Last Update on 6 December، 2023
Buying a home in Turkey is exciting due to the various property options available for sale at prices relatively lower compared to similar properties in other countries. As a foreign property buyer in Turkey, you will be pampered with houses equipped with the latest technologies like smart-home systems, high-quality building materials with high earthquake resistance, and extraordinary views of the sea, mountains, and nature, alongside facilities provided to support foreign investors. However, it is natural to feel a bit anxious if you are buying a home for the first time in Turkey. Therefore, it is crucial for you to understand Turkey’s real estate market, the process of buying, and what costs to incur before and after buying a property in Turkey. Here, we provide tips for first-time buyers in Turkey that we hope will be useful.
Below are home-buying tips for First-time buyers in Turkey
Know what suits you
It is important to understand why you want to buy a house in Turkey, what you are looking for, and most importantly, what suits your budget.
Setting A Realistic Budget
Before taking any serious steps in buying a property in Turkey, you must determine your budget. Setting the correct budget helps you know what home suits you better, and refine your search in the price range that fits your budget.
For example, if you have a quite high budget of 1,000,000$, then you may opt for detached houses with Bosphorus views in prestigious areas, such as Beykoz or Sariyer.
However, if your budget is less than 100,000 $, then your best fit might be an apartment in Esenyurt or Beylikduzu districts.
By this, you can focus your property search on the type and district that matches your budget, thus narrowing the options to choose from.
Know Your Purpose
The purpose and reason for your purchase also shape your decision. The reason would mainly affect the place, and the price of your property to buy. For example, if you want to purchase a property to spend your holiday, then probably provinces like Trabzon, Mugla and Antalya would be suitable for your needs.
However, if you decide to move to Turkey for good, then you would think of buying a property in a big city such as Istanbul or Ankara to ensure having better options for jobs.
If investment is your main purpose, then you need to search for properties in areas with promising growth, such as suburban areas that are under urbanization transformation projects in big cities.
However, if you are looking to get Turkish citizenship, then you must align your budget accordingly and refine your search to properties suitable for the Turkish citizenship program only.
Know Overall Expenses and Costs
This is one of the buying home tips that must be looked at in a holistic way. Knowing how much it costs to buy a house in Turkey is essential to set up your budget. It is true that many foreign buyers would check the buying process costs, but unfortunately, many would ignore checking other expenses that would add to the whole process, such as travel expenses including the cost of accommodation during the time you spend in Turkey, and the post-purchase costs.
The main costs involved in the buying process in Turkey are divided into obligatory, and optional as below;
Obligatory:
- Appraisal Report: Around 9000TL, and it differs depending on the property’s conditions, types, features and location.
- Title Deed Transfer Tax: 4% of the sales price declared on the Title Deed document.
- Circulating Capital: Around 1300-3730 TL.
- Land Registry: 598.25 TL.
- Notarized Translated Passport- Varies, but in general, it is around 1000TL.
- Sworn Translator: Varies, but in general, it is around 1500 TL.
There are some other costs during the process that you should be aware of, even though these are not obligatory, as you may require these services.
Optional:
These optional services and their costs are:
- Power of Attorney: Varies, but in general, it is between 1500-2000TL.
- Solicitor Fee: An Average of USD 3500.
- Real Estate Agent Commission: 2-3% of the sales price.
- Notarized Sales Contract (Agreement): Ranges between 500TL to 4000TL depending on the property.
Get a Professional Advice from Local Experts
Working with a reliable real estate agency saves a lot of work, time, and effort and avoids unnecessary troubles. Therefore, it is advisable to consult with a local agency for the reasons below;
An Expert all Along the process
By choosing the right real estate agent to work with, you are guaranteeing assistance during the whole process, starting from choosing the best home for you to getting a title deed.
Covering your Stay
It is a common practice for almost all reputable real estate agencies in Turkey to look after their clients when they visit Turkey. They would cover their accommodation and airport transfer during their stay.
After Sales Assistance
In Turkey, almost all respected real estate agencies offer an after-sales service. This includes handling anything for you after you become an owner. For example, assisting you in paying related taxes, expenses and dues. Also, assist you in registering for utilities such as water, gas and electricity.
Protects You from Possible Fraud
Unfortunately, scammers always find ways to scam foreign buyers, using different ways, such as selling them a fake property over a fake sales contract, selling them a property owned by someone else, among many other fraud ways you, as a foreign buyer in Turkey, may be fragile to.
After scanning the benefits of working with a local real estate agency, we must provide you with a few tips on how to pick your agency.
- Search for top real estate Agencies in Turkey
A simple Google search would give you an idea about the main and big real estate agencies in Turkey. This would be a good start to refine your search.
- Ask for a referral
If you are lucky and know someone else who already bought a property in Turkey, then ask them for a referral. In this case, you are sure that this real estate agency is not a fraud, and is trustworthy.
- Check the Real Estate Agency Online Presence
A professional website with information and various properties for sale is a good indication of their work. Furthermore, their social media accounts are always good to consider reviewing, alongside clients’ feedback and reviews.
- Contact them
Interactions with the prospective real estate agent are essential. Their response and attitudes would either show a professionality or not.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in the Home Buying Process
Before closing this article, we would like to give a few home-buying tips that help you avoid common mistakes foreign home buyers make while buying a home in Turkey.
What are the common mistakes during the home buying process that a foreign buyer should avoid?
Focusing only on the Property
While it is true that you are buying a home, you should consider the surroundings as well. For example, you may find a house that matches your budget and needs but overlooks the neighbourhood that does not suit your style.
Unfortunately, many foreigners regret their buying decision due to the lack of transportation, being in an industrial area, or being in a remote area.
Therefore, it is recommended to always view the neighbourhood of the property well, before deciding on buying the property.
Depending on Themselves
Many buyers may consider depending on themselves to avoid paying the real estate agent services. This is one of the biggest mistakes a foreign buyer may place themselves into. As we mentioned earlier, not dealing with a real estate agent, leaves you fragile to fraud.
Adding to them, you may end up spending more time and money trying to finalize the legal documents yourself, which would have been avoided if you had chosen to work with an expert real estate agency.
Costs over Services
Many buyers would compromise price and cost over services and quality, so they would go for a property in a compound that provides limited and low-quality on-site services. Later on, they may incur additional costs regularly for obtaining services they would have been entitled to, if they have chosen the property with a higher level of services.
Underestimating the Budget
Some buyers may not consider other costs or expenses while buying a property. They may only focus on the property sale price, overlooking the buying process’s overall costs and pre-purchase additional costs, such as registering for water, electricity and gas, property-related taxes, life expenses in the neighbourhood the property is in, and Aidat among other costs.
Rushing into Making the Buying Decision
Deciding on buying a property in Turkey is not a simple decision to be taken within a day. You are spending a relatively huge amount on a home to get benefits from. Therefore, you need always to explore all the available options, study them well and check alternatives as well.
All these risks can be eliminated if you studied the market well, your options well, and above all choose to work with a reliable real estate agent.
F.A.Q
1- How much money do I need to live comfortably in Turkey?
The answer to this depends totally on your spending style, lifestyle and the place you plan to live in. However, generally speaking, you may need 600% for a cheap lifestyle and up to 1500$ for a luxurious lifestyle.
2- What are the new rules related to buying a property in Turkey?
The newest update in Turkey, precisely on 16th Oct 2023, is the adjustment of property value that is eligible for a residence permit from 75,000$ to 200,000$.
3- Can I pay for a property in instalments?
Yes. Many developers in Turkey provide easy payment instalment plans with zero interest.
4- How much is the downpayment on a house in Turkey?
The downpayment differs from one project to another. However, the minimum is 25% and the rest of the amount can be paid up to 60 instalments depending on the developer you are buying a property from.
5- How much is the deposit to be paid when buying a property in Turkey?
The initial deposit is usually between 20-40% of the property sales price, and it can be paid either by cash or credit card.
6- Can I pay the deposit with a cheque?
No. Personal Cheques are not accepted by banks in Turkey.
7- Can I finalize the purchase without being presented at the Land Register office?
You must be in person at the time of signing the contract. However, you may have a power of attorney in case you can not make it.
