Maccabim-Re'ut, Modi'in.
The Honest Guide from the Tel Aviv Property Index
Maccabim and Re'ut are the original twin villages that predate Modi'in, now absorbed into the city but still very different from it. This is the villa and cottage market, with gardens, quiet streets and prices to match. This guide covers what you get for ₪7–10 million, and the questions an older house raises.
Where it is
Maccabim-Re'ut lies on the southern side of the city, beside Route 443. It forms the city's distinct villa quarter, and the municipality still treats it as its own district.
Re'ut and Maccabim were separate communities first. They later merged into a single local council, and in 2003 that council joined Modi'in to form today's Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut.
The two villages still feel like villages. Streets in Re'ut are largely named after trees and flowers, such as Erozim, Agoz and Lilach, and mountains such as Gilboa, Hermon and Miron. Maccabim's streets draw on streams, mountains and birds, such as Nachal Aviv, Har Argaman and HaZamir.
From army villages to the city's villa quarter
Re'ut and Maccabim were founded in the 1980s, before Modi'in itself was built. Re'ut in particular is closely associated with career army officers and security-establishment families, a reputation it still carries.
They were designed as low-density communities of detached and semi-detached houses on private plots. That model has survived the arrival of a city of around 100,000 people around it. It is the main reason people pay so much to live here.
The price of that history is age. Many houses are now thirty to forty years old. Some have been rebuilt or heavily renovated; others show their years.
What it is actually like today
Maccabim-Re'ut is green, quiet and spacious. Mature gardens, lower traffic and single-family streets set it apart from the mid-rise blocks of the rest of Modi'in.
Its character is mostly secular and traditional. There are shuls and religious families, but the dominant tone is different from Buchman or Moriah. Anglo families who want a strongly observant street will usually be happier elsewhere in the city.
Life is almost entirely car-based. Local shops cover basics, while larger shopping, the Azrieli mall and the Modi'in Centre station are a drive away. Teenagers here rely on buses or parents far more than in central districts.
A 2026 ESRA community guide describes Re'ut and Maccabim as high-end semi-detached homes with established gardens and a quieter, village-like feel. That fairly sums up the appeal.
The downsides are the mirror image. Houses cost more to heat, cool and maintain than flats. Gardens need care, and security and upkeep fall on you rather than a building committee.
Community here is built around neighbours, sport and schools rather than shuls. Newcomers who make the effort usually find it friendly, but it is less instantly welcoming to English speakers.
The villa market: plots, size and value
The heart of any purchase here is the plot. Houses sit on individual plots of varying sizes, and much of the value lies in the land and its building rights, not only the house.
Registered deals show wide ranges. A 208 m² seven-room house in Maccabim sold for ₪7.8m, and a 402 m² house for ₪10m. In Re'ut, a 177 m² cottage sold for ₪7.1m and a 256 m² one for ₪9.1m.
We could not verify typical plot sizes from a reliable current source, and they differ between streets. Ask for the registered parcel area and the approved building rights on each house. Do not rely on an agent's round number.
Semi-detached cottages are often registered as a shared parcel between two owners. The division of the garden and building rights may sit in an agreement between neighbours, not the land register. That is a practical and legal risk to check early.
Getting around
Route 443 is the district's front door and the fastest road to Jerusalem. Part of it runs beyond the Green Line, with a checkpoint on the approach to the capital, which some residents avoid at peak times.
Route 1 via Route 431 is the main alternative, and Route 431 also runs west towards Rishon LeZion and the coast. Tel Aviv is usually reached the same way.
Rail is a drive away. Modi'in Centre has direct trains to Tel Aviv and, on current timetables, to Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon. ESRA puts both at about 30 minutes, but add the drive and parking.
Renewal, rebuilding and the thin market
Urban renewal in the usual Israeli sense does not apply. TAMA 38 has expired in most of the country, and pinui-binui is designed for blocks of flats, not villa streets. Renewal here happens house by house.
The real renewal decision is yours. Many buyers budget for a major renovation or a full rebuild using the plot's unused rights. That can be excellent value, but permits, betterment levy and building costs all need to be priced before you offer.
The other issue is liquidity. The data show only 38 registered deals in Re'ut and 18 in Maccabim over roughly three years. The latest registered deals are from November 2025 and February 2026 respectively.
Few sales mean prices are set house by house, with wide ranges. It can take longer to sell, and medians shift with each deal. Treat every figure in this guide as indicative, not precise.
Who lives here
Maccabim-Re'ut is home to many long-established Israeli families, often professionals and retired officers. A good share are original or early owners, now in later life.
That creates a steady trickle of generational sales. Some houses come to market dated but on good plots, which is where buyers find opportunities. Others are sold already renovated at the top of the range.
Anglo buyers are present but fewer than in Buchman or Moriah. Those who come tend to be wealthier, often secular or traditional, and less focused on an English-speaking community. Nefesh B'Nefesh treats Modi'in as a core destination, but its Anglo life is centred elsewhere in the city.
Rentals exist but are few. A rented house here is a good way to test the lifestyle, and landlords often want long leases and careful tenants for gardens and older fittings.
Schools serve the district and the wider city, across state and state-religious streams. Families should confirm placements by address, as in the rest of Modi'in.
Prices and what you get
This is the most expensive housing in Modi'in by total price, though not always per square metre.
| Neighbourhood | Median price | ₪/m² | Registered deals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Re'ut | ₪7,629,000 | ₪36,857 | 38 |
| Maccabim | ₪8,037,500 | ₪32,037 | 18 |
| Moriah (for comparison) | ₪4,520,000 | ₪36,022 | 107 |
| Modi'in city | ₪3,108,000 | ₪29,885 | 2,783 |
Registered sales, Jan 2023 – Aug 2026
Recent registered deals include:
- Erozim 85, Re'ut: 5-room semi-detached cottage, 206 m², ₪7,100,000 (November 2025)
- Gilboa 36, Re'ut: 6-room semi-detached cottage, 256 m², ₪9,100,000 (July 2025)
- Miron 2, Re'ut: 6-room detached house, 253 m², ₪8,500,000 (July 2025)
- Nachal Aviv 737, Maccabim: 7-room detached house, 208 m², ₪7,800,000 (December 2024)
Maccabim's median rests on a small sample and should be read with caution. One large sale appears in the register more than once, which may lift the figure. We have left out entries whose price did not fit their size.
Around ₪7m buys a semi-detached cottage of roughly 180–210 m². Detached houses of 250 m² and more usually cost ₪8.5m and up, and top homes exceed ₪10m.
At the Re'ut median of ₪7,629,000, purchase tax is about ₪324,000 for a single-home buyer. An oleh within the Reg 12A window pays about ₪146,000, because 8% applies above ₪6,055,070. A foreign resident or additional-home buyer pays about ₪642,000.
The honest risk is that you are buying an old building at a new-building price. The house may need hundreds of thousands, or millions, spent on it. Resale in a thin market can also take time.
Buying here: what to check before you sign
Parcel and rights.Obtain the Tabu extract and the approved plan for the plot. Confirm the parcel area, the unused building rights and whether any rights are shared with a neighbour.
Shared-plot agreements.For semi-detached cottages, read any agreement dividing the plot and rights. Check whether it is registered as a condominium or recorded by a warning note. An unregistered side-agreement protects you far less.
Permits and unauthorised works.Basements, attic rooms, extensions and pergolas are common. Compare the house with the permit file and Form 4 records at the municipal engineering department. Lenders may value only the permitted area.
Protected room.The protected-room requirement dates from 1992. Many houses here are older, so a mamad may be absent or added later without a permit. Budget for one if it is missing.
Betterment levy.If the plot's rights have increased under a later plan, betterment levy may be due on sale or when the rights are used. By law the seller bears levy on realisation, but check what is owed and who pays in the contract.
Purchase tax and the 8% band.Even olim under Reg 12A pay 8% above ₪6,055,070. At these prices that is a real cost, so model it before you bid.
Mortgage limits.Directive 329 caps lending at 75% for a single dwelling, 70% for a replacement and 50% for an additional home. The 50% quoted to non-residents is bank policy, not law. The Bank of Israel rate is 3.5%, prime 5%.
Who it suits
Works well for
- Families wanting a house and garden within commuting range of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
Harder to recommend for
- Observant Anglo families wanting a walkable English-speaking shul community
- Buyers who need to resell quickly
- Anyone without a car, or teenagers wanting independence
- Buyers unwilling to take on an older building's defects
The verdict
Maccabim-Re'ut offers something rare in central Israel: a real house on a real plot, in a settled green neighbourhood, inside a major city. For the right buyer, nothing else in Modi'in compares.
It asks a lot in return. Prices are high, houses are ageing and the market is thin. Legal checks on plots and permits matter more here than anywhere else in the city.
Buy the land, check the paperwork and budget for the house.
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