ヒカリホーム㈱ 麻布本店｜Hikari Homes Inc. — Local services in Tokyo

I have been a tenant and prospective tenant both here in Japan and in the US. I've also worked in real estate before. My father is a broker himself, so I know the difficulties that each side faces.

Usually, brokers get prospective renters who make long lists of requirements for an amazing apartment at an unrealistically low price.

Renters usually complain about brokers who show them apartments that don't match their criteria at all, or only barely, or are above their budget.

This was not the case with Harada-san, despite our admittedly long list of requirements. He didn't waste our time pushing apartments that didn't meet our criteria. At his office, before even seeing any apartments, we had a brief discussion about what we were looking for in an apartment, and spent about an hour looking at all the various possibilities in the database. We saw only 3-4 before seeing and deciding on the perfect one.

Compare this to the experiences we had around the same time--a broker who printed out some listings and then showed us some that explicitly violated some of our deal-breakers. There was another broker who basically laughed in our faces for starting to look for apartments one month before our scheduled move instead of the apparently usual two weeks before.

Harada-san is the consummate professional-- extremely helpful with translating documents, speaking to management offices, other brokers, and landlords on our behalf. He was very patient in explaining various things--about setting up utilities, moving in, etc.

One of the things that impressed me most was his responsiveness. Literally 30 seconds after I hit "send" on an email asking for more information about an apartment listing I saw on GaijinPot, Harada-san called me. I did most of the emailing for me and my husband, but Harada-san made sure to CC my husband on every email. He missed only one, which he self-corrected before I even noticed. Even my wedding planner wasn't as thorough!

He even took the initiative to negotiate on our behalf--without our even having to ask--for an effective reduction in rent, lower deposit, and lower key money.

We are moving into our new place in a few weeks, but Harada san said we can email or call him anytime if there is a problem with the apartment. Now that is service! You definitely don't get this kind of after-care in the US.

I'm not getting any money or other benefit for my review; I'm just a big believer in rewarding quality professionals with positive reviews and...

Our family of 3 recently moved to Minato-ku, Tokyo. We were only given a month to stay in the corporate housing and were required to secure a permanent accommodation. It was challenging to find a place that met our needs and budget (i.e. musical instruments, walking distance to the office, close to a park, etc). A colleague provided Harada-san’s contact information. After an initial introduction via email and providing high level specification of our requirements, Harada-san came back to us not only on the same day but within a couple of hours and recommended several potential places. What a great start!

In my book, a good agent is proactive and works to obtain the client’s needs. Harada-san is much more. Having some time living in the U.S., Harada-san is understanding, compassionate, hospitable, and relatable to the needs of an ex-pat family. When visiting the recommended places, Harada-san also provides factual information about the neighborhood and the general do’s and don’ts of living in Tokyo, Japan. As new comers to the country, the information provided was truly beneficial. Harada-san was a key figure in helping our family secure a place and in the right time when our temporary accommodation was coming to an end. He expedited the application process to ensure the permanent place is readily available.

Harada-san gives us comfort that, he is not doing his job for the sake of making a commission. He wants to ensure that clients are satisfied with their selection and addresses any potential issues or challenges. Our family is truly grateful to Harada-san for his efforts in the process of securing a place we now call home.

Thanks, Victorson...

Short version: 5/5. Incredibly helpful, fast and efficient. I would recommend Kaz to everyone looking for real estate in Japan.

Long Version: I was introduced to Hikari Home's Kaz through a colleague in my company, so I decided to contact immediately. He was very prompt with replies to my e-mails, and got detailed information as to what I was looking for. This was all before I even got to Japan. The day after my arrival, Kaz had already provided me with information on several units tailored to me, and was able to meet me in person at my desired neighborhood (quite a distance from his office too!) In person he was very friendly and conversational. His past experience in California made it really easy for me, an American, to relate to him and made the entire process feel very relaxed and easy. During the actual visits of the units, Kaz was willing to provide his personal opinion on the units which helped give me more objective outlook. I was able to make a decision that same day, and the rest of the process was carried out very quickly. Kaz was quick to interact with the property owners and sort out all the details. He was very flexible with dates and times, and made finding an apartment in Tokyo (a normally very frustrating experience for recently arrived foreigners) a very smooth and painless experience. Even after my move-in he has been of great help with finer details! I would highly recommend anyone looking for property in Tokyo to get in...