Purchasing a property in Israel

Purchasing a property in Israel and investing in real estate in Israel are a complex process that demands an understanding of the Israeli real estate market as well as familiarity with laws and government regulations in Israel. Israeli citizens and foreigners who are interested in purchasing a property in Israel and in investing in real estate in Israel should realize that, before they  purchase a property or carry out a land deal, there is a need for comprehensive checks of that property, because inherent in the purchase of a property and in any investment in real estate are many dangers. The checking out of a property before purchase can uncover and even eliminate many dangers.

In the course of our years of professional activity and in the course of our experiences, we have encountered a considerable number of cases in which the buyers of apartments in Israel did not conduct checks of the property they had purchased, did not know the characteristics of the property and yet paid large sums of money to lawyers, real estate agents and the owners of the property. Waiting around the corner for these apartment-buyers were unanticipated "surprises" that forced them to pay additional sums of money (that is, beyond what they had paid for the apartment), to attend repeated and tiring sessions of committees in the municipality and in regional councils, to demolish parts of their home at their own expense, and, of course, to suffer a serious impairment of their quality of life. In addition to such cases, we have come across cases of impostors, fraud, fake documents and other painful phenomena. Many of these apartment-buyers had to go to court for session after session, incurred many expenses, paid lawyers' fees, had to contend with bureaucratic red tape and repeated, seemingly endless visits to this or that office.

Checking out properties

The conducting of property checks before purchase is a complex field that requires a high level of expertise, the meticulous gathering of data, experience with the Israeli real estate market, a thorough knowledge of a wide range of professional fields, and the examination of the property's characteristics from a number of different perspectives. The conducting of checks on properties in Israel must be done by a certified land assessor, preferably one with experience in the field. In our office, we work in the following manner: An expert land assessor gathers all the data on the property that should be examined, analyzes it, visits the property, conducts comprehensive checks and records the results of those checks in an assessor's report.

You must be sure that the assessment being made by a certified land assessor is admissible in a court of law as an expert opinion (our office is a member of a pool of experts authorized to appear in an Israeli court of law). In addition, it is important to know that, depending on the type of property and its characteristics, the checks may vary, because each property and each deal are investigated in a personalized manner.

The potential buyer receives a land assessor's report. This assessment report, which is intended for the potential apartment-buyer's use, is written in a clear professional language and, if necessary, could be admissible in a court of law as an expert opinion. In this report, the components of the property and its characteristics are presented in detail, the checks conducted by the assessor are described in detail, and the results and the conclusions are stated. In most cases, after all the data has been analyzed and after the property has been studied thoroughly, the property's value is assessed, in light of the checks that were carried out and in light of the results of those checks.

Note: The assessment of value conducted by the land assessor represents the property's real value, not necessarily its price. For instance, the real estate agent representing the client asks $300,000 USD for a certain property, although its real value is $220,000 USD. This discovery enables the intended purchaser to carry out economic feasibility checks regarding the property and to arrive at the right choice (from the purchaser's standpoint).

After the issuing of the assessment report, the land assessor who conducted the checks provides the potential buyers with a detailed explanation of the report and its importance, as well as with an outline of the implementation processes necessary for guaranteeing the property. In addition, in accordance with the results of the testing, the potential buyer is provided with assessment-economic consultation from various standpoints (land taxation, permits, construction rights, etc.) that are related to the property.

The checks

As noted above, the checks conducted out on properties vary from one property to the next and from one deal to the next. The checks will be different for a second-hand apartment and for a new apartment being sold to the purchaser by the contractor. From our vast experience in the field of property checks, we have created a comprehensive "package of checks" that should be the basis for the purchase of any property.

We are happy to offer you the most comprehensive package of checks in Israel.

 All the checks are certified, objective and independent, and they are carried out by our company's team of experts and in accordance with the principle of total transparency. Our parcel of comprehensive checks will give you peace of mind and will make the purchase of a property in Israel surer, easier and more reliable. The following is included in our highly comprehensive package of checks:

1. Check of property ownership - The identity of the property's registered owner. This check is intended to prevent someone from posing as the property's owner and it ensures that the property's owner or the owner's representative take part in the transaction. In those cases where the property is owned by the Israel Lands Administration, the purchaser will be regarded as a lessee and the matter will have to be dealt with along a different channel.
2. Check of building deviations - The property is checked in its present state against its original registration in order to verify that there have been no building deviations and that the construction was carried out with a permit. This check eliminates the possibility of the issuing of demolition orders and the avoidance of many fines from the various agencies involved, and also prevents a lot of headaches.
3. Check of the building's file - In the checking of the building's file, requests for building permits will be investigated, as will be the existence of construction authorizations and permits. In addition, the findings of the check will supply data on the existence of building rights in the property and on whether these rights were realized by the person selling the property or by the tenants in the building.
4. Check of the current planning situation - The check of the property's current planning situation will supply data on possible plans for use of the property, possible construction additions, and an increase in the building rights in the property. In addition, the check will ascertain whether the property fits the conditions of the permit of the local planning and construction committee, will check the existence of ordinances pertaining to this property, will supply data on any plan for the lot adjacent to the property, etc. The findings  of this check might prevent the property's depreciation, an impairment in your quality of life, and major expenditures.
5. Check of mortgaging and liens - The conducting of this check is intended to ensure that the existing liens on the property are made clear before the purchase. It is quite possible that, in addition to liens, there are various attachments; in such a case, the purchasers cannot transfer the rights of the property to their name until the attachments have been lifted.
6. Check of land taxation - This check is meant to discover whether a property improvement fee has been applied to this property. The pre-purchase check as to whether there is any debt stemming from the property's improvement is intended to ensure that the seller will pay the improvement fee before the transfer of the rights to the buyer.
7. Check of regional development plan - The check of a regional development plan supplies information on any existing development plans for the region where the property that is intended for purchase is located (the check is conducted at the municipality, in regional councils, in planning and construction committees, etc.). After the findings of the check have been analyzed, the would-be purchaser will know whether there is any intention of developing a certain region near the property, for instance, infrastructural work, the construction of a main highway, the creation of a commercial-industrial zone, expropriation of private lands for public use, etc. This information can prevent an unexpected deprecation of the property and thus a major financial loss in the future, as well as an impairment in the quality of your life.
8. Check of land zoning - This check supplies information on the zoning of land located in the vicinity of the earmarked property, for instance, the construction of a high-rise apartment-hotel near the property, the establishment of a park, the erection of a new shopping mall, the thawing-out of agricultural land for construction around the property, etc. The findings of the check on land zoning will prevent an unexpected undermining of your quality of life and will project a possible depreciation in the future.
9. Value assessment - After the conducting of comprehensive checks, after the analysis of the findings of the check, and after visits to the property, expert economist-land assessors employed by our company will carry out assessments of the value of the property. As noted above, the value that is estimated represents the true value of the property and is an integral part of the considerations regarding the purchase of the property and regarding the entire purchasing transaction as a whole.

In many cases where a new property is purchased from a contractor, the following checks are added to our parcel of checks:

1. Report on the construction company's financial strength - This report analyzes the activities of the construction company and supplies information and a deep analysis intended to help the decision-making process. The report contains financial data on the construction company, including checks that have not been honored, liens, meeting commitments, information from the Bank of Israel on restricted bank accounts; legal data such as pending law suits against the company and tenders and projects in which the company is involved, unusual events, etc. In addition, the report contains a comparison between the risk-rating of the construction company vis-a-vis that of the construction industry, and a detailed account of the annual balances. The report is produced in collaboration with business data companies and its results might have critical implications for the purchase transaction. Thus, the report is extremely important. It is analyzed in our company by an expert land assessor and by economists who have been trained in the field of real estate.
2. Assessment of depreciations - Sometimes, there are situations in which, due to building defects or due to construction work in progress in an adjacent building, there has been a depreciation in the property's value. The assessment of the depreciations is carried out by an expert land assessor who compiles an expert land assessment opinion and a expert's report on the depreciation. The expert opinion is admissible in an Israeli court of law (our office is a member of a pool of experts authorized to appear in an Israeli court of law), if a claim for compensation has been filed due to the depreciation of the property.
3. Accompaniment and representation vis-a-vis the authorities and local committees - In every purchase of a property, one should be aware that the purchaser of the property must be in contact with the various authorities in Israel, such as municipalities, local committees, regional planning and construction committees, the Israel Lands Administration, etc. In all matters pertaining to a purchase transaction - including the provision of required forms, licensing, permits, the verification of relevant data, etc. - it is recommended that you consult with a certified land assessor on appearances before, and processes vis-a-vis, the various authorities.

It is important to know that, in the leasing of lands and properties from the ILA, additional processes are needed to indemnify the person leasing (purchasing) the property.

This parcel of checks creates a safety net for the potential purchaser of a property because the property is investigated and checked vis-a-vis the various authorities (municipalities, planning and construction committees, tax authorities, etc.), is checked at the planning-engineering level, and an up-to-date picture of the property's status is thus provided.

 In addition, on many occasions, the package of checks supplies a large quantity of data that can help us to project developments and changes in the property and in the region surrounding it. It is important to remember that the parcel of checks that we offer is of immense value, because it might predict future depreciations, might be useful for the negotiations over the property; furthermore, the findings of the checks can help the purchaser avoid fines and be spared the demolition orders for parts of the property. It can thus be understood that the examination of cost-effectiveness in the conducting of checks for properties is very worthwhile and is a smart, economical move for the potential purchaser of a property.

To sum up, you should remember that transactions involving the purchase of property and real estate transactions in Israel in general are major, complex affairs and that inherent in these transactions are many components and parameters that must be studied and tested. The purchasers of a property must have all the available data at their disposal and must understand the dangers and projections for the future regarding the property, such as the  possibilities of realizing the property, so that the purchasers can arrive at the right decision that will serve their best interests.

 The conducting of pre-purchase checks for properties by a team of experts will give you a large measure of confidence with regard to the property, might save you money and might even safeguard your money in the present and in the future.

We place at your disposal a team consisting of an expert land assessor, a civil engineer and a certified surveyor who have accumulated a vast amount of experience in the conducting of checks for properties and who have been carrying out such checks for over ten years.

These checks, which are conducted in compliance with professional standards and the demands of quality control systems, serve, when needed, as expert testimony in a court of law and are continually adapting themselves to the laws and regulations governing the field of real estate in Israel. Thus, we are able to offer our clients a large measure of confidence regarding the purchase of properties and we can make the process of purchasing a property easier and more reliable. Contact today our team of experts and obtain an optimal solution to your needs.

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