The truth is - the past year was characterized by the lack of "Big News". We've entered it expecting to hear the announcement regarding the Insurers' plot, purchased by Ms. Lily Elstein, with the blessing of the Chairman of the local council; however, a year and a half after this much publicized purchase we are yet to witness the promised development of the site, or at least a formalized development plan for it. As during previous years, we've heard about plans for the "Wine Park" - immediately followed by objections voiced by the local council, which was the actual promoter of the idea in the first place. And because there is no functioning financial company, the iron billboards, announcing the construction of the "artists' village" on Zmarin hilltop, are rusting in the field. The "white elephant" in the center of the town is covered by the "Carmel Winery" poster, testifying to the possibility that the building covered by it will remain useless for many years to come, since the developers and the council can not agree on the development plans for the area. Across the road, a half demolished building - the former workers' council, is standing abandoned because the restraining order was issued before the demolition had been completed.

We have entered the New Year anticipating the opening of Zihron Ya'akov's railway station, and we are closing the year knowing that no funding was found for that project.

What did we get this year? A regional a sewage treatment plant, payment vouchers to cover the cost of building it and wall to wall protestations of the resident. What's more, there is no respite from traffic jams, clogging the town's main intersections during rush hours, despite (or maybe because of) the new roundabouts that we did get in some places.

During the year the demand for housing became greater than ever before. But the policy of freezing the rezoning process, freeing the land for construction, spearheaded by the current Council, continues. The result is: during 2007 the prices of real estate in Zihron Ya'akov kept rising. Is that new? Of cause not! It's only part of the tendency that gathered pace during the last decade. We have predicted a 5% to 10% rise in the price of real estate and it seems we were right. The rent, in Zihron Ya'akov, had risen even more. Most of the demand, on the part of those moving to Zihron Ya'akov, is for private homes and they are in shortest supply. This year we have witnessed new price records being broken one by one, for example in the Shmura neighborhood - cottage prices have passed the $ 400,000 line, while in Neve Hebron - half acre plots, for home construction, are sold for $ 300,000. During the last months of the year we have witnessed another interesting occurrence - increase in deals involving luxury homes - priced between $ 500,000 and $ 1,000,000. At the same time we observe positive exploitation of this situation by local residents, who sell their homes and move to the nearby communities, while still enjoying all the advantages offered by the vicinity. Those who leave are gradually, but steadily, replaced by the affluent population, which arrives to Zihron Ya'akov from Gush Dan or from abroad (mainly North America and Britain), and (this mention is worth noting) from Caesarea.

The demand for housing in Zihron Ya'akov and its vicinity will continue to grow this year. "Mr. and Mrs. Israeli" are looking for a private home within driving distance from work and our district fits the criteria. Private homes in Gush Dan and in the Sharon area had risen in price for up to 40% during the last year, the buyer are coming here looking for quality alternatives and value for money. The Israelis are not the only ones who discovered this area. During the last five years the community of new immigrants, from affluent English speaking countries, had grown steadily and this year we will continue to witness further rise in demand for houses in the area, while well off French immigrants are also starting to perceive Zihron Ya'akov as an alternative to Ra'anana, Caesarea and other places along the Mediterranean.

The availability of private homes in Zihron Ya'akov will continue to be limited. Since the rezoning process is stuck, and the agricultural land is not rezoned for construction, further subdivision of plots for housing will flourish until they reach the minimal size of 1/4 acre per lot, along with the continuous rise in prices, particularly of villas and cottages, as well as of properties on large plots of land, and the dripping away of those wishing to build by themselves to neighboring communities such as Binyamina, Giva'at Ada and Pardes Hanah - Кarкur. The agricultural communities will also experience a significant rise in prices, since the decision to allow additional housing construction on the plots. Large variety of apartments is on offer in mega - projects, under construction in eastern Zihron Ya'akov and in Pardes Hanah - Кarкur, thus there prices will remain leveled.

During this year we will see new price records broken, particularly regarding special properties - those of historic or architectural value, or offering sunning sea views, as well as houses in neighborhoods were the demand exceeds the supply (for example "Hashmura") and where a couple of engineers can payback their mortgage.