---
type: Process Page
title: "How Buying With AkiyaHub Works: Every Step, and Where Your Money Goes"
description: "The complete process of buying a home in Japan as a foreign buyer: who does what, all 17 steps from search to keys, where purchase funds are held, and how AkiyaHub is paid."
resource: https://akiyahub.com/how-it-works
tags:
  - akiyahub
  - buying-process
  - escrow
  - buyer-protection
  - japan-property
  - foreign-buyers
  - remote-purchase
status: stable
stale_after: 2026-11-18
generated:
  by: process:akiyahub-public-markdown
  at: 2026-08-18T00:00:00Z
sources:
  - title: "How Buying With AkiyaHub Works"
    resource: https://akiyahub.com/how-it-works
---

# How Buying With AkiyaHub Works

**Step 0.** Before you start searching, learn how buying actually works.

Most foreign buyers jump straight into listings and only later discover the hard part: 9 different people in Japan all have to say yes, in a process they have rarely done with someone overseas.

This page is Step 0. In a few minutes you will see who is involved, who is responsible for each step, and how your money moves the whole time. So when you do start searching, you are not guessing. You are following a clear plan with one English-speaking team coordinating agents, scriveners, and banks for you, while a regulated Japanese trust company holds your purchase funds instead of an agent or seller.

AkiyaHub is not a listing site and is not a real estate brokerage.

**Key facts:**

- One Japan-based English-speaking team coordinates the entire purchase.
- Licensed local professionals across all 47 prefectures, through 300+ vetted partners.
- Purchase funds are held by a licensed escrow partner, a regulated Japanese trust business. AkiyaHub never holds your purchase funds.
- Zero commission and zero kickbacks from agents or sellers.
- Most buyers complete the purchase without traveling to Japan.

[Start My Japan Journey](https://akiyahub.com/jointhecommunity)

## Table of Contents

- [Buyers who did this](#buyers-who-did-this)
- [7 "wait... who's handling that?" moments](#7-wait-whos-handling-that-moments)
- [2 ways to find the house](#2-ways-to-find-the-house)
- [Who does what in your transaction](#who-does-what-in-your-transaction)
- [Every step, from first search to the deed](#every-step-from-first-search-to-the-deed)
- [What happens at each stage](#what-happens-at-each-stage)
- [Where your money goes](#where-your-money-goes)
- [6 questions to ask before you send a single yen](#6-questions-to-ask-before-you-send-a-single-yen)
- [Who signs when you are not there](#who-signs-when-you-are-not-there)
- [The part people underestimate](#the-part-people-underestimate)
- [After the keys: Japan Home Stewardship](#after-the-keys-japan-home-stewardship)
- [How we are paid](#how-we-are-paid)
- [AkiyaHub vs a traditional English-speaking agent](#akiyahub-vs-a-traditional-english-speaking-agent)
- [Frequently asked questions](#frequently-asked-questions)
- [Important limitations](#important-limitations)

## Buyers who did this

Hundreds of foreign buyers followed this exact process and now own homes in Japan.

Every story started the same way: living outside Japan, not reading Japanese, and unsure who to trust with a large international transfer. They ran the same process this page lays out, with one English-speaking team coordinating local licensed professionals and a regulated Japanese trust company holding the purchase funds, and they finished with keys in hand.

[Read more buyer stories](./proof.md)

## 7 "wait... who's handling that?" moments

These are the questions that quietly stop serious overseas buyers. In a normal deal, nobody gives you a straight answer and most of it falls back on you. With AkiyaHub, each one has a named professional and a clear process.

**Who is actually my licensed agent?** In many deals from overseas, you never really know who is officially on your side. You always work with us. We go to the vetted buyer-side licensed Japanese brokerage that fits the property you selected. That may be more than one agent. You still only deal with AkiyaHub.

**Who really checks the property?** Most foreign buyers are relying on the listing photos. Our team goes to the property, documents it on video, and researches ownership, risks, and neighborhood context before you commit.

**Who makes sure I know what I am signing?** Standard contracts are in Japanese and often rushed. We prepare an English Companion Guide alongside the Japanese contract so you can read the deal before anyone signs.

**Who makes sure the title ends up in my name?** If this step is sloppy, you can pay and still not be the legal owner. A government-licensed judicial scrivener verifies identity, runs the title checks, and registers the transfer into your name.

**Where does my money actually sit before closing?** In many deals, your funds pass through an agent's or seller's account. With AkiyaHub, your purchase funds are held by a regulated Japanese trust company. AkiyaHub never holds or accesses your money.

**What if I cannot be in Japan on contract day?** Most agents expect you to show up or improvise. We arrange an appointed signer, under a Power of Attorney written for that one transaction, who already knows Japanese real estate terms and does not sign until the papers match what you approved.

**Who coordinates all of these people?** Without a coordinator, you become the project manager in a language you do not speak. AkiyaHub runs the timeline, keeps every party aligned, and updates you in English so the deal keeps moving without you chasing anyone.

## 2 ways to find the house

This is the one real fork in the road, and it happens before you make an offer. From an accepted offer onward, both paths run through exactly the same process.

### Path 1: you do the searching

You already know the areas you want and roughly what you are looking for. You search at your own pace with our tools, and bring us the properties worth acting on. We verify each one and take over the moment you want to move.

Best for buyers who know Japan, know their areas, and want to drive the search themselves.

1. **You do the searching.** Browse using Map Search, Quick Search, or the Property Feed. You can also find properties on external sites and share the links with us to add them to your list.
2. **Basic Inquiry.** We contact the listing agent as your bilingual coordinator to verify availability, confirm pricing, and check seller openness to a foreign buyer.
3. **Comprehensive Report.** Detailed investigation of ownership status, liens, legal concerns, hidden costs, and neighborhood context.
4. **Video Walkthrough.** Our team travels to the property and films it with expert commentary.
5. **Offer Submission.** A licensed buyer-side agent drafts your formal offer and required legal documents.

### Path 2: our team searches for you

You are not sure where to buy or what to look for, and you would rather not spend a year finding out. We onboard you, work out your real criteria, then search, vet, and present properties to you every week with strategy calls until you pick one.

Best for buyers who want a team to define the brief, do the searching, and manage the whole purchase.

1. **Onboarding call.** A detailed call to uncover your true criteria, assess what is and is not realistic in the current market, and set the direction of search.
2. **Source and vet 3 per week.** We source three properties per week matching your criteria and perform due diligence on the top candidates.
3. **Review and refine.** A meeting to review matches and refine criteria. The cycle repeats as needed.
4. **Viewing.** Remote video walkthrough, no in-person visit needed.
5. **Offer.** Formal intent to submit an offer.

From the accepted offer, both paths are the same 12 steps.

## Who does what in your transaction

We do not replace the licensed Japanese agent. We make the Japanese system work for you.

```
YOU (everything in English)
  |
AkiyaHub (your English-speaking coordinator)
  |
  +-- Your buyer-side agent (licensed, works on your behalf)
  +-- Judicial scrivener (verifies title and registers ownership)
  +-- Escrow partner (holds your funds in trust)
  +-- Your appointed signer (already read your contract; will not sign if it has changed)
  |
--- the other side of the table ---
  |
SELLER'S AGENT (holds the direct contract with the seller)
  |
SELLER (the property owner)
```

- **Buyer (you):** The decision maker. You choose the property, the price, and the terms.
- **AkiyaHub (advisory team):** Your English-speaking advisory team, and the only party you have to deal with. For each property, we go to the vetted buyer-side licensed Japanese brokerage that fits that house, then keep the licensed parties aligned through to the keys.
- **Seller agent (direct source):** The agent holding the direct contract with the seller. We work with them specifically to avoid middleman chains and extra fees.
- **Judicial scrivener:** A government-licensed professional who verifies identities and registers the official ownership transfer.
- **Licensed escrow partner:** A regulated Japanese trust company, registered with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau since 2014, that holds purchase funds separately from AkiyaHub, the agent, and the seller.
- **Your appointed signer:** The party you appoint under a transaction-specific Power of Attorney. They already know Japanese real estate terms, have already reviewed your contract, and will not sign if anything has been added or taken out. Never the seller's agent.
- **Seller:** The property owner. We manage this relationship through the seller agent so they feel comfortable selling to a foreign buyer.
- **Certified Japan Home Steward:** A vetted local company, certified and audited by AkiyaHub, that checks the house on a schedule, handles the Japan-side bills and notices, and has the home ready before you arrive.
- **Insurance provider:** Fire and earthquake insurance, in place immediately upon closing.
- **Project manager:** Oversees renovation work when you would rather not coordinate contractors in Japanese yourself.

## Every step, from first search to the deed

This is the same process map our members follow inside the platform. The two steps where your money actually moves are marked.

### Before Offer

1. **You do the searching.** Browse properties using Map Search, Quick Search, or the Property Feed. You can also find properties on external sites and share the links with us to add them to your list.
2. **Basic Inquiry.** We contact the listing agent as your bilingual coordinator to verify availability, confirm pricing, check seller openness to a foreign buyer, capture key property details, and help position you as serious.
3. **Comprehensive Report.** Detailed investigation covering ownership status, liens, legal concerns, hidden costs, neighborhood insights, and offer context with non-binding discussion points.
4. **Video Walkthrough.** Our team travels to the property for a detailed video walkthrough with expert commentary on condition and surroundings. A first-person perspective without travel.
5. **Offer Submission.** We engage the vetted buyer-side licensed Japanese brokerage that fits that property, who drafts your formal offer and required legal documents. AkiyaHub verifies supporting documents and coordinates bilingual communication.

### Contract (7 to 10 days after offer)

6. **Transfer EMD. Your money moves here.** Transfer the Earnest Money Deposit to a licensed escrow account, not to AkiyaHub and not to the agent.
7. **Review contract documents.** You review the Purchase Agreement and the legally required Important Matters Explanation with an English Companion Guide alongside each Japanese original, prepared by our bilingual team for practical accuracy. A companion guide is not a certified or legal translation.
8. **Power of Attorney.** Sign a Power of Attorney written for this single transaction, so your appointed signer can attend the required appointments. They already know Japanese real estate terms, have already reviewed your contract, and will not sign if anything has been added or taken out. Most often that is an independent licensed brokerage, and it is never the agent representing the seller.
9. **Contract Day.** Your appointed signer attends having already reviewed your Japanese contract. If anything has been added or taken out, they do not sign until the papers match. AkiyaHub coordinates contract-day logistics, bilingual communication, document handoffs, and the required signing flow.

### Administration (3 to 5 weeks)

10. **ID verification.** Video meeting with the judicial scrivener for identity confirmation.
11. **Documents and affidavit.** Documents prepared and mailed by the judicial scrivener with our guidance. Complete and return with the notarized affidavit.
12. **Insurance and Steward introductions.** Introduction to insurance partners and to a certified Japan Home Steward for the care of the house after closing.
13. **Remaining balance. Your money moves here.** Transfer the remaining purchase balance.

### Closing

14. **Closing.** Simultaneous settlement. The judicial scrivener confirms the transaction is valid and executes the official ownership transfer, escrow releases the funds, and your appointed signer handles the required attendance while AkiyaHub coordinates the day.

### Post Closing

15. **Keys and Steward handover.** Handover of the keys and coordination with your certified Japan Home Steward so the house is looked after from day one.
16. **Renovation (optional).** Coordinate repairs yourself, or hand renovation project management to our team.
17. **Deed delivery.** Official title deed mailed to you, typically 4 to 8 weeks later.

## What happens at each stage

### Basic Inquiry (Before Offer)

The first filter, so you do not spend time or money on a dead listing or a seller who will not work with a foreign buyer. We contact the listing agent as your bilingual coordinator to confirm the basics, warm up the communication, and find out whether the seller and listing side are realistically open to proceeding with an overseas buyer.

- Confirms availability, current price, ownership type, rebuildability, verified address, map details, and important agent notes when available.
- Checks whether the seller and listing agent are open to a foreign buyer, which is one of the most common blockers in Japan.
- Helps you avoid chasing properties that are already sold, materially changed, or unlikely to move forward.
- Starts the relationship in Japanese so the listing agent sees you as a serious overseas buyer, not a cold inquiry.

### Comprehensive Report (Before Offer)

This is where we slow the process down before you speed it up. The Comprehensive Report helps you understand what you are really looking at before you invest in viewings, offers, travel, or contract preparation.

- Reviews ownership status, potential liens, visible risk signals, hidden costs, utilities, land value context, hazards, and neighborhood factors.
- Surfaces questions to raise before an offer, including non-binding offer context and discussion points for the seller-side agent.
- Helps separate promising opportunities from properties that may be cheap for a reason.

> Verified pre-contract research based on information available from multiple parties at the time. Not a legally binding disclosure and not a home inspection.

### Viewing (Before Offer)

Photos on Japanese listing sites rarely tell the whole story. A viewing gives you a practical, first-person look at the property and surroundings before you decide whether to keep moving. Most of our buyers never set foot in Japan until after closing.

- Includes detailed video, photos, neighborhood context, access notes, and practical observations from the visit.
- Helps you catch obvious concerns, layout surprises, access issues, surrounding conditions, or reasons to investigate further.
- Remote viewing lets you compare properties quickly while saving travel for the homes that truly deserve it.

> A visual documentation service, not a home inspection. We do not diagnose structural, termite, moisture, electrical, plumbing, or code issues.

### Offer Submission (Before Offer)

Once you decide to move forward, the offer stage is where credibility, timing, and clean communication matter most. Your formal offer is prepared by a licensed buyer-side real estate agent who works on your behalf.

- Licensed buyer-side agent prepares the formal offer and required legal documents.
- AkiyaHub coordinates English and Japanese communication between you, your buyer-side agent, and the seller's agent.
- Final price and terms remain your decision and the seller's.

### Contract Day (Contract)

Contract Day can feel intimidating because the documents, explanations, stamps, timing, and parties involved are all operating in Japanese. If you cannot be there, your appointed signer attends under a Power of Attorney written for this transaction. They already know Japanese real estate terms, have already reviewed your contract, and will not sign if anything has been added or taken out.

- Appoints your signer for contract-day attendance when you cannot be there. They already know Japanese real estate terms, have already reviewed your contract, and will not sign if anything has been added or taken out.
- Coordinates bilingual communication, scheduling, document handoffs, stamps, signing flow, and remote or in-person logistics.
- Works around the licensed real estate professionals and judicial scrivener so each party has what they need.

### Closing Day (Closing)

Closing is the final handoff, where funds, registration, ownership transfer, keys, and post-closing logistics all need to line up. If you cannot be there, your appointed signer attends under the Power of Attorney. They have already reviewed the papers for that day, and they will not sign if anything has been added or taken out.

- Your appointed signer attends closing when you cannot be there. They have already reviewed the papers, and they will not sign if anything has been added or taken out.
- Coordinates closing-day communication, final document logistics, ownership transfer handoffs, and key handover.
- Connects the purchase to what comes next, including deed delivery, a certified Japan Home Steward, and ongoing ownership setup.

## Where your money goes

**Your purchase money never touches AkiyaHub.**

Purchase funds are held by our licensed escrow partner, a regulated Japanese trust business registered with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau since 2014.

A trust company is not a normal business bank account. Trust businesses are licensed and supervised by government authorities, and they are required to keep client funds separate from their own and release them only under clearly defined conditions. AkiyaHub does not hold your purchase funds and does not have access to them.

- Your money is kept separate from company funds.
- It can only be released under agreed conditions.
- It remains protected even if something goes wrong elsewhere.

### How the money moves

1. **Contract Day deposit.** After your offer is accepted, you transfer the Earnest Money Deposit, usually 10% of the accepted price, to the licensed escrow partner. It does not go to AkiyaHub and it does not go to the agent. In Japan this deposit is typically released to the seller on Contract Day once the contract is finalized. That is different from countries where earnest money sits in escrow until closing.
2. **Before Closing Day.** The remaining balance is transferred to the escrow partner in advance, because international transfers take time and the funds have to be in JPY in Japan before the closing appointment. This balance usually covers the remaining property payment, prorated property taxes, broker fees, judicial scrivener fees, and registration taxes.
3. **Closing Day, simultaneous settlement.** The judicial scrivener confirms the transaction is valid, ownership transfer is initiated and legally recorded, and only then does escrow release the funds to the seller and the other parties. The final payment is not released early. Money and ownership move together. In Japanese this is called 決済 (kessai).

### What escrow costs

Two handling fees of JPY 22,000 each, one for the deposit transfer and one for the final payment. JPY 44,000 in total. These are set by the licensed escrow partner and cover secure handling of funds, verification steps, and coordinated release on closing day.

### Japan is already safe. We add one more layer.

Japan has a well established closing system: a legally required Important Matters Explanation before you sign, judicial scrivener verification of ownership and identity, and simultaneous settlement so money and ownership move together. We are not saying the standard process is unsafe. We are saying an overseas buyer deserves independent custody on top of it.

## 6 questions to ask before you send a single yen

Ask these of us, and ask them of every other agent or platform you talk to. The answers tell you more about who you are dealing with than any brochure will.

1. **Who actually holds my money between contract and closing?** Get a name and a role, not a reassurance. The honest answers are a licensed trust company, the brokerage's own account, or a personal account. Only one of those is custody.
2. **Are they licensed to hold client money in Japan, and under which license?** Holding client money in trust is a regulated activity in Japan. A company doing it properly is registered as a trust business with a Local Finance Bureau, and custody-only work sits under a 管理型信託業 registration. Our escrow partner is registered with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau and has been since 2014.
3. **Can I verify that license myself?** Yes, and you should. Japan's Financial Services Agency publishes the full public list of licensed and registered trust companies. If a company says it holds your money in trust and is not on that list, that is your answer.
4. **Whose name is on the account, and who can move the money?** Client funds at a trust company are kept separate from the company's own money and can only be released on conditions agreed in advance. Ask whether one party can move your funds alone. With a trust structure, nobody can.
5. **What exactly has to be true before the money is released?** You want conditions, not goodwill. In our structure the final payment is released at simultaneous settlement, once the judicial scrivener has confirmed the closing conditions and ownership transfer is underway.
6. **What happens to my money if the deal collapses?** The answer depends on your contract, and you should read that clause before you sign rather than after.

### Late money does not just cost you the deposit

Most overseas buyers assume the worst case is losing their earnest money. That is only the first stage. Japanese purchase contracts have two of them.

**Before the cancellation deadline** set in your contract, walking away generally costs you the deposit, typically 5 to 10 percent of the price.

**After that date**, or once either side has begun performance, a failure to complete falls under the contract's penalty clause. That is commonly 10 to 20 percent of the purchase price, and it is capped at 20 percent when the seller is a licensed real estate business. The deposit is normally credited toward the penalty rather than being separate from it, so a 20 percent penalty against a 10 percent deposit means losing the deposit and owing a further 10 percent. Settling late can also trigger late-payment damages on top.

**The most common way a foreign buyer stumbles into that second stage is money arriving late.** International transfers take days, Japanese banks settle on weekdays only, and a large transfer can be held while your own bank asks questions. That is the practical reason funds go early to a licensed Japanese trust account rather than being wired at the last moment: so the money is already in the country, in yen, verified, and ready to release on the day.

Percentages above reflect common market practice, not a rule that applies to every deal. Your actual exposure is whatever your signed contract says. AkiyaHub is not a law firm and this is not legal advice, which is exactly why we walk you through these clauses in English before you sign anything.

## Who signs when you are not there

When a seller or broker requires a signer to be physically present and you are on the other side of the world, someone has to sign in your place. Who that someone is matters more than most buyers realise, and it should never be a friend doing you a favour.

Your signer is appointed for one specific transaction under a Power of Attorney written for it, and you know who it is before you sign. Most often we appoint an independent licensed brokerage, deliberately separate from the agent selling you the house. Sometimes it is your own buyer-side agent, where they are one of our trusted partners. Occasionally it is us.

They already know Japanese real estate terms. They have already read your contract. They will not sign if it has changed.

- It is never the agent representing the seller. The person signing for you is never on the other side of the table.
- The POA is written for a single transaction. It is not general authority over your affairs.
- They review your Japanese contract before the appointment, so they know exactly what should be on the table.
- If anything has been added, taken out, or changed, they stop. They do not sign until the papers match.
- They do not negotiate terms and do not give legal advice. Their job is to verify the papers, then sign.

Acting as your appointed signer is not in itself a licensed activity in Japan. We normally appoint a licensed brokerage anyway, because it is what the other side expects and it keeps the role at arm's length from the sale. Attendance is charged as its own line in your cost breakdown rather than buried inside a service fee.

## The part people underestimate

Finding the house is the easy part. The hard part is executing the transaction.

### Every name on the deed multiplies the paperwork

Each title holder needs their own complete set of documents: a notarized affidavit, a passport, a second photo ID, and proof of address. Adding your spouse to the deed does not add one form, it adds a full set.

- Online and remote notarization is not accepted. It has to be done in person.
- The name on the affidavit must match your passport character for character, including a spelled-out middle name.
- Keep the original notarized affidavit. It is needed at closing.

### Attending in Japanese, from the other side of the world

Contract day and closing day are appointments that happen in Japan, in Japanese. A Power of Attorney lets your appointed signer attend. They already know Japanese real estate terms, have already reviewed your contract, and will not sign if anything has been added or taken out.

- A video identity verification meeting with the judicial scrivener is required.
- Documents are prepared and mailed by the scrivener, then completed and returned with the notarized affidavit.
- We coordinate scheduling, document handoffs, stamps, and signing flow across time zones.

### Getting the money there is its own project

This is the part buyers consistently underestimate. It is not a single wire. It is a sequence with deadlines, and the exchange rate is a real decision on a purchase this size.

- Funds must arrive in JPY, in Japan, before closing day. Japanese banks settle on weekdays only.
- Large international transfers can trigger documentation requests from your bank, so they need to start early.
- Wise is a delivery rail, not an escrow service. It moves your money to the licensed escrow partner.
- You do not need a Japanese bank account to complete a purchase.

## After the keys: Japan Home Stewardship

Closing is not the finish line. It is the start of owning a house in a country you do not live in. The deed arrives 4 to 8 weeks later. Meanwhile the bills, the notices, and the building itself carry on without you.

A property manager is hired to run a building for profit: place tenants, collect rent, keep a unit earning. That is a real job, and it is not the job your home needs. So we built a stewardship program instead.

A certified Japan Home Steward is a vetted local company entrusted with your house and answerable to you. AkiyaHub designs the program, sets the national standard, and certifies and audits the Steward who delivers it. We do not manage your home ourselves, which means the same checklists and the same standard apply wherever in Japan you buy.

1. **Keep the house checked.** Scheduled visits against a fixed checklist: ventilation, running the water, pests, damp, the exterior and the garden, storm damage, and anything the neighbours would notice. You get a written report and a video walkthrough.
2. **Keep the bills and admin organized.** Utilities, property taxes, building fees, and the Japanese-language notices that arrive at the house. Your Steward handles the Japan side and explains it to you in English.
3. **Keep the home ready to use.** Arrival preparation, cleaning, deliveries and setup, and coordinating contractors when something needs fixing. You land and the house is ready rather than stale.

Property costs run through an owner-funded expense advance with an itemized ledger per property: opening balance, every payment and receipt, and the remaining balance. Beyond a small emergency limit you set yourself, nothing is paid without your written approval. That advance is not a deposit account, an escrow account, or a bank account, and it is entirely separate from the purchase escrow described above.

Fire and earthquake insurance should also be in place from the moment you close.

[See how Home Stewardship works](./home-stewardship.md)

## How we are paid

**2 things we do not do.**

Everyone helping you buy a house has an incentive, and it is worth knowing ours. An agent paid on commission earns more when you spend more, and earns nothing at all if you walk away. Neither of those is true here.

**We never hold your money.** Purchase funds go to a licensed escrow partner, a regulated Japanese trust company that keeps client funds separate and releases them only on agreed conditions. We have no access to your money at any point. We could not move it if we wanted to.

**We never take a percentage.** Zero commission and zero kickbacks from agents or sellers. A JPY 3M akiya and a JPY 30M house earn us exactly the same, so nobody here has a reason to talk you into the more expensive one.

We are paid the same whether you buy the first house you see, the twelfth, or none of them. Telling you to walk away from a bad one costs us nothing.

[See exactly what membership and services cost](./pricing.md)

## AkiyaHub vs a traditional English-speaking agent

This is not a claim that we are better than agents. We work with licensed Japanese agents on every purchase. It is a different model, built around what an overseas buyer needs.

| Category | Traditional English-speaking agent | AkiyaHub |
| --- | --- | --- |
| English communication | Yes, that is the core of the offering | Yes, with one Japan-based English-speaking team across the whole purchase |
| Licensed real estate professional | Yes, the agent is the licensed party | Yes, through licensed Japanese brokerages. AkiyaHub is not a brokerage |
| Local market expertise | Strong, usually in the areas they serve | Coverage across all 47 prefectures through 300+ vetted partners |
| If you change target area | You often start over with a new agent | Your local licensed agent may change from property to property. Your AkiyaHub team does not |
| Who does the searching | Usually you, from their listings | Your choice. Search yourself, or have our team source and present properties every week |
| Remote purchase support | Depends on the agent | Built for it. Remote video viewings, and an appointed signer attending contract day and closing |
| Independent escrow custody | Usually not part of the arrangement | Purchase funds held by a licensed escrow partner, a regulated Japanese trust business |
| Who holds your purchase money | Varies by arrangement | Never AkiyaHub. We have no access to your purchase funds |
| Who signs when you are not there | Often left to you to arrange | An appointed signer who already knows your Japanese contract, never the seller's agent, and will not sign if anything has been added or taken out |
| Pre-offer research | Varies. Often the listing sheet and a walkthrough | Availability and foreign-buyer fit checks, then ownership, liens, hazards, hidden costs, and area research |
| How they are paid | Commission, a percentage of the purchase price | Membership and fixed-price services. Zero commission and zero kickbacks |
| After you get the keys | Usually where the relationship ends | Insurance, renovation, and a certified Home Steward who cares for the house between your visits |

## Frequently asked questions

### Where does my money actually go when I buy through AkiyaHub?

Your purchase funds go to a licensed escrow partner, a regulated Japanese trust business registered with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau since 2014. AkiyaHub never holds your purchase funds and has no access to them. The Earnest Money Deposit is transferred at the contract stage and, as is standard in Japan, is typically released to the seller on Contract Day once the contract is finalized. The remaining balance is transferred to the escrow partner before closing and is released only once the judicial scrivener confirms the closing conditions and ownership transfer begins.

### How do I check that an escrow provider is really licensed in Japan?

Holding client money in trust is a regulated activity in Japan. Companies that do it are licensed or registered as trust businesses with a Local Finance Bureau, and custody-only work sits under a 管理型信託業 registration. Japan's Financial Services Agency publishes the full public list of licensed trust companies and registered custody-type trust companies, so you can verify any provider's claim yourself rather than taking their word for it.

### What happens if my money arrives late for closing?

It can be expensive, and it is rarely explained up front. Before the cancellation deadline set in your contract, backing out generally costs you the earnest money deposit. After that date, or once either side has begun performance, a failure to complete falls under the contract's penalty clause, commonly 10 to 20 percent of the purchase price and capped at 20 percent where the seller is a licensed real estate business. The deposit is normally credited toward that penalty rather than being separate from it, so a 20 percent penalty against a 10 percent deposit means losing the deposit and owing a further 10 percent. Late settlement can also trigger late-payment damages. Your actual exposure is whatever your contract says, which is why we walk you through those clauses in English before you sign.

### What happens if the purchase does not go through?

Whether a deposit can be returned depends on the contract terms and the timing of the cancellation, which are set out in the Purchase Agreement you review before signing. We walk you through those terms in English before contract day so you understand your position before money moves.

### Who signs the contract if I cannot fly to Japan?

When a seller or broker requires a signer to be physically present, you appoint a signer under a Power of Attorney written for that single transaction. Acting as your appointed signer is not in itself a licensed activity in Japan, but we normally appoint an independent licensed brokerage anyway, because it is what the other side expects and it keeps the role at arm's length from the sale. Sometimes it is your own buyer-side agent where they are one of our trusted partners, and occasionally it is AkiyaHub. It is never the agent representing the seller. Whoever attends already knows Japanese real estate terms, has already reviewed your contract, and will not sign if anything has been added, taken out, or changed. They do not negotiate terms or provide legal advice. Attendance is charged as its own line in your cost breakdown.

### Is AkiyaHub a real estate agent or brokerage?

No. AkiyaHub does not hold a Japanese real estate brokerage license and is not a licensed Japanese real estate transaction business. We do not conduct mediation, agency, Important Matters Explanation, or contract execution. Purchase and sale contracts are concluded through qualified licensed real estate transaction businesses. AkiyaHub is your English-speaking coordinator across the whole transaction.

### Who represents me if AkiyaHub is not the brokerage?

For each property, we engage a vetted buyer-side licensed Japanese brokerage that fits that house. They prepare the formal offer and required legal documents. You stay with AkiyaHub. We coordinate that agent and the other licensed parties, so you deal with one English-speaking team even if the agent changes.

### Does AkiyaHub take a commission on my purchase?

No. We take zero commission and zero kickbacks from agents or sellers. We earn from membership and fixed-price services you choose, so what we earn does not change based on the price of the property you buy, or on whether you buy at all.

### Do I have to do the searching myself?

No. There are two paths. You can search yourself with our tools and bring us properties to verify and act on, or our team can define your criteria with you and then source, vet, and present properties to you every week with strategy calls until you choose one. From the accepted offer onward, both paths follow exactly the same process.

### Can I really buy a home in Japan without flying there?

Yes. Most of our buyers never set foot in Japan until after closing. Remote video walkthroughs let you evaluate properties, and your appointed signer attends contract day and closing on your behalf. They have already reviewed your contract, and they will not sign if the papers have changed. In-person attendance is available if you prefer it.

### Do I need to speak Japanese?

No. Most of our members do not. AkiyaHub is English-first and our bilingual team coordinates the Japanese-side communication and documents with the licensed parties involved.

### Do I need a Japanese bank account to buy?

No. You do not need a Japanese bank account to buy a property in Japan. What matters is that the funds arrive in JPY, inside Japan, before closing day, and we walk you through the transfer route and the timing.

### What happens after I get the keys?

You own a house in a country you may not live in, which brings local bills, notices, and a building that may sit empty for months. Japan Home Stewardship is our certified program for that: a vetted local Steward who checks the house on a schedule, keeps the bills and Japanese-language paperwork organized, and has the home ready before you arrive. AkiyaHub sets and audits the standard rather than managing your home directly.

### How long does the whole process take?

From accepted offer, contract is typically 7 to 10 days, administration runs 3 to 5 weeks, and then closing takes place. The official title deed arrives 4 to 8 weeks after closing. The search phase before all of that is entirely up to you.

## Important limitations

- AkiyaHub is owned and operated by Kintsugi Group GK. AkiyaHub does not hold a Japanese real estate brokerage license and is not a licensed Japanese real estate transaction business.
- We do not conduct mediation, agency, Important Matters Explanation, or contract execution. Purchase and sale contracts are concluded through qualified licensed real estate transaction businesses.
- We do not provide brokerage, legal, financial, appraisal, or certified translation services.
- Viewings are a visual documentation service, not a home inspection. Reports are verified pre-contract research, not a legally binding disclosure.
- Escrow arrangements, fees, and timing are set by the licensed escrow partner and the terms of the specific transaction.
- Property availability, price, financing, renovation cost, investment return, and transaction success are not guaranteed.
- Confirm important legal, contract, tax, and financial decisions with qualified professionals.

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