[Ziv Nakajima-MagenParticipant@zmagenJoin Date: 2012Post Count: 523]

April 14, 2012 - 9:53 pm

Saw a budding truffles grower who claims to have invented a genetically modified tree that all but guarantees truffles will grow in its roots pitch successfully to investors on “dragons den” or whatever it’s called. Might be another one can come up with same if you give them enough cash and 8-10 years.

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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Ziv Nakajima-Magen - Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific @ NTI - Japan Real-Estate Investment Property

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April 14, 2012 - 9:44 pm

Good luck, and yes, this place is brilliant. Came looking for leading web presence, stayed far longer than i though due to the wealth of information and learning curves (not to mention the networking).

All thumbs up, can’t go wrong listening to the advice and experiences here.

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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April 12, 2012 - 1:27 am

wrote:

Its nice there for sure, but its country living for sure… have to drive 90 minutes for Sushi

Now there’s something you never have to deal with in my line of work!

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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Ziv Nakajima-Magen - Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific @ NTI - Japan Real-Estate Investment Property

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April 7, 2012 - 5:33 am

Best of luck to you, Mark – that sounds horrible. Can't imagine being forced to deal with this sort of crap, but tend to agree that if it's generating cash and requires no further repair or investments in tenant finding, try to keep it – surely the lawyer can stall, delay, postpone some of those payments at least, and reach an arrangement where the rent goes straight to cover those invented fees for a few months? Sounds like it'll be worth it to keep then, even if it ends up costing an extra month's rent in lawyers' fees or what…
"Starting over" is fine if you can afford it. Can your leftover $8-9K allow you to start again?

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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Ziv Nakajima-Magen - Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific @ NTI - Japan Real-Estate Investment Property

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March 29, 2012 - 9:59 pm

kylermrice wrote:

I haven't read any posts by me?  Lol, u have commented on them before. 

Yessssss (duh!), I haven't made this connection between the first part of your nick and the last. I'm good that way.

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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March 28, 2012 - 11:55 am

lawsjs wrote:

I really like Jay's system which is a partnering type deal – he gets the worry and half the cash, you just get the cash. A bit like investing in Japan maybe.

A bit, except for the half part. Having said that, from what you've all been posting here, Jay has his work cut out for him, so sounds like he deserves every penny. As you mentioned we (or independent investors) don't need to deal with even fraction of what these guys are going through. As for language barriers – there are a plethora of legitimate solicitors, accountants and agents, particularly in the big cities, who will gladly do everything for you (and as you mentioned, it'd be very rare to get scammed in Japan.) However, their prices are outrageous (in my view at least), are not worth it unless you're going in for huge buckets of yen, and deal only in the major areas (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hokkaido) which are as "bubbled" and as low on the returns as any other international port of call may be. As for buyers' agents…(whoops, sorry, should probably stop right there

lawsjs wrote:

Alex and Kyler really 'know' what they are doing as well – it oozes form their posts.

Couldn't agree with you more, and have mentioned this in the past. When I go for the US, Alex and Jay are definitely where I'll be going. (Haven't read anything by Kyler yet, but will keep my eyes open, thanks for the tip).

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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Ziv Nakajima-Magen - Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific @ NTI - Japan Real-Estate Investment Property

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March 28, 2012 - 5:09 am

Enlightening, thank you.
I won't add anything else about how things are different in other countries, because, as I've learned on this site, that's considered blatant advertising
Q1 – have any of you found, in your dealings with turnkey operators like Alex or Jay here, that they take any of the edge off these difficulties at all?
Q2 – how about buyers' agents? wouldn't there be nation-wide or at the very least state-wide agents that can help an investor who wants to spread their investments a bit more logically risk-wise? Alex mentioned they are only used for large investment portfolios/budgets, but I'm wondering, if someone's buying three properties for example – wouldn't it be already worth using one?

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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Ziv Nakajima-Magen - Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific @ NTI - Japan Real-Estate Investment Property

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March 28, 2012 - 12:26 am

Alex SC wrote:

I would just continue purchasing foreclosures in Atlanta, there are other markets that do interest me, however I feel I need to stick to one area to reduce the risk/challenges.  Great advice ….

Don't quite follow – I get the logistics bit, but how exactly does putting all your eggs in the one city basket reduce the risk by anything? In my view it vastly increases risk – unless I'm missing something in this equation? (assuming you'd do your DD wherever you may invest, wouldn't spreading your investments geographically reduce your risk far more?)

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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Ziv Nakajima-Magen - Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific @ NTI - Japan Real-Estate Investment Property

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March 19, 2012 - 2:28 am

Still available in Asia. God bless cashflow.

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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Ziv Nakajima-Magen - Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific @ NTI - Japan Real-Estate Investment Property

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March 19, 2012 - 1:06 am

Just for comparison's sake, for that money you'll get 4-5 pre-rented apartments in the heart of Fukuoka City in Japan (Kyushu's capital), no extra rehab needed, probably netting around 14-17% before taxes (all other costs already deducted). No warzones. Renters who stick around for years. Pure cashflow. (You want capital gains, good luck to you, I'll stick to the poker tables).

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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Ziv Nakajima-Magen - Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific @ NTI - Japan Real-Estate Investment Property

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March 18, 2012 - 11:47 pm

Wow. This is necessary in most places, is it? Wouldn't insurance cover something like that?

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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March 16, 2012 - 9:10 pm

Brilliant, knowledgable post, probably worth it’s weight in gold

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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Ziv Nakajima-Magen - Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific @ NTI - Japan Real-Estate Investment Property

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March 16, 2012 - 12:34 am

Hiya, Marcus, was pleased to see another Japan-affiliate here.

My emails [email protected]– would love to chat and maybe catch up when I’m over- where in Japan are you based? (I’ll be in Fukuoka, Shizuoka and Osaka this month…)

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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Ziv Nakajima-Magen - Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific @ NTI - Japan Real-Estate Investment Property

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March 14, 2012 - 1:22 am

kylermrice wrote:

There are gators in the States

Except the unlicensed realty agents you mean?

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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March 13, 2012 - 5:22 am

labradorinlove wrote:

My downfall is my youth, loyalty and too trusting nature

Sounds like a lesson learned to me. Thanks for sharing that. I also think it's good that you're looking back and finding it amusing – best way to learn in my book. ("And that was the time I learned to get a local third party's opinion on a deal" etc…)

Jay/Alex – are buyers' agents popular in the US like in Aus and Asia? Always thought that was the best way to avoid lack of familiarity with a local market…

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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March 9, 2012 - 8:00 pm

I’m wondering where you saw them advertised, for how much, and how you researched the area for value and potential- also how you got the house appraised yourself (if you did)?

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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March 9, 2012 - 3:31 am

Labrador- still very curious to know how you got to this deal, if you feel like sharing?

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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March 6, 2012 - 2:43 am

Tend to agree.
My Italian clients have been investing in Bulgaria, quoting assumed double, triple and quad growth potential over the next five years. Seems just as risky to me.

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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March 5, 2012 - 11:30 am

Luke – a bond (deposit, in our case) is indeed a great idea, and we do this once we identify a relevant property – the buyer must transfer the deposit before we will commit on his behalf – but there's no way you can charge anyone this kind of money before you show them the property in its full detail. The advance fee is a much smaller sum, and actually quite reasonable and easy to pay compared to these bonds or deposits – it also comes much earlier in the process, because our fee is based on your purchase budget and does not increase if you say "no" to ten or a hundred properties until you find your one and only (or ten and only). Hence, if we spend a month or three trying to satisfy a very picky client (no problem with those, they're the ones I like pleasing best) – we need to make sure he's indeed a client and not a tire kicker, otherwise we'll be out of business, as simple as that.

Our commitment is to the client, not to a particular property or bunch of properties – therefore, we require the same. Again, I'm guessing this is different if you buy and sell properties yourself, as opposed to representing others. The properties I source for others often disappear in a matter of days or weeks, way before I'll be able to do anything with them for any client, if I don't validate him in advance, so I'm ready to pounce for him when the right property shows up. The best deals are often closed before they reach anyone's website, through private mailing lists and a few telephone calls.

@ Alex – It's also very different in English speaking countries, I would guess. The information you offer is available to anyone who speaks English and wants to do the research and legwork, or can afford and manage his own English speaking team on the ground. The information we offer is only available to local language speakers, and there are far less of those than English speakers – so to have us do these "pretend customers" research for them, based on their requirements, which would cost them a fortune in translator fees and/or hirelings if they were to do it themselves – and then to be thrown out of the cycle – is just not acceptable from our perspective. These are not properties we have any interest vested in, nor is the information about them, advertised and researchable, available as freely.

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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Ziv Nakajima-Magen - Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific @ NTI - Japan Real-Estate Investment Property

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March 5, 2012 - 11:05 am

Interesting projection, thank you.
So you reckon 8 months a year payout for a reasonably maintained house in any US ghetto is a sure thing? Wonder where all the horror stories about ghetto ghost towns and lost investment funds come from…? Where would you say people go wrong?

Ziv Nakajima-Magen | Nippon Tradings International (NTI)
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Ziv Nakajima-Magen - Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific @ NTI - Japan Real-Estate Investment Property