Say "home inspection" and most people think of construction defects, building inspections, an engineer's checks and so on. And a home inspection (bedek bayit) does mean, among other things, a certified professional examining the quality of construction and the current state of the building, both to prevent accidents and to help establish the property's value.
But that's only one side of it. Many companies now offer a neighborhood or area inspection as well, surveying the residential area itself against a range of criteria to gauge the character of the location where a property is for sale or for rent.
Why bother assessing the area? If you're buying or renting, you want to know as much as possible about the character of the area your future home sits in. You can walk around it yourself and form an impression, but that will always be a surface-level read next to a proper neighborhood check carried out by a qualified company that digs into every characteristic of the neighborhood and the wider area.
That gives you a far more accurate picture of the area, which affects your quality of life directly and plays a real role in the property's future value.
Neighborhood inspections of this kind weren't nearly as common in the past as they are today. Many companies now offer them, across a wide range of prices and formats. That growth tracks the growth of real estate markets worldwide and the rising demand for property generally: buyers and other market players have every reason to want an accurate read not just on construction quality but on the character of the area around it, and that drives demand for these checks.
Just as it matters that a property is sound and safe to live in, it matters to know as much as possible about the neighborhood and the area around it. An area inspection covers things like the quality and availability of public transportation, the standard and character of local schools, and the level of public services the local authority provides.
If you're considering buying a property, it's worth having both a full home inspection and a neighborhood check done before you commit: neither one is optional. Buying a home for hundreds of thousands or millions of shekels, moving in, and only then discovering the area doesn't work for you is a mistake you don't get to undo.
Do the homework early, and make both the personal and the neighborhood inspection as thorough as you can during negotiations.
Good luck.
The engineers of Arad Bedek Bayit, led by building engineer Ron Arad, whom courts appoint as their own expert on construction defects. The company has been inspecting apartments and buildings since 2001. Engineer Ron Arad · More about the company