Methodology and sources
Every amount, bracket and rate published on this site is checked against an official source, dated, and updated when it changes. Here is how, concretely.
The sources we use
In order of priority. When two sources disagree, the higher one in this list wins, and the page says so.
| Source | What we take from it | Check frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Israel Tax Authority (gov.il) | Purchase tax (mas rechisha) and capital gains tax (mas shevach) brackets, thresholds, filing and payment deadlines, statuses (only home, oleh, non-resident) | At every new bracket publication (January) and every amendment |
| Bank of Israel (boi.org.il) | Policy rate, prime rate, banking supervision directives (loan-to-value caps, minimum fixed share, payment-to-income), inflation | After every rate decision (8 a year) and every directive |
| Central Bureau of Statistics (cbs.gov.il) | Average home prices by city, home price index, consumer price index (madad), construction cost index | Quarterly for prices, monthly for indices |
| Kol Zchut (kolzchut.org.il) | Rights of the buyer, the tenant, the oleh; administrative procedures | Quarterly |
| Nevo (nevo.co.il) and the Official Gazette | Statutes (Sale Law, Real Estate Taxation Law, Housing Loans Law), case law cited | At every reference |
| Bank websites (Mizrahi-Tefahot, Leumi, Hapoalim, Discount, Bank of Jerusalem) | Published rate sheets, terms for non-residents and olim, fees | Monthly |
| Municipalities | Zoning plans, urban-renewal projects, arnona | Every six months, per city page |
Price ranges by neighbourhood do not come from a single official source: they are built from transactions declared to the Tax Authority (public database), current listings, and review by agents who work the neighbourhood. They are presented as orders of magnitude, never as certified averages. When the Central Bureau of Statistics publishes an average price for a city, that is what is quoted; otherwise the page says so.
“Observed” mortgage rates are ranges taken from real offers in the current month, passed on by partner brokers and anonymised. They are not a promise: your rate depends on your file.
The dating rule
Every page carries two dates: publication and last update. Every sensitive figure carries its own date in the text or in the “figures to remember” block (“November 2026”, “Q1 2026”, “brackets frozen until 15 January 2028”). A figure without a date is a figure you can challenge: report it.
Amounts in dollars or pounds are indicative conversions at the rate of the moment (about ₪3.6 to the dollar in November 2026), rounded, and always preceded by “≈”. Amounts in shekels are the reference.
The verification circuit
- Writing from the sources above, with the link to each source kept in the page.
- Checking the figures: every bracket, rate and threshold is recalculated on a case (the worked examples on the pages serve that purpose too) and compared with the official text.
- Professional review of the technical pages (tax, contract, credit) by a practising real estate lawyer or mortgage broker. They review for accuracy; they do not write and are not named.
- Publication with the sources at the bottom of the page, the dates, and the Hebrew vocabulary explained at its first occurrence.
Updates
Three triggers: a change at the source (new bracket, rate decision, quarterly price release), a report from a reader or a partner, and a scheduled review of every page at least every six months. An update changes the date at the top of the page and, when substantial, is flagged in the text (“what changes in 2027”).
The tools (mortgage calculator, purchase tax calculator) use the same reference figures as the pages: when a bracket changes, the tool changes the same day.
What we do not do
- We do not advise on your file. The pages explain the rules and the orders of magnitude; a lawyer, a broker or a tax advisor applies them to your case.
- We do not predict the market. “Is now a good time?” gets facts (prices, rates, inventory), not a forecast.
- We do not sell properties and take no commission on a sale. Partner developers pay for the referral, not a percentage of the price.
- We do not let a partner change a page. Sponsored content would be flagged as such; there is none to date.
- We do not recommend a professional we have not qualified: real estate specialisation, independence from sellers for lawyers, experience with remote files.
- We do not cover general taxation (income tax, retirement, the US–Israel and UK–Israel tax treaties, FBAR/FATCA): that is the domain of Shekel Guide, to which the pages link.
Reporting an error
An outdated figure, a dead link, a rule described wrongly: write to us with the page address and the source that seems to contradict the text. Corrections are generally made within 72 hours and dated.
Go further: the 2026 mas rechisha brackets, this month’s mortgage rates, who we are.