Comparative Study on the Impact of Property Values on the Maintenance of Homes in Japan and the U.S

本研究旨在通过两项比较研究，考察日本和美国房主的态度，探讨延长日本房屋寿命的方法。调查的目标地区是洛杉矶的一个地区、美国爱荷华州的得梅因、日本的大阪和滋贺县。调查的年份分别是2000年、2001年和2003年。在美国，75%的受访者购买了现房。对于美国人来说，买卖房子不仅是为了居住，也是为了投资，这是很常见的。老房子的历史价值是购买的一个重要因素。由于天然硬木地板、熟练的木工和传统设计等因素，老房子被认为很有吸引力。由于现有的房子仍然很高的价值，业主希望他的投资得到良好的回报。与此同时，在日本，87%的日本人购买了新房。购买现房的日本人倾向于将其视为临时住所，是购买下一套房子的垫脚石。持这种“临时住房”观点的人通常对现有房屋的质量持负面看法。考虑购买二手房的日本人由于缺乏可用信息，对其安全性和功能感到不放心，倾向于避免购买二手房。另一方面，日本人想要永久居住在同一个地址，重建他们的房子，而不是试图卖掉它。重建是日本人的一个显著特征。美国人认为转卖房子是理所当然的，因此对房屋的商业价值表现出强烈的兴趣。从一个人买房开始，他或她就已经考虑到转售的情况，这使得在购买前提前检查房屋成为一种非常普遍的做法。相比之下，日本人更关心安全性和功能性，不完全相信房地产经纪人的评估。一个人对现有房屋的保养和维护与房主认为房屋的资产价值之间存在很强的相关性。在日本，每年贬值是理所当然的。因此，一个典型的城市房屋只需要20-30年就可以重建，这大约是美国或日本农村房屋寿命的四分之一。但房主一般希望在他们现在的房子里住40年左右。在美国，房屋的平均寿命是日本的两倍多。日本人将现有住房视为“临时住房”的主要原因是缺乏关于住房作为商品的信息。在美国，房地产市场的透明性得到了保障，有公平对待二手房购买者的制度。在日本，收集有关家庭安全和可靠性的信息的优先级较低。人们已经认识到，对“临时住房”的意识与对现有住房的恐惧之间存在相关性。此外，日本人并不把自己家里功能的可靠性放在首位。这削弱了人们获取信息的动力。因此，比起在二手房市场上竞争，永久居住一套房子更有价值。少

This study seeks to examine ways to extend the lifespan of Japanese homes by examining attitudes of homeowners in Japan and the U.S. through two comparative studies.The target areas of the survey were a district of Los Angeles, and Des Moines, Iowa in the U.S, Osaka and Shiga prefectures in Japan. The years of the survey were 2000,2001,2003.In the U.S, 75 percent of American respondents purchased existing houses. It is common for Americans to buy and sell their houses not only to live in but also as an investment. The historic value of an old house is an important factor in the purchase. Older houses are considered attractive because of such factors as natural hard wood floors, skillful carpenter work and traditional design. Since existing house are still highly valued, the owner expects a good return on his investment.Meanwhile in Japan, 87 percent of Japanese purchased a new house. Japanese who buy existing houses tend to see the purchase merely as temporary home, a stepping stone to … More a next house. People with this "temporary home" outlook normally have negative views of the quality of existing houses. Japanese who consider purchasing an existing house do not feel reassured about its safety and functionality due to lack of available information and tend to avoid existing houses. Japanese, on the other hand, want to live permanently at the same address and rebuild their house rather than try to sell it. Rebuilding is a remarkable character of the Japanese.Americans take for granted the idea of reselling a house, and as a consequence show strong interest in the commercial value of housing. From the time a person purchases a house he or she already takes into account the scenario of reselling it, which makes the advance inspection of the house before purchase a very common practice. In contrast, Japanese are concerned about the safety and functionality and do not fully trust the assessment of realtors. There is a strong correlation between the care and maintenance put on one's present home and the asset value the owners think it is worth.Yearly depreciation is taken for granted in Japan. Thus, a typical urban house is rebuilt after only 20-30 years, which is about one-fourth the lifetime of a house in the U.S. or in rural Japan. But the average owner expects to live in their present house for about 40 years. It the U.S., the average lifetime of a house is more than twice that of Japan.ConclusionThe reason which Japanese view existing homes as "temporary houses" is mainly due to the lack of information on homes as commodities. In the U.S., the transparency of the real estate market is secured : there is a system that the buyer of an existing house is treated fairly. In Japan, there is a low priority in collecting information on the safety and reliability of the home. A correlation has been recognized between the awareness of "a temporary house" and the fear of an existing house. Moreover, Japanese don't put a high priority on the reliability of the functions in one's own house. That has diminished the impetus for information. As the result, more value is place on occupying one home permanently than competing in the existing house market. Less