Page 6 - ChicagOlim Chronicles

Chapter 6 Batyah describes Finding and Securing a Place to Live

Finding a rental in Israel from afar is challenging. Especially during a covid year when “pilot trips” were non-
existent. It’s really important to have at least one strong connection living in the area in which you want to live.
Having someone “on the ground” is vital. We found this out while looking (unsuccessfully) at apartments in
Ramat Beit Shemesh. It was a mess and fraught with “shtikim”!

A word about realtors - you don’t sign with a realtor unless they actually show you something you’re going to
sign on. It’s very different from the US where you sign with a realtor and s/he works for you to get you the best
property. In Israel, the realtor often works for the property owner. For us this meant working with about five
realtors showing us various properties. (Sometimes the same property claiming “exclusivity”). The
conversations would often go something like this:

• Realtor: I have something wonderful to show you- 4 bedrooms, 2 baths 5500nis/mo. I’m sending
pictures.
• You: I received your two pictures- one of the yard, one of the “salon”... anymore?
• Realtor: So sorry, the apartment is already taken…

You might even see the same apartment relisted at 7500nis/mo a week later.

If your Hebrew is decent - I'd definitely recommend trying https://www.yad2.co.il but beware - while most
listings are by owner, some realtors do list there. Again, having someone on the ground is super helpful and I’m
going to give HUGE hakarat hatov to Miriam Katzman (formally of Skokie) who helped us find an apartment in
Modiin through Yad2 and went to see it personally. One final word to the wise - DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING
WITHOUT A LAWYER NO MATTER WHAT!! Contracts are different and you 100% need the protection
and advice of a real estate lawyer. Nefesh B’Nefesh says it, and I’m saying it too. It costs money (some charge a
flat fee, some one month’s rent) but worth the peace of mind.

Helpful Hint #6 Paying for a rental can be difficult. Every landlord works differently. Some only want you to
pay in 12 postdated checks (super outdated but still used). This can be difficult for olim who don’t yet have an
Israeli bank account. Some will do wire transfers and/or accept a larger deposit until you can open up an Israeli
account. While negotiating a lease, find out what the preferred method of payment is and go from there.

Chapter 7 Getting out the door - a true story.

As many journeys go, expect the last minute unexpected. Particularly when making aliyah anytime, and more so
during a pandemic.

Having finally received our visas, filled out flight requests (twice, as the direct flight we originally wanted was
full), and gotten our super cool “aliyah t-shirts”, it was time to get our 72-hour PCR test. B’Chasdei HaShem,
and with the help of friends, we were able to get our tests done on Motza’ei Shabbat and promised results by
Sunday evening, which was fine for our Monday, mid-morning flight.

Sunday evening came around and a few things happened. We got our test results – for all of us except Danya. I
called the lab and realized that my email address had been incorrectly entered on her form. No problem, they’d