Most people would assume that when Israel is at war, stay away from real estate, but in actuality it’s the exact opposite, and I’ll tell you why:
During this specific time we’re surprisingly seeing the dollar get stronger, and the exchange rate to shekel went up (about four shekel to the dollar, ~). The exchange rate is the highest we’ve seen it in a while. With that said, this brings to light a few positive points regarding real estate in Jerusalem at the moment.
With that said, it’s important to seize the moment in getting a more valuable property without having to do anything, just because the dollar is strong. Those who always had the problem of not being able to afford the property of their dreams, now you can!
In the recent months I’ve received many calls or inquiries for 3-4 bedroom rental properties in Rehavia, Baka, German Colony, Katamon, etc. Unfortunately the rentals in Jerusalem are few and far between these days. When potential clients call me, I try to explain the situation with the following reasons:
Due to the war, interest rates have gone down, making it more feasible for those who couldn’t buy, now to jump into the pool of those looking.
Back in the day, the way to make money was to do a flip. This meant buying a property that needed renovations for cheaper due to the fact that it needed work, renovating it and selling it for a higher price. Through this, you’d make a nice amount of money. Well, those days are pretty much over due to the following factors
Until a week ago, if you bought a new property on paper and you went by the 20/80 payment schedule, you got screwed by the ‘cost of building index.’ Let me explain. ‘The cost of building index’ means that if the materials of a building being built were increased, such as wood, metals, tiles, etc., the buyer carried the burden of paying that extra cost. In a standard 150 sqm apartment, this meant...