“If you can wait to buy an apartment, wait,” Minister of Housing Uri Ariel said at the real estate convention in Tel Aviv today. “In a few months, prices will go down, due to many programs, foremost of which is target prices. In three months we will be ready to market thousands of housing units under the program, and we stand by our promises. At the end of 2014, check our numbers, and you will see that, compared to 2013, there will have been more marketing.” Ariel added that in 2016, there will greater housing supply in central Israel, and “I mean Rishon Lezion, Lod, and Yavneh,”
Ego levels are lower
Ariel spoke about the lack of cooperation that characterized the government in its previous term on housing prices. “There are twelve ministries involved in the apartment production process. There is no other product in which so many parties are involved. But now, ego levels are lower, and concern levels are higher. The trend of improvement will increase with time. We want to shorten the period of uncertainty, and we will make an effort to pass the zero-VAT law quickly, but it will take a few months. The law will only reach the Knesset in two months, and it takes time.”
Potential for thousands of apartments
Ariel added that “We have the potential to build thousands of housing units in all the older cities under urban renewal plans - to take old neighborhoods, move people out of the old public housing buildings, and build new buildings in their place. We will place increasing emphasis on this. In Yehud alone there is potential for 4,000 housing units under urban renewal plans.”
Regarding matters of diplomacy and the negotiations with the Palestinians, Ariel said: “We don’t always have to blame ourselves for the failures of others. Sadly, Abu Mazen is not a partner.” Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 8, 2014 © Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2014