For the elderly, the final residence is a serious issue. Many people would like to spend the rest of their lives in the house they have been familiar with for many years. However, many houses built decades ago are difficult for the elderly to live in due to problems with floor plans and steps. Renovations are expensive, and structural problems often prevent satisfactory results. There are also many cases where the cost itself is not available.
Second Life Lab Co., Ltd., based in Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto City, is a real estate company that specializes in solving the problems of the elderly with the theme of “Making second life richer and more interesting.” It was founded in September 2021 by President Endo Masayuki, who has served as branch manager at major real estate companies. It supports the elderly by using various methods such as the Re-birth 60 system, which allows people over 60 to borrow funds for renovations and home purchases from banks using their homes as collateral, to move to condominiums and nursing homes.

Endo started a real estate business targeting the elderly based on his experience as an office worker. The request was for a renovation from a man in his 90s who lived in a Kyoto townhouse that was about 100 years old. The house was too big for the elderly man who had lost his wife to live in alone, and it was corroded and tilted, and the property was also dangerous in daily life due to its unevenness. It was clear from the condition of the house that the renovation budget presented by the man would not be enough to repair it. Endo suggested that the man move to a new home. After deducting the purchase price of the new home from the sale price of the house, Endo was left with 10 million yen in cash, which allowed him to save up for his future living expenses. However, five years later, Endo learned that the man had no more savings. Endo explored a method of leaseback, where a real estate agent would buy the house and let him live in it as a renter, and looked for a real estate agent to buy it. As a result, he was able to create a situation where he would not have to worry about his livelihood for another five years. Unfortunately, the man passed away shortly after, but Endo says that the man’s satisfaction encouraged him to realize his dream of going independent and opening a business.

Generally, real estate agents do not get involved in the personal affairs of their customers who sell their homes. To avoid any hard feelings, many elderly people prefer to rent a home after selling their home, but the reality is that there are very few rental properties that will accept single people over 70 years old to avoid risks such as dying alone. As a result, many elderly people sell their homes before looking for their next home, and run into trouble because they cannot find a place to live.

Endo is working hard to reduce the number of such elderly people and realize a safe, secure, and comfortable life. Ever since he was an office worker, he would tell his family “I’m going to enjoy work” before leaving the house every morning before going to work. Seeing his father’s back, his eldest and second daughters chose to work in the same real estate industry. He says that in the future, he dreams of creating a happy second life for the elderly together with his daughter who has gained experience and strength at a major company.

※Translating Japanese articles into English with AI