Israel Properties shares the good, the bad and also the ugly!
Israel is always advertised as a great holiday destination: Blue skies, sparkling sun and golden beaches.
As selling Real Estate Providers, we are all about positivity, and we love to share our love and passion for the country
But at the same time, we really do have your real interests at heart, and feel it only fair to give you the good, the bad as well as the ugly.
When you are informed, you can make better decisions, and this is critical when making a purchase of this nature.
So we have asked Moshe Abelesz, our Property Manager to give you some insight into what can go on with apartments in Israel.
Israel also has another side: its freezing and has extremely wet winters.
The rain in Israel is extremely aggressive. When it rains it pours, with vast amounts of water falling in very short periods of time. This causes a lot of water damage to properties.
These past 2 days, I've dealt with five apartments experiencing water damage because of Storm Barbara.
One apartment had a flooded balcony. The drains were blocked and the water wasn't flowing down the pipes. Another, has mold in the ceilings because the roof is leaking and there was a buildup of water in the ceiling. Another has a basement wall soaking wet as water is seeping in. A penthouse apartment has rain water dropping into the beds. Finally an underground storage unit, was flooded.
Some of this damage will cost thousands of shekels to repair.
These problems are totally unimaginable when you visit Israel in its hot summer
All the damp would have long since dried out and quickly painted over.
Therefore, it is extremely important to have an engineer look for these potential problems when buying an apartment. Many of these problems can be easily fixed but can be used as a bargaining chip to try and lower the price.
However, other problems may be much more serious and it would be better to stay away from such an investment.
Additionally, if you own an apartment in Israel, it's very important to have your property manager check the apartment during, or immediately after the rain.
It's also very important to use an estate agent you trust, who will give you the right advice, and get you the right people to inspect the apartment, ensuring that you do not have unexpected costs once winter comes.
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