Author: Buyitinisrael Staff

In light of the high cost of housing in Israel and the near impossibility for many people – mostly young couples – to buy their own homes, Israel’s Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, together with the Ministry of Construction & Housing, has introduced a new formula for the affordable housing program “Mechir Lemishtaken” (Buyer’s Price). Within...

When buying or renting a property in Israel it is important to find out if and how the building is maintained and the magnitude of the fees involved, before signing a contract. In Israel the maintenance or management of an apartment building is determined by a committee of homeowner representatives called Vaad Bayit or building committee.

The builder (‘kablan’) is showing me plans of new homes in Israel that I’m considering buying. The plans look great.  But does that mean that this home is right for me? The location is good; the price is within budget, and from what I can understand of his color brochure, the layout is practical.  It looks...

Israel is located on a seismically-active fault line known as the Syrian African Rift and the possibility of earthquakes of high magnitudes pose a threat to millions of people and their property – in the region. To experts in the field, it is not a question of will there be an earthquake, but rather when...

When buying property in Israel, one should bear in mind that there is a wide range of names given to the different types of homes which reflect both their form of structure and their degree of privacy.

Urban renewal in Israel generates new, creative construction in preexisting built-up areas. The scarcity of land for new construction in Israel and the subsequent housing shortage throughout the country led the Government fourteen years ago to develop this innovative solution. There are two main schemes for urban renewal projects. The first is known as pinui-binui (evacuation and construction) and the...

If you are looking to buy property in Israel to live in or enjoy during vacations, you probably have a good idea which areas interest you. However, when you are making a real estate investment in Israel, you should widen your search and consider other areas across the country. Consider yield vs profit when you...

When dealing with real estate in Israel, the metric system is the standard system of measurement. The size of a property is recorded as either bruto (gross area) or netto (net area). The bruto includes common space such as elevator shaft, stairwell and area beneath walls. Netto is the actual living space of the property and does not include storage room (machsan), balcony (mirpeset), garden, parking area or garbage room.

Zev Shalev ז”ל was a dear friend, regular contributor, and professional advisor to Buyitinisrael.   For more than twenty-five years Zev was a residential space planner, primarily, although not exclusively, for the English-speaking, observant community in Israel and abroad.  His fields of specialization were creative space utilization in general, and planning kitchens and bathrooms in particular....

As the government decided yesterday to lower the value-added-tax rate (VAT) in Israel by 1% from 18% to 17%, local and overseas homebuyers in the process of planning to purchase a new apartment in Israel are able to moderately reduce some of the cost involved. When buying a property in Israel, VAT is included in the price of...