Handing the Key and Contract to a very satisfied client Anna. She moved into her new home on May 1st 2023. For privacy reasons Anna wanted her face to be covered.
The Client:
Anna a single mother of 2 young children living in a very small apartment just East of Osaka City. In addition to commuting an hour to and from work, she must change trains several times.
My own experience of having a baby daughter who is only 19 months old gives me a good sense of how difficult it can be to raise one child with two working parents in a fairly large home.
In Anna's case having two children, a rough commute, the endless house work, and living in a small apartment would be both mentally and physically exhausting with almost no time to relax . Though she was egger to stay in the same city she had a change in heart.
Anna's New Home:
3LDK in Osaka City
Rent 月に7万円 (70,000) Yen a month
Floor Plan :
Size 67.66 square meters of living space
Kitchen:
Spacious kitchen
Living Room
お風呂（Bathroom）
(I did not notice it at the time but as I was taking the picture the top of my head was in the mirror so I whited it out)
洗面所 (Wash Room) , Toilate, and Washing Machine
Stair Case
Two of the three Tatami rooms upstairs.
The home is in Osaka city, near a park, in a family friendly area, and near an elementary school.
Anna's Case Study
A single mother of two from Indonesia working as an English Teacher in Osaka. This will also give an idea of my service offering to all my clients.
Purpose of the First Zoom Meeting
The purpose of the first zoom meeting is not to show properties it is to build a relationship with the client and get an understanding of why they are looking for a new place. I Listen, learn, and take notes about their requirements and find how my service can help them. Another important part of the first zoom meeting is to learn their budget and go over initial costs so the clients has a good idea of how much they need to budget for a new apartment/homes etc. Based on what I learned from the client I show them examples of various apartments/homes in order to find out what their likes and dislikes are which helps me find the apartment that fits what they are looking for.
Anna's Requirements:
Anna works in Osaka city, she preferred to be within 10 minutes walking distance of a train station on a train line that runs into the city and accessible to her work place, so she would not have to change lines. Ideally, she wanted an apartment or home that was relatively new or recently renovated, and it had to be large enough to accommodate a family.
The Search:
Initially, I found several apartments near stations on the same line the client was looking for in her city. I called the 管理会社（かんりがいしゃ) or property management company in English, but almost all of the apartments were not child-friendly and some were not foreigner-friendly.
My search was not easy, I found some homes that were both child friendly and foreign. However, they were farther from the station than the client expected, some were slightly over budget, some were older than what the client was looking for, etc.
The Second Zoom Meeting
After calling the property management companies and getting the ok from the land lord is the properties are alright with children, foreigners, and the clients current situation etc. I schedule a second zoom meeting to talk to the client on my findings. The purpose of the second zoom meeting is show the clients properties I found. I normally find between 5 to 7 properties that fit the clients requirements. I go over the floor plan and see what the client likes and dislikes about the properties.
During Anna's second zoom meeting she gave me some important feedback and I narrowed it down to four homes she wanted to see.
内覧（ないらん）Private viewing, of the property
When I took the client to first viewing three of the homes they were too far from the station to walk older and not as clean as the pictures on the Floor plans originally entailed
The last home we saw, which was within fifteen minutes of the station, newly renovated, and a decent size, everything was going well until we both saw the stairs; the stairs were dangerous for children. For me as a father, that right there is a deal breaker.
When Anna saw the stairs, her look said it all her heart sank and I knew the location was not right. Even before today's viewing I had this feeling but at that point I knew what I had to do, find a better place for the client in a more satisfying location.
Listening is so Important
Listening to the client's feelings on the properties as we viewed the homes allowed me to paint a picture of her precise needs in my mind. I asked her why does she want to live in the same city with such a long commute? Anna's response was: according to another real estate agent that found the place she was living in now, the city was child-friendly
In addition to the client revealing her pains and problems that occurred while she lived in the city. Here are just some of the problems Anna faced; their was a lot of miscommunication in Japanese between her and her current land lord and even problems with city hall. When I contacted the management companies in the area almost all of the apartments I looked at were not child-friendly, so I am fairly certain that where she lived was not as child-friendly as the other real estate agent had portrayed.
I started to ask her about how she felt about living in Osaka city, on the same train line to cut her commute time, close to parks, and family friendly. Her response was as long as she did not have to change train line, the commute was shorter, and it was more family friendly she would be happy to.
After the viewing I got to work and started looking for a place in Osaka city on the same train line.
What I found
Just two stops from her company I found exactly what she was looking for. 3LDK Family friendly, newly renovated, affordable home that was big enough for a family, near a park, and an elementary school, with shopping, and within a 10 minute walk of the station.
Second Viewing
When I did the Viewing for the new place the clients eyes lit up and told me this is exactly what she was looking for.
Outcome
I made her application to the property management company and she passed the examination. She moved in to her new home on May 1st.
Line SMS Message from a Satisfied Client:
Thank you Anna and best wishes to you and your children in your new home
Contact me:
Email: francis.gurtlinger@remax-agt.net
Phone Number in Japan: 070-2287-0638
Phone Number From Abroad:+ 81-70-2287-0638