Scott F. Reid, Vice President of
H&R Consultants.
Photo Courtesy of Scott F. Reid
H&R
Consultants' VP, Scott F. Reid, tells Matt Wilce how to build success in the real estate business.
Please tell us a little
about your company.
H&R Consultants was founded in Nagoya in 1991 by two Americans to service the needs of
an American company relocating 75 employees to the region. Since then, we have developed
into "The Japan Real Estate and Relocation Company," with offices in Nagoya,
Osaka and Tokyo, and provide a full line of commercial and residential real estate
services as well as comprehensive relocation support services. Our clients are mainly
large multinational corporations or smaller Japan start-ups that need professional support
to ensure that the transition of their company and employees to Japan is smooth and
cost-effective.
How is the real estate business in Japan at the moment?
Booming. Or at least we are. After a few years of negative growth in the industry, the
last few years have seen yearly increases of ex-pat employees to Tokyo in the range of 4-5
percent per annum. Prices have not returned to their pre-bubble levels yet, but room for
negotiation has dramatically decreased. Owners are more particular and now select their
tenants by looking at company size, stability, etc. rather than following the traditional
first-in-line approach. Other cities such as Nagoya are seeing a delayed reaction to the
recession and are slower to recover due to the fact that the manufacturing sector is the
main pull of foreign companies to this region.
Who are your clients?
Depending on which city you look at, our clients range from financial and automotive
[companies] to government offices. We've seen a major increase in the number of high-tech
and Internet-related clients in the last year, especially in the Tokyo region. Clients in
Nagoya are mainly large American or European Aerospace-related companies as well as
automotive and manufacturing companies. The Osaka region tends to be a mixture of
pharmaceutical, manufacturing and financial firms. About 99.9 percent of our clients are
either from North America, Europe or the Pacific Rim.
What positions do you have available?
We are looking for talented people to fill several positions including relocation
coordinator, account manager, administrative assistant, real estate coordinator, licensed
real estate agent, commercial real estate manager and internet solutions manager. All
positions involve working with our domestic and international clients, assisting
international corporations to set up operations in Japan and relocating their executive
employees.
What kind of candidates are you looking for?
We are big believers in hiring for talent over experience, unless of course a crucial
position demanding experience is being filled. Applicants' characteristics are carefully
considered when selecting suitable positions for them. Generally we are looking for
bilingual, or in the case of foreign employees, intermediate Japanese language ability,
intermediate computer skills, 2-3 years of living in Tokyo and a positive, motivated
customer service attitude. Our business is helping people. People who naturally enjoy
assisting others will excel in this company. I personally enjoy assisting our employees to
excel.
Where is the best place to rent property in Tokyo?
My personal favorite is Nishi Azabu - but I can't afford the rent.
Interested
candidates should send their cover letter and resume to info@hrconslt.com
or fax it to 03-5776-6613.
