1st Post - Buying In Alanya - Areas

[rlohiya]

Hi All,

It's time to buy a little holiday home, just for our families to come and unwind. (without any hope of the property appreciating in value, or getting any rental income from it).

I'm looking to buy a 2-bed+2-Bath Apartment in Alanya, in the following areas and would love some local knowledge:-

Alanya City
Sekerhane
Güller Pinari
Cumhuriyet
Oba is a bit too far to walk to Alanya City Centre for us.

Cleopatra
Saray
Kizlar Pinari

Basically upto 20mins walk to beach, to Alanya centrum, to a Mosque, and should be in an area where local Turks also live, is our loose search criteria.

Request for advice
Are any of these area's NOT good and appropriate areas to buy?
(I will be spending 2 weeks in December to view properties, but don't want to view 100's, so would be good to limit the search area).

How do I avoid being over-charged for a property?
(is there a way to find out recent sales of similar apartments?).
Is it currently a buyers market?, (for someone who has cash?
How/Where do you find bargain properties?

Sorry for asking too many questions, but I am wary of estate agents.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide.

Regards,

Rash

 

[immac]

These are all good questions. The advice usually given on here is to rent for a year and not to jump right in. A one year rental is not expensive and will save you making a costly mistake. It will also let you check out the area at leisure.

Sellers and their agents will tell you anything to get a sale, so the first rule is to trust nobody, and that includes solicitors who you think are working for you; I know of two cases going on at this moment where solicitors have pocketed cash they were supposed to be looking after. Don´t give anyone Power of Attorney that puts them in a position to cheat you. People will try to sell you things they don´t own, then if you show interest they will try to put themselves into the deal as middle men.

The same property can have a different price in every place it is advertised. This looks suspicious, but actually is not; the seller will go to a number of agents and tell them what he wants to end up with; the agents are free to advertise at any price so long as the seller gets what he wants. Foreigners are often shocked by this, but it just means you need to shop around. But is you get an introduction from an agent, don´t try to cut him out if you see it cheaper elsewhere, that can turn very nasty.

Basically, be suspicious, trust nobody, get paper evidence for anything important and don´t rush.

Ian

 

[IbrahimAbi]

Totally agree, rent for a year and look around at your leisure. You will save a lot of money and eventually find the area that is perfect for you and your family.

 

[Akasya]

Top advice from the above posts , the cheapest and most accurate advice imho you will benefit from .

Steve

 

[enoch]

Soguzu Mah is a nice area .

 

[A89]

Ive lived in Alanya center 8 years and seen so many people buy quickly and very soon regret it. Its very hard to sell property at anything like you've paid for it at the moment. A neighbour in my block had his apartment for 6 years then for sale over 2 years. Last year he finally sold it at a £20,000 loss.
I agree with everyone who says rent first.


alison

 

[Mushtaq]

Another suggestion if you are gambling person, put the money in Lira deposit account, use the interest to pay the rent. The risk is Lira crashing further or it might recover?

Not sure about the numbers but I think one of the numbers experts here might take that as a challenge and work some options?

 

[rlohiya]

Ive lived in Alanya center 8 years and seen so many people buy quickly and very soon regret it. Its very hard to sell property at anything like you've paid for it at the moment. A neighbour in my block had his apartment for 6 years then for sale over 2 years. Last year he finally sold it at a £20,000 loss.
I agree with everyone who says rent first.


alison

Thanks for your thoughts A89.

I have no intention of ever selling, as I will be buying in my children's names, so they can take it over once I am gone.

Which part of Alanya Centre is your property please?

Regards,

Rash

 

[rlohiya]

Another suggestion if you are gambling person, put the money in Lira deposit account, use the interest to pay the rent. The risk is Lira crashing further or it might recover?

Not sure about the numbers but I think one of the numbers experts here might take that as a challenge and work some options?

Thanks for your idea, but no way buddy, I don't gamble, and also can't have anything to do with interest.

Regards,

Rash

 

[rlohiya]

Soguzu Mah is a nice area .

Thank you enoch,

I did explore this area on a scooter a few months ago, yes it is lovely, but I found it was a bit too far from the beach for the kids and my elderly mother.
When we go away we like the fact that we can walk down to the beach and to the shops.

Regards,

Rash

 

[A89]

Thanks for your thoughts A89.

I have no intention of ever selling, as I will be buying in my children's names, so they can take it over once I am gone.

Which part of Alanya Centre is your property please?

Regards,

Rash

I'm in Güllerpınarı mah.

alison

 

[McB]

Hre's an even crazier suggestion- keep your foreign currency in your pocket, buy with a Turkish Lira mortgage, and then when the Lira goes down and down, the value of your loan outstanding becomes less and less, and that means your better off...sure the interest rate is about 12% for a year but the TRL can lose that in a month...

As for recent sales prices in the area for similar type properties, ask the seller to provde with an Eksper Rapor- it has the sales prices in it.

And if you dont mind sharing, I would be interested also in what you find, as long as its five minutes walk from the beach. You can PM me if you like.

 

[Galaxy Girl]

Hi Rash

We have second floor apartment in Galaxy 2 sitesi, Saray Mah. It seems to be just what you're looking for. Although we'll be in England in December, if you drive by Galaxy 2 whilst you're in Alanya and like what you see, please get in touch.