Tzvi Shapiro

About Tzvi Shapiro

Tzvi first came to Israel in 1995 from Passaic, NJ. He completed his B.S. in New York at the Sy Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University before returning to Israel. Prior to co-founding First Israel Mortgage, Tzvi served in numerous managerial and operational roles spanning the banking and financial industries.

Three Mortgage Strategies to save money

1) Mix up your mortgage product term length:
Fixed rate loans are cheaper the shorter the duration, while adjustable rate loans are typically the same rate – regardless of the term.

If you plan to take a 20 year term comprising of both fixed and variable rates (short-term variable rate loans have no pre-payment penalty), take a 15 […]

By |September 3rd, 2016|Points of Interest|Comments Off on Three Mortgage Strategies to save money

The cost of living in Israel

The “expense chart” of a married man and father of four which outlines basic family expenses of more than 26,000 NIS monthly and exemplifies how even Israeli earners in the top 10 percentile are deteriorating into overdraft and financial trouble.

The social protests, which started with cottage cheese and Facebook and continues with the “tent […]

By |March 16th, 2015|Hot Topics|0 Comments

Put your trust in property – but put your property in trust

The (slightly misquoted) saying of Oliver Wendell Holmes in the headline precisely reflects the opportunity afforded to foreigners who are buying properties in Israel, which is due to the mini-reform of the trust legislation in this country.

But what is a trust, and why would you need one to buy a home in Israel?

A trust […]

By |December 16th, 2013|Israel Real Estate News|Comments Off on Put your trust in property – but put your property in trust

“Mr. Fischer: Let the people refinance”

An economic slowdown in Israel combined with a steadily appreciating Shekel have prompted the Bank of Israel to lower interest rates four times in the last twelve months in an attempt to stimulate the economy and weaken the Shekel.

However, the Bank of Israel has clearly stated that the moves are not intended to boost […]

By |December 16th, 2013|Points of Interest|Comments Off on “Mr. Fischer: Let the people refinance”

Abandoned Aliya: Don’t blame a missing house

This article was printed in the “Op-Ed Contributors” section of the Jpost.com 9/16/2013

Abandoning the life-long dream of aliya is an over-reaction to very real, sometimes foreboding problems.

In her thought-provoking column last week, Adina Siperman raises genuine challenges while announcing her family’s termination of their aliya dream.

The main obstacle, she wrote, was that she didn’t […]

By |December 16th, 2013|Israel Real Estate News|Comments Off on Abandoned Aliya: Don’t blame a missing house

Monitors and Mortgages

More often than not, “simple” choices aren’t as simple as they seem.

Having opened up our second location on King George Street, one of the busiest streets in Jerusalem, we felt it would be a good idea to install flat screen monitors in our window displaying current mortgage rates and terms.

We assumed that the purchase […]

By |December 19th, 2012|Points of Interest|Comments Off on Monitors and Mortgages

Fischer signals tougher measures to limit mortgages

Measures taken so far to limit mortgages were a first step and relatively moderate, says the Bank of Israel in excepts published today on macroprudential policy that will appear in its Annual Report, which will be published on March 30.

The Bank of Israel says, “During 2010, the Supervisor of Banks announced a series of steps […]

By |December 27th, 2011|Points of Interest|Comments Off on Fischer signals tougher measures to limit mortgages

Inflation and your Mortgage in Israel

Consumer inflation figures in Israel are out and they are not pretty.

Inflation has risen 4.2% in Israel over the last 12 months-way above the Bank of Israel’s comfort range of 1-3%.

The news is prompting many analysts to raise their forecasts for short-term interest rates.

Forecasters now predict the Bank of Israel Prime rate will jump […]

By |December 27th, 2011|Israel Real Estate News|Comments Off on Inflation and your Mortgage in Israel

Israel Mortgage Rate Update

For those borrowers looking for US Dollar based loans, LIBOR loans are now available for foreigners as low as LIBOR+1.8% on the ENTIRE loan amount.

Being able to take the entirety of the loan in a variable rate represents a tremendous benefit, as most lenders are unable to provide more than 1/3 of the loan […]

By |December 16th, 2011|Points of Interest|Comments Off on Israel Mortgage Rate Update

Say “NO” to a Zichron Dvarim

Imagine it is the last day of your short trip to Israel. Finally, you see that dream apartment you were looking for; perhaps a penthouse with a view of the sea.

It might even have a winding staircase and a guestroom on the roof with the perfect rooftop terrace. The seller or agent suggests that […]

By |December 16th, 2011|Israel Real Estate News|Comments Off on Say “NO” to a Zichron Dvarim