About the Founder
Dave Shalem
Founder · Principal Advisor · Shalem Homes
Dave Shalem is one of Jerusalem’s most respected residential real-estate advisors and the founder of Shalem Homes. Over a career spanning more than two decades, he has represented buyers across every quarter of the city — from the stone courtyards of the Old City and the German Colony to the modern towers of Arnona and the family streets of Baka, Talbiya, and Rechavia.
Dave built his reputation by doing the unglamorous work well: walking buildings before they list, knowing which tabu files have liens still unresolved, reading the contracts before the lawyer does, and saying no to a deal when the numbers do not stand up. His clients are predominantly Anglo-Israeli families, returning olim, and international buyers acquiring a primary or secondary residence in Jerusalem.
He works to a deliberately small caseload — typically no more than ten active engagements at a time — and accompanies every viewing personally. There is no junior agent, no franchise, and no listing inventory the firm is trying to move. The buyer’s interest is the only interest in the room.
Before founding Shalem Homes, Dave spent fifteen years in residential brokerage in London and New York, advising private clients on acquisitions in Mayfair, Hampstead, the Upper West Side, and TriBeCa. He relocated to Jerusalem in 2009 and has practised exclusively in the Israeli market since.
Clientele
A small roster, by referral.
Shalem Homes works with a deliberately limited number of clients each year. Most engagements come through prior clients, lawyers, or the small Anglo-Israeli network in which Dave has practised for over a decade. Active engagements span first-home buyers, returning olim, and international families acquiring a Jerusalem residence.
Each engagement is held in strict confidence. Client names, addresses, and financial details are never discussed publicly, and all viewings, evaluations, and decision points are captured in a private client portal accessible only to the client and to Dave directly.
Approach
Patient, numerical, and on the buyer’s side.
Dave does not chase listings, run open houses, or accept referral fees from sellers’ agents. Compensation is agreed at engagement and is never tied to a property’s headline price — there is no incentive to push a buyer upward.
Every shortlisted property is evaluated against neighbourhood comparables (nadlan, madlan, recent transactions), building condition, planning status (TAMA, pinui-binui), and the client’s qualified borrowing capacity at the time of viewing. Reports are written, not verbal.
He is fluent in English and Hebrew, and works with a short list of trusted lawyers, mortgage brokers, surveyors, and renovators across Jerusalem — chosen for their record over decades, not for kickback arrangements.
“The right home in Jerusalem is rarely the one being shouted about. Most of the work is in the quiet listening, the careful walking-through, and the willingness to wait another month.”
— Dave Shalem