As housing prices continue to rise, demand for akiya, or abandoned houses, is growing. Some of these houses are renovated and sold at half the price of a new house, while others are being given away for free.
The government is encouraging the effective use of such houses to mitigate the risk of them collapsing.
In some cases, however, problems such as poor drainage are discovered only after a house has been acquired, leading experts to recommend prospective buyers conduct thorough inspections before concluding transactions.
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