The Mechir L’Mishtaken Lottery Is Back!

After a six-month pause caused by political delays, the popular Mechir L’Mishtaken housing lottery (also known as Dira Behanacha) reopened this morning, offering more than 7,600 discounted apartments across over 20 cities throughout Israel. Since launching in 2015, this program has helped more than 100,000 Israelis realize their dream of homeownership.

What Is the Mechir L’Mishtaken Lottery?

Mechir L’Mishtaken also known as Dira Behanacha or Mechir Le’Matara is a government program designed to help first-time Israelis buyers buy brand-new apartments at prices significantly below the usual market rate and with a lower-than-typical down payment.

The catch? Since there are more people interested in these apartments than there are apartments available, you go into a lottery system to win them.

Who Can Participate in the lottery?

You can’t own an apartment in your name and additionally, you must meet one of these criteria:

• Be at least 35 years old
• Be married or planning to marry within the next three months
• Divorced with a child living at home

Applicants with “priority status” gain a better ranking in the lottery. This includes:

• Residents who have lived in the lotteries city for at least three consecutive years (or four years out of the last 10)
• People with mobility disabilities
• Active reservists (Millium Pa’il). This current lottery will include up to 50% of the apartments (mainly in the periphery, up to 35% in the center) to be reserved for active reservists, with about 25% will be allocated exclusively to combat soldiers.

The Advantages of Mechir L’Mishtaken:

• Discounted purchase price: Apartments go for well below market rates.
• Lower down payments: For apartments priced up to ₪1,450,000, you need just ₪100,000 down; for apartments between ₪1,450,000 and ₪1,800,000, the mortgage can be as high as ₪1,350,000 with the remainder paid as down payment. Over 1.8M, you get a regular 75% mortgage.
• Government grants: Buyers in peripheral areas may qualify for government grants between ₪40,000 and ₪60,000 (which can be deducted from the required down payment).

The Disadvantages of Mechir L’Mishtaken:

• Long wait times: Apartments are won “on paper” when you buy, meaning city planning approvals and construction take years.
• Limited location choice: You can only select up to three cities per lottery round.
• Uncertainty: Buying this early in the process means accepting risk around project timing and delivery.

How to Register for the Lottery:

Eligibility approval can be requested online until September 4, 2025. The one-time eligibility application costs ₪200 and is valid for one year (with 1 year extensions costing ₪50 per year). Registration is fully digital through companies like Milgam, Oaks, and Maof, but you can do it at their offices in-person as well. Once registered, you’ll choose up to three cities where you want to enter the lottery (for this currently, you have until September 14^th to choose your 3 cities). Then, it’s a matter of waiting for the draw and doing a lot of praying in order to win!