Japanese real estate company combines property viewing with blind dates

What’s the solution to Japan’s dating problem? Namely, large numbers of young people just don’t seem all that interested in dating.

Well, reports Nikkei Asia, it could be combining dating with getting a foot on the property ladder.

A new dating service in Japan matches singles based not on things like movie preferences or even, shock, physical attributes, but on their dream home.

This might seem random or even just plain wrong as an approach, but the choice of where you want to live reveals things about your values. And if your values don’t gel, it will probably be a problem in the long term.

With the exception of more recent ones, matchmaking services in Japan tend to focus on information like a profile photo, educational background, income, and so on. But other than their shared preferences for a home, these potential couples know nothing about each other (they don’t even get to see a photo).

This might mean a first date spent awkwardly looking around a small property with someone you don’t find attractive. A representative from the real estate company is also present to keep things safe (and less awkward). “An adviser who is well-versed in real estate will show the property, so it may actually be easier than the couple meeting alone,” a representative said.

But what happens after the viewing is over? Are the couple forced to walk back to the station together? What if the property is somewhere really remote? Is this service safe for young, single women to use? So many questions!

The service, Konie Musubi (Marital Home Unions), is the brainchild of Japanese real estate company Open House Group, which launched it in January. It hopes, rather quixotically, that it will help couples and also lead to home purchases.

Well, most couples don’t become couples right after a blind date, nor do they rush to buy a home together, even if they seem to share the same tastes in property.

“Many newlyweds come to home viewings, and there are more than a few cases in which they end up fighting because of differences in their views about a new home,” an Open House brand communications official told Nikkei Asia. “Sales personnel told us that couples have broken up in the worst case.”

True, it sounds like those newlyweds should have had conversations about purchasing a home earlier in their courtship. But they’ve set the bar high here: they want to sell property not to newlyweds or engaged couples, but couples who aren’t even couples yet? Let’s hope they are patient!

“Even now, many people buy a home when they get married. If a couple’s relationship deepens and they consider buying a new home, I hope that they remember us first.”

The pairings are made manually, with an Open House employee searching (free of charge) for someone and somewhere that matches what a user registered as their desired price range, and priorities for location, layout, or price.

While the service is not being publicized very much (though the pics we have used to illustrate this article are taken from the service’s website, so you get the image the company is trying to push), Open House Group claims that user registrations are steadily increasing. However, more than 70% of registered users are men, according to the company, which is pretty much like all the dating and matchmaking apps we have ever tried!