If you have a dream: a home in the Holy Land, in Israel. A home that will serve you for vacations, family visits, and in preparation for immigrating to Israel. You dream of a well-designed, modern, and comfortable home with all the necessary functions. 

But how do you get started? Distance, language, and differences in mentality stand in your way. The dream, as many expats discover, can turn into a complicated and ongoing nightmare. Most buyers of an apartment in Israel are not used to the business culture here and are completely unfamiliar with the process of purchasing real estate. More than once, a deal falls through for a trivial reason, when the sellers' attorney does not understand the buyers' cultural background and their different expectations. Most often, you will locate properties during short visits to Israel for vacation or family events, and not always with the assistance of a reliable or thorough broker, who is not always aware of legal issues, taxes, or additional payments in purchasing the property. Therefore, having a lawyer review and accompany you just for your own sake is very important.

I recommend surrounding yourself with professionals who live in Israel, come from a similar background to yours, and who you have received recommendations for. I can of course refer you to professionals who speak your language in the fields of law and contracts, mortgages, tax advice, real estate agents, and appraisers. 

Of course, you have an Israeli dream assistant by your side - who has also lived abroad. As a very experienced professional, I am connected and assisted by professionals who are close to me and necessary, who provide professional consulting services that have accompanied me for years, such as air conditioning planning, carpenters, water and heating systems, a constructor, lawyers, and more.

I live in all worlds: I was born in Israel and have lived in Israel for the past 25 years with my family. As a child, I lived abroad for several years when my father was a missionary in the US, and I went on a community mission myself, where I met my husband and his family. All four of our children were born in Manchester, England. I am intimately familiar with your language, culture, and standards; and represent you faithfully, in clear Hebrew, with a smile, and Israeli cheek (when necessary…) to various professionals in the field of construction, renovation, and design for your home in Israel.

Through emails and WhatsApp conversations, you can consult and stay up to date on everything that is happening in the field. You deserve maximum security and peace of mind – and a minimum of malfunctions and errors, misunderstandings, and waste of time and money. 

A home in Israel is a great privilege. With me and the team by my side, it will be much easier and more comfortable.

Want to consult?First:

Are you worried about the costs? The good news is that you are not alone! I have supported clients with very diverse budgets - from hundreds of thousands to millions. And the budget is always limited!!

So how do we know how to filter and decide what to give up altogether or to incorporate later? Every item about which there is hesitation, we examined according to two criteria:

Can I add or upgrade it in the future and at what cost (money, mess, time, etc.)?

Does it contribute significantly to the design of the home, safety, or the level of enjoyment and use of the home?

Answers to these questions will give you an effective tool for decisions, and of course my service will accompany you in making decisions and building a realistic budget, unless you are overwhelmed by the abundance that is before you.

If you have decided to renovate your apartment, when is the best time to move forward? I suggest you purchase one of my consulting packages that will give you initial tools at low costs, before you understand whether you can afford to enter into an expensive and long process. 

The Israeli calendar is different from abroad mainly because of the holidays that coincide with our holidays, the Ministry of Education system for kindergarten to high school, and also for Muslim holidays. This year, because of the ongoing war, there is a desire to avoid Arab/Palestinian workers. On the one hand, it is safe and does not expose us to theft, construction damage, and security costs. On the other hand, prices have increased between two and three times!! There are many challenges this year and damage to the economy in Israel. I pray that the government will also be able to solve these problems, which include training additional Jewish workers and not just bringing in Chinese and Indians. 

In any case, the calendar in Israel is busy and the time for planning is "after the holidays." An important concept that you should be familiar with. This means that from the summer period until after the holidays, there will not always be a quick response in many areas. Some will say - we will talk in October and some will say - after the holidays. You should remember that during the holidays there are between 5-9 working days. And one more thing: Fridays are not a working day. Banks, offices and part of the education system do not work on this day. On the other hand, Sundays are a full working day. The duration of renovation for an apartment of about 4-5 rooms can last about 4-3 months unless all the systems and windows are new, and then it can also last longer. The duration of planning will take up to 3 months. However, it is difficult for you to decide or you will change your mind and this will of course cause a delay in going out to tender and starting the renovation. So you may be able to move in before Passover to a kitchen that does not need to be prepared or move in after a massive renovation, during the summer period - before the holidays. 

      "One hour earlier is better" It's not worth doing a renovation under pressure, it's advisable to have time to plan and think about things. When there is pressure from schedules, the selection is reduced, because not everything is in stock, our bargaining power is reduced, and most of the good professionals are already taken... So if you're wondering if it's too early to call - it's not!! Ordering a kitchen can also take 3 months! And ordering leather sofas. "Rome wasn't built in a day." 

To help you, I recommend reading an article I wrote on the subject of modern design that expands on the design topics and processes up to the completion of plans, tender, and the start of construction/renovation.

So when to call in all this mess?

  A. Always call!

B. Want a renovation in the summer: Call the designer in the winter. Make an appointment with the contractors between Passover and Shavuot, when they are not yet full of summer work, so your bargaining power is higher.

  C. Want a kitchen/living room/carpentry for Passover: Call the designer after the holidays.

D. It is worth ordering furniture and kitchens in December, when the discounts are greater.

  E. Do you feel like making a change and don't have a specific time? Take advantage of the fall period between the holidays and Hanukkah. 

Want to respond? Looking forward to hearing from you!