Number of new homes sold Contractors in May-July 2019 amounted to -7900 apartments - an increase of 5.3% compared with the previous three months (February-April 2019). According to figures published today (Sunday), CBS.

After seasonal adjustment, holidays and days of the original data, there are signs in this period 0.2% decline in new home sales by contractors, compared to the previous three months.

However, trend data (estimated by removing the effect of "noise" seasonally adjusted), show that in April 2018 was a rising trend in new home sales on an upward trend of 2.5% per month, from March 2018 until May 2019.

New apartments in Kiryat Ono Photo: Carmit Feller

At the same time, the present report includes a second month, transactions reported to the tax authority, which also include transactions prior to obtaining a building permit (i.e. transactions not included in the monthly data published by the CBS, the quantity demanded of new dwellings).

At that rate, the period under review were reported in approximately -8510 transactions of sale of new apartments - a decline of 3% compared to approximately -8780 transactions reported in the three months preceding them.

CBS explained that the gap between the data may be due to the execution of transactions before the receipt of a permit, and change settings such as the inclusion of the transaction as part of a group purchase transactions - transactions for the purchase of an apartment and transactions have been canceled.

New homes sold contractors accounted for 66.7% of the total demand for new apartments on the market. The rest, 33.3% (3,950 dwellings) were not for sale apartments whose construction began during this period (for personal use of a ground building rights, purchasing groups, rent, housing facilities, associations, hostels and dorm rooms). The total requested number of new apartments stood at 11 850 apartments in April-June - a decline of 9% compared with the previous three months.

Kfar Ganim neighborhood in Petah Tikva Photo: Gilad Kavalerchik

About a quarter of the demand - Central District

By geographical location, about a quarter of total demand recorded in the central district with about 2,829 apartments, of which approximately 2,000 new dwellings sold by contractors. In second place was new home sales Haifa - 1,744 apartments, and in the third district of Tel Aviv with about 1,520 apartments.

North County recorded about 15% of total demand, although the percentage of new homes sold was only 29%, which is about 500 apartments. The Jerusalem district recorded only approximately 8% of the total requested number of new apartments are 900 apartments, of which 700 new dwellings sold by the contractors.

Top localities where there was an increase in new home sales compared with the previous three months (February - April 2019) were: Beit Shemesh (15 apartments to -236 dwellings), Beersheba (from -163 to -621 apartments, a jump of 280%), Harish (from -169 to -356 dwellings, an increase of 110%) and Ramat Gan (from -163 to -340 apartments - an increase of 108%). However, at the top of the eye, Herzliya, Or Yehuda Tirat Carmel decline in new home sales.

The figures also show that the number of new apartments for sale privately initiated at the end of July 2019 at approximately -25 840 apartments, compared with 26,019 apartments at the end of June 2019 and -29,493 in late July 2018 (the same period).

Several months of supply - that is the number of months until all dwellings for sale in private construction sold, stands at 14.9 months on average (weighted), assuming a sale in these months will be the same as the rate of sales recorded during July 2019.