Blog Post | Korenfld Real Estate Suite

This guide is for construction-company CEOs, sales and marketing managers, developers and contractors, including foreign and English-speaking investors and project marketers, weighing a Mechir Matara tender in Eilat or holding one. Not for home buyers: for those who must sell the project and hit its targets.

A Mechir Matara project can look like it sells itself. In practice, winning the tender is only the start. Winners must be handled under binding deadlines, while the open-market units, a key profit driver, must sell at full price.

Important note: General information, not legal or appraisal advice. Binding rules are the tender terms, the Israel Land Council Decisions Compilation and the Ministry of Construction and Housing lottery regulations, as in force. Checked against the Compilation as updated 4 August 2026.[2]

In this article:

What is Mechir Matara
Why specialization matters
Challenges in Eilat
Open-market sales
The sales operation
When to add a local partner
Korenfld Properties
Invitation to developers

What is the Mechir Matara program?

A land-marketing method, not just a "buyer discount"

Mechir Matara ("Target Price") is a track for tendering state land for multi-family housing with discounted units, under sub-chapter 4.7 of the Israel Land Council decisions. The Israel Land Authority (ILA) appraiser sets a value per built m², the developer undertakes to sell the Mechir Matara units to eligible buyers at the tender discount, and bidders compete on the highest land price.[2]

As a rule, 80% of units go to eligible buyers (the Planning and Development Committee may change this); the rest sell on the open market.[2] Nearly every project is mixed, with two sales tracks.

"Dira BeHanacha" (Discounted Apartment) is the Ministry framework for registration and lotteries, covering Mechir Matara, Mechir Mufchat and Mechir LaMishtaken.[3] The lottery regulations of 6 August 2025 apply to all affordable-housing tracks, Mechir Matara included.[1]

Current status of the track

Under section 4.7.2 of the current chapter 4.7, the track runs until 31 December 2027, in authorities where the average price per residential m² is up to NIS 20,000 incl. VAT per Israel Tax Authority data (cap waived for socio-economic rank 4 and below). A Council subcommittee sets the list of authorities, to be published on the ILA website. As a rule, the discount is 25% of the price, capped at NIS 550,000 per unit (4.7.3).[2] Final terms are in each tender.

Update: new eligibility condition from 24 May 2026

On 24 May 2026 the Israel Land Council amended chapter 4.7 following a Supreme Court decision in proceedings concerning HCJ 5819/24.[11] For both those without housing (4.7.19) and upgraders (4.7.20) it set (unofficial translation): "As of 24.5.2026, eligibility to participate in lotteries is conditional on the individual, or each of the spouses, not being defined by the IDF, per IDF data, as liable for military service who have not regularized their status."[2]

Per the Ministry of Justice position of September 2026:[11] the condition applies to future lotteries; past-lottery waiting lists are checked on certificate renewal; past-lottery winners may sign even if their certificate was not renewed for this reason alone.

The Ministry, not the developer, checks eligibility; sales teams should expect some waiting-list members to be unavailable and work from Ministry updates.

Mechir Matara in Eilat: what is known and what is not

Known from official sources: in the Ministry's April 2026 round (lottery 11) list of cities, Eilat appears with 99 units for eligible buyers in one lottery.[8] The Ministry's public lottery map marks Eilat "lottery results published".[9]

Not verified: that lottery's neighborhood, developer and track. Nor did we locate a current Mechir Matara authorities list: it is not in the current decision wording, and we did not find it on the decisions portal or ILA sites.[2][7] Eilat was listed in an earlier wording,[6] but we do not state it is on the list today.

Check each project: eligible share, discount, priorities and timelines follow the tender terms and applicable decision wording, including transitional provisions.[12] Before bidding or planning, read the tender documents on the ILA site[5] and lottery details on Dira BeHanacha (as of 26 October 2026).

Mechir Matara vs. Mechir LaMishtaken

In Mechir LaMishtaken, per the State Comptroller, bidders competed on the lowest final price per m².[4] In Mechir Matara, the eligible-buyer price derives from a pre-set appraisal and discount; competition is on land price.[2] Economics thus hinge on land price, construction costs and open-market sales.

Who gets the units: priorities in brief

Priority groups include people with severe mobility disabilities, active reservists and local residents, with quotas and a shared cap. Rates vary by locality; binding rates are in 4.7.9, 4.7.17 and the tender.[2] For marketing: some winners may not live in the city.

The unit specification is binding and may not be exceeded, even with buyer consent. Buyers may not resell for 5 years from the completion certificate or 7 from the lottery, whichever is earlier.[2]

Why does marketing a Mechir Matara project require specialization?

What the sales organization manages with winners

These stages are the developer's responsibility:[1]

Inviting winners: after the award and a permit (or conditional committee decision), to an in-person or online meeting, with advance notice.
Unit selection: by lottery serial number, on a pre-set date.
Contract window: signing shortly after selection.
Documentation: missed deadlines may disqualify a winner or change their place; records of every notice protect both sides.

Details (notice days, selection time, down payment, re-registration) are in the regulations.[10] Each is a costly failure point.

Two audiences, two languages

Winners need guidance (specification, schedule, financing, documents); open-market buyers need a value proposition versus city alternatives. One team must speak both without mixing them.

—— Book a meeting ——

Developers and contractors planning a residential project in Eilat? Let's review your marketing and sales needs together.

» Schedule an initial mapping meeting for marketing a project in Eilat

In your message, please note: developer / contractor, company name, and project or city.

Challenges for contractors and developers in Eilat

Tender economics

The eligible-buyer price is fixed, so much of the margin rests on open-market units and their pace. Far from central Israel, assumptions on pace, buyer mix and marketing cost shape the land bid, so marketing planning starts at feasibility.

Winners who do not live in the city

Eligible buyers may register for up to three localities per series,[1] and local priority is capped.[2] Some winners will come from outside Eilat: plan online meetings, clear materials and remote support.

A long time gap

When the lottery precedes the permit, months may pass until selection; winners hesitate or drop out. Steady, open contact drives take-up.

Coordinating construction and marketing

Distance strains logistics and staffing. Align the engineering schedule with winners' meetings, selection events, site tours and sales-phase launches.

Selling the open-market units: a key profit driver and management focus

Who the buyers are

Locals, upgraders, investors, second-home and out-of-town buyers each respond differently. Locals ask about schools and parking, investors about yield and rentals, central-Israel buyers about local support; plan by segment.

Pricing and sales tiers

Tier prices by phase: launch price, controlled increases as construction advances, premium pricing for high floors, views or gardens. Base levels on actual city transactions (resale and new-build), not asking prices.

Marketing budget

Two tracks: winners (project page, materials, meetings, selection event) and open-market acquisition (digital, signage, sales office, launch events, brokers, mortgage advisors). Budget by phase (pre-launch, launch, construction, final inventory) against expected open-market revenue, to know cost per deal and shift money to productive channels.

Sales targets

Derive targets from the business plan and bank financing terms, set them quarterly by unit type, and pre-agree responses to shortfalls: new messaging, channel budget, a targeted incentive or a mix change.

KPIs management should receive

Sales pace vs. plan — targets, bank terms
Actual vs. planned price per m² — price, discounts
Leads and cost per lead by channel — channel quality
Lead → meeting → registration → contract — funnel gaps
Cost per meeting and per deal — budget efficiency
First response time — service, conversion
Winners: attendance and take-up — process stability
Selection-to-signing time — regulatory deadlines

Weekly and monthly reports on the same KPIs show trends.

How to build an effective marketing and sales operation

Leads without handling create an illusion of success. You need:

Marketing plan: messages, audiences, channels, budget, timeline, approved by management.
Sales team: knows the city and project, available for tours, with a script and current FAQs.
Project page: winner and open-market information clearly separated, per the tender.
Lead management: source, type (winner, waiting list, open market, investor), status. Winners' data from the Ministry is for the project only.[1]
Tools: CRM, reminders, reports; they serve the team, not replace it.
Selection event: logistics, entry order, available units, on-site legal support.

When should a developer bring in a local marketing partner in Eilat?

Don't wait until leads pile up. Value is created earlier:

Before the tender: feasibility based on city transaction prices, audiences and realistic open-market pace, all shaping the land bid.
At planning: open-market mix, sizes and specification matched to Eilat buyers; changes now cost far less than after launch.
Before the lottery: project page, winners' materials, meeting and selection procedures, lead tracking.
At open-market launch: marketing plan, tiered pricing, on-site team, management reporting.

Early partners mean reaching the lottery and launch with plan, team and KPIs ready.

Korenfld Properties – a marketing and sales partner for developers in Eilat

Korenfld Properties is an Eilat real estate firm (brokerage, property management, mortgage consulting). Its developer advisory is led by Idan Korenfld, active in the local market since 2016. We offer developers a marketing and sales partnership on both tracks:

Local knowledge: neighborhoods, deal prices, buyer questions.
Project sales team: scaled to need, including out-of-town buyer support.
Hebrew, English and Russian: messages, materials and lead response.
Plan, funnel and reporting: channels, phased budget, quarterly targets, fast follow-up, regular reports.
Both tracks and network: open-market sales, winners' meetings and selection event; mortgage, legal and developer-team liaison.

CRM and automation are tools, not the product. The product is measurable, transparent sales management focused on pace, price and mix. We are not presented here as the marketer of any specific project; any cooperation follows a joint review.

An invitation to developers and contractors

Weighing a tender, recently won or nearing a lottery? Build your sales operation now.