English-speaking real estate lawyer in Israel: buying or selling an apartment safely

In Israel, the sale of an apartment does not go through a title company, an escrow agent or a notary: it is the lawyer of each party who checks the property, drafts and negotiates the contract, secures the payments and registers your rights at the Land Registry (Tabu). As an English-speaking real estate lawyer in Israel, I accompany you at every step, whether you are buying your first apartment after aliyah, an investment property, or selling a property from abroad.

What is different in Israel

• No title company, one lawyer per party. The buyer and the seller each have their own lawyer. The seller's lawyer protects the seller: never sign without yours.
• The "zichron devarim" is binding. This preliminary memorandum of agreement, often presented as a mere formality before the contract is signed, is a binding document. As a buyer, do not sign it without your lawyer.
• Tabu or Israel Land Authority. A property is either registered at the Tabu or held under a long-term lease on State land ("Rami"), sometimes through a management company. The checks and the costs are not the same. Both full ownership and a long-term leasehold can be registered at the Land Registry (Tabu).
• Taxes. The buyer pays purchase tax ("mas rechisha"), to be reported within 30 days of signing; new immigrants benefit from a reduced scale under certain conditions. The seller is subject to land appreciation tax ("mas shevach"), of up to 25% of the net gain between the purchase price and the sale price, after deducting the recognized expenses on the property.

If the apartment is the seller's only apartment in Israel, the seller benefits from a tax exemption.

• The cautionary note. From the signing and the first payment, a registration at the Tabu ("he'arat azhara") protects the buyer against a second sale or a mortgage. It is one of the first things I do to protect the buyer.

What I do for the buyer

• Verification of rights: extract from the Tabu or from the Israel Land Authority, mortgages, liens, the seller's real identity.
• Planning and zoning checks: building permits, easements, unauthorized additions, pending proceedings, building-committee charges.
• Sale contract: drafting or negotiating the clauses, the payment schedule, the guarantees, late penalties, the handover date and the condition of the property.
• Financing: coordination with the bank for the mortgage ("mashkanta") and the documents it requires.
• Tax reporting and payment of the purchase tax within the deadlines.
• Registration: final transfer of the property into your name at the Tabu or with the Israel Land Authority.
• Buying off-plan from a developer: checking the guarantee required by the Sale (Apartments) Law (bank guarantee or insurance policy), in-depth review of the contract and demanding changes to protect the buyer's rights, the linkage clauses, delivery dates and warranties against construction defects.

What I do for the seller

• A contract that secures the payments and transfers the rights only once the full price has been received.
• Release of your mortgage and coordination with your bank.
• Calculation of the land appreciation tax and the exemption request when you are entitled to it, in particular for a single apartment.
• Sale from abroad: if you live in the United States, the United Kingdom or elsewhere, a notarized and apostilled power of attorney allows me to sign and settle all formalities on your behalf.

The steps of a transaction

1. First conversation: your project, the property, the financing, the timetable.
2. Legal and planning checks on the property.
3. Negotiation and drafting of the contract with the other party's lawyer.
4. Signing, first payment and registration of the cautionary note at the Tabu.
5. Tax reporting, payments according to the contract, handover of the keys.
6. Final registration of the rights in your name.

Why an English-speaking real estate lawyer in Israel?

I have been an attorney and notary in Tel Aviv for more than 25 years, and I worked at the Israel Land Administration (today the Israel Land Authority) before opening my office. I therefore know from the inside the system governing State land, long-term leases and their buy-out, which are often the most delicate matters. You deal with me directly, in English, from the first meeting to the final registration.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to be in Israel to buy or sell?

No. A power of attorney signed before a notary and apostilled gives your English-speaking real estate lawyer in Israel the power to sign the contract and to complete all the formalities. We follow the file remotely.

How long does a transaction take?

Between the signing and the handover of the keys, the period is set by the contract, most often between three and six months, depending on the financing and the situation of the parties. The final registration at the Tabu takes place after the last payment.

Can I use the seller's lawyer to save money?

It is a false economy. The seller's lawyer's job is to protect the seller. An English-speaking real estate lawyer in Israel who represents only you costs far less than an unbalanced contract or a missed check. A lawyer who represents both the seller and the buyer is in a conflict of interest and cannot represent you in the most loyal way.

Which documents should I prepare for the first meeting?

Your ID or passport, the address and the parcel number of the property if you have them, the draft contract or the "zichron devarim" if you were given one, and your financing documents.

Are you planning to buy or sell an apartment in Israel?

Write to me in English through the form on the English-speaking lawyer page or on

WhatsApp +972-54-777-2548

See also: rental agreement, wills and inheritance and powers of attorney and notarial acts.