A survey of 106 people who inherited and later disposed of their family homes examined the distribution of holding periods, methods of disposal and differences between expectations and actual outcomes. The average holding period was approximately 3.86 years, with more than 1 year and up to 2 years being the most common period. Some cases took considerably longer before the property was disposed of.
株式会社AlbaLink conducted a survey on the holding period among 106 people who had inherited and later disposed of their family homes. The survey was conducted from 1 to 15 October 2026, and responses were collected through the company’s own survey. Respondents comprised 65 men and 41 women, covering a broad range of age groups from their 20s to those aged 60 and over.
The most common period from inheriting a family home to disposing of it was more than 1 year and up to 2 years, at 19.8%, or approximately 1 in 5 respondents. The average holding period was 3.86 years, and approximately 34.9% of respondents had held the property for at least 3 years, showing that some cases involved long-term ownership. There were also cases in which the property was held for 10 or 20 years.
When asked whether the time taken to dispose of the property was earlier or later than expected, half said that it had proceeded as expected or faster, while the other half said that it had taken longer than expected. The most common reason for disposing of the property quickly was finding a buyer, followed by personal connections, a good location and cases in which the property was sold cheaply. The most common reason for delays was the considerable effort required to sort through belongings, followed by delays in reaching agreement among relatives and deciding on a course of action.
The most common method of disposing of the family home was selling it through a real estate brokerage, at 49.1%, followed by purchase by a real estate company, at 34.9%. The third most common method was using the national treasury return system, at 4.7%. In many cases, the building was sold as-is, and properties purchased by real estate companies were often handed over in their existing condition.
The survey results suggest that advance preparation, deciding on a course of action within the family and planning the sorting of inherited belongings can help the process proceed as expected.