7:02 PM

Finding a Home in Yokosuka, Japan

We have been here one week & on the maddening house hunting process really hard. Jumping from one car to the next to go see yet another crappy older home that not even the owners want to live in anymore & have moved to a new home around the corner.

We saw one home that was a potential possibility with a great location up in a neighborhood close to a train station, between Yokosuka & Yokohama; 15 minutes back to Yokosuka-chuo station outside base & 10 minutes up to the Costco. Wonderful yard, garage, wide stair case, etc. However, the owners moved for the same reason we don't want to move in...the kitchen & bath are so dated & ugly that you just can't take it for 3 years!!!

In Japan you aren't allowed to make changes to a home like new paint or hardware without the oweners permission. This usually results into you insulting them, you buying them for any changes whether you DIY or not, and wanting you to change it back even if it was an upgrade before you move out or they get more money out of you by complaining to base.

We would really be willing to buy our own home & DIY all our own changes, however, when you ask about buying they all suddenly have no ability to understand what you are saying. Apparently in Japan, the way things work, they show you all the oldest, crappiest places that they have had on their lists the longest first, dragging you all over the place, then trying to pressure you into that hole knowing they are holding better properties for their own native prestigous individuals.

I get that a good portion of Americans, especially those stationed overseas for some odd reason, are usually not very clean, leave a place nastier than they moved in, & then complain the entire time that they are there. However, we are not those individuals. We are not abusive of the property or the owners. We know that there are new places out there with newer appliances & nuetral color schemes & that will take a tiny little dog that is housebroken! WHERE ARE THEY? WHY CAN'T WE SEE THEM? I NEED A HOME NOW!

To add to the mess, we now have one week, in which we are already commited to the mandatory introduction process all day every day, to find a home here in this crazy long process.

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