The Official Guide
National Association for Better Housing
Posted on 06. Jul, 2010 by Buy-It In Israel Staff.
The National Association for Better Housing (Ha’aguda letarbut hadiyur) is a non-profit organization to protect tenants’ rights in apartment blocks. The association has legal advisers specialized in real estate and joint property law, whose services can be used by members in cases regarding tenants’ rights, dispute-resolving in joint property disputes, payment failure of joint building expenses, counseling opposite maintenance companies or opposite constructors and builders.
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Choosing the right type of kitchen countertop
Posted on 02. Jul, 2010 by DebbieG.
In recent years, an array of choices of countertops (collectively known as shayish) have become available in Israel, from granite, wood, engineered stone to glass. The majority of products are brands imported from major companies around the world, while some products are ‘home-grown”or manufactured in Israel. The types of countertops available for kitchen and bathroom tops, can be divided into six main groups which are granite, engineered stone, synthetic, wood, stainless steel and glass countertop products.
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Points to consider when negotiating a rental contract
Posted on 29. Jun, 2010 by buyitinisrael.
Negotiating a rental contract can be stressful for both the landlord and prospective tenant. The negotiations may be further exasperated when a family is endeavoring to rent a home in Israel from abroad. An additional challenge is that a supermajority of rental agreements are presented to the prospective tenant in Hebrew, and in many situations the landlord’s English skills are severely limited as is the Hebrew of the prospective tenant. Add that to the technical differences between what is standard in rentals in Israel and your home country, and the cultural differences, and rightfully so, many parties find themselves extremely challenged.
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Using Shabbat timers for operating lights and fans
Posted on 27. Jun, 2010 by buyitinisrael.
The Torah prohibits 39 activities on Shabbat. Included in these prohibitions are activities such as switching on or off lights, fans, air-conditioningand heating systems. A common practice today in Jewish homes in Israel and abroad is for the use of a Shabbat timer (shaon Shabbat) to perform these activities, where a timer is set before Shabbat and continues to operate on Shabbat without any human involvement.
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Home improvement season is underway
Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by Buy-It In Israel Staff.
Traditionally the Israel home renovation season opens its doors with the start of the spring rising to a peak around the Passover holiday and ending with the last days of the summer. For one reason or another home renovations in Israel are most popular around the Passover holiday, when houses are painted or undergo basic refurbishment or in the local jargon shipputz
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A guide to home insurance in Israel
Posted on 21. Jun, 2010 by Buy-It In Israel Staff.
There are two types of Israel home insurance policies available: structure and contents insurance. A structure insurance plan includes coverage for the structure of your home in Israel for the following major risks: fire, rain, snow, lightning, storm, snow, hail, flood, smoke damage. A contents insurance policy will usually insure against fire, theft, water damage, willful damage, third-party liabilityand employers liability, and generally covers TV’s, video equipment, home computers, faxes and sound equipment, glass surfaces and windows, marble and sanitary ware, silver ware, etc.
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12 steps to take before building a basement
Posted on 21. Jun, 2010 by buyitinisrael.
A common trend nowadays in Israel is to build a basement beneath a house. The addition of a basement to an existing property, can provide the owner with a large amount of additiona living area and can also add significantly to the value of the property. However, basement excavations and conversions, carry many regulations and permissions with them. They are each unique and very much depend upon the condition and structural ability of the existing property.
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The Implications of the Construction Freeze
Posted on 11. Jun, 2010 by buyitinisrael.
On 26 November 2009 the Netanyahu administration imposed the ‘building freeze’ (order no. 1653) which will be in place until 26 September 2010 . Under the provisions of the order, any new building in the West Bank or East Jerusalem whose foundations were not poured by 26 November 2009, are prohibited from carrying out any building works. The order applies equally to all properties be they private, public, residential or commercial.
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Housing rights and benefits for Olim
Posted on 09. Jun, 2010 by Buy-It In Israel Staff.
Finding a home in Israel is one of the main undertakings which new immigrants or Olim are faced with when moving to Israel. In order to facilitate the absorption of living in Israel and integration into the everyday life in the Holy Land, the Israeli government grants new immigrants a number of rights and benefits that are related to homes.
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The importance of burglar alarm systems in Israel
Posted on 04. Jun, 2010 by Buy-It In Israel Staff.
In view of increasing numbers of burglaries around the country, today’s home in Israel has come to require a higher degree of security and safety as well as a growing need for users to be in control of and connected to their home, in particular if they are away from their home on a regular basis. Hence when renovating or building a new home in Israel, it has become a common feature to install an alarm system for deterrence.
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Ra’anana becomes first green building city in Israel
Posted on 27. May, 2010 by Buy-It In Israel Staff.
Slowly, Israel is catching onto the idea of green building. The city of Ra’anana this month decided to adopt the green building standard, which will require real estate companies, constructors, and architects to plan and build in compliance with the green standard.
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