Long-term Japan resident here. Have always been shocked at how little price transparency there is with the property market here and I want to help people avoid overpaying for their homes.
I’m experimenting with a Japan property evaluation tool for foreigners that tries to be the “paid, independent judgment” sitting opposite the agent.
Basic concept:
- Buyer shares a property listing link (Suumo/AtHome/etc.) plus some context.
- Tool + analyst runs: recent comps, building financials, area risks, future repair exposure, etc.
- Output is a short verdict: “Proceed / Proceed with caution / Do not proceed”, with 2–3 non‑obvious risks, their estimated financial impact, and a fair value range vs asking price.
- Price point I’m toying with is around ¥20,000–30,000 per verdict, only for people who are actually about to commit (not browsers).
Key narrative I’m leaning on:
I want blunt, skeptical feedback on the business logic, especially from people who’ve bought in Japan or work around real estate/finance here.
Questions:
- Trust vs. agents: In the Japan context, does “independent paid judgment” actually beat “my agent does this for free”? Or will 95% of buyers default to trusting the relationship + cultural comfort of their agent, regardless of how strong the analysis is?
- Pricing reality check: Does ¥20,000–30,000 feel:
- obviously worth it if it potentially saves ¥2–5M,
- suspiciously cheap for something this critical (and therefore untrustworthy), or
- still “too expensive” because people mentally anchor to agents and free online info?
- Timing / process fit: Given how Japanese transactions actually work (内見 –> 申込 –>契約 –> 重要事項説明 etc.), is there realistically a window where you would stop and pay for this… or will everything feel too rushed/locked‑in?
- Perceived risk of contradiction: If my verdict openly contradicts an agent (“you’re overpaying”, “管理組合 (かんりくみあい) is underfunded”, “future 大規模修繕 (だいきぼしゅうぜん) risk is high”), does that make me look:
- like a valuable counterweight, or
- like a random pessimist undermining professionals?
If you’re a foreign person considering a house/apartment purchase, agent, or just someone who knows this space, I’d really value your take.
If this is doomed because of incentives, culture, or buyer psychology, I’d rather find out now than after months of building…
(can provide free access to the beta in exchange for feedback if anyone is interested)
TIA!
by Max-Long47