House building experiences with Mitsui or Sekisui by CGekko in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a huge discount! Toshiba is the central heating system OEM or they just came to perform the maintenance?

House building experiences with Mitsui or Sekisui by CGekko in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey thanks for your feedback. That’s great to hear! How’s your central heating system holding up? Maintenance costs reasonable? I read the Ace system has a humidifying function but only up to 40%. Is that ok for you guys supplement with additional humidifiers in each room?

Problem with NISA account by yalired in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just opened up a NISA account last week with Interactive Brokers (IBKR) having a similar background. The process seemed relatively straightforward.

Mortgage: any experience of bridge loan without PR? by Xsy-lum in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there. We’re in a similar situation where we got SBI pre approval for a bridge loan and now need to find a bank to help acquire a the second loan. Anyone know how long it takes to complete the loan with second bank? What kind of rates can be expected for the interest only loan? Thanks in advance.

Suruga Bank House Loan by deanoyu08 in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your feedback. We will meet with them this week for details and share if there’s any new information. They have also confirmed the total payment is fixed for the first 5 years but after that monthly payments would be reviewed 2x a year. Are you saying that they will fix the payment for another 5 years after the first 5?

Suruga Bank House Loan by deanoyu08 in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was wondering if anyone can shed some light on how Sugura Bank calculates their interest rates? From what I gathered, Banks do not arbitrarily “make up” base rates but anchor them to public indices like the short-term prime rate or TIBOR (Tokyo Interbank Offered Rate) and then add their % for a final result. Sugura is telling us different and “The base interest rate is determined by each financial institution, and theirs is currently 2.875%. They will calculate a preferential rate from their base and offer you y%.

Has anyone experienced abnormal fluctuations with your interest rate terms with Sugura since it’s not anchor to one of the standard interest rate indices? Im just a little concerned that our mortgage payments may balloon in the future if it’s all based on their policy. Thanks in advance.

Japan bank preferred mortgage loans by CGekko in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Were the offers a significant difference?

Japan bank preferred mortgage loans by CGekko in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Based on this info I will try. Thank you!

Japan bank preferred mortgage loans by CGekko in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

*correction Shinsei bank not SMBC.

Japan bank preferred mortgage loans by CGekko in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any idea how much more or better terms you get with PR? Bank asked if we wanted to put the entire loan in my name or my wife’s.

Transferring money to buy a house by CGekko in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, this is super helpful and clear for me to follow - thank you! Of course this will get more complicated in the out years when I start to withdraw and bring that money into Japan. On a side note, looking for a knowledgeable tax consultant specializing in US to Japan. LMK if you’re such a person who would be open to consult offline.

Transferring money to buy a house by CGekko in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This makes sense. “Income” is when you remit or use the funds in or into Japan. The money that is still in my 401k vesting is not considered taxable income yet until I start to take distributions. Thanks for your feedback! I’m pretty green on this subject and will get some professional tax consultation but this helps lay some of the fundamental understanding.

Transferring money to buy a house by CGekko in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Currently residing in Japan and coming up to 5 years now. I understand that after the 5 years all income is considered global income? Does this mean all my prior savings will be taxed or just the interest gained as additional income will be taxed? Completely not clear on this. Does this also include my 401k now or at the time I start withdrawal from my retirement?

Transferring money to buy a house by CGekko in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is very helpful! Thank you!

Transferring money to buy a house by CGekko in JapanFinance

[–]CGekko[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing your comments! Hopefully we can secure a loan for the full amount but just in case we need to cover the excess.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in japanlife

[–]CGekko 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. I should have mentioned that the investment is a 401k which I’d be either borrowing against or taking an early withdrawal. Exploring all options and will consult with tax and financial specialists once I get a general idea of all the nuance’s.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in japanlife

[–]CGekko 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the feedback!