Turkey looks likely to be the European country to experience the highest level of growth in property prices over the next 5 years. It has one of the world’s fastest growing economies and property prices rose between 25 - 35% in some coastal areas last year.   Due to strong demand, prices in some off plan developments are rising by up to 20% even before any building work commences.

Mediterranean Climate and beautiful coastline at a lower cost

Turkey's Mediterranean shore, called the Turquoise Coast, is nearly 1600 km (994 miles) long, scattered with fine-sand beaches and sprinkled abundantly with classical cities turned to picturesque ruins.  The Taurus Mountains form a dramatic backdrop along much of the coast, often dropping steeply right into the sea, but in some places rivers have washed down enough sediment over the ages to form beaches backed by fertile alluvial plains good for growing cotton, vegetables, and even tropical fruits like bananas.

Like Southern European countries, Turkey enjoys a great climate with temperate; hot, dry summers and mild, wetter winters.

Open property market, with lower costs than Western Europe

The Turkish government equalized property buying rules for foreign nationals in July 2003, and by January 2005, the number of foreigners owning property in Turkey reached 51,000; 18% of them were British. This figure is expected to rise by more than 6,000 each year. Foreign nationals are estimated to have spent more than $1 billion in buying property in Turkey in 2004.

Foreigner cannot currently raise mortgages in Turkey - this is expected to change later in 2006 leading to further increases in property prices.  Meanwhile many investors mortgage or remortgage their UK home to release funds to buy in Turkey.

Prices remain much lower than in Western Europe, with many people commenting that buying in Turkey today is like buying in Spain in the 1980's

Booming Economy, with prospect of EU entry.

Turkey has been on an upward trend since 2002, when near-economic collapse led to a tough recovery programme agreed with the IMF. Turkey is now one of the fastest growing economies in the world.  GDP growth was 7.2% in 2004 (vs 2.3% average in EU).    Unemployment is falling, average wages are increasing and interest rates are expected to continue to reduce.

Turkey has been granted so called 'market economy' status, which is a key factor towards gaining full membership of the EU and it is expected that this decision will boost confidence in Turkey's economy among domestic and foreign investors.

Rapidly growing tourist industry, good accessibility

In the overseas property market history dictates that where holidaymakers go, property buyers will follow. So it's no surprise that as tourist numbers to Turkey have swelled over the past few years – no doubt helped by a strong marketing campaign in the UK – so too has interest in purchasing a home out there.

On the subject of incredible increases, 2005 was a record-breaking year for tourist arrivals to Turkey with 21 million visitors pouring into the country, and the Turkish government envisages that 30 million tourists will be arriving by 2010. "To nurture and meet this increased volume of incoming tourists and overseas property buyers, the government has announced a range of multi-million dollar investments and developments"  The investments include airport and road improvements, steps to make Turkey a year round destination including golf courses, 5 star resorts and a ski resort.

There are 3 international airports in Southern Turkey - Bodrum, Dalaman and Alanya - although in the winter flights from the UK to Bodrum are only available from Heathrow.  The flight time is about 3.5 hours and there are several airlines (Thomas Cook, Turkish Airlines, British Airways and Exel).  While there are currently no low-cost airline flights to Turkey, they are expected!

A 3 month-tourist visa is issued at the airport and costs £10.

Friendly, welcoming people

If you have chosen Turkey as the country to start your new life or as the location for your second home then you will be happy to hear to hear that the Turkish people are amongst the most hospitable in the world. You can expect to be made to feel welcome from the moment you arrive and it is likely that by the time you leave you will have a large circle of local friends and acquaintances willing to put themselves out for you.

One of the common misconceptions about Turkey is that because it is a majority Muslim country westerners are not welcomed by the locals. In fact the constitution of the country provides very well for a secular state and the position of its non-Muslim minorities is legally protected. This is not to say that religion does not play a very important part in society because when you arrive you will realise that it obviously does. Rather, that the population is very accepting of alternative cultures and beliefs and as a non-Muslim you will be made to feel just as much at home as any fully practising Muslim. You will, however, find that in the popular tourist areas and the big cities, religion is far less obvious than in the smaller villages and towns and local people will often be found enjoying a drink after work, partying the night away and generally enjoying all the same hedonistic pleasures as much of the UK population.

We take great pride in our developer selection process which ensures we only offer properties from developers that provide:

• Superior investment opportunities
• Great customer service, both before and after the sale
• Assistance and/or fully managed letting service
• A proven track record of developments
• No pressure sales process

We offer a one stop shop for residential property and investment opportunities for both novice and seasoned property investors. Let us help you find your investment, holiday home or new home in Turkey