About zglennie

Currently Lives:

Citizen of:

Some Forum Posts:

Israel: Help for expats in Israel:

Hi Abi, nice to meet you. I am also new in Israel (I got here about a week ago), and I am writing down the answers to some of the challenges for an American visitor who doesn't speak Hebrew. My blog is at http://zglen.com . Please check it out! And let me know if there is something I should write about. Zack

Israel: Renting or Buying a Home in Israel:

Hi Alessa, ---- Good luck with your move. I am currently living in Ramat Aviv, and the costs here are pretty high (equivalent to nicer areas around Boston, where I lived before). ---- I agree with the above commenters who said that your best bet is to have a local, Hebrew-speaking person help you with your search. Certainly there will be brokers and agents who can facilitate rentals, but the more you are able to do through friends, the more money you will save. ---- Here are a couple of things I've learned about real estate here that have not been mentioned yet in this thread: ---- 1. Rent is not paid monthly, but instead is paid every THREE months. ---- 2. Electricity is EXPENSIVE. Your electrical bill may be double or triple what it is in America, even if you are not running the air conditioner all the time. ---- 3. In addition to your rent, you will be paying "maintenance" (Hebrew: "Va'ad Byet"), every 4 months, and "municipal tax" -- "Arnona," every 2 months. These are calculated as a percentage of your rent, and add about 5% to the total cost. ---- Good luck! Please check out my blog, http://zglen.com, for other questions about long-term visits to Israel. ---- Zack

Date Joined:

11/6/2012

Total Posts:

2

Posts/Day:

0.00