City file · The German Colony (Moshava Germanit), Jerusalem
German Colony Jerusalem real estate: buying an apartment from abroad
The German Colony area profile, real drive-through footage, market analysis and every new development — filmed street by street, so you can see the Templer houses, the gardens and Emek Refaim before you ever land.
Jerusalem's most internationally owned neighbourhood
The German Colony was founded by German Templers in the 1870s, and its original stone houses with tiled roofs and inscribed lintels still define the streets around Emek Refaim. It is the most expensive residential neighbourhood in south Jerusalem and the one with the highest concentration of overseas ownership in the city.
That last fact shapes everything: the cafes on Emek Refaim, the price level, the availability of stock in any given month, and the feeling of certain streets between chagim. It is beautiful, central and quiet — sometimes quieter than buyers expect.
the German Colony at a glance
The numbers a buyer abroad usually asks for first.
Area profile
The streets of the German Colony
A small neighbourhood where street and building type decide almost everything. There is very little land and almost no new construction.
Emek Refaim
The main street: cafes, shops and constant activity. Convenient and lively, with the noise and parking pressure that comes with it.
Central · livelyThe Templer houses
Original nineteenth-century stone homes on Emek Refaim and the streets around it, with gardens and inscribed lintels. Scarce, protected in character and extremely expensive.
Historic · scarcestThe garden streets
Lloyd George, Cremieux and the quieter roads off the main street — stone buildings, mature planting and the neighbourhood's most desirable ordinary stock.
Prime · quietThe Mandate-era blocks
1930s and 1940s buildings, often beautifully proportioned, sometimes without a lift or parking. The practical entry point to the neighbourhood.
Period · entryThe Baka boundary
The southern edge, where the German Colony becomes Baka and prices begin to soften — worth walking before paying for the address.
Edge · comparative valueNew and renewed buildings
A small number of contemporary projects with lifts, parking and a mamad. Rare enough that they set their own price.
New product · very scarceGetting in and out
Everything on foot
This is one of the few Jerusalem neighbourhoods where a household can function without a car, which is a large part of what buyers are paying for.
We film the commute rather than quoting it: the drive-through strand includes timed runs from the German Colony at real rush-hour times, not off-peak best cases.
Projects
New construction and off-plan in the German Colony
There is very little new construction. The neighbourhood is protected in character, land is effectively unavailable, and most activity is renovation, restoration and occasional renewal of the few unprotected blocks.
Restoring a Templer or Mandate-era property is a specialist undertaking with heritage constraints and real costs. From abroad it should not be attempted without an architect and surveyor experienced in exactly that.
Market analysis
What apartments in the German Colony actually cost
The German Colony is among the most expensive addresses in Jerusalem. Fixed supply and sustained overseas demand keep it there, largely independently of the domestic market cycle.
Because so little trades, individual comparables matter far more than any average. Ask what actually sold on the street, not what is being asked.
Fixed supply and heavy overseas demand mean this market does not track the domestic cycle closely. Use recorded street-level comparables, not city averages.
Remote purchase
Buying in the German Colony without being in Israel
More buyers here purchase from abroad than in almost any Jerusalem neighbourhood. The checks that get missed are parking, lift access, building running costs and the true condition of a period property.
See it properly before you fly
Filmed neighbourhood files, uncut drives and walkthroughs do the work a viewing trip cannot: they show you the street at 8am, the walk to the shul, the building site next door and what the block actually backs onto.
Get the tax position straight first
What you pay in purchase tax depends on whether you buy as an oleh, as a resident, or as a non-resident — and on the German Colony prices the difference runs to serious money. Settle it before you make an offer, not after.
Sort the mortgage from abroad early
Non-resident lending rules, loan-to-value limits and the paperwork Israeli banks want from foreign income all take longer than buyers expect. Start it in parallel with the search, not after you sign.
Understand what a power of attorney does and doesn't cover
You can complete a purchase in Israel without being in the country, but the scope of the authority you grant, and how it is executed and notarised where you live, is something to get right in advance.
Plan for owning it from where you live
Rental income, the tax track you elect, arnona, house committee, and who holds the keys when a tenant calls at 2am — the purchase is the short part; owning from abroad is the long part.
the German Colony property questions we get asked
Why is the German Colony so expensive?
Fixed supply of protected nineteenth-century and Mandate-era housing, a walkable central location, and sustained overseas demand. Very little trades in any given year.
Is it quiet out of season?
Parts of it, yes. A high share of ownership is overseas, and some streets are noticeably emptier between chagim — something worth seeing on film before buying.
What is a Templer house?
An original nineteenth-century stone home built by the German Templers who founded the neighbourhood, typically with a tiled roof, garden and inscribed lintel. They are scarce and protected in character.
Is there new construction?
Very little. Most activity is renovation and restoration, with a small number of contemporary projects that set their own price.
How does it compare with Baka?
They adjoin and share much of the same character. The German Colony is generally more expensive with more overseas ownership; Baka is larger, more varied and has far more renewal activity.
Can I buy here from abroad?
Yes, and many owners are non-resident. Check parking, lift access, building running costs and the condition of any period property with independent professionals.