I just saw this sign on my morning dog
walk and I was very surprised. 4600NIS used to be the rent for a two room apartment, that is ONE BEDROOM, nice kitchen, normal bathroom with a nice shower or bathtub. A 1.5 room apartment is one bedroom and a SMALL kitchen., a shower stall, basically: A glorified Studio apartment. If you are making Aliyah, or moving to a new city in Israel, you have to decide whether to rent or to buy an apartment. House are very rare in Israel and you pay for theprivilege to own it. Most people buy or rent an apartment, or have to double up and live with friends.
One of the hurdles that you must jump if you want to buy is to get a mortgage. If you have Oleh Hadash rights you can get a better deal at the bank, but you still have to put down a bigger down payment than in the USA. You have to have 3 months of Tlush Mascoret, and be prepared to give 3 months or more of your bank accout statements to the bank. It is very common for banks, social workers and schools to ask for your bank account statements. This is NOT private info like in the USA. Monty payments can be very high, as much as 15,000NIS a month.
Renting can be an option, you don't need a big down payment, buy be prepared to have 1st and last month's rent in cash, and if either side uses a real estate agent, you have to pay a months' rent to the agent as well. There is also a security deposit to think about, and Vaad Bayit as well as Property Tax: Aronona. How many Rooms can you afford? In Israel the rooms, count the bedrooms and the living room. So a ONE room apartment is studio, a TWO room apartment is a bedroom and a living room, and so on. This is a big culture shock for Americans.
Check sites like https://www.yad2.co.il/realestate/rent?srsltid=AfmBOopGHtAegcrEbU7bwA-cspDKcWJLLPnEDn5Estw7PF-nTXT8uE5x
to check prices in the area that you want to live in.
If you need help in deciding where to live and figuring out your expenses I can help you.
Rachael Alice Orbach
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