Should you buy an old-earthquake-resistant property in the city center as a single person? Looking back at why I didn't buy one when I was 25

My spouse and I have just purchased a used condominium! I will be writing about it in the magazine "Record of Purchasing a Used Condominium in Minato Ward".

Actually, I had been looking for a condominium since I was 25 and single, three years ago. Details are written in "Until a 25-year-old office worker buys a home in the city center".

At the time, I was so serious that I read 7 books and viewed 15 properties. I even submitted an application for a used condominium in Higashi-Shinjuku, but I couldn't buy it. So, in this article, I will write about the following:

• Why didn't I buy the property in Higashi-Shinjuku?

• Looking back, what do I think of my choice at that time?

The condominium I applied for when I was 25 and single

First, the conditions I was looking for at the time were something like this:

In my third year of working, my annual income from the previous year was low, and I was anxious about buying as a single person. Also, following the advice that "you shouldn't be too aggressive with your first home," I set my budget at a safe level.

After learning from multiple books and sales agents that "location is the most important thing for real estate", and because I am from the countryside and hate crowded trains, I narrowed my search to "city center x near the station".

So, I viewed 15 properties in Shibuya Ward, Shinjuku Ward, Bunkyo Ward, etc., and the property I finally applied for was like this:

I remember being genuinely excited from the moment I viewed it, thinking, "Oh, this is a good house... I want to live here..."

What strongly attracted me was that it was high-quality due to a renovation by a major company, the atmosphere was excellent with trees visible from the window, and it was a 1SLDK with a service room despite being 40 square meters, so it seemed like I could live there for a long time.

When I sent photos to my parents and friends, they reacted by saying, "What a lovely house!", and I realized that it would be popular with everyone.

Although it is an old earthquake resistance standard, it is not a pilotis structure, seismic reinforcement has been completed, and the ground is also fairly good, so it doesn't seem like it would collapse.

Compared to the market rent, I judged it to be "a good deal, so I applied for it that same day".

The reason I didn't end up buying it

After that, my pre-screening for the loan passed safely. The sales agent had told me, "Buying as a single person might make it difficult to get a loan because it's thought there's a risk of renting it out," but I managed to clear it...!

Actually, someone else had already applied first and I was second in line, but luckily (?) I was moved up to the top spot.

However, once I was told "You can buy it!", it is human nature to feel anxious.

"Is an old-earthquake-resistant building dangerous...?"

While I was excited about the possibility of living in a home I liked, at the time, I was going around in circles thinking about things like this.

Among these, the biggest factor was the old-earthquake-resistant aspect.

I didn't originally intend to live there for a long time (five or six years at most), and I could judge from past data that "it would probably be fine even with old earthquake resistance."

In the city center, there is a certain number of people in the real estate world who prefer to buy old-earthquake-resistant properties, or like me this time, people who prioritize location over building age. I thought that point would not change even a few years later.

As for my own personality, while I like taking risks, I am also the type who thinks and worries a lot.

I am especially timid when it comes to earthquakes, and although I thought in my head that it would probably be fine, I couldn't shake the anxiety until the end.

I have always lived in newly built rental apartments, so I didn't have an image of how much it would actually shake if it were old-earthquake-resistant. That was also a factor.

In addition, this property was on the older side among old-earthquake-resistant buildings, having been built in 1977. Even among old-earthquake-resistant buildings, the psychological hurdle is different between 1977 and 1982.

"What is the value of the seismic diagnosis?"

After much hesitation, I decided to consult someone knowledgeable about real estate.
To summarize the response, it was something like this (I am grateful...).

This is where I learned about the "Is value".

The Is value (Seismic Index of Structure) refers to the structural seismic index, and it is said that the higher this value, the higher the seismic resistance.

According to the Japan Building Disaster Prevention Association's "Basic Knowledge of Is Value (Seismic Index) Important for Seismic Diagnosis", it is evaluated as follows.

When I asked the sales representative about it, they said, 'Oh, there's a value for that...? I checked, and it seems it hasn't been measured because a seismic diagnosis costs money' (I guess it's not a very common value?).

I see, so they don't know what the Is value is... and I felt like I had lost one piece of reassurance, so I decided not to go through with the purchase.

In other words, the 'pre-1981 earthquake resistance' ended up swaying my final decision.

When people get anxious, they look for reasons not to buy

Around that time, I started noticing small details about the apartment beyond just the seismic aspect. For example,

• Isn't it dangerous that the auto-lock uses a number pad?

• Isn't the Fukutoshin Line too deep underground?

• It seems inconvenient that there's no supermarket in front of the station?

• Are there a lot of drunks because it's close to Kabukicho?

• Is the ratio of Korean residents high because it's close to Koreatown?

and so on.

I realized that when people try to escape from a major decision, they desperately look for 'reasons not to take that action'.

Indeed, the older the building gets, the more points of concern there are. Even trivial things can become a concern when you are at a crossroads of decision-making.

If you are buying as a single person, it's just a confrontation with yourself, so it's fine, but if it were a married couple, it would be a bit troublesome. You need to draw a line regarding what you (or you both) prioritize when making a decision, and what you are willing to tolerate.

'If it's pre-1981 earthquake-resistant, there are many elderly people.'

I ended up giving up on the house I wanted to live in. I have a note where I wrote down my thoughts at the time.

The gist of the article is, 'I wrote the purchase application, but I've started to feel anxious. My weakness is that I can't make decisions in situations like this...'

The comment Yusuke-san left on this article really hit home for me at the time, so I will quote it.

The risk of it becoming vacant due to many elderly residents, and the idea that the longer you wait, the more new earthquake-resistant properties will...—now that you mention it, it's true, but I remember feeling that it made sense because I hadn't properly recognized it before.

I felt ashamed of myself for not being able to make the decision to buy at the time, and I was feeling conflicted about whether I had done the right thing, so Yusuke-san's comment really saved me.

As you can tell from the fact that the episode of the magazine "25-year-old office worker buys a house in the city center" ended with the note above, I was completely exhausted by this matter when I was 25, and I ended up giving up on buying altogether.

Looking back, what do I think of my choice at the time?

Well, three years later, I am now married and have finally purchased an apartment in the city center using a joint loan.

What I think now about the property in Higashi-Shinjuku that I couldn't buy is,

That is what I think.

That's too vague...! Haha.
If I had to say, 60% of me feels the former, and 40% feels the latter.

Reasons why I think I could have bought it back then

The reason I think "I could have bought it" is that even if I had, it wouldn't have collapsed in the recent earthquakes, and real estate prices in the city center have of course risen over these three years. If I were to sell it three years later, the interior would still be clean, and I think I could have sold it for a decent amount.

I was renting for quite a long time, so I ended up throwing away about 90,000 yen a month, or 3.4 million yen over three years. It might seem like a small amount, but considering my take-home pay, it's quite a blow.

As for the access to my workplace that I was worried about, I changed jobs and my workplace moved from Omotesando to Shibuya, so it was 4 stops and 10 minutes from Higashi-Shinjuku on the Fukutoshin Line, which was actually quite easy to get to...! Haha.

Besides, it was totally fine for a single woman to buy one on her own.

I was the one who wanted to buy an apartment and went looking for one, and no one forced me. The choice was mine. However, even though I read books, visited properties, and spent a lot of time, I feel ashamed that I ended up getting scared and couldn't make a decision, which is almost the same as doing nothing at all.

Reasons why I think I didn't have to buy it back then

On the other hand, let me list a few reasons why I think "I didn't have to buy it."

If I had purchased the 1SLDK in Higashi-Shinjuku, the way I used the room would have changed, my commute would have changed, how I spent my weekends would have changed, and how I dated would have changed. I feel like my life choices would have changed little by little, and I would have become a different person than I am now.I would have been satisfied with that, but I'm having so much fun now that it's a little scary to think about a different timeline. Haha.

Also, at the time I wanted to sell, for example, it's 47 years old now, three years later, so I don't know if it would have actually sold. Around October '24, the pros and cons of old buildings were being discussed among the apartment community on X, and it seemed like most people were against it. When I was gathering information on Instagram in the past, I had the impression that "well-managed old buildings in the city center are a good buy," so I remember being surprised by the gap after seeing the posts from the X community. I really felt that I have to prepare as many sources of information as possible (books, YouTube, Instagram, X, and sales agents, looking at different sources).

Personally, I understand that new high-rise condos are the gold standard, but that said, not everyone can afford them, and I feel it's inevitable that ordinary people end up with older or pre-earthquake-resistant buildings after careful consideration. However, the hurdle for choosing a home that can definitely be sold later without making a mistake is certainly much higher.
In addition, three years have passed since then, and it is expected that the ratio of pre-earthquake-resistant buildings in the overall condo market has decreased, and their value is steadily declining.

Also, Higashi-Shinjuku is very convenient with the 3-chome area and the Gyoen nearby, but it wasnot a neighborhood I liked. It's close to Kabukicho, so there are drunk people around, and people who work in the nightlife industry live there too. If I'm being honest, I don't even like the vibe of the Fukutoshin Line (*though I do like the Toyoko Line that runs through it).

So, ideally, as a first home while young, I thinkit would have been the right choice to expand the area a bit and buy a renovated 1LDK that meets new earthquake-resistant standards.

In conclusion

I wrote about my decision not to buy a pre-earthquake-resistant property in 2021 when I was 25 and single.

Next, I will write in detail about buying a home in 2024 after getting married and living as a couple.
I worried more than anyone else about this purchase too (lol), so I hope it will be helpful for those looking for a condo in the city center.

🔻 Click here for my previous magazine.
I write about why I wanted to buy at 25 while single, and what I started with first.

🔻 I also struggled with finding wedding rings.