Moreover, trading in a second-hand condo is still sort of popular a way for Japanese to move to a better condo or house, adapting to the change of one’s/ones’ lifestyle and in search for a better ambiance. In this chronic sluggish economy, starting with obtaining a cheaper second-hand condo before considering the next place doesn’t sound the worst.

To conclude, changing the home accompanies a risk. The venture is thrilling although each person in the move should not neglect taking care of his/her parents in the aging society. [non sequitur] In the case the person has lived in Tokyo, the greater choice of second-hand condos with each different location could allow the buyer to live close to their parents, while a larger house would accept more family members although it was likely more costly.

Now, it’s timely to buy a home thanks to deflation: the average price of a newly built house in the Tokyo metropolitan area dropped from about 41 million yen (or roughly 456,000 US dollars) in June 2008 to about 37 million yen in June 2009 while the average prices of a secondhand house and a secondhand condo dropped from about 42 million yen and about 31 million yen to about 38 million yen and about 25 million yen, respectively, over the same period. In addition, at present the partial cancellation of a housing loan has been expanded to five million yen (or roughly 56,000 dollars) over the first ten years in the process of repayment, a scheme which kicked in to stimulate the economy. And don’t forget to check the classified resistance of a building to earthquakes which hit Japan rather frequently. Why don’t you move now?