I've been living in a monthly furnished apartment for about 6 months and am trying to buy a (vacation) home here. I found an English speaking agent quickly and had a good first few emails. But it's been a week since the last email and I'm wondering if I've been quietly dropped. This happened twice with rental agents previously, presumably because I didn't have a bank account set up. The typical Japanese, "please wait a moment," and then complete silence.
I don't want to rush buying real estate, but a week seems like a long time just to hear back after being told to expect more details the next day. We're just in the showing phase right now. Japanese bureaucracy is slow, I know, but is it common for agents to take this long? Are my expectations based on US experiences applicable here?
by orobouros