A Guide to Investigating an Apartment

Whenever you intend to purchase an apartment, it is suggested that you review it on you assess the asset before purchasing it, rather than rely on the words of the seller realtor. Whatever time and effort you invest are miniscule compared to the problems you may avoid. The Decker, Pex, Levi law office recommends the use of these three steps when investigating an apartment in Israel:

Step 1: Assessing the Environment

It is important to ask the real estate agent the right questions about the environment and neighborhood (socio-economics, language demographics, proximity to important services etc). It is important to ensure that you will feel comfortable and fit into your new environment when purchasing an apartment. Other important questions should be related to the quality of life in the surrounding areas, to ensure the best options for you and your family.

Step 2: Assessing the building

It is important to remember that you will be living in the building when purchasing your apartment. Looking at the structure for the entirety of the building is just as important as your individual apartment, to ensure that you will not be moving somewhere that requires high amounts of maintenance fees or payments to the building committee (va’ad bayit) for improvements or services that you feel to be unnecessary. Likewise, the operation of the elevator, garbage disposal and maintenance of shared building spaces is important to note.

Step 3: Assessing the Apartment Itself

Besides going through the apartment yourself, it is important to have a qualified professional assess the necessities of the apartment before signing a contract. Items such as plumbing, airflow, electrical systems and other possible issues that may cost you time and money in the future are best detected earlier rather than later.