Seattle couple buys home in Japan for $30k

Brandon and Leika Hansen looked for property in Washington, but the price tags associated with what they were looking for were out of reach, prompting them to look at Japan as a possible destination.

SEATTLE - One Seattle couple is packing up their life here in Washington after they bought a house in Japan, but it wasn’t because they were priced out, at least not in the traditional sense.

Brandon and Leika Hansen live in Seattle with their newborn. They told FOX 13 they are getting ready to move to Japan this summer because they’re looking for a lifestyle change.

"Leika really wanted chickens, like a hobby farm," Brandon Hansen said.

The couple looked for property in Washington, but the price tags associated with what they were looking for were out of reach.

"We kind of wanted that lifestyle now," Brandon Hansen said.

That’s when they discovered houses were more affordable in Japan, at least on the countryside.

"It was definitely daunting," Leika Hansen said. "Even in your own language, house buying documents are really intimidating."

For $30,000, the Hansens bought a Japanese farm-style house. It’s 900 square feet and sits on more than an acre of land.

"So, not too different than the condo we’re living in, and it comes with the land and sheds," Brandon Hansen said.

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The couple currently owns a condo in Seattle, so they haven’t been priced out of the housing market in a traditional sense, but rather they told FOX 13 they’ve been priced out of their goals.

"We can’t access comparable property," Brandon Hansen said. "I mean an acre of land, a move in ready house, walkable distance to schools and the train station, that’s not something you’re going to find here for $30k."

The couple has ties to Japan. Brandon was part of an exchange program in high school and also served a church mission in Japan. Leika also lived in Japan for a year and a half and is half Japanese and has family in Japan. They also speak the language.

In case you’re wondering, Brandon told FOX 13 he got the idea about buying a house in Japan from videos he saw on social media, and from there they started doing research.