In which areas are the rental yields high? How can I find a good tenant? Which expenses are the tenants expected to cover, and which are the responsibility of the landlord? How much is property tax? These are the questions that should be addressed when seeking to make a profitable return on your real estate...

Almost anyone purchasing a home in Israel faces the same dilemma between buying a brand new apartment versus a second-hand home. On the one hand, the new, modern design and finish of a new build, the price, the payment terms, and the potential for greater appreciation in value may be attractive, while on the other...

It is quite fascinating how Jewish tradition and customs have such a strong effect on home design, both in Israel and around the world. Aside from the obvious: the impact that keeping Shabbat has; the location and size of the sukkah and its distance from the kitchen; planning a dining room to accommodate major Shabbat and holiday meals, sheva...

Thanks to the warm climate in this country, most people do not give much thought to the various methods of heating homes in Israel. Since heating isn’t necessary most of the year, the vast majority of Israelis have settled for using the heating mode of their wall-mounted air conditioning units. The last decade has seen...

Dampness and condensation are probably the most common construction/structural issues found in homes in Israel and can be the cause of serious and expensive problems to repair. If neglected they can dangerously harm a property and seriously affect the quality of life of those who occupy it.  The accumulative damage caused by dampness can result...

As we cautiously look forward to an exit from the Covid crisis, Marc Rosenberg of Nefesh B’Nefesh reports over a 100% increase in Aliyah requests from North American Jewry, despite the fact that this year’s process will be more complex than in the past. The large conferences that the organization usually holds have been moved...

While for a long time, developers avoided building small homes, within just a few short years, the rate of new 2-room apartments being constructed has more than tripled. Today, the small apartment has become a sought-after product among investors. An analysis conducted by the Real Estate Appraisers Association in Israel found that the Return on...

The following article concentrates on the obligations of a UK taxpayer when buying a property in Israel and focuses on some of the issues to be considered from a UK perspective. Any UK resident buying property abroad remains exposed to UK tax on that property. This may include UK Income Tax on rental income, UK...

When purchasing a second-hand home in Israel, it is customary for the purchaser’s attorney to conduct negotiations with the vendor’s attorney by discussion, exchange of correspondence, and drafts of the contract of sale which reflect each party’s concept of how the transaction should be structured. The following is a selection of some of the more critical issues that a purchaser’s attorney will address during the process of a second-hand transaction:

When clients come to me with a specified budget for buying a new home in Israel, I promptly inform them that they should reduce that budget by at least 5-10% because of the various fees and expenses that they will likley incur during the purchase process. There are generally 12 additional items to take into account: