Is it worth buying an apartment in the Ahuza neighborhood in Haifa?
Madlan review
Horev Center.
Traffic jams in the morning, shopping during the day, entertainment in the evening
Photography:
Hanay, Wikipedia
Produced by the Department of Special Supplements
what's the story
Ahuza is an old and sought-after neighborhood on the Carmel ridge, established in the 1920s as the Herbert Samuel mansion (named after the first British High Commissioner), and soon became a suburb of Haifa.
The streets of the neighborhood meander from the main Moriah axis to the east and west, and the residents get a view of Haifa Bay or the Carmel coast, depending on the location of the house.
Residents of the neighborhood enjoy easy access to a variety of shopping and entertainment centers on Moriah Boulevard and the renovated Horev Center, as well as to the clinics and Carmel Hospital in the neighborhood.
The neighborhood has educational institutions, youth movement branches, synagogues and community centers. However, except for a few well-kept public gardens and the wadis of the Carmel ridge it does not have access to a large park. The winding and steep streets make walking around the neighborhood difficult.
Transportation and accessibility
In terms of transportation, the neighborhood is well connected, with almost direct access to roads that descend from the Carmel ridge and allow a quick exit from the city to the east and west.
Precisely because of the same accessibility, it has traffic congestion in the morning, especially on the Moriah axis and in the Horev Square area.
There is a parking shortage in the neighborhood, but at least in its western part it is expected to be resolved in the coming years with the opening of a public parking lot near Carmel Hospital, with about 140 parking spaces.
Public transportation is efficient and allows a convenient trip to employment and leisure centers, and because it is Haifa - it also operates on Saturdays.
In the streets, especially along the Moriah axis, many buses pass to a variety of destinations throughout the city.
The lines along Moriah should generally be more direct, while those passing through the inner streets tend to meander around the city, so the journey is longer.
A plan for the Matron's line (a public transportation system based on buses in an exclusive lane) on the Carmel ridge has been canceled, so no public transportation upgrade in the area is expected in the near future.
Population and young people
The neighborhood has mostly families and senior citizens, with the majority of the population being secular and a national religious minority.
In the last decade, the number of children in the neighborhood has increased by about 20%, but the population of young parents (ages 20-39) has decreased by about 5% - which indicates that young families have stopped moving to the neighborhood.
The new neighborhoods built on the western slopes of the Carmel ridge may be more attractive to them, especially given the new infrastructure and parks.
On the other hand, they do not have the variety of entertainment venues and shops that Ahuza offers.
Benefits
Many shopping centers, errands and entertainment.
Easy exit from the city to the west and east.
Good public transportation.
Streets are quiet as you move away from the Moriah axis.
Disadvantages
Parking shortage, especially in the area of Carmel Hospital and along Moriah Boulevard.
Traffic jams, especially in the morning.
There is no high school within walking distance (but the ride is relatively short).
It is difficult to walk because of the winding and steep streets.
Noisy residences near places of entertainment.
Supply and prices
In the last decade, the neighborhood has occupied a place of honor in demand in Haifa, and it seems that in recent years its position has even strengthened.
In the last 3 years, about 150 transactions have been conducted in it each year, making it one of the five leading neighborhoods in terms of transactions in the city.
The most common apartments are 4 and 5 rooms, and they make up about 70% of the transactions, which may indicate that it is more suitable for families and housing developers.
In the last 5 years, urban renewal has begun in the neighborhood under NPA 38: about 20 projects that have been completed and another 20 that are under construction have added about 250 new apartments. About 50 permit applications under NPA 38 are still in the planning stages, and are forthcoming Add about 500 new apartments.
The new projects, most of which (55%) are being built within the framework of TMA Reinforcement and Addition (38/1), are also adding 3-room apartments to the neighborhood, and are aimed at investors and young couples. 4, Smolenskin 28 and Sinai 26.
The price level has remained stable in recent years.
The average price for a 4-room apartment is in the region of NIS 1.5 million (approximately NIS 17,000 per square meter). New 4-room apartments are sold at an average price of approximately NIS 2.5 million (approximately NIS 22,000 per square meter) - a significant difference due to areas The new apartments, the standard of construction and the location.
Future Plans
As part of a residential project built between Smaluskin and Zalutzist streets, a public parking lot will be built near Carmel Hospital with about 140 parking spaces.
The parking lot is expected to alleviate the parking shortage in the area.
South of the hospital, a new residential complex called Lachish Stairs has been established in recent years.
Its construction is progressing, but there are still some plots left in it that are still awaiting development.
It is possible that a full occupancy of the complex will increase the traffic congestion in the west of the neighborhood.
The Matron, a high-speed bus system that travels on an exclusive route, was planned to pass through the Carmel ridge, but this plan was canceled.
However, there is still a need for a quality public transport system on the congested axis, so the project may become relevant again in the future.
The construction of such a line is accompanied by many long nuisances, including traffic disruptions, but when the works are completed, it will be possible to travel quickly by public transport and save time in traffic jams.
An opportunity for investors?
In recent years, investors in Haifa have preferred to focus on neighborhoods with lower apartment prices, such as the lower city and Hadar Carmel.
The prices at the mansion remain stable and have hardly risen in recent years.
Prices in the neighborhood are about 7% lower than in the nearby Vardia neighborhood, and it seems that they will still be able to reach these levels.
The bottom line is that investors will continue to look for cheaper opportunities.
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The numbers speak
Socio-economic index: 8 out of 10
Madeleine Meter for Education: 7.5 out of 10
Percentage of children in the neighborhood: 25%
Average price of a new 4-room apartment: NIS 2,500,000
Average price of a second-hand 4-room apartment: NIS 1,500,000
Produced by the Department of Special Supplements