Frequently asked questions

A mortgage advisor guides you through the entire mortgage process: from mapping your financial situation, through building a fitting mortgage mix, to negotiating with the banks and on to signing. An independent advisor represents you — not the bank — and works to find the structure that's most right for you, in terms of monthly payment, total cost and flexibility over the years.

Nituv is an independent Israeli mortgage consulting firm operating since 2017, guiding families, buyers and home upgraders across the country. To date we have guided thousands of families, with a personal, professional approach and no dependence on any particular bank.

We guide four kinds of tracks: first-home buyers, home upgraders selling and buying in parallel, holders of an existing mortgage considering a refinance, and complex cases such as self-employed borrowers, non-standard income or a previous refusal. If you're not sure which track you belong to, simply reach out and we'll help place your starting point.

The banker represents the bank they work for and offers its products. An independent mortgage advisor represents you, compares alternatives across different financial institutions and negotiates on your behalf to reach the best terms for you — looking at your full financial picture, not at a single product.

It starts with an initial intro call, with no commitment, where we get to understand your situation and needs. The cost of the guidance depends on the scope and type of service required, and we spell it out transparently up front before anything moves forward. To book a call, reach us by phone, on WhatsApp or through the contact form on the site.

A pre-approval is the bank's initial confirmation of the amount it is willing to lend you as a mortgage, based on the details you declared. It doesn't commit you, and it is usually valid for a limited period of about three months, depending on the bank. It's worth obtaining before signing a purchase contract — that way you know in advance what budget you can truly stand behind, and you don't commit to a deal whose financing isn't assured.

The exact list varies between banks and by the type of file, but you'll usually need: the borrowers' ID cards, recent pay slips for salaried employees, bank-account statements for the last few months, a breakdown of existing loans and obligations, and documents on the property being purchased. Self-employed borrowers are usually also asked for tax assessments and income reports. Preparing the documents in an orderly way up front shortens and streamlines the process.

The timeline varies by bank, the complexity of the file and how complete the documents are. A pre-approval usually arrives within a few days, while the full process — from completing the documents, through final approval and appraisal, to signing and funding — usually takes several weeks. Orderly guidance and a well-prepared file shorten the timelines significantly.

The process usually includes the following steps: mapping your financial situation and setting a budget, obtaining a pre-approval, building a tailored mix, comparing offers and negotiating with the banks, final approval from the chosen bank, a property appraisal, signing the loan documents, registering the collateral and funding. With Nituv's guidance, we're with you at every one of these steps.

Under the Bank of Israel's current regulation, buyers of an only home can receive financing of up to 75% of the property's value — that is, equity of at least 25%. For home upgraders the cap is 70% financing, and for buyers of an investment home up to 50% financing. Higher equity usually improves the terms, and with the right planning you can make the most of what you have.

Under Bank of Israel guidelines, the mortgage's monthly payment cannot exceed half of the borrowers' disposable income, and in practice most banks tend to approve a payment of up to about 40% of net income. In addition, the maximum mortgage term is 30 years. The amount you'll actually receive also depends on your equity, income stability and the file's overall profile.

Purchase tax is a one-time tax paid to the state when buying a home, according to brackets set by law and updated from time to time. Buyers of an only home enjoy reduced brackets, including an exemption up to a certain threshold, while an additional home is taxed at higher rates from the first shekel. The tax is paid close to the transaction, so it's important to build it into your equity planning from the start — beyond the price of the home itself.

Beyond the price of the home and the purchase tax, it's worth budgeting in advance for lawyer's fees, the cost of a property appraiser when the bank requires a valuation, brokerage fees where relevant, the bank's mortgage file-opening fees, mortgage insurance, and moving and renovation expenses. Planning that accounts for all the costs up front prevents surprises and cash-flow pressure after the purchase.

The mix is how the mortgage is divided between different tracks — for example fixed rate, adjustable rate, and tracks that are CPI-linked or unlinked. The mix determines how much you pay each month, how much the mortgage costs in total, and how exposed you are to rate and CPI changes. The right mix is built around your starting point and your goals, not from a one-size-fits-all template.

The prime track is an adjustable-rate track tied to the prime rate — the Bank of Israel rate plus a fixed margin of 1.5%. When the Bank of Israel rate rises or falls, the track's monthly payment updates accordingly. The main advantages: the track isn't CPI-linked and usually carries no significant early-repayment fee, so it's flexible. The drawback: direct exposure to changes in the market interest rate.

In a CPI-linked track, the principal balance updates with the consumer price index — when there's inflation, the principal and the monthly payment grow accordingly, even if the rate itself is fixed. In an unlinked track, the principal is unaffected by the index and behaves more predictably. Linked tracks usually offer a lower nominal rate but pass the inflation risk on to you — which is why the balance between them is a central part of building the mix.

As of today, the Bank of Israel's key directives require that at least a third of the mortgage be at a fixed rate, that the adjustable-rate component reach at most two-thirds of the loan, and that the mortgage term not exceed 30 years. Alongside these are limits on the financing ratio and on the payment-to-income ratio. The rules are updated from time to time, so it's important to check the current state before making decisions.

It's worth checking a refinance when the monthly payment is no longer comfortable, when time has passed since you took the mortgage, or when market conditions have changed. A refinance can lower the payment, shorten the term or build a structure that better fits today's life — but it doesn't always pay off. We check the numbers soberly and recommend moving forward only when there's real value in it.

An early-repayment fee is a fee the bank may charge when a mortgage is repaid — in full or in part — before the end of the term. Its significant component is the discounting fee, charged mainly on fixed-rate tracks when the market rate on the day of repayment is lower than your rate. The fee's size depends on the track, the balance and the rate gap, and the bank can provide a detailed balance report that shows it. Checking the fees is an inseparable part of any refinance assessment.

Yes. You can make a partial early repayment — for example when a one-time sum comes in — and reduce the mortgage balance, the monthly payment or the term. The repayment is subject to the bank's terms and to early-repayment fees, whose size depends on the tracks in your mix. Before repaying, it's worth checking which tracks are most worthwhile to repay first, to maximize the savings.

Absolutely. Self-employed borrowers get mortgages all the time, but banks assess their income stability differently from salaried employees: you'll usually need tax assessments for recent years, up-to-date income reports and business track record. An orderly file that presents the financial picture the right way significantly improves the odds of approval and the terms — and this is exactly where professional guidance makes the difference.

A refusal from one bank is not the end of the road. Each bank has its own risk policy, and what was declined in one place may be approved in another. The first step is understanding the reason for the refusal — a high payment-to-income ratio, a credit-rating issue, missing documents or the nature of the income — and then fixing what can be fixed, rebuilding the file and approaching the right party the right way. Experienced guidance in such cases saves repeated mistakes.

Yes. Under the Bank of Israel's current regulation, an investment home (an additional home) can be financed at up to 50% of the property's value — meaning equity of at least half the price is required. Keep in mind that purchase tax on an additional home is also higher, so planning an investment deal has to account for the full picture: financing, taxation, expected yield and cash flow.

Yes — such a loan is usually called an "any-purpose mortgage": a loan on mortgage terms secured by a lien on an existing property, used for purposes like renovation, helping the kids or business needs. Under current regulation, an any-purpose loan is capped at a financing ratio of up to 50% of the mortgaged property's value. The terms, and whether it pays off, depend on the property's status, existing obligations and repayment capacity.