Buying or Building in Israel?

Make Sure Someone Is Watching Out for You

By Rabbi Sid Slivko

PROTECTING YOUR INVESTMENT

Buying, building or renovating property in Israel may be one of the largest financial commitments Israeli families ever make. And for olim, it comes with an additional complication: They may be navigating an unfamiliar system, sometimes in a language they don’t fully understand, with building practices, contracts, schedules and expectations that aren’t necessarily the ones they knew back home.

That’s why one of the best investments anyone can make is independent oversight.

THIS ISN’T ABOUT NOT TRUSTING PEOPLE

To be clear, most real estate agents, developers, architects, contractors and tradespeople are not sitting around figuring out how to take advantage of olim. Most are trying to satisfy their clients. But often things get lost between the plans and the construction work. Specifications get interpreted differently. Materials become unavailable. Schedules slip. Changes aren’t documented properly. And occasionally, there may be people you probably shouldn’t trust with your life savings.

The problem is knowing the difference. And you need someone whose primary responsibility isn’t to the developer but to you.

BUYING ‘ON PAPER’

Buying an apartment “on paper”—before it has been built—is common in Israel and can be a perfectly reasonable way to purchase a home. But once the concrete is poured, walls erected and plumbing installed, minor changes can become considerably more complicated. And it will be considerably more expensive.

Does the electrical plan actually work for how you’ll use the rooms? Are there enough outlets? Where are the air-conditioning units going? Will they be the same as what was promised on paper? What happens if you want to add plumbing or change flooring? Which changes need to be requested before a particular construction stage? And perhaps most importantly: Does what is eventually built match what you contracted to receive?

Good oversight will help resolve these problems before they arise.

RENOVATION SURPRISES

Renovating an existing Israeli apartment can introduce an entirely different set of surprises.

Open a wall and you may discover plumbing you didn’t know was there. Start replacing flooring and discover that what’s underneath isn’t quite what everyone expected. A project scheduled for six weeks somehow begins approaching its third month.

Changes happen. Sometimes they’re sensible. But someone needs to keep track of what was agreed upon, what changed, what the costs were, and whether the work was actually completed properly. That someone ideally shouldn’t be the person being paid to do the work for someone else.

YOUR ON-SITE EYES AND EARS

Have a lawyer review contracts. Hire an engineer or inspector to identify construction issues. Choose a project manager or supervisor to monitor progress, specifications, workmanship and deadlines. They will be your eyes and ears on site—and in real time—letting you know the work is being done to your expectations.

And don’t wait until you’ve signed everything to start asking questions. Professional advice is usually far more useful before you make an irreversible decision than afterward.

WHOM DO YOU TRUST TO FIND SOMEONE YOU CAN TRUST?

Now comes the very Israeli question: “Do you know somebody?” Recommendations are valuable. Ask friends. Ask neighbors. Ask other olim who have completed similar projects. But understand what a recommendation means. “My cousin used him and liked him” is useful information. It isn’t necessarily due diligence.

Look for professionals with relevant experience, appropriate credentials where required, clear agreements about their responsibilities and fees, and—especially—experience working with olim. Communication matters, so you need someone willing to explain what is happening, tell you when something doesn’t look right and occasionally say, “Don’t sign that yet.”

That’s also where Olim Paveway can be helpful.

When Paveway connects olim with professionals, the goal isn’t simply to pull a name from a directory. Professionals in the Paveway network are vetted, and their performance is continually tested where performance ultimately matters most: the satisfaction of the olim who use them.

No vetting system can guarantee that nothing will ever go wrong. But there is an enormous difference between picking a name from an internet search and working through a network where there’s experience, accountability and feedback. That’s the Paveway difference.

OVERSIGHT IS INSURANCE

When you’re spending hundreds of thousands—or millions—of shekels on a home, paying qualified professionals to protect that investment can suddenly look pretty reasonable.

A good inspector might catch something before it becomes an expensive repair.

A good lawyer might spot a contractual problem before you sign.

A good project manager might notice that what is being installed isn’t what you ordered.

And a good adviser might simply ask the question you didn’t know you needed to ask.

That’s particularly important for olim because sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know.

Israel can be a wonderful place to buy a home, build one or finally create the living space you’ve imagined since you started planning aliyah. Just remember to ask questions, get everything important in writing, and make sure that somewhere in the process there is an experienced, independent professional whose job is to protect your interests.

Because when it comes to your home, professional oversight is not a luxury. It should be part of your plan.

Visit the Olim Paveway website at https://olimpaveway.com to arrange for connections to trusted service providers or write us at office@olimpaveway.com

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Paveway’s Olim Navigator™ is your GPS for aliyah success. Use the Olim Navigator™ to create your personal olim profile. Visit the Paveway site or go to https://navigator.olimpaveway.com/