A housewife living in Indonesia. My husband is Indonesian. In recent years, there has been a boom in housing in Indonesia, which is booming. In Jakarta, construction of high-rise apartments continues, and the scenery is completely different from a few years ago. New towns are being developed in the suburbs one after another, and PR activities are also actively conducted at events such as shopping malls for Indonesians who want to have their own homes. We lived in company housing, but six years ago, we decided to make a big decision and buy a house. In Indonesia, buying and selling of used homes is also popular in addition to new homes. Indonesian detached houses are generally made of wood, brick, and cement, but due to various factors such as climate and building technology, they are very susceptible to deterioration. Many homes are only three years old and have already suffered from problems such as rain leaks. Therefore, purchasing a second-hand home often requires extensive repairs. In this article, we will talk about the time when we went to the new exhibition house and visited the exhibition hall.
Characteristics of Indonesian housing
Many houses are dark with few windows
When building a house in Japan, the importance of sunlight and ventilation is important. However, Indonesian people do not seem interested in the sunlight and ventilation, but rather tend to think that a house with a bad sun is cooler and better. In Indonesia, there are many types of houses that share walls with the next building, such as being attached to the next building like a tenement house. In other words, there is no window on the side of the house other than the house standing on the corner. For this reason, there are many dark houses that need to be turned on even in the daytime.
The kitchen is often isolated
Hiring a maid is common in Indonesian middle class and above. Such homes have entrances for maids, and a space for housekeeping, such as a kitchen and laundry room, is located near the entrance for maids. In other words, there are many floor plans away from the family space.
It’s rare to have a floor plan of cooking while talking to a family in a living room in a face-to-face kitchen like in Japan.
There is no storage
Indonesian people are not particular about improving storage when building a house. There is no underfloor storage or attic storage related to high humidity. There are no closets, closets, or built-in clogs boxes like in Japan, so costume dance for storing clothes, costume cases for storing towels, sheets, bags, etc. Clogs for shoes Each box needs to be purchased and the room is filled with furniture.
A storage room called Gudan (warehouse) is used for large storage. If you have enough room, you can use one room to make it good, but recently there are many compact houses, so it is troublesome for those who want to live cleanly.
Our experience
I can’t easily meet the house I want to live in
Because of these features, we couldn’t easily meet the house we wanted to live in. There was a problem that even if there was a good house, the budget did not fit, but one day, a fateful encounter suddenly came. There was an ideal house in the model room that happened to stop by. It was a bright and airy house with a window in the front room and an atrium. In addition, there was an open counter kitchen facing the living room, and the laundry area was connected to the living room. Because we didn’t hire maids, we were able to use the maid’s room at the back of the house as a gudan. Although the budget was a little over, I decided that there would be no house I like more than that, and I was put on a business talk saying “I have one more house” and decided on the spot.
Purchase of house
I used all the money I saved when I worked for a Japanese company, got a notary to create documents, borrowed money from my parents, and put in furniture and a system kitchen. It has been five years since I started living in this house.
When the new building was three years old, the ceiling was stained with rain, and I was amazed, but I immediately asked a craftsman to make it waterproof, and the entire ceiling was remounted. Fortunately, it doesn’t get any worse than that, and after that, the wooden doors are treated with antiseptic treatment and the paint on the walls is repainted.
You can also design and build your own house
In my home, it was the purchase of a property for sale. But of course, you can buy only land and design and build your own home.
However, looking for a reliable craftsman, telling the detailed design image and hope in Indonesian, monitoring a carpenter who often cuts hands, cuts building materials, and changes soap on his own Patience is required. Also, in Indonesia, there are many cases where the construction owner himself has to buy various parts of building materials and interiors, which takes considerable time and effort.
Land possession as a foreigner
Land ownership under foreign name
In the past, it was not allowed to own land in the name of a foreigner. My land is also in the name of an Indonesian husband. When buying real estate in Indonesia, the pattern is that most people buy in the name of a trusted Indonesian.
However, there are not a few people who are involved in scams, or who are involved in unexpected troubles, such as being illegally evacuated by a nominee from a house where they have paid and purchased.
Deregulation
Deregulation was implemented in 2015, and foreigners can now buy homes with land. However, there are conditions for this, and it is decided that foreigners can purchase housing of about 85 million yen or more in Jakarta, and housing of about 42.5 million yen or more in collective housing. Limited to luxury homes.
However, there is a possibility that further deregulation will occur in the future, and it will become increasingly realistic for foreigners to have detached houses in Indonesia.
Finding a right person to help you
Indonesian homes are very painful and require frequent maintenance. Therefore, it is very important to find a skilled craftsman with good skills. Unfortunately, craftsman skills vary, and many craftsmen demand high fees without fulfilling their responsibilities.
Also, if a real estate company sells a house, it will not provide any subsequent management or compensation. In severe cases, communication may be interrupted. The fact is that the hardship and stress after purchasing a house is much higher than in Japan.
But that’s why you can buy a house that suits your lifestyle and live your life while taking care of it.
For those who are in the charm of Indonesia and are still staying for a long time, or who are considering long-term stays, why not take a look at the housing fair while imagining having a home in Indonesia someday?
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