Median Time to Sell an Apartment in Israel Hits Record 103 Days Amid Slowdown
Madlan data reveals that the median time to sell an apartment in Israel has reached a record 103 days, with sellers increasingly forced to offer discounts and navigate strict tax deadlines.
When selling an apartment in Israel, time plays a crucial role. A seller who has not yet purchased a new property can afford to wait and hold firm on the asking price. However, the dynamics shift dramatically when a person has already bought a new apartment and must offload their old one within a specific timeframe, often leading to price concessions.
The 24-Month Rule and Financial Risks
There are two primary reasons why time is of the essence for a secondary home seller. First, Israeli law grants a window of 24 months to sell the old apartment. Failing to do so reclassifies the buyer as an investor, triggering an 8% purchase tax on the second property. This steep penalty can destabilize the buyer's finances and occasionally force a costly cancellation of the deal.
Second, cash flow pressures mount if the sale stalls. Sellers may be forced to seek bridge loans or additional mortgage financing to complete their new purchase, exposing them to significant financial risk. While brokers previously estimated that selling an apartment took between 3 to 6 months, current market conditions demand caution, with exclusivity periods stretching to six months or more.
Rising Days on Market and Price Reductions
Data from Madlan published by ice reveals how long it takes Israelis to sell an apartment. The median time from listing to a finalized deal has steadily climbed, reaching a peak of 103 days this year.
In 2022, apartments sold in a median of 74 days, or roughly two and a half months. By 2023, that figure rose to 81 days despite a market slowdown, jumping further to 96 days in 2024 and 98 days in 2025 before hitting 103 days.
Despite the slowdown, the data uncovers a surprising nuance: a quarter of all apartments on the market still sell in under two months. Meanwhile, average price discounts have stabilized at around 4.8%, compared to the peak discount of 5.2% in 2023 and a minimal 2.8% discount seen during the booming market of 2022.
Another telling indicator of market deceleration is the share of apartments sold at the original asking price. This year, only 8.4% of apartments fetched the full asking price, a sharp contrast to 2022, when over a quarter of properties sold at the seller's initial demand during a textbook seller's market.
