Apartment Searching In Tel Aviv

I've never experienced anything quite like searching for an apartment in Tel Aviv.  Now when I say Tel Aviv I mean Tel Aviv itself, not Ramat Aviv, Ramat Gan, Givatayim or any other surrounding cities.  It's absolutely nuts in regards to the prices, the quality of the apartments and the demand.  When you go to look for an apartment you have to be prepared to take the place on the spot, or else somebody will likely come in right after you and take it (that is at least if it's a half decent place).

I've lived in Tel Aviv for a two years and four months, and I'm about to move into my fifth apartment. Believe me, I'm not proud of that, and I'm not as fond of change as my track record shows. For a number of different reasons (relationships beginning, relationships ending, mold issues) I've never been in one place for more than a year, and I'm soon hoping to change that. Although I haven't had the best of luck with apartments, my experience in moving and searching has given me some very helpful insight for anyone looking for an apartment in Tel Aviv.

Let's start out with the basics, price.  Now this all depends on where in Tel Aviv you're looking and how simple you're willing to go.  I know a few people who scored super cheap studios (if you can even call them that) for between 2300-3000 NIS.  Now for these studios you won't have a real kitchen, more of a kitchenette, and your shower will basically be on top of your toilet (we're talking 10-20 square meters here).  Hosting will be nearly impossible, so you're basically looking at a space big enough for a bed and a dresser.  I guess that's how it is in some cities in the far east; I know that for me a space like this wouldn't do.

For those of you who insist on living on your own and want a decent studio (30 meters squared and above) you'll likely be looking at something between 4-5000 NIS per month.  This is quite a lot of money, especially with salaries in Israel, so I advise you to weigh heavily how difficult it would be for you to live with a roommate or two.  I have multiple friends with different style studios and any of them that were decent (by American Standards) with all facilities working and somewhat modern would fall into this price range.

If you're looking for something with roommates then you have a lot more wiggle room.  Depending on the area and accommodations you can find a nice room for between 2000-3000 NIS per month (sometimes this includes bills and other times it doesn't).  You're probably thinking that this is a wide range and you're right.  It all depends on how many roommates you'll have (generally the more roommates the less you pay) and the quality of the apartment.  If you want a nice apartment with one roommate then you'll be paying closer to 3k, whereas a decent apartment with 2-3 roommates will bring you closer to 2k.

Now you may be thinking that this post is primarily geared towards single people, so for those couples out there looking fear not, because this is truly my expertise.  When you're a couple looking to move in together I imagine you're looking to build a home, and probably don't want to move every year or less.  From the get go make sure to feel out your landlord and to let them know that you're looking for something permanent for the next few years.  You'll usually be able to figure out if you're both on the same page and if start digging deeper into the place.

With any city location is king, and Tel Aviv is no different.  City center and the Old North boast the highest prices, whereas you can get a nice place at a lesser price if you go further north to Ramat Aviv or across the Ayalon Highway to Ramat Gan or Givatayim (same goes for those of you looking for roommates).

Once you've narrowed down the area it's important to see the must haves for you and your partner.  I for example must have air conditioning in every room, as summers in Tel Aviv can be brutal with all of the humidity (especially July and August).  I also cook on a daily basis and much prefer a gas stove to and electric hotplate.  Beware of weak water pressure in older buildings as well, and don't be embarrassed to check that everything works when you go to see a place.

Other than these basics some other things to consider are double-glassed windows if you live near a busy street or commercial center.  Many people also want a balcony, which in my mind is more of a bonus than anything.  My advice is to have a list with your "must haves" and not to waste time and settle for something that isn't right for you.

At the same time, you've got to stay within your budget, and herein lies the biggest challenge of all.  For a couple you should be able to find something somewhat modern and nice in the center or old north, with all utilities in good working condition for between 5,500-6000 NIS per month.  Again this number can go down if you go to Ramat Aviv, across Ayalon or further into South Tel Aviv, just as long as you don't mind paying far from the center of town.  Of course you can find luxury places for double or triple these prices; however, if you're not rich then these will likely be your price points.

And now a couple of tips to make sure you don't get screwed.  It may cost you a few hundred shekels, but if you don't understand and read Hebrew very well, make sure to take your contract to a lawyer to make sure there's no funny business in there.  So often people sign and don't know what they're signing, so make sure not have someone you trust or employ read the contract over.  I also recommend avoiding places with a realtor, as they take a hefty commission (one month's rent) and you can often find a great place without having to go through one.

And now, I'd like to give you some photos which will separate your expectations vs. reality when looking for an apartment in Tel Aviv at the price points that I mentioned above.

Here are your possible expectations:

And here is the reality of an apartment between 5,500 to 6000 NIS in Tel Aviv.  These are pics from my apartment that I'll soon be leaving.

It's a nice apartment; however, when I see how my friends pay less and get so much more for their money abroad it can be depressing. Then again, you need be realistic and compare rent in Tel Aviv to the cost of rent in NYC.

I'm not telling you this to bring on a bout of depression, but only to warn you that if you want something decent in central TA you have to pay, and if you don't mind being in the center it may be worth your while to move to one of the surrounding areas.

New Year New Resolutions

I've been pretty big on New Year's resolutions in the past, and this year I'm bringing them back.  The only difference here is that I plan on laying out concrete plans to accomplish all of my resolutions.  I've recently found (and written about)n how goals often go go unaccomplished without the proper planning to make them happen.  So here we go:  plans and goals for the next year broken down into different aspects of my life.

Professional Life:

Since the last time I was truly devoted to this blog I made some big time career changes.  When I first moved to Israel I dabbled in the changes I wanted to make, and eventually settled on continuing in the path of education, and even opening up my own school for English tutoring.  I had a business running where I would go from home to home, and it sustained me for a little while.

After a short while I realized that riding my bike from house to house was only a temporary fit, and that for financial and professional fulfillment purposes I had to find a different way.  So I started working at a private English school, and although I found it enjoyable and the students appreciative, the work environment, schedule, and lack or a challenge pushed me in the direction of seeking a change.

And wouldn't you know it; a student of mine offered to help me find a new job by breaking into the field of sales.  Sure I had worked in sales before while in University (I called alumni and attempted to garner donations from them); however, it had been a while and I never saw it turning into a real career for me.  After interviewing and speaking to a few trusted family members and professionals I realized that my preconceptions about sales (that sleazy used car salesman) didn't match up at all with high tech, where sales is both a respected and often lucrative field.

So here we are, a year and change later, and I'm still working as a salesman for a budding high tech startup.  I've worked extremely hard this past year, and I've learned a lot about both the field of web design and about working in an office environment, as the bulk of my work experience to date had been either in retail or in schools.  It's been great, and I've felt a lot of growth; however I refuse to be content.  From here I want to make the jump to a management position and to continue leaning and growing as a professional in the field.

The pursuit of a management position and advancement with my day job is the first of my new year's resolutions.  My concrete plan is to lay out a time plan for meeting with my boss and deadlines for when I need to have my promotion.  It's also important for me to document my production and achievements to have documented reasons for my desired promotion.

In addition to making a career change to sales, I've also partnered up with one of my co-workers to begin working in the field of affiliate marketing.  I'm in charge of the content and we are working on niche-marketing websites that link to Amazon.com, making us amazon affiliates.  My goal with my side business is to continue producing content every week so that our websites can become profitable as soon as possible.  So far I've completed about one article and one blog post per week, and I want to stay at at least that pace if not ramping it up.

Personal Life:
This part of my personal life is just for me. I say that because I have a partner (I'm engaged, what?!) and I also have goals to do with my relationship where I hope to grow.

The first goal is something that I've always done, but have mostly been inconsistent with and that's physical fitness.  Most people would still say I'm generally fit, and often find myself running a couple of times a week, yet I want to make something that's more structured, and I think that starts with a gym membership.  I've been hesitant to subscribe to a gym in Tel Aviv because they're both expensive and small, yet I've come to realize that I greatly miss exercise when I go away from it.

Once I move into my new apartment I'll have to get a gym membership or free weights for the house, as I know that both will greatly pay off for me.  I had the most success with exercising at home combined with running and eating healthy, and I'll have to see if I stick to that routine or go back to a gym.  We'll have to see, as the new apartment may not have ample space for exercise (hoping it will).
In addition I want to continue writing and reading for myself.  I find that I too often waste time watching TV shows and would much rather be exercising my mind with reading and writing.  I've already set myself a goal of one blog post per week as a minimum.  Maybe I should say one book per month?  Ok done, one book per month and one blog post per week, very doable.

Maybe I'll just stick with that for now.  I was thinking about things to do in my relationship, but we'll have enough projects together this coming year.  Besides moving in together and setting up a home, we'll be planning a wedding.  I'm sure that I'll have plenty of sub goals within these two large endeavors; however, I will say that I want to make sure to respect my partners wishes and be completely supportive and team oriented throughout the whole process.  Both looking for an apartment and planning a wedding can be extremely stressful, and I want to make sure that I stay as calm as possible.

In addition I want to make sure that I'm reading at least one new book per month and publishing at least one blog post per week.  These things are just for my own enrichment in regards to my love of reading and writing, and I'd rather spend my free time doing the things that I love as opposed to watching another TV to just fill the time or waste half an hour on Facebook or Instagram.

So there we have it, some concrete resolutions.  Time to  go make them happen! Excuse spelling and/or grammar mistakes; feeling lazy today.