Israel’s high real estate prices make the “vacation home” that is common in some Western countries rare among Israelis. However, more and more foreign residents are buying vacation apartments in Israel, often as the first step toward Aliyah or retirement. The most common locations for vacation apartments in Israel are Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Eilat,...

June was a month that saw the aftermath of a major miltary operation, a change of government and a taste of Corona-free life in Israel. Historically, one of the busiest months for real estate deals as homebuyers seeks to move during the summer months, June of this year was no different. The following is a...

The Bank of Israel has drafted a restriction that will prevent buyers from taking out loans to supplement their equity when purchasing a new apartment through a lien on an existing property. This move would be particularly detrimental to those trying to buy an apartment for investment or home improvement purposes. The goal appears to...

During an urban renewal conference in Jerusalem this month, Mayor Moshe Leon revealed plans to expand construction in the city to 10,000 apartments a year in order to attract the secular and national religious sectors. Approximately 33,000 apartments in major urban renewal projects are in various stages of planning, but only 500 are already under...

According to the Israel Housing Price Index published last week, real estate prices in Israel have risen by 1% in the past month and 4.6% in the last six months. In May, homebuyers took out NIS 9.5 billion in mortgages – an all-time high. In the first four months of 2021, more than 15,000 new...

While owning a vacation home is common in some Western countries, high real estate prices in Israel make it quite prohibitive for most Israelis. However, for foreign residents who wish to spend the Jewish holidays or summer months in Israel, owning a holiday home is not a rare phenomenon. In the first of this two-part...

In 2020, banks in Israel loaned a whopping total of NIS 78 billion for housing – an increase of 12% from the previous year. At the same time, the level of risk increased, with 40% of borrowers taking out mortgages at a rate of more than 60% of the value of their homes. These figures...

Experts in the housing market estimate that the wave of anti-Semitic incidents sweeping Europe and North America will lead to an increase in demand for apartments in Israel from foreign residents. The last major military confrontation between Israel and Hamas in 2014 led to a sharp rise in apartment purchases, in particular by French Jewry....

May was quite a month in Israel with the festive holiday of Shavuot, rioting that started in Jerusalem and culminated in Jerusalemites running for shelter on Yom Yerushalayim, and thousands of rockets sent by Hamas to the entire country from Eilat to the Golan Heights. Jews in Israel and around the world saw unprecedented levels...

Earlier this month, Jaffa, Lod, Haifa, and other mixed Jewish-Arab cities across Israel saw violent clashes between local Jewish and Arab residents that left dozens injured. Now that the riots are over, the housing market may have a hard time recovering. In Lod, however, where the worst violence took place, some interested buyers may actually...