[Episode 3] 44 years old, single, and a sudden encounter with a real estate agent?

Hello! I'm asumegry.
Last time, I started looking for properties under 20 million yen.

Click here for the previous episode ↓

I still haven't narrowed down the area in my mind, but
for now, I really love the area I'm currently living in,
so I'll try looking nearby.

What comes up is a one-story house over 50 years old.
I think, 'A one-story house might be nice!', but when I look at the map,
it's a place I'm somewhat familiar with.

It's a terrace house where old houses are packed very tightly together and the walls are connected to the neighbors.
The location is somewhere I feel has a bit of a gloomy atmosphere.

Even so, I won't know until I actually go see it,
so I add it to my favorites and look for others, but
since it's a fairly urban area, there aren't many under 20 million yen.

So, when I expand my search to 25 million yen,
I find a vacant unit in a condominium I've seen before.

It's over 40 years old, but it's been renovated, is a 2LDK, and it says pets are allowed, at least for now.

The location is even closer to the station and more convenient than where I am now, and the neighborhood is safe.

I think it would be a good location even if I were to sell it later.
I think, 'I want to go view this,' and add it to my favorites again.

One day, when I told a close friend at work that I was looking for a property, it turned out they had a relative in real estate. Since that person specializes in rentals, they decided to introduce me to a trustworthy real estate agent!

I don't have any acquaintances in real estate, and I was fed up with the sales calls I got when I requested viewings online in the past, so I was very grateful to be introduced to someone.

It was my first time hearing the name of that real estate agency, but
it's a community-based business with very good reviews.
When I looked up the name of the person being introduced, it said 'Sales Manager'...

In a situation where nothing is decided and my budget isn't very large, I wonder if it's okay to have a manager assigned to me... *sweat* I suddenly started feeling anxious.

That very evening, I received an email from the real estate agent.
Since I basically work on weekdays, I can't answer sudden phone calls and I'm not good with them.
Perhaps because that was communicated, it was a very polite email.

After that, I received a call. While I was nervous that things were starting to get serious, I told them that nothing was concrete yet and that I wasn't in a rush to move out of my current rental. They told me that since it's a big purchase, we should take our time looking.

And then,
“First, let's check with the bank to see how much you can borrow, and then use that as a guide to look for properties!”

An eye-opener. So you don't look for properties before the loan screening!

I'm 44 years old, have almost zero yen in cash savings, no down payment, and I'm planning on no bonus payments.

That's true. Knowing how much of a loan I can get beforehand makes it easier to take action.

Hmm...? But before that,
Can I even get a loan in the first place...?