What happens to the house when I’m not here for 3 months?

What happens to property in Japan when you’re not there? Is it ok to buy a place and leave it for long periods of time?
I recently left for three months and this is the condition of my house when I arrived back. I hope it gives people some idea of what to expect and maybe some ideas on how to prepare for long vacancy.
Keep in mind that I left in around spring and summer time. Winter would be a different story.
For the seasons I left, I needed to consider the issues with dampness caused by humidity and wet soil from snow melt and rain.
Houses in Japan are known for a few challenges when left empty. They’re especially known for dampness and mold with the extreme changes in climate plus high levels of humidity.
In the video, I show how I prepared my place to try to overcome these well known issues with Japanese houses.
Leave any comments for things you found interesting, any questions you have, and any additional suggestions.
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[@wendyon4517]

I saw the first video and wow at what you got for $6,000. It was so clean compared to other homes I've seen. Its hard to wrap my head around how you got such a nice place that didnt have issues. I live in Kagoshima where any snowfall brings traffic mayhem... because of thebup and down of the mountain roads not the driving skills.

[@CC-pg92324]

Hi Matt, I’m happy you have a safe neighborhood and kind neighbors, but please don’t tell people you have left your keys and code to your house. People will try to get into your house. You can say you left that with your neighbor. That’s fine. I suggest you edit this video and leave that part out. Then delete this not too. I love watching your adventures! And yes, your house is beautiful and I love it! Oh, and those dehumidifier things, ( I don’t know what they are called), are very cool. I will get some for my house. ❤

[@im.mattguy]

Hi :) thank you very much for the message! I leave the door locked with a lock box out the front. The lock box needs a code to access the keys. I don’t leave the code there with lock, otherwise I would just leave the door open ;)

[@CC-pg92324]

⁠😅 oh good! I feel better for you now. 😊 I noticed you have arranged your house beautifully. Is that a new kitchen table? I really like it. ❤

[@im.mattguy]

@@CC-pg92324thank you! I love the low style tables in Japan :)

[@mirikaku5811]

The amazing thing in Japan is that summer houses that are left for month and they never get burglarized! Even abandon houses never get looted..it’s just another world!!

[@ENNEN420]

In Japan you have to worry about burglars about as much as you have to worry about your leftovers gaining sentience and attacking you and replicating your appearance to steal your life and ruin you.

[@michelleagnew8780]

Welcome home! Your home is so beautiful and peaceful. Sending hope for your plants to be revived. You did an excellent job preparing the house for a long absence. Thank you for the tour!

[@im.mattguy]

Thank you so much! They’re looking better already :)

[@md-oy3sw]

Hey Matt, please continue to upload content about your home! It’s very cool to see the house become yours over time. I would love to see more videos of the garage and garden to see where you are taking those projects. Also, congrats on 10,000 subscribers! 🎉

[@im.mattguy]

Thank you so much!! Appreciate it! I’m super glad the channel is growing :) I actually filmed stuff in the garden today, just need to voice over this one and put it up :)

[@IzzyOnTheMove]

I'm someone who goes for 3 and 4-month vacations each time. I never understood why dust accumulates in an empty place. But it does. Spider webs everywhere. Weird bugs in drawers that don't have food (?) I'm in Canada. Also, when I started bringing my cat on vacation, the mice had a party. So done. Can't wait to sell and go back to renting!! No more headaches!!!

[@im.mattguy]

I really understand this. Owning a home is new for me and the reality of spending money to maintain a property versus paying rent is a new and interesting area. It seems like a fine line between financial benefits of owning a home if you take away capital gains. And owning a home in Japan takes that away. Renting property in Japan is very popular and it makes a lot of sense. Saying this, I just don’t think I can go wrong with what I’ve spent here to set up a place to come back to and feel like home :)

[@tayengn6884]

So much information about houses. Very practicle yet fun to watch. Keep them coming😊

[@DonSeldum]

Looks amazing after your renovation :) I really like how you keep it original but with a modern touch.

[@im.mattguy]

Thank you! It makes it more comfortable with convenient living :)

[@darcieaddison6186]

Beautiful home, you did an amazing job!

[@kathrynbunton4429]

Thanks for sharing Matt, you’ve made a beautiful job of your house. It seems to have a serene atmosphere ☺️

[@im.mattguy]

Thank you! It’s a very peaceful space :)

[@theresevh]

Your house is beautiful! It's quite clear how well you take care of it, the work you've put in is really paying off! Well done. What a lovely place to live.

[@joenisnapje712]

Turned out to be a lovely house after you did some tender loving care to it. Perfect combination of Asian/Western interior 👍🏻 Nice and tidy and thank God clutter free 👍🏻 Good to hear you love your base camp 😉

[@im.mattguy]

Super comfortable and feels like home :)

[@georgefaulk2528]

Love the smell of new Tatami mats.

[@Iceland874]

Beautiful vacation home! Appreciate all the information and video! What a wonderful dream come true! You are lucky and I am trying not to be envious! Love your plants too! I was going to get a dehumidifier for my bamboo flute collection. Thank you for being so inspiring and sharing so many helpful hints.

[@buda3d2007]

Hi Im the same guy who left a comment on your other video, I watched the others, great work on the house upgrade and the videos answered my other questions :)

[@susanaescriba977]

The house is beautiful. I love the style you have given it. The furniture is super nice and that sofa is wonderful ♥️

[@DonSeldum]

Here's a random suggestion: Since you have traveled around Japan a lot, perhaps you could do a video of the different climate conditions of Japan? I suspect it must have different environments as the country is so long :) Or other things you have seen in terms of differences across the country.

[@im.mattguy]

Great idea. It’s actually different even where I live. If I drive 20 minutes down the mountain towards the city it is drastically hotter in summer. It’s a reasonable temperature to sleep at night compared to sea level areas. Then during winter we of course have more snow.

[@DonSeldum]

@@im.mattguy Very interesting. There are so many interesting subjects you could elaborate on - like how did you get recieved in the village you live in by the locals? is it easy to befriend neighbours, are there any traditions with neighbours in Japan etc. etc. It's often the small things which nobody elaborate on which are very different from culture to culture.

[@im.mattguy]

Yeah for sure. While I was making a video today touring my neighborhood a few of my neighbors came to welcome me back. I thought it would be great to show people how awesome the locals are in my videos but I also want to respect my friendships and space. I will ask them if they’re interested in sharing some of their stories on my videos and gauge how it feels :)

[@judypetersen-q2e]

Hi Matt. I think maybe you should have a spare set of keys cut, now you have mentioned you lose things, you may have jinxed yourself. I have a spare house key hidden outside on my property in case something happens. The last person that looked after my place while I was away, accidentally pulled the door shut on the way out and had left the keys on the table inside. Gas heating always adds moisture to the air. Enjoying your youtubes. Thankyou.

[@ruthmoliner2730]

Amazing work! I can’t wait for the day I have my own Japanese house 😭🙏🏽💪🏼

[@Chick-mz2xc]

I luv your home… Great price and I luv how you made your home comfortable for you and maintaining the Japanese culture.

[@im.mattguy]

Thank you so much!

[@MouseoutoftheHouse]

Super helpful for anyone looking at having a part time habitation in Japan.

[@r1pperuk]

Get a real dehumidifier not expensive £200 ish plus it gives you a moisture reading. It needs emptying but you can use it when you are at the house.

[@blackwhite9177]

U really miss ur house , so happy for u that u r back.. home sweet home.Btw u have a nice HOME.

[@lillianmvargaso4960]

❤❤❤Thank you for sharing; very good tips. You are blessed.

[@im.mattguy]

So nice of you

[@ryokokirchhoff782]

I love your house very well done...yes, please show us the area you live in and hope you've got more Crocs!!! Lol!!!

[@im.mattguy]

Thank you! Will do! I took some video today about the area :)

[@leeannhammond9804]

I'm just following to see your progress!

[@le_th_]

Respectfully, I've had an environmental specialist go into a home that looked just fine in photos/video, but when they tested all the surfaces, the interior mold count was astronomically higher than the level of the mold samples found in the air outside the house. This was because the home was closed up and no air circulation occurred (note: I did not do this, a manager for the HOA went inside and did this). Here was the problem. The natural environment was hot and humid and there was nothing circulating air. There were ZERO plants in this home, and *plants bring additional mold into a home*. EDIT: It is important to note that this environmental specialist only did the testing, and didn't do any of the mold mitigation, nor did they refer me to somone who did the mold mitigation. This was an enitrely independent guy, so he had no financial loss or gain either way the testing turned out. I agree that the nose test (for smell) is a reasonable first test, but with that many plants in your home (plants raise mold levels in any home, but especially in a humid environment), plus the crazy amount of moisture you obviously have in the air there, worst still it's summer and warm temps, but the real killer is you closed off all air circulation, so you might want to get a professional opinion. I cannot imagine ever turning off the cooling system in a home where humidity levels are so high that your hanging moisture-removers in a closet (a non-humid area) were entirely used up. That is not a good sign. I'm saying this from the voice of experience. Just because you can't see mold does not mean it's not there. My home, too, looked perfect to the eyes, but your own moisture-removers show how much humidity they've attempted to remove with no air circulating in your home. Worse still, the ones you hung up in the closets had more moisture than they could adequately handle. If your family starts getting tired easily, if they start getting headaches, if they start having sinus pressure when they lean forward (bowing), you'll know you've got mold growing inside your home, but by then it will be too late. Some people show no symptoms of mold sickness until it's very advanced and has proliferated throughout everything in your home. In other words, it becomes a total loss from an insurance perspective. I certainly wish you the best. I hope you can learn from what happened to my home. Oh, also, my home was only closed up for 6 weeks before the environmental specialist did a sampling. Plus, there was air circulating through a building system the entire time, even though the air conditioner was not on. An airtight home in a humid environment with no air circulating is a perfect recipe for mold proliferation, even moreso when it's warm/hot outside. Best wishes to you. It's a lovely home.

[@im.mattguy]

Great comment, appreciate the time you took to write this. I have a moisture detector and checked a few areas after reading your experience. Nothing is abnormal in the areas I would expect to have issues. But it got me thinking that it would be interesting to do a specific mold test. I’ll see what they have in Japan for this. Also, I’m not sure if your home has tatami floors or shikkui plaster walls but this is supposed to help naturally. My house is certainly not airtight which probably also helps with less issues with mold but creates an issue with insulation

[@sebnemb935]

sky looked beautiful.

[@itsmrotaku]

Love the videos mate :D

[@im.mattguy]

Thank you so much!!

[@nihonaura]

I love your videos... :) If I work remote, buying such a house could be a better option than paying rent all the time... :)

[@tayengn6884]

Yes, it is beautiful place.

[@Lukey-Dukey-AUS]

I love your house and the price was awesome great work with it I'm jealous. Thank you for the videos

[@CB-sx8xh]

Is there such a thing as a solar-powered dehumidifier unit which would pipe the water outside to a plant irrigation system for your potplants?

[@im.mattguy]

OOoOoo nice idea!

[@terrihilton5103]

I love the house. You’ve done a fabulous job. Opening all the drawers is a great idea. Along with letting the light into the house. And the dehumidifier packs. You’ve thought of everything.

[@im.mattguy]

Thank you so much! It held up great! I was expecting it to smell damp but it’s fresh

[@jamesbarantor7094]

I've been catching up on your house and I was wondering if you will eventually do a tour around Myoko? I'd like to know what it's like going to the store or out to eat, or even your availability with certain common items that maybe westerners take for granted? Great videos!

[@im.mattguy]

Thanks for the comment and suggestion. Making a local town walk through is high on the list of things to do. It might even be today :)

[@im.mattguy]

Also, seeing how it is in the peak of summer is pretty interesting too

[@tayengn6884]

More information about the humidifiers. I live in a very humid tropical part of India, one of northeastern state. My town rains form June, all through July and upto early September. The humidity in my room is too much. I think your inputs abouts humidifiers will be very usefull for my condition. Thanks in advance❤

[@dansherman1980]

On the sliding doors there’s evidence of someone cleaning dust builds in corners. To be honest I’d say this is fake or it’s a timeshare property. Either way someone has been in there.

[@HankOrionYT]

I have the same katana umbrella :)

[@im.mattguy]

That’s awesome! It’s so solid! It was a present for me :)

[@moonlight8648]

How much the final cost after the house renovation ?

[@holly8038]

I'm really enjoying watching your channel! You have done a wonderful job cleaning the place up and doing necessary repairs that were needed after your purchase. I still can't get over that this home only cost $6,000!!! This has really got me thinking of possibly purchasing in Japan down the road. I absolutely love how you brightened it up inside and opened it up inside! Keep up the great job and I will continue to watch! Oh, where you live do you get a lot of snow during the winter season & how did the roof and sides of the home do during the winter? Also, I understand it gets terribly cold there during the winter. Was it difficult keeping the house warm with the bitter temps? What would you say your winter heat bill looked like each month in US dollars? Thanks!😁

[@im.mattguy]

Thank you for the comment! We get crazy snow. It was a “poor” snow year last season and we had about 11m or 35ft of snow. An average year is about 15m or 50ft of snow. The house performed great! I guess it has been here since the 1960s so it’s help up a long time. The insulation didn’t exist last year so it was cold inside. I had adequate heating so it was fine but this year I have added a lot of insulation around the house. It should be much much better!!

[@im.mattguy]

Heating bill was about $200 USD a month for electric and gas. Hopefully less this year

[@sandile1957]

Wonderful!

[@Sonialanc]

Welcome home!

[@im.mattguy]

Thank you so much!

[@monnie1027]

Beautiful house! Great job!😁👍

[@im.mattguy]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@transuranicelements1335]

Hi,Matt. Where did you get tour clothes hangers as shiwn in 15:10? They look really cool and very useful! Great video, and I like what you did witht the house.

[@adamwood7841]

Hello Matt Guy! This is my fourth video I have watched of yours and I am enthralled. I fell on to your videos at random as I am looking at properties in Japan. I have been looking for abandon or houses on the cheap to renovate. I have lived previously in Japan for 1.5 years in Tokyo. Getting older the busy life is fun but for only for a short period lol. I come from an extremely snowy area of Canada with extreme cold the ski hills are fun though :). This area looks fascinating! I will check out Myoko Kogen and surrounding areas. I want to do the same. Thank you for inspiring me! Any tips for searching properties like this?

[@katiepandey5023]

$6k amazing find! When’s best time to come ski?

[@Melicoy]

Haha me too

[@im.mattguy]

Ski season starts December and goes to around April. Difficult to say the best time but end of Jan to mid Feb is a good bet. Last year it was actually closer to March so you never know

[@natty2786]

The St George Dragon Money Box!!!

[@im.mattguy]

Hahahahaha

[@sebnemb935]

I love Japanese dinner tables.

[@allanelliot1566]

Good work Matt.....how do I purchase one like you??? With your help. Home nothing like it.

[@Tama2024plus]

Hi Matt! I just wanted to know the total expenditure you had after all these renovation (+$6k)? I'm considering of buying a property in Japan as well in 3 years. Looking forward to your guidance. Thanks 😊

[@im.mattguy]

I’ll break this down in a video in the coming weeks. There is a difference to point out though that a lot of the changes I’ve made are for my own level of comfort and how I wanted it to feel. I would say to have the house liveable, which was just upgrading the bathroom and toilet, it was only really less than $5K on top. For the renovations I’ve done entirely I would need to be quite specific but I can say I’ve spent less than $15K USD on upgrades until now. Total cost would be roughly $20K give or take. This should include most of the furniture as well. I plan to spend more and continue to make changes but I’m taking it slowly to do things that need to be done rather than spend money without proper consideration for necessities :)

[@Tama2024plus]

@@im.mattguy That's great!! Looking forward to the new video.. and all the best for the new journey !

[@he-him-his]

I would have to have a rocker recliner American chair to watch TV. 📺

[@blancaconteras6520]

Is $6000 home price normal? What does the average cost for a home?

[@he-him-his]

One thing I have to ask what about a vacuum cleaner?

[@Bovlaad]

Good job on the house! Can we assume that you don't live full-time in Japan due to your visa status? Are you planning on living in Japan long-term? If so, is it a mess to live in Japan without having a Japanese job? Thank you for the tour!

[@1brickrow]

The cost of operation, renovation, insolation, landscaping, infrastructure and cost of maintenance is not worth the cost of this house in the middle of nowhere. It seems that the mold in a health hazard. Cost of electricity, water, internet, gas.... It is better to rent at any cost. The cost of this house is factoring in that is in an high earthquake zone.

[@Paullebbon]

Hi Matt. I have so many questions, but I will only ask a few I promise. $6000, are there any other houses around the area at that sort of price or for under $10,000. Do you need to speak the language or can you get by with Google translate and a nice smile and Visa requirements for buying a property, do you need to have a Japanese wife or work in that location? Sorry if I am taking up too much of your time, but I am really interested.

[@lagnet49]

There's definitely houses for under 10k, but you'll be spending extra on renovations and getting rid of the old owners' stuff, and it's best to learn at least a little bit of the language

[@MrSeriouslynot]

Why not install a dehumidifier?

[@aleksandarpetkov9365]

Hi Matt, I have question. How much is 固定資産税 and is there any 管理費 ? Thank you 😃

[@Gaiwwie]

What will happen in winter ? Cold, is there even a heat system?

[@im.mattguy]

There is now. I upgraded everything :)

[@hibaqahtani]

What happened to your garden?

[@resellrobin]

Hey mat can I ask you a question what did you use to find a house for sale in Japan and what was the process like?

[@im.mattguy]

Just a regular website nothing special. I’ll make a detailed video about it this week or next week

[@ceedoubleyou]

Love these videos you are posting about your home in a Japanese ski town, only the one question, is there a town sewage system, you keep mentioning a, "pit toilet", which you say is directly under the toilet itself, where does the waste water go? In NZ where there isn't town sewage available, we have whats called, "septic system", but it's usually some distance from the home, where all waste water and the toilet waste goes. www.building.govt.nz/getting-started/smarter-homes-guides/water-and-waste/on-site-sewage-systems

[@im.mattguy]

It’s common in Japan to find a mix usage of town sewerage, septic, and pit toilet. Pit is directly under the house and an electric air vent is above the roof line. Both pit and septic systems will be pumped by a contractor

[@satoshinakamoto5710]

Did you turn it into an airbnb

[@susanaescriba977]

Noooo 😭😭😭

[@thoughtzbytreee]

Do you have a cleaning lady in your community as well?

[@ukyo6195]

What about the bonsai?

[@im.mattguy]

I have a few left but gave most away :)

[@he-him-his]

😮

[@JoeChanTV]

That's a steal for 6000k

[@he-him-his]

🇺🇸

[@levis501agco7]

Wow you are lucky are you sure its only $6000? I envy you

[@im.mattguy]

It was closer to $5500 but I just rounded up. Sale price was around $4800 and about $700 for transfer, legal, and real estate fees

[@carolynsilvers9999]

Why would a potted plant fall over in an empty house... you must have a ghost cat.

[@im.mattguy]

I wish hahaha. The water bottle wasn’t put in correctly :,)

[@le_th_]

This is a question no one who has ever lived in earthquake country ever asks because there are little tremors you don't even notice happening almost daily, as well as earthquakes that measure less than 3.0 on the richter scale. lol

[@Gunsnr13]

Hey Matt You should make entertainment room record player and video games!

[@im.mattguy]

I’m considering a PS5 🙂

[@Gunsnr13]

@@im.mattguy Nice but a nice music with that window looking at the mountain sounds peaceful.