There are several characteristics that determine the character of the neighborhood and affect the quality of life of its residents to such a significant extent that even if the apartment you found is your dream apartment, an unsuitable neighborhood can be a 'deal breaker' and cause you to change direction.
The first and most important characteristic is the community component . Who lives in your neighborhood? Is the population made up of people in the same situation as you? What is the average age? If you have small children, you will probably be disappointed to find out if there are almost no young families in the neighborhood, but if you are looking for a peaceful and quiet life, you will not want to find out that your neighborhood has a young population that hangs out and makes noise in the streets until the wee hours of the night.
Another important thing is to examine the public buildings in the neighborhood. If you have children of kindergarten and school age, it is important to check whether there are educational institutions in the neighborhood within walking distance and, no less importantly, their quality and whether they match your educational worldview. Check whether there are health institutions in the neighborhood such as a health insurance company, where the post office is located, or if proximity to a synagogue is important to you, where it is located.
Also check the transportation situation in the designated neighborhood. If you have a car, you should check whether there is a parking problem in the neighborhood and whether you can get from place to place easily. If you depend on public transportation, it is important to check whether it passes through the neighborhood, how often, and where the stops are located. Note that in neighborhoods where there is heavy public transportation traffic, residents suffer more from air pollution and noise.
A final and important characteristic is the entertainment and employment options in the neighborhood. Shopping centers, movie theaters, and restaurants can greatly affect your quality of life and provide you with greater enjoyment of your living area. Places of employment in the neighborhood can open up the possibility of finding a job close to home that will save you hours on the road in Israel's traffic jams and even allow you to get to work on foot.
Now that it is clear what characteristics should be examined in the intended neighborhood, the question is how do we discover the whole 'truth' about the neighborhood beyond what we are told by the contractor or seller?
Here are 3 important tips that will help you get to know the neighborhood better:
Watch the present and future of the neighborhood
Information about public institutions in the neighborhood can be found on the various city websites. Information about public transportation can be easily found on sites like moovit and on the websites of the various public companies. In the urban development plans that are available to everyone online on the Israel Land Authority website and on the Israel Maps website, you can find detailed maps of the neighborhood that include land designations such as public buildings, commercial and residential areas, and so on, and thus you can also get an idea of the neighborhood's future.
Listen to what the neighbors have to say
Sometimes the best way to learn about a neighborhood is to hear about it firsthand. Many neighborhoods in Israel have Facebook groups set up by the neighborhood's residents, where you can read about the burning issues for the residents and also learn about the quality of the residents. Another option is to read the opinions of the residents published on the Madelan website, where they are even detailed according to various sections such as population, functioning of the municipality, public transportation, and so on.
Stop by for a visit.
After you've read what your neighbors have to say about the neighborhood, it's time to get to know it better. Try to visit the neighborhood on different days and times to see how it's run. Is it noisy in the evenings? Is there a lot of traffic in the mornings? Visit the cafes, walk by public institutions, check the cleanliness of the streets, and try to get a sense of the neighborhood's vibe. Do you enjoy walking around? Does it make you feel safe and peaceful?
And most importantly - listen to your gut feeling, it knows best 🙂
