What's being built in Efrat
The council lists three projects (Zayit (opens in a new tab); Tamar (opens in a new tab); Te'ena (opens in a new tab)):
- Mordot HaZayit: about 750 homes with schools, gans, shuls, sheltered housing, a commercial centre and a large park. Still in planning.
- Tamar North: 193 homes.
- Te'ena slopes: 32 homes.
The council's economic company develops the sites and the Ministry of Housing markets the land. Every building in Efrat must be faced in Jerusalem stone with a red tiled roof (Hebrew Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)).
Where olim look
NBN names all seven givot (Zayit, Tamar, Dagan, Dekel, Rimon, Gefen and Te'ena) as popular with olim, and points to Madlan and Yad2 for rentals and purchases (Yad2 has its own English guides) (NBN (opens in a new tab)). The givot comparison and the neighbourhood matcher can help you narrow it down.
The yishuvim are different
The regional council's English housing page says that how easy it is to find a home, and what it costs, varies from yishuv to yishuv, and that several yishuvim have projects under construction. It links to a list of rent and sale groups and new projects (council (opens in a new tab)). The council also says the region's population has doubled in the past decade (council (opens in a new tab)).
Many yishuvim have an admissions process:
- Elazar's site lists a community admissions committee and an olim absorption committee (Elazar (opens in a new tab)).
- Alon Shvut's site has a "request for resident confirmation" form (Alon Shvut (opens in a new tab)).
- Rosh Tzurim invites prospective residents to get in touch through its website (Rosh Tzurim (opens in a new tab)).
Ask the regional council's olim team (02-9959409) early; helping you choose a community and housing is part of what they do.
Bills when you move in
In Efrat, arnona is charged to whoever holds the property, per calendar year. Tell the collections department (02-9939326) when you move in, and tell the water department if the number of people registered at the property is wrong, because the reduced water tariff follows it (arnona (opens in a new tab); water (opens in a new tab)). Use the cost-of-living worksheet to add it all up.
