Many buyers following Carmei Gat from abroad have been holding off, waiting for the shekel to weaken before they commit. It is a reasonable instinct when you are converting savings for one of the largest purchases of your life. But the exchange rate is only one part of the picture, and in 2026 several other parts of the local market have moved in the buyer's direction at the same time.
For buyers from abroad, the current market is a chance to get in on better terms than in recent years. Prices on many apartments have been lowered. Unique properties such as gardens, penthouses and single-family homes have not risen again this year. Interest rates have fallen.
Here is what each of those changes means in practice, and where the exchange rate fits into the decision.
Prices on many apartments have come down
Over the past year, many of the standard apartments listed in Carmei Gat have been reduced from their original asking prices. Not every listing has moved, and well-located units still sell quickly. Overall, though, buyers today have more room to negotiate and more choice than they had during the growth of recent years.
That growth was steep. The average recorded transaction in Carmei Gat rose from approximately NIS 1.2 million in 2020 to approximately NIS 2.2 million in 2025. A year in which many sellers are adjusting their prices downward is a change from that pattern, and it gives buyers more negotiating power than they have had in some time.
For a buyer from abroad, that shows up in more than the headline price. Sellers who have already lowered their price are often more open on other terms as well, such as the payment schedule, the handover date, or what stays in the apartment. Buyers also have more time to compare similar units across the community before choosing, which matters when you are deciding from a distance.
Why some sellers are accepting less
Part of the reason is investors. Some investors who bought in Carmei Gat during the growth years are now selling at lower prices so they can buy in other markets where prices have also softened. They sell low in one place to buy low in another, so the lower price they accept here is offset by the discount they get elsewhere.
For a buyer, this means some well-kept apartments are coming to market from sellers whose priority is timing, not holding out for a peak price. Demand for the community itself remains strong: Carmei Gat is the largest building project in Israel since Modi'in, and more than 300 English-speaking families have already chosen to live here.
Why buyers from abroad are in a different position
Families who sell a home in Israel in order to buy another face a softer market on both sides of the deal, since it affects the price they pay and the price they receive. Buyers bringing funds from abroad do not have that offset. There is no sale on the other side of the transaction, so lower asking prices work in their favor in full.
Gardens, penthouses and single-family homes have held steady
The premium end of the market has behaved differently. Garden apartments, penthouses and single-family homes have not dropped in price, but they have not risen again this year either.
That matters because these properties are scarce. Private homes and garden apartments are concentrated in the established south of Carmei Gat, and no private home projects are currently planned for the newer northern development. In recent years, buyers looking for private outdoor space often found that prices moved up between their first viewing and their decision. A flat year gives a buyer from abroad time to compare options, plan a visit, and negotiate terms without the price climbing in the meantime.
Interest rates have fallen
The Bank of Israel has cut its benchmark rate several times since late 2025, bringing it to its lowest level since 2022. An Israeli mortgage, or mashkanta, usually combines several tracks with different interest structures, and the prime-linked track moves with the benchmark rate. Lower rates mean lower monthly payments on that part of the loan.
Buyers from abroad who plan to finance part of the purchase with an Israeli mortgage should know that terms for foreign residents differ from those for Israeli residents, including how much of the purchase price a bank will lend. Lower rates improve the numbers, but the terms available to you are worth checking early, before you commit to a specific property. Deborah connects buyers with the right mortgage specialist to structure the mashkanta for their situation.
Where the exchange rate fits in
For buyers converting dollars, pounds or euros, the exchange rate is a real part of the cost. The shekel has been strong through 2026, which means foreign currency buys fewer shekels than it did a few years ago.
The difficulty is that the exchange rate is one variable among several, and it is the one nobody can predict. A buyer who waits for a better rate may get it, and still find that the reduced apartment they had in mind has sold, or that the seller is no longer flexible.
A simple illustration shows how the two compare. On an apartment listed at NIS 2,000,000, a 5 percent price reduction saves NIS 100,000. That is about the same saving a buyer would get from a 5 percent move in the exchange rate. The difference is that the price reduction is available now, on a specific property, while the exchange rate move may or may not come.
There are also practical ways to manage currency exposure without putting the whole decision on hold. Property payments in Israel are usually made in stages according to a payment schedule set in the contract, and on-paper purchases often spread payments across the construction period. Funds do not all have to be converted on a single day. For families moving funds from overseas, Deborah introduces buyers to money transfer professionals who understand Israeli property transactions and can help plan conversions around that schedule.
Is it worth waiting?
The decision should rest on the full picture rather than on a single number. Weigh several factors before concluding that it is worth waiting to get into the market, because it may not be.
For a buyer from abroad, those factors usually include:
The price of the specific property you want, compared with what similar properties sold for over the past year
Your financing terms as a foreign resident at today's interest rates
The exchange rate, and how you plan to convert funds across the payment schedule
Your purchase tax position, which depends on your residency status and timing
Your own timeline, including when your family plans to move or when you want the property rented out
Waiting is the right decision for some buyers. If you have not yet visited, have not settled on Carmei Gat or on which part of the community suits you, or your finances are not ready, there is no reason to rush. If your main reason for waiting is the exchange rate alone, run the numbers on a specific property to see what the wait is likely to cost you.
Buying from abroad with someone on the ground
In a buyer's market, the advantage goes to buyers who know which reductions represent real value. A lower asking price is only a good deal if it compares well with what similar properties have sold for, and if the building has no issues that would surface only after the keys are handed over. From abroad, you cannot walk past the building on a weekday morning, see the street on a Shabbat afternoon, or hear from neighbors how the va'ad bayit is run.
Deborah lives in Carmei Gat and has worked in its property market since the community was taking shape. She knows which developers built which projects, how construction quality has varied across the phases of the community, and which sellers have priced where the market is today. She coordinates the bedek bayit, introduces buyers to trusted property lawyers for contract review, and manages viewings and negotiations on the ground while the family is still abroad. Shalom Buyit has guided families through purchases completed entirely from overseas, including a multigenerational home bought remotely by an American family who arrived to find the keys ready.
Weighing a purchase in Carmei Gat from abroad? Book a discovery call with Deborah Michael of Shalom Buyit to go over current listings, recent price changes, and what the numbers look like for your situation. We are waiting for you in Carmei Gat!
