In the second of two articles on moving house, Shatadru Roy Choudhury looks at how to go about developing a sound house-hunting strategy



Moving house in the world's most expensive city doesn't come cheap. But with the country still in an economic slump, the good news is that the rental industry is slowly turning into a buyer's market. For those of you who are on the move, here is how to find the best deal for you.

Gathering information
Staying informed lies at the heart of any successful house-hunting endeavor. With tenants no longer able to afford the sky-high rents of the bubble era, landlords have been forced to lower their standards and offer sweeter deals in a bid to attract new customers. The result is that there are a good number of bargains to be had in the following areas:

Money paid up-front. In the heady days of the 1980s, new tenants normally had to pay two months key money and two months deposit money. Today, these amounts have dropped to just one month each, with some landlords even settling for no key money.

Guarantors. In recent years, a small but growing number of apartment owners have been willing to accept foreign tenants who don't have guarantors. These landlords have usually been abroad and are sympathetic to the problems gaijin encounter in finding suitable accommodation in Tokyo.

Know thyself
By shopping around, you should be able to create a short list of apartments that offer you the best deals in town. The kind of short list you compile will, of course, depend very much on your priorities and will probably include the following factors:

Location. With the apartment's proximity to the nearest entertainment spot and your workplace having a decisive impact on your style of living, paying extra to live closer to the center of Tokyo may prove beneficial in the long run - especially if you have come here to enjoy the city's nightlife. If, however, your priority is to save money, the opposite holds true. While a six-mat tatami room in Shibuya can cost as much as JY80,000 per month, an identical apartment in further away Ikebukuro - still only twenty minutes away from the heart of Tokyo - drops to just JY60,000.

Size. Chances are that wherever you choose to live, you will be paying more money than what you did back home for less space. According to analysts, an apartment just outside the heart of Tokyo consisting of a kitchen, a toilet and a six-mat tatami room costs as much as JY60,000 per month. If you choose to live in a more spacious apartment with an additional four-and-a-half-mat tatami room - ideal for couples - your rent will jump to JY80,000.

Striking the right balance
The secret to good house-hunting lies in striking the right balance between finding an apartment that suits your needs and spending no more than what your budget permits. By collecting information on a broad range of apartments that catch your eye, and then narrowing your list down to just a handful, you should be able to find a new home that you feel comfortable living in.
The best way to do this would be to identify the real estate agencies that best accommodate your needs. For instance, if you are unable to find a Japanese guarantor, then one option would be to look for an agency that will guarantee the house for you. Similarly, if you are reluctant to pay key money, then you should be able to find an agency that won't require this.

This article was made possible thanks to information provided by Kimi Information Center (03-3986-1604).