Why buy in Judea and Shomron?
Judea and Shomron are two beautiful areas in the land of Israel. In total about 500 000 Jews are living here in nearly 200 different communities. You can find everything from secular to ultra-orthodox people. Housing prices here are less than if you decide to live on the other side of the so-called green line. How expensive housing is depends on where you want to live. As closer you get to for example Jerusalem or any other city as more expensive the housing will be. But anyhow it is much more affordable than living inside a city. Where in a city can you get a private home for less than 2 million shekels that you can for example get in most of the communities in Har Hevron? Nowhere. You can barely get a two-room apartment for that price. But as mentioned before, as closer to the city you get as more expensive housing is. But it is still at least 35 % cheaper than to buy in the city.
Why live in a community in Judea and Shomron?
Life in a community in Judea and Shomron is much more than only a home. It is a community where everyone is a part of it. Your neighbors are your friends and everyone helps each other. You are never alone. When living in a city you are mainly alone. In a community settlement, you have a lot of common activities. For example, in many communities, Yom Ha´azmaut is celebrated together. The whole community is having a celebration together. This is very unique and very nice. Also, Lag Ba´omer is usually celebrated with a common bonfire for the whole community and afterward, the kids have their own as well.
I know the importance of having the community with me. When I got divorced I never felt alone. The community helped me during this dark period. Not one day went by without people in the community checking in on me. This is something that I don´t think you will ever find in a city.
Where to buy in Judea and Shomron?
Where to buy your dream home depends on what your needs are. Are you looking for communities with a lot of English speakers probably Gush Etzion south of Jerusalem is the right place for you to live? In the communities there you have a very big number of immigrants from mainly English-speaking countries. Housing prices are high here because of great demand and the closeness to Jerusalem. If you want to live mainly among Israelies Har Hevron or Shomron would suit you better. Prices are much lower and life is much different. Many of the communities in Shomron, mainly in the mountains surrounding Schrem are very idealistic ones. Here Torah is often very strung and worldliness is less. You will seldom see huge houses and fancy cars. People are mainly living here for idealistic reasons. In Binyamin, you have many very nice communities. One that I really like is Kochav HaShachar about half an hour from Jerusalem. A beautiful community with a great mixture of immigrants and born Israelis.
The best thing is to have a list of what you are looking for in a community. Then I would suggest that you speak with someone at Nefesh B´Nefesh who can guide you in the right direction.
Good luck with your house-hunting!!
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