Originally Posted by
5khours
It depends a lot on where and what you build.
I would not worry about earthquakes. All new buildings in Japan are now pretty much impervious to earthquakes.
As to the vendor, I've used Misawa and was very pleased with the results, but I think it mostly depends on the actual contractor and the building options you choose.
Also all the speculation in this thread about the economics of buy/build/rent is just that... speculation. It really depends on location, property and your individual circumstances.
Location and product are very important yes. Not only for economics but for safety. The underlying land can be safe or not so much. If one builds in the countryside or a second tier town it will be tons cheaper for sure.
As to the statement: "All new buildings in Japan are now pretty much impervious to earthquakes". No not by a very wide margin is this true. It would be great if it were but so long as people persist in the wooden frame house there will be garbage in the market., Also apartment/office buildings that do not incorporate absorptive technology are destined for bad results. The current Jutaku Kojo laws say all new buildings qualify, but from a technological standpoint they are not all equals.
Contractors and budget choices are very much the final determinant in quality although a good consultant or main contractor can make sure corners are not cut.
On speculation, there is very good and long tracked data for the three central wards of Tokyo and much for Shinjuku and Shibuya as well. Immediately peripheral ward data is pretty decent also. So there is not really speculation on rental prices, purchase prices or sales prices there. Outside of that there is but my bias is to central Tokyo.