In recent months, Ashkelon has become the top city in Israel for sales of new homes, according to figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics. In the period September-November 2020, 793 new homes were sold in the city.
This represents a rise of 2.6% in comparison with the period June-August 2020, when 773 new homes were sold in Ashkelon. In this period too, Ashkelon was the leader nationally. It should be pointed out that many home sales took place in Ashkelon in the subsidized "Buyer Price" program.
Yael Dekel-Henig, VP of marketing at construction company Efgad, which builds in Ashkelon, says that there are several reasons for the rate of new home sales there. "There is considerable momentum in the city and it continues to grow, and that has continued to strengthen migration to it in recent years, mainly from nearby Ashdod," she says. She says that huge neighborhoods being built in the city appeal to young people and are attractively priced.
She also mentions that access to the city has improved. "The outstanding example is the Ashkelon North interchange, which considerably shortens the time and distance to the center of the country. The coronavirus pandemic has also undoubtedly affected buyers, and I think that a substantial portion of the deals in the past few months results from couples and families taking a fresh look and realizing that in the era of working from home, and with lifestyles changing, it is possible and even desirable to leave behind the crowded center in favor of quality of life and open spaces, nature, and the wonderful beach strip that Ashkelon has, and you could say that people have rediscovered this city," Dekel-Henig says.
In second place in the new home sales league is Tel Aviv, where 563 new homes were sold in the period September-November. Despite the high ranking, this figure represents a 3.3% decline in comparison with the previous three months.
Third placed is Rishon LeZion, where 552 new homes were sold in the period, representing a rise of 23% in comparison with the previous three months. Other cities with high sales figures for new homes are Bet Shemesh, Ramla, Harish, and Jerusalem.
In other places, sales were particularly low in the September-November 2020 period. One of these is Hadera, where 154 new homes were sold, although this represents a 100% increase over the previous three months, when just 76 new homes were sold in the city.
Another city with low sales is Holon, where 157 new homes were sold in the period.
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 11,360 new homes were sold nationwide in the period in question, 7.3% more than in the previous three-month period. That period, June-August, was a complex one, coming just after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Israel, which had almost completely shut down the economy in the previous two months.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 14, 2021
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