Housing demand up 13% in December

New home sales rose 10% in 2010.
Housing demand rose 13% in December 2010, compared with November of the same year, the Central Bureau of Statistics in Israel reported today,

21,498 new homes (both privately and publicly built) were sold in 2010, 10% more than the 19,975 new homes sold in 2009.

Petah Tikva was the city with the highest demand for new homes in 2010, at 2,453 apartments, of which 2,268 were sold. It was followed by Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Ashkelon (where sales almost doubled compared with 2009), Netanya, Rishon LeZion, Kfar Saba, Ashdod, Rehovot, and Beersheva.