Foreigner's guide to property market: High Holiday home

The holiday period can be a great time to see properties, arrange mortgage meetings and most importantly - enjoy time with family and friends.

By LYLE PLOCHER
Karkur_521 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Karkur_521
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Coming to Israel during the High Holidays and expecting to do some apartment hunting while you are here can be a challenging undertaking. Yet for many people coming from abroad, it’s the most economical and practical time to do just that.      Planning your trip 
The ideal approach to fitting in some apartment hunting during your vacation time in Israel is to come a week before the Holiday or stay a week after the Holiday. Taking this approach would give the greatest flexibility as more sellers are likely to allow their properties to be shown during these periods. 
Making appointments to view properties
Assuming that you are working with a real estate agent in Israel, it’s not too early to have your agent start making appointments now to view properties during your time in Israel. Keep in mind that your agent may have other clients visiting Israel at the same time so getting on his or her calendar now will insure the best chance of the agents services and availability. Also, property owners will appreciate having plenty of notice so they can plan their schedule around your viewing appointment. 
Contacting other professionals
For those who are in the serious stages of looking for an apartment to buy in Israel, some other things you might consider doing before you come to Israel would include getting  pre-qualified for your mortgage if you are going to need one, which can be a speedy process if you are dealing with the right mortgage professional in Israel. 
Additionally, you might want to contact a real estate attorney in Israel before you come and make arrangements to meet with the attorney while in Israel.  You may consider giving the attorney a “Power of Attorney” just in case you find an apartment that you like while you are in the country so the attorney can sign for you when it comes time to close the deal and you are no longer in Israel.
Enjoying your time in Israel
By taking some or all of the steps we have mentioned above, you will be able to enjoy your time in Israel with family or friends, while simultaneously making progress toward finding that perfect second home or future primary residence. At a minimum, you will have gotten an up-close and personal look at what your money can buy in Israel at the present time.    Lyle Plocher is the Director of Buy Property In Israel and can be reached by email at lyle@buypropertyinisrael.com.
Buy Property in Israel can assist you with all of your Israel Real Estate needs.