Sanity check — first-time buyer in Tokyo: how much cash buffer after closing?

R

RoundChalk

Homeowner
I would like to buy below my absolute limit and still have a real cash buffer. The obstacle is that this ¥107,100,000 five-bedroom new-build flat would leave only about ¥1,683,000 once the deposit and estimated closing expenses are paid.

That sum may not be genuinely available. I have not yet confirmed when the initial mortgage instalment or building charges are collected, and it would also have to accommodate the move, essential furniture, the insurance excess and any urgent issue found during inspection.

How should I separate committed payments from the emergency fund without assigning the same yen twice? My next step is to request a dated schedule of every payment due around completion, then budget the move and only the furniture needed immediately. I was enthusiastic yesterday; today the lack of margin is making every choice feel much bigger.
 
Is the ¥1,683,000 figure after you have reserved the first mortgage payment and any service charges due near closing, or are those still coming from it? That distinction could change the answer considerably.

I’d keep the actual emergency fund separate first, then price the move and only the furniture needed to function. Anything cosmetic can wait. Inspection findings should be assessed before you assign a repair amount.
 
It is after the deposit and estimated closing costs, but I haven’t yet confirmed exactly when the first mortgage payment and service charges fall. So yes, I may be making the remaining figure look healthier than it is. I’ll ask for a payment timeline rather than treating ¥1,683,000 as fully available.
 
I’d be cautious about assuming that every inspection item on a new build belongs in your personal repair budget. Some findings may be defects to raise with the seller or builder, while others will simply be changes you want. Get that distinction made clearly and in writing where possible.

Also, I wouldn’t create a generous furniture pot yet. A bed, lighting and somewhere to eat are different from furnishing five bedrooms immediately. The larger concern is whether one insurance excess, service-charge demand or delayed reimbursement would consume most of the cash you intended as an emergency fund.
 
Before deciding, make a dated cash-flow list from now through the first mortgage payment: every known payment, moving quote, essential purchase and minimum emergency reserve. Add inspection items only once responsibility and urgency are clear. If the total leaves no comfortable margin, that is useful information—the flat may simply be too close to your maximum, however exciting it felt yesterday.
 
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