Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., September 15, 2008 Elul 15, 5768 | | Israel Time: 02:37 (EST+7)
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Good quality, great value
By Guy Lieberman
Tags: housing market, israel

The sky-high price of property in central Israel tends to make people forget, perhaps because of the shock, that it doesn't have to be that way. There is perfectly affordable housing available, and new apartments at that, just not in the country's center.

TheMarker set out to locate some of the cheapest deals on the market and concluded that for a mere NIS 500,000, you can buy a 4-room flat that matches the quality of those available in Kiryat Ono, Herzliya, Rishon Letzion or even the real estate Holy of Holies - Tel Aviv.

The residents of Nahariya know the city's Nahariya Yeruka ("Green Nahariya") well: Marketing for the neighborhood began a decade ago and most real estate has been taken by now. The project includes 1,500 apartments - 1,200 of which have been sold - off Zamir Street in the city's east. Nearby are a playground for children and plenty of public institutions.
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Vilar International, the firm building and marketing Nahariya Yeruka, is asking for NIS 530,000 for a 4-room apartment measuring 108 square meters and which includes an 11-square meter porch. Garden flats with 5 rooms, measuring about 125 square meters plus a 100-square meter garden, cost NIS 679,000. Vilar International says it's about to start marketing the last apartments in Nahariya Yeruka.

One other thing: Living in Nahariya gets you a discount on income tax of up to 13%, depending on your tax bracket.

The cheapest 4-room flats in Israel can be found in the Shlomit neighborhood of the town of Shlomi. For NIS 400,000 you can buy a 4-room apartment measuring 120 square meters with a 10-square meter porch in the Morad Hanahal project, which is being built by the Matanis Michael Construction Company.

Five-room garden apartments are also available. They sport 135 square meters plus 250-square meter gardens and cost NIS 550,000. The Morad Hanahal project has six housing units located in four buildings of six stories each. The first building has already been built and the rest are expected to be finished within six months.

One other thing: The project also has 4-room apartments with larger porches, which cost more.

This is a small project numbering just six housing units being constructed by S.B. Sofer Development and Investments. The company's owner, Benjamin Sofer, says the project is designed mainly for local young couples. Hagdud Hashlishi is being built on the side of a mountain in the city's east, in an area zoned for low construction, and offers a great view to the south. A shopping center is located nearby. Construction is slated to start in a couple of months. For NIS 480,000 you can get a new three-room house with a garden on a plot of land measuring 150 square meters.

As is true for all of northern Israel, demand for housing in Carmiel isn't high. Yet Carmiela, a project on Hahaganah Street being built by ZMH Hammerman Group, is quite popular. The project consists of a three-building complex with 150 apartments, at the center of which is a public garden. Some of the apartments have only two rooms, which has become quite rare in Israeli property circles. Even 3-room apartments are difficult to come by these days. These flats go for about NIS 420,000 for 65 square meters and a 20-meter porch.

A 3.5-room apartment measuring 98 square meters and including a 12-meter porch will cost NIS 495,000 and a 4.5-room apartment numbering 119 square meters with a 13-meter porch will cost NIS 535,000. The first tenants are expected to move in in three months, followed by the next wave, scheduled to start in about 20 months.

One other thing: ZMH Hammerman is offering a deal whereby future tenants will pay NIS 23,499 in cash upon receiving the key and the rest of the money is financed through a mortgage, at terms the company defines as "convenient." For more details, contact the company.

When strolling through Ariel, building sites may not catch one's eye, yet local realtors say that demand for real estate in this West Bank city has been on the rise. One company that is active in Ariel is the Ben-Ayun Nimrodi Construction Company, which is constructing the "Marom Ariel" project on Moriah Street. The project includes apartments with four rooms (112 square meters and 10 square meter porch) for NIS 535,000; and 4-room garden flats measuring 112 square meters and including an 80-meter garden for NIS 730,000. Altogether Marom Ariel consists of 32 apartments set in four-storey buildings. Most of the apartments have been sold in the last three months, mainly to young couples.

One other thing: Many of the buyers bought the apartments for investment purposes, because of the proximity to Ariel College.

Northern Ashkelon is considered to be the coastal city's most expensive neighborhood, yet you can still find a 4-room apartment consisting of 136 square meters with a 15-meter porch for NIS 630,000 (under special sale terms). The apartments overlook a park at the heart of the Barnea neighborhood, unlike many of the area's other apartments, which overlook the sea (though some of the apartments being offered do have a partial view of the Mediterranean).

Five-room apartments in Barnea, measuring 141 square meters and including a 13-meter porch, cost NIS 730,000. Each apartment has an allocated storage space at the entrance to the building. The 3,200-apartment project is being constructed by Azorim. Some of the apartments have already been occupied and some are only waiting for new tenants.

One other thing: The project's 4-room apartments have a gigantic living room measuring some 43 square meters.

More cheap housing opportunities will feature in next week's Real Estate pages.
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