Buy Property in Israel » Basics of Buying in Israel

Use your IRA to purchase Investment Real Estate in Israel

Lyle Plocher — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:37:40 +0000

If you are a U.S. citizen and have a self-directed Individual Retirement Account, you may not be aware of the fact that you can actually purchase Investment Real Estate in the U.S. or internationally. This is information your Stockbroker may not want you to know because he or she would love to see your funds invested in stocks, bonds or mutual funds. There are obviously rules you must follow, but it is totally allowable and legitimate to use funds in your IRA to buy Investment Real Estate.

If you would be interested in speaking with someone who can tell you more about this possible investment path, contact Lyle Plocher at lyle@buypropertyinisrael for a Referral.

Once you have found out more, you are encouraged to consult your Attorney or Accountant or the IRS to confirm things.

Affordable housing in Israel – an Economist’s view

Lyle Plocher — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:05:48 +0000

There is a very interesting article at Haaretz.com today, written by Yair Duchin an Economist and Real Estate Consultant in Israel. Yair has some very insightful things to say about Government trying to intervene in the marketplace. He also states why he doesn’t think the recent ILA Land Reform bill will bring down the prices of land.

Read this very good article

Follow Buy Property In Israel on Twitter

Lyle Plocher — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:03:42 +0000

You can now get property and Israel news updates from Buy Property In Israel, directly on your Twitter page. We will have an icon here on the web page soon for interested parties to click on, but until then, just follow the link below to get our updates.

How long has it been on the market?

Lyle Plocher — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:50:43 +0000

A funny article appeared on the Arutz Sheva website today, written by Baruch Finkelstein, a Jerusalem area Real Estate Agent and although he is referring to his experience while selling in the Israel real estate market, you could apply what he’s saying to any Real Estate market. I’m not saying I necessarily agree with his conclusions, but I do agree that oftentimes, buyers miss out on a great opportunity because they overanalyze the situation.

Baruch’s article:

“How long has the property been on the market?” If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this question from property buyers I might not need to sell homes anymore. Personally, I don’t think this question is relevant. What does it matter? If you like the place, then who cares if it has been for sale for a while? Rule of thumb, if you like the property go with it, unless you want to stay homeless forever.

Here are a few mental responses I imagine my clients give (depending on their personality) when I tell them about how long a property has been on the market. Read the rest of the article

Eight questions to ask before you buy a home

Lyle Plocher — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 01:34:11 +0000

That’s the title of an article at haaretz.com, written earlier this year by Guy Liberman. Although it’s difficult to tell when you read the article where one questions ends and the next begins, the article does have some very good information for those people who are considering buying an apartment in a “new” building in Israel.

check out the article

Future apartment shortage in Israel

Lyle Plocher — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:30:15 +0000

With global real estate markets experiencing declining values over the last 12 months, one would think the same would hold true for Israel. That may be the case at this moment, but according to an article at jpost.com earlier this month, the point is made that construction of new apartments is way down which may exert upward pressure on prices when demand picks back up.

We would like to hear from anyone who has a thought or opinion about this topic, whether you are a Real Estate Professional, Builder or Banker in Israel or a prospective Buyer or Seller. If you have some insight into any of this and would like to share that insight or share an opinion, we encourage you to leave your comments here.

A great resource for those interested in buying property in Israel

Lyle Plocher — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 01:31:19 +0000

Jerusalem based Real Estate Attorney, Dr. Haim Katz has provided some great resources for people who are interested in buying property in Israel. He has recently authored a book entitled “Buying Your Home in Israel”. Visit his website and see for yourself. The book can purchased on the website or an e-version can be downloaded for free.

Dr. Katz’s website

Extra Costs in Purchasing a House in Israel

Lyle Plocher — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:31:16 +0000

Unlike in the United States, where the seller usually pays the real estate agent around five percent of the selling price, in Israel it is customary for the buyer to pay the Real Estate Agent a two percent commission. Add to that the Value Added Tax (VAT) which is 15.5% on top of the commission. In addition to VAT, there is also a Purchase Tax on property.

To read about these considerations, plus more when buying a property in Israel, check out a brief article at the Arutz Sheva website, written by Jerusalem Real Estate Agent, Baruch Finkelstein.

Can’t get credit in your country? Tried Israel lately?

Lyle Plocher — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:19:04 +0000

“In an amazing reversal of roles, Israel has become a powerful cash reservoir for many Diaspora Jews in this time of a cash crunch”. Those are the words of Israeli Real Estate Attorney, Haim Katz, a prominent Jerusalem Attorney in an article at jpost.com.

The article explains how it may be possible for foreign owners of property in Israel to obtain financing in Israel on their “free and clear” property holdings in Israel, during a time where they may not be able to re-finance a property in the U.S that has declined in value over the last few years.

You should read this very interesting article at jpost.com that also talks about some of the current lending practices in Israel.

Haim Katz has also authored a how-to book about buying property in Israel. find out more

If you own property in Israel that you may want to re-finance, send an e-mail to Lyle Plocher at lyle@buypropertyinisrael.com for a referral to a competent Mortgage Professional in Israel.

Real Estate prices in Israel may rise again later this year

buypropertyinisrael — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:11:13 +0000

That’s the prediction of Erez Cohen, Chairman of the Land Appraisal Association in Israel. According to Erez’s thinking, even though demand for real estate has been dropping off, supply will be dropping off more if builders don’t resume building at a sufficient pace.

Read what he had to say in an article at jpost.com