Many foreign residents purchasing real estate in Israel are surprised by the prevalence of illegal extensions to the apartments they view prior to finding the property they will ultimately purchase. This phenomenon has its roots in many different factors, including the complicated and drawn out process for obtaining building rights and permits in Israel; the costs involved which can...

In a concerted effort to bring down prices in the residential real estate market, the Israeli Government has recently implemented a number of reforms in the regulations connected to real estate transaction taxes (purchase tax and capital gains tax in Israel). While most professionals in the field would agree that the reforms have not achieved...

Understand the various types of registration of land and different forms of real estate ownership in Israel.

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...