こんにちは。アンホーム（フォローアップ株式会社）の矢塚です。

Hello, this is Yatsuka from Anhome (Follow-Up Inc.).

年内入居を目指している方の多くは、引き渡しを12月に設定しています。これは自然なことですが、同じ目標を持つ方が同じ月に集中するということでもあります。

そのため、12月は不動産の取引に関わるさまざまな手続きが一時的に混み合う傾向があります。この状況を事前に知っておくことで、準備の段取りが変わります。

Most families aiming to be in their new home before the year is out set their handover date in December. That is a natural choice but it also means that a large number of buyers are converging on the same month.

As a result, the procedures involved in completing a property purchase tend to get congested in December. Knowing this in advance changes how you approach the preparation.

具体的には、いくつかの手続きが同じ時期に重なります。

まず、登記手続きを担当する司法書士の予約。引き渡しの立会いには司法書士が同席するため、その日程調整が必要です。12月下旬は予約が取りにくくなる場合があります。

次に、金融機関の融資実行のスケジュール。住宅ローンの融資は、引き渡し日に合わせて実行されます。金融機関も年末は処理が混み合うため、早めに日程を確認しておくことが望ましいです。

そして、引越し業者の手配。12月末は引越し需要が高まり、希望の日時が取りにくくなります。引き渡し日が決まったら、引越し業者への連絡を早めに行うことをおすすめします。

Several procedures tend to overlap during this period.

First, appointments with the judicial scrivener who handles the ownership registration. Since the scrivener is present at the handover, scheduling that day requires coordination, and slots in late December can be harder to secure.

Second, the mortgage disbursement schedule at the lender. The loan is released on the handover date, and lenders also experience heavier processing volumes at year-end. Confirming the timeline with your lender early is worth doing.

Third, moving company bookings. Demand for movers rises sharply in late December, and preferred dates fill up quickly. Once the handover date is set, contacting a moving company promptly is advisable.

契約が済んでいる方は、引き渡し予定日をもとに、それぞれの手配を今の段階から始めることをおすすめします。「引き渡し日が決まってから動けばいい」と思っていると、希望の日程が取れなくなる可能性があります。

担当者と連携しながら、引き渡しまでのスケジュールを早めに組み立てておくと、12月に入ってから慌てずに済みます。

If the sales contract is already signed, this is the time to start coordinating the various appointments and bookings based on the expected handover date not after the date is fully confirmed. Waiting until the handover date is locked before taking any of these steps increases the risk of not getting the timing you need.

Working with your agent now to sketch out the schedule through to handover means December arrives with the plan already in place rather than being assembled under pressure.

引き渡しまでのスケジュールの組み方や、今の段階で何を動かすべきかについてご不明な点があれば、いつでもご相談ください。

お電話：072-489-5661

アンホーム（フォローアップ株式会社）｜大阪府知事（１）第63774号

If you have questions about how to structure the remaining schedule or what to start moving on right now, feel free to reach out at any point.

Phone: 072-489-5661

Anhome (Follow-Up Inc.) | Osaka Prefectural Governor (1) No. 63774

2026年11月2日年内入居を目指すなら、今の状態を確認してほしい

November, 01, 2026 What Japanese New Year Taught Me About Timing?

October 31, 2026 Can Foreigners Buy Property in Japan? Anna Answers First

2026年10月30日 住宅ローン控除、購入した翌年に申告が必要なことを知っておく

こんにちは。アンホーム（フォローアップ株式会社）の矢塚です。

Hello, this is Yatsuka from Anhome (Follow-Up Inc.).

住宅を探していると、「新築」と「中古」という言葉が当然のように使われています。ただ、「新築」という言葉には法律上の定義があります。建築後1年未満で、かつ一度も人が居住したことがない住宅が「新築」です。建築から1年を超えた場合や、一度でも入居があった場合は、広告上「新築」とは表記できません。

この区分を知っておくと、物件情報を見るときの判断の精度が上がります。

The words "new" and "used" or "existing" are used freely in property searches, but in Japan, "new construction" has a legal definition. A property qualifies as new only if it was built less than one year ago and has never been occupied. Once a property is more than a year old, or has been lived in even briefly, it can no longer be advertised as new construction. Knowing this distinction sharpens how you read property information.

新築建売住宅は、土地と建物がセットで販売される形式です。建物はすでに完成しているか、建築中の段階で販売されることがあります。完成前に購入する場合、間取りや仕様の一部を選べるケースと、そうでないケースがあります。

新築には、品確法（住宅の品質確保の促進等に関する法律）に基づく10年間の瑕疵担保責任が売主に課されます。基礎・構造・雨水の侵入防止など、住宅の主要な部分について、引き渡しから一定期間、売主が責任を負う仕組みです。

New built-for-sale homes are sold as a package of land and building. The building may already be complete, or it may still be under construction at the time of sale. When purchasing before completion, there are cases where some aspects of the layout or specifications can be chosen, and cases where they cannot.

By law, the seller of a new home carries a ten-year liability for defects in key structural elements the foundation, load-bearing structure, and protection against water infiltration, among others. This obligation begins from the handover date.

中古住宅は、建築から時間が経過した物件、または過去に居住実績のある物件です。一般的に、同じエリア・同程度の広さであれば新築より価格が低くなる傾向がありますが、物件の状態・築年数・立地によって大きく異なります。

内覧時には建物の現状を直接確認できます。実際に使われてきた状態を見られることは、判断材料として有効です。一方で、設備の経年劣化や、必要に応じたリフォームの費用も検討に含める必要があります。

瑕疵担保の扱いは、新築と異なる場合があります。売主が個人の場合と不動産会社の場合で条件が変わることがあるため、契約内容を確認することが大切です。

Existing homes are properties that were built some time ago, or that have previously been occupied. As a general tendency, they are priced lower than new construction of comparable size and location though this varies considerably depending on the property's condition, age, and specific location.

During a viewing, you can see the building as it actually exists and has been used. That direct visibility can be useful when evaluating the property. At the same time, wear on fixtures and fittings, and the potential cost of any renovation, should be factored into the overall budget.

The terms around defect liability differ from new construction and can vary depending on whether the seller is an individual or a company. Reviewing the contract terms carefully is important.

新築と中古のどちらが合うかは、予算・希望する状態・リフォームへの関心・エリアでの物件の出方などによって変わります。「新築の方が安心」「中古の方がお得」という一般論は、個別の物件・状況によって変わるため、そのままには使えません。

具体的な物件が見つかった段階で、それぞれの条件を担当者と確認していくことをおすすめします。

Whether new or existing construction suits you better depends on budget, the condition you are looking for, interest in renovation, and what is available in your target area. General statements like "new is safer" or "existing is better value" do not hold across all situations. The right answer comes from looking at specific properties and comparing their actual terms and conditions with your needs.

新築・中古のどちらを軸に探すべきかお迷いの方も、まずはご相談ください。

お電話：072-489-5661

アンホーム（フォローアップ株式会社）｜大阪府知事（１）第63774号

If you are unsure whether to focus your search on new or existing homes, we are happy to talk it through with you.

Phone: 072-489-5661

Anhome (Follow-Up Inc.) | Osaka Prefectural Governor (1) No. 63774

こんにちは。アンホーム（フォローアップ株式会社）の矢塚です。

Hello, this is Yatsuka from Anhome (Follow-Up Inc.).

来年度から子どもを小学校や中学校に通わせる予定があるご家族にとって、「どのエリアに住むか」という選択は、「どの学校に通うか」とセットで考える必要があります。日本の公立小学校・中学校は、原則として住所によって通学区域（学区）が決まっています。

希望のエリアで物件を探し始める前に、そのエリアの学区を確認しておくと、後から「この物件は希望の学校の学区外だった」という状況を避けやすくなります。

For families planning to enroll a child in elementary or junior high school from the next school year, the choice of area to live in is closely connected to the question of which school they will attend. In Japan, public elementary and junior high schools are in principle assigned based on the child's registered home address. Checking the school district for an area you are considering before you begin your property search makes it easier to avoid discovering later that a property falls outside the zone you were hoping for.

通学区域の情報は、市区町村の教育委員会や自治体のウェブサイトで公開されていることが多いです。住所や地図から対象の学校を調べられるツールを用意している自治体もあります。

物件の住所が決まっていなくても、「このエリアのこの通りは、どの学校の学区か」という形で事前に調べることができます。エリアを絞り込む段階で学区を確認しておくと、条件の一つとして物件選びに組み込めます。

Information on school attendance zones is typically published on the websites of municipal boards of education or local government offices. Some municipalities provide tools that allow you to look up which school a given address falls under.

You do not need to have a confirmed address to check. It is possible to look up which school zone covers a particular street or neighbourhood while you are still narrowing down your search area. Incorporating school district information at the area-selection stage allows it to become one of your criteria rather than an afterthought.

学区の境界線は、通りや川を境にして区切られていることが多く、同じ丁目内でも番地によって学区が異なる場合があります。物件を具体的に検討するときは、その物件の住所で学区を確認することをおすすめします。エリア全体の印象で判断せず、住所単位で確認するのが確実です。

School zone boundaries often follow streets or rivers, and it is not uncommon for different lot numbers within the same block to fall into different zones. When you are looking at a specific property, it is worth checking the school district using that property's exact address rather than relying on a general sense of the area. Address-level confirmation is the only reliable approach.

自治体によっては、指定された学区以外の学校への就学を認める制度（区域外就学）が設けられている場合があります。制度の有無・条件・手続きは自治体によって異なるため、希望がある場合は居住予定先の自治体の教育委員会に直接確認することをおすすめします。

Some municipalities allow children to attend a school outside their designated zone under certain conditions. Whether this option exists, what the requirements are, and how to apply varies by local government. If this is something your family is considering, the most reliable source of information is the board of education in the municipality where you plan to live.

住む場所を選ぶ際の学区の確認方法や、エリア選びの進め方についてご相談があれば、お気軽にどうぞ。

お電話：072-489-5661

アンホーム（フォローアップ株式会社）｜大阪府知事（１）第63774号

If you have questions about how to check school districts for a specific area, or want to talk through how to factor this into your property search, feel free to reach out.

Phone: 072-489-5661

Anhome (Follow-Up Inc.) | Osaka Prefectural Governor (1) No. 63774

October 25, 2026 What It Means When a Japanese Property Listing Changes

Hello to all our visionary investors, global families, and brave pioneers! Magandang araw po! It is Anna, your bilingual client liaison and content specialist at Anhome. Welcome to another Saturday with us!

When foreign clients first start searching for properties in Japan online, one of the first things that comes up is a string of numbers and letters attached to every listing something like 3LDK, 4LDK, or 2SLDK. In my role explaining the search process to foreign families, decoding this notation is often one of the first things we do together.

Today I want to walk through what these mean, because once you understand the system, browsing Japanese property listings becomes significantly easier.

The letters refer to the types of rooms in a home.

L stands for Living room. D stands for Dining room. K stands for Kitchen. The number in front tells you how many additional rooms typically bedrooms or multi-purpose rooms the property has on top of the living, dining, and kitchen space.

So a 3LDK property has three rooms plus a combined living, dining, and kitchen area. A 4LDK has four rooms plus that combined space. In everyday life in Japan, LDK properties are the most common format for family homes.

Some listings include an S, which stands for Service room a room that does not meet the legal definition of a bedroom due to its size or window conditions, but can still be used as a study, storage space, or children's room. A 3SLDK, for example, has three standard rooms, one service room, and the LDK space.

You may also see DK without the L, which means the dining room and kitchen are combined but there is no separate living area. This tends to appear in smaller properties.

Japanese property listings typically show room sizes in a unit called tatami mats, or jō one jō is roughly 1.65 square meters, though this varies slightly by region. The overall property size is usually shown in square meters.

When a listing shows the size of individual rooms, the number refers to how many tatami-sized units the room is. A room listed as 6 jō is approximately 9.9 square meters, which is a fairly common size for a bedroom. A room listed as 8 jō or more tends to feel more spacious.

Understanding the notation means you can filter listings more quickly and spend your viewing time on properties that actually fit your household. A family of four looking for enough space for two children will usually start from 4LDK or a larger 3LDK, depending on how the rooms are sized. Knowing what you are looking at before the first inquiry makes that initial conversation more efficient.

If you are in the early stages of searching and would like help reading a specific listing or understanding whether a particular layout suits your family, that is exactly the kind of question I am here for.

I am happy to help you make sense of Japanese property listings in plain English. Reach out any time.

Phone: 072-489-5661

— Anna

Anhome (Follow-Up Inc.)

こんにちは。アンホーム（フォローアップ株式会社）の矢塚です。

Hello, this is Yatsuka from Anhome (Follow-Up Inc.).

住宅を購入するとき、建物の状態や間取りだけでなく、「その場所にどんなリスクがあるか」を確認しておくことが大切です。日本は地震・洪水・土砂災害などの自然災害が起きやすい地形を持っており、住宅を選ぶ際には地域ごとのリスクを把握することが基本的な確認事項の一つになります。

When choosing a home, it is important to look beyond the building itself and understand what risks may be associated with where it sits. Japan's geography means that earthquakes, flooding, and landslides are among the natural hazards that vary by area. Checking what applies to a specific location is a standard part of evaluating a property.

国土交通省が運営するハザードマップポータルサイトでは、洪水・浸水・土砂災害・津波などのリスクエリアを地図上で確認することができます。住所や地名を入力して調べられるため、気になる物件のエリアを事前に確認しておくことができます。

確認できる主な項目は、洪水が起きた場合の想定浸水深、土砂災害警戒区域の指定の有無、などです。これらはあくまで想定や区域指定であり、実際の被害を保証するものではありませんが、エリアのリスクを把握する参考になります。

The hazard map portal operated by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism allows anyone to look up flood risk, inundation depth projections, landslide risk zones, and tsunami hazard areas by address or place name. Checking a property's area on this map before visiting is a straightforward step that takes only a few minutes.

The information shows projected scenarios and designated risk zones rather than guarantees about actual outcomes, but it gives a useful picture of what has been assessed for a given area.

建物が建っている土地の地盤も、確認しておきたい項目です。地盤が弱い場合、地震の際に液状化が起きるリスクや、建物の不同沈下（一部が沈む現象）が生じる可能性があります。

新築建売住宅の場合、建築前に地盤調査が行われることが一般的です。調査結果や、それに基づいて行われた地盤改良の有無・内容を確認しておくと、安心材料の一つになります。調査報告書の開示については、担当者に確認してみてください。

The ground on which a building stands is worth looking into as well. Weak soil can increase the risk of liquefaction during an earthquake, or cause uneven settlement in the building over time.

For new built-for-sale homes, a soil investigation is typically carried out before construction. Asking about the results of that survey and whether any ground improvement work was done, and what it involved gives you a clearer picture of what is underneath the property. Ask your agent about whether the survey report is available to review.

以前の記事で触れた「重要事項説明」の中には、土砂災害警戒区域や浸水被害区域などの指定に関する情報が含まれます。売買契約の前に宅地建物取引士から説明を受ける際、この部分もきちんと確認しておきましょう。

説明を受ける前にハザードマップで事前に調べておくと、説明の内容が頭に入りやすくなります。

As mentioned in an earlier post, the formal disclosure explanation given before the sales contract covers information about landslide risk zones, flood hazard designations, and similar area classifications. Reviewing the relevant hazard map before that session makes it easier to follow along when those sections come up.

ハザードマップや地盤の情報に加えて、実際に物件の周辺を歩いてみることも有効です。地形の高低・近くに川や水路があるかどうか・道路の勾配などは、現地に行ってみると把握しやすくなります。以前の記事でお伝えした「内覧のとき、周辺も歩いてみる」という考え方と同じです。

Beyond the maps and survey data, walking around the area yourself remains valuable. The elevation of the land relative to surroundings, proximity to rivers or waterways, and the slope of nearby roads are all things that are easier to read in person than on a screen. This connects to what was mentioned in an earlier post about walking the neighbourhood during or after a viewing.

ハザードマップの見方や、地盤に関する確認の進め方についてご不明な点があれば、お気軽にご相談ください。

お電話：072-489-5661

アンホーム（フォローアップ株式会社）｜大阪府知事（１）第63774号

If you have questions about how to read hazard maps or what to ask about ground conditions for a property you are considering, feel free to reach out.

Phone: 072-489-5661

Anhome (Follow-Up Inc.) | Osaka Prefectural Governor (1) No. 63774