When buying a property in Israel, one should bear in mind that there are different types of homes available.  Each type of home in Israel has a different name which reflects both its form of structure and degree of privacy:

• Villa – a free-standing, detached home, that sits on its plot of land, unattached to any neighbors.
• Cottage/Du-Mishpachti – a semi-attached house that is “tzamud lekarka”, i.e. sits on the ground and therefore comes with a garden of some size.  The property has a shared wall with a neighboring resident.  No other home is above or below.
• Duplex – a two- or three-story home that sits above and/or beneath another home.  May have a garden and/or balcony.
• Penthouse – the apartment on the top floor of an apartment building ensuring no neighbor is living above.  Usually has the largest balcony and the best view in the building.
• Flat – a one-story apartment that may sit above and/or beneath another home.
• Medurag, as in the word madrigot (stairs) or madrega (level), refers to construction on a mountainside, where the homes have been built at different levels to accommodate the slant and height of the mountain.  Usually, homes are accessible by stairs or elevators from both the top and bottom of the complex.    Any of the above types of property in Israel could be built in a medurag complex.

Read more about measurements, dimensions and descriptions of property in Israel.