Drinking my coffee here in Tokyo,I fell down a rabbit hole into how Japan's property market actually works.
One thing caught me.
Here, the buyer pays the broker too — not just the seller. Up to 3% from each side.
Which means one agent can legally collect both halves of the same deal. They call it ryote. "Both hands."
Look at the incentive that creates.
If holding both sides pays double, why would your agent share your listing with the wider market? Why expose it everywhere, when a quieter sale keeps the second commission within reach?
So listings get held back. Not shared with other brokers. Not fully published. The practice has its own name — kakoikomi. Hoarding.
And the seller, the one who wanted the highest price, quietly ends up with the smallest possible audience.
You're not legally forced to use a broker in Japan. But the system is built so you can't really avoid one.
22 years in real estate, and I've yet to see a place where paying the broker from both sides ends well for the seller.
Where have you seen dual-side commission actually work?