The Central Bureau of Statistics said Monday that new-home purchases fell 22% in the first half of the year to 10,150 units. The pace was down even more sharply from the first half of 2016, when 16,440 homes were purchased, and of 2015, with 16,590. Moreover, the CBS figures showed that new-home buyers were increasingly purchasing in the center of the country, rather than the Negev or the Galilee. In the first half of this year, 21% of new homes that were bought were in the Tel Aviv area, up from 17% the same time a year ago. For the Central District that figure was 35%, up from 32% in the same period in 2017. For Jerusalem it was 10%, up from 8%. However, the Northern District (Galilee) accounted for only 6.5% of new-home purchases, down from 8% a year ago, and in the south (Negev) they dropped to 11% of the total from 14%. The preference of buyers to purchase homes in the center of the country usually characterizes a real estate market in crisis. Contractors have recognized ...