It is a given and certainly appreciated and understood that your property is used as a vehicle for monetary gain. However, it is imperative that you "live with the rest of humankind on this planet". Do not expect an agent or real estate brokerage firm to sell an apartment for $500,000 which is worth only half that amount on the market, no matter what article you read in the weekend city paper. The responsibility of the agent is to get you the best price they can, but an agent is simply not capable of raising the real-estate value of your property by one-hundred percent, just because you were told by the aunt of your best-friend's second-cousin, that your specific apartment is one of a kind.

Stay on the planet earth. It is easy to get carried away. We all know how tempting it is to take your property which you and the rest of the world knows is worth only $250K and put it out on the market for $300K hoping to find that lucky break. Stories abound of the lucky "lotto" winner who sold a run-down apartment for $100K over market price. Do not expect to win the "lotto". Pricing yourself out of the market even if you give an agent exclusivity, will just lead to frustration later on. You will be sitting on top of a property you needed to sell six months ago, bemoaning the fact that no one wants to offer you just a few thousand dollars more than its market worth, because you smile nicely.

This rule also applies to renting. Agents field many calls asking us to find a four room apartment in Old Katamon or Bakkah of approximately 100+ square meters with a garden, and in great condition to rent for a budget of $1000 a month. Simply put, finding something like this within the budget is just not going to happen. Whenever a reputable agent receives such a phone call, they will simply try and explain that one must be realistic in expectancies. It does no good to hope you will find some landlord who does not know the worth of his apartment. Some listen, others insist on wasting a month of their precious time, speaking with brokers who promise anything, and walking away frustrated and mumbling at the horrible service brokers in Israel give to them. Try to be realistic. Try to demand something that is possible. And understand that if it is not possible, brokers will be straightforward and tell you so.

In selling, price your property, and make the price realistic. Your neighbor on the first floor may have the exact same apartment as you do, but they will get $15,000 more than you will, because they have six steps to their apartment and you have forty-two. You cannot compare the two apartments even if they look exactly the same - because they are not the same!

The same holds true for those who want to purchase. Don't negotiate with the owners of the bottom apartment telling them that the exact same apartment is available on the top floor for $15,000 less. You must make a decision. Is that $15,000 worth not having to climb forty-two steps every day?

Please save the trips into the outer limits for your next great novel. Don't try and convince a young couple with two small toddlers that walking up 42 steps is just as good as walking up six steps. It just wont work. Praise the good aspects of your property, but don't run away from the possible defects.

Ted Gross

Ted Gross was born and raised in New York City and in 1978, moved to Israel, and currently resides in Jerusalem.

He began his writing career in University as the op-ed editor of the University paper and wrote a series of eight editorials during that year. While in Israel, he wrote two children's books. "The Letter & The Crown"; was published in Israel, while the second, and more successful, was published in the United States by United Synagogue entitled, "Of Rabbit's Wool & Camel's Hair". While teaching comparative religion, he also had articles on polemics and religion published in Midstream Magazine.

However, by the time the children's books were published his family was growing, and he began work and was active in high tech from 1985 until 2001. There he functioned as a CTO ? Chief Technological Officer ? in three different companies, managing to take two companies from start-up phase to a buyout and a successful IPO respectively.

After having taken the last company to a successful IPO, six children and a peaceful divorce, it was time to leave high-tech and try and develop some ideas in writing. At that point, Israel embarked on "Operation Defensive Shield", and since Ted is a reserve battlefield medic, he ended up in Jenin, and the battles that took place there became front-page news all over the world. "Three Weeks In Jenin" was written soon after, though unfortunately the contract was cancelled once the United States entered into its current war with Iraq. However, an independent movie producer, did do a documentary on Ted's experiences as a medic in Jenin.

He currently is working on the "Chronicles of the Children of Heaven" (a fantasy work), on another non-fiction book entitled "Last Times" and on a cooking book entitled "Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen", (as well as short stories and poetry from time to time). To make ends meet, Ted owns a real-estate investment firm in Jerusalem and Virgin Earth Article Submissions.

Examples of Ted's work can be found on his web site.

Usually one can find Ted either putting out fires in his kitchen, drinking coffee in a cafe musing about the great "what-ifs" of life, assistant coaching little league baseball, dealing with one of his six children, having a fight with his sister, or walking the byways of Jerusalem with Rainbow, his golden retriever, pondering the silence of the heavens.