[Case Study Comparison] 3 Reasons Why I Gave Up on My 'Ideal Full Renovation' and Chose a 'Pre-Renovated' Home.

"It's a huge purchase, so I want to get as close to my ideal as possible!"
When you're looking for a property, you've probably thought that at least once, right?

Until the very end, I struggled quite a bit between
"an ideal full renovation"
and "a realistic pre-renovated home."

In this post, I'd like to write about:
・The two properties I actually compared
・The reasons why I ultimately decided on a "pre-renovated" home.
I hope this serves as a reference for those who are currently in the middle of house hunting and are

caught between "ideals and reality." I hope this helps.

The two properties I actually considered

I considered these two properties in the Jonan area of the 23 wards.

The emotion of "I want to do a full renovation!" and my calm self

At first, I was so excited about the full renovation property, thinking, "I can make my ideals come true...!"
I thought about the floor plan and the style of the house with the real estate agent, and I went to interior shops to make a wishlist of things I wanted, thinking, "I want to put this furniture over there."

I was filled with excitement as my ideal life took shape.

However, when I stopped to think for a moment, there were three bottlenecks I just couldn't ignore.

1. Anxiety about future "daily movement" - 3rd floor with no elevator
   I live in a rental without an elevator. If it were just me, moving up and down the stairs wouldn't be that much of a struggle.
   However, even if it's fine now, what if in the future, while my husband is away on a solo assignment, I have to go up and down carrying a child?
   I could imagine the small stresses of daily life piling up.

2. The risk of deviating from market value - The flip side of the "renovated a few years ago" condition
   At first glance, I felt this was a good condition.
   When renovating, the bath and toilet can be used as they are, which also leads to a reduction in costs.
   However, if I were to add about 10 million yen in renovation costs for a full renovation, there was a concern that the property price would significantly exceed the surrounding market price (market out).

3. Environmental stress of "working from home" - The view from the 3rd floor surrounded by buildings
   Although that property had good sunlight, it was close to surrounding buildings, and even if I opened the windows, my view was blocked.
   No matter how wonderfully I changed the interior with a full renovation, I couldn't change the view outside the window (the sense of openness).
   Since I work from home a lot, for me, spending most of the day at home, I couldn't overlook this visual "suffocation."

"Things you can change" and "things you cannot change"

My "emotions" were screaming, "I want to do a full renovation!!!!" but my "logic" was pointing toward the pre-renovated one.

That's because even if I did a full renovation, which was my dream, I couldn't change the "common areas" and "location" of the apartment.

It was such a serious concern that I consulted with several people knowledgeable about renovations, but I ultimately decided to pass on the "full renovation."
*This is just a judgment based on my personal situation and values. I hope you can use it as one example.

This wasn't just giving up, but a strategic choice to prioritize the "foundation that I cannot change with my own power."

A decision made after much deliberation increases attachment even more

I passed on the "full renovation" this time, but even if I had chosen a full renovation in this situation, I don't think it would have been a "mistake."

That's because there is no right or wrong answer to the conclusion reached after much deliberation.
If you have thought it through until you can explain in your own words "why you chose this," I think that house will become "the most beloved and happy space in the world!"

I am now enjoying the process of gradually making this pre-renovated house my own.
The "ideal" I passed on this time will be something to look forward to another time.
I hope your house hunting leads to a satisfying and best decision!