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Istanbul
A year-round city with real tenants, universities and work. The largest single share of searches, and the widest range of districts.
Property in Turkey · Turkey
Buy an apartment in Turkey
Fifteen places, one country, and very different lives in each. Tell us how the property will be used and we will send a shortlist that fits.
A shortlist for your planA reply in your messengerNo stale listing feed
15 placescovered across Turkey, coast and city
Every checknamed before a reservation, not after
One teamfor the search, the paperwork and the deal
About this
Buying property in Turkey: how the market is actually laid out
Three markets, not one
People searching to buy property in Turkey are usually looking at one of three quite different things. There is Istanbul, a working city of sixteen million where flats for sale are bought by people who will live or let them all year. There is the Mediterranean strip from Antalya through Alanya to Side, warm in winter, full of managed complexes and long-settled foreign communities. And there is the Aegean, from Bodrum up through Kusadasi and down to Fethiye and Kalkan, greener, more seasonal, and historically the coast the British bought into. Houses to buy in Turkey exist in all three, but almost nothing else about them is comparable.
What a foreign buyer can own
Foreign nationals may own residential property in Turkey outright and hold the title deed in their own name. Two limits apply and both are geographic rather than personal: property inside designated military and security zones cannot be sold to foreigners, and there is a ceiling on how much land in any single district may be in foreign hands. A land registry search answers both before you commit. Buying an apartment or a house works the same way for a foreigner as for a Turkish citizen once those checks pass.
Apartments, villas and what sits between them
The bulk of Turkish stock for sale is apartments in complexes: a pool, a gym, sometimes a sauna and a generator, security at the gate, and a monthly service charge called aidat that pays for all of it. Villas mean a plot, privacy and your own maintenance bill. Between the two sit duplexes and garden-floor apartments, common on the coast and often better value per square metre. Land is also sold to foreign buyers, with the caveat that building on it brings its own permit process.
The paperwork is short and worth knowing
Ownership is registered as a tapu, the title deed held at the Land Registry, which names the owner and identifies the plot precisely. The iskan is the habitation permit confirming a completed building can legally be lived in; a finished block without one raises a fair question. DASK, earthquake insurance, is compulsory for residential property and needed to connect utilities. Foreign buyers also need a Turkish tax number and a local bank account, both straightforward and obtained in advance.
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Start here
The country is one word. The decision is about a district.
Istanbul works all year and rents to people who live there. Kalkan fills in July and empties in November. The same budget buys a city flat in Izmir or a villa with a pool an hour from Dalaman airport. Start with how many months a year you will be in it.
Where to look
Where people actually buy
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The Mediterranean coast
Antalya, Alanya, Kemer, Side and Belek. Warm winters, established expatriate communities and managed complexes with pools.
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The Aegean coast
Bodrum, Kusadasi, Fethiye, Kalkan, Marmaris and Izmir. Cooler, greener and more seasonal, with a strong British and northern European presence.
Every location we cover
Before a reservation
A render sells a mood. A tapu tells you what you own.
We gather the facts behind a property first, then say plainly what holds up, what needs answering and what is simply unknown at this stage.
Title and rights
What the tapu says, which form of ownership it is, and whether the registry shows anything undisclosed.
The building
Construction date against the building code, whether the iskan is in place, and the state of the block.
The real cost
Service charge, utilities, property tax and insurance, written out as a yearly figure.
Getting out
Who the next buyer would be, and how long a sale in this district usually takes.
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Your shortlist
A shortlist built around your plan
We ask what the property has to do before we send anything. The list that comes back names districts, explains the trade-off in each and flags what to check on every property in it.
- Districts matched to how many months a year you will be there
- The real annual cost of ownership, not just the asking price
- The documents to ask for before any reservation payment
How we work
We would rather send four properties that fit than forty that do not.
The first conversation is about how the property will be used, not about what is available this week. Everything after that follows from the answer.
The brief
How many months a year you will be there, who else uses it, and what you will not compromise on.
The shortlist
A small number of properties in districts that match, with the trade-off in each spelled out.
The checks
Registry, permits, service charge history and the questions to put to the seller in writing.
The purchase
Tax number, bank account, valuation report and the Land Registry appointment, in order.
Checks before you buy
Eight things a property should survive
Title, permits, contract, building age, service charge, season, management and resale. We are not your lawyer; we make sure you arrive at one with the right questions.
The process
Four steps, and no rush at the start
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Tell us the plan
Pick a messenger and leave a number. You may have a town in mind, or none at all.
- 02
A short conversation
Months of use, budget range, timing, and the things that would rule a property out.
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The shortlist
A handful of options that fit, with what to compare and what to check on each.
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The next step
Viewings, questions to the seller, and the paperwork in the right order.
Questions worth asking out loud
A property worth buying can take an awkward question.
Why this district?
Demand, season length, what is open in winter and what is being built nearby.
What does a year cost?
Service charge, utilities, tax and insurance, before anyone talks about yield.
What if plans change?
Use, letting and resale are worth discussing before a deposit, not after.
Who is the next buyer?
A property local buyers also want is a property you can sell.
Read next
FAQ
Before the first conversation
Where should I buy if I want to rent the property out?
Istanbul and Antalya rent all year and to local tenants as well as visitors. Coastal resort towns rent very well for four or five months and barely at all for the rest, which is fine if you plan around it. Short-term letting in Turkey needs a permit, and in an apartment block the other owners have a say, so check both before you count on rental income.
How much does an apartment in Turkey cost?
There is no single figure, and anyone giving one is selling something. The range across the country is very wide: a city flat inland, a resale apartment in a coastal town and a new sea-view unit in a managed complex sit in different worlds. What we can do is show you what a given budget actually reaches in each district, which is the useful version of the question.
Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Turkey?
Yes. Citizens of most countries can own residential property in Turkey in their own name. The limits are geographic rather than personal: purchases are restricted inside designated military and security zones, and there is a cap on the share of land in any one district that foreign nationals may hold. Both are checked before a reservation, not after.
Do I have to be in Turkey to complete the purchase?
It helps, but it is not required. The transfer is registered at the Land Registry, and a buyer who cannot attend may act through a notarised power of attorney. A sworn translator is present at the registry when the buyer does not speak Turkish. Viewing trips are still worth making before you commit to a district.
What do I get at the end, and how is ownership proven?
Ownership is proven by the tapu, the title deed registered in your name at the Land Registry. It names the owner, identifies the plot and states the type of right. A separate document, the iskan, confirms the finished building may legally be occupied. Both are worth asking about in the first conversation.
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Ready for a shortlist that fits your plan?
Leave a number in the messenger you already use. We will ask a few questions first, then send properties worth your time.