Avoiding corrupt minds

[bobthenob]

With all the rip offs going on in the tourists area’s.lt is best to play at their own game,if they can’t see the sense in building up a good reputation,then they must face the consequences.
Never give them the benefit of the doubt,because this only encourages them to continue manipulating the honest minds in their favour.Look at the signs of deceptive behaviour against the client.
1/The tactics they use is to groom your mind to gain your trust and there are many ways in doing this.l have noticed how many certificates these businesses have on their walls to impress.Ask them nicely if you don’t mind me taking photos of your certificates as a recommendation and then go to the authorities to find whether they are registered and entitled to have these publicly displayed.
If they become aggressive and refuse you taking the photos,then you have the answer straight away.Just walk away and rumble the culprits.
2/Another one they use is to impress you with fantastic offers if you buy now then you will save a packet before the prices go up,whether it is a new build or off plan it is always the same.They want to get rid of it quickly once they have that opportunity to depart you from your money.They will tell you what they want you to hear,not what you want to hear.
3/When viewing a property,remember you tell them what you want to see,not the other way round.Tell them you want to see the roof.More often then not that’s where the problem lies later on.look at the discoloration of the carving paint work etc.This is caused by water seeping in the walls from the roof,causing ongoing problems.
4/The tapu issue is an open opportunity to con the buyers out of more money.But if you just do one thing to avoid being a victim towards these leeches then you will claim a victory against the evil minds of not getting what they want and also you will gain a property with the right papers intact.lf you are thinking of buying a new build or off plan always make sure that the tapu is there by personally asking for it.lf they start to make excuses,walk away and just say,Thank you for your time,but l am not interested.
4/You need to scrutinize whatever is presented to you and then decide what to reject to what to accept.Remember they either be very friendly if things are going their way,but if it is not going their way,you will notice a completely different attitude to their behaviour to what they claim to be.Verbally and sometimes physical aggression will be part of their methods to put fear into you if you don’t buy.l have seen this many times over the years in the Altinkum area.
5/I have also experienced another horrible tactic they use and that is making generalizations to obscure the important facts about the builds history[whether it’s on military land,taxes not payed,etc]and they also demean other places so you won’t need to go to them even though it looks better then the one there showing you.
6/This one is quite important,which is used so often.The way they can win you over is by playing on your emotions.Fear is an emotion that can cloud over our judgement and then they work from their in gaining your trust out of your confused state as skillfully as the devil himself.
7/Do not except what they tell you,find out yourself first before you take the plunge by using the services provided from the authorities and talk to as many ex-pats and forums about what you are thinking of doing.
8/I personally will always buy a resale,because of the right papers are in place.The many extras that are installed including the furniture.And also since it has been lived in,you know that the build is sound and can withstand the weather elements during the winter.

I know there are a lot more to add on how to avoid being a victim of corrupt minds..please add to it,as this will benefit the many that log onto the forum.lf l can help one,then l know l have achieved something which gives me a glow of satisfaction,and a victory against the evil minds that play on the minds of honesty.

 

[immac]

Your fundamental points are valid, but the main point is that there is nothing here that you would not do as a matter of routine if buying in UK. OK, you might pay professionals to do some of these things for you, but they would be done.

As has been said many time, people throw common sense out of the window when buying here and then are upset when things go wrong.

Ian

 

[Saoirse]

whilst one should always take reasonable precautions if I was so worried/insecure as to require all on Bobs list I doubt I would go out my front door let alone buy a property

 

[shirleyanntr]

Bob , İ'm wondering who ''them'' and ''they'' are .

 

[irishmatelot]

Immac has a valid point, anyone comtemplating a house purchase should have enough common sense to do all the appropriate land, financial and property checks before they part with a penny. It would be easy to be done over by a UK estate agent too if you didn't do the correct preparations.

My heart goes out to anyone who is fleeced or dealt an injustice by the Turkish house purchasing system and its sometimes complicated procedures...I do think a lot of trauma could be avoided or lessened if people were as cautious in Turkey as they would be at home. No offense intended to anyone who has had a bad experience in Turkey, I know how hard the system is and that is why I haven't purchased yet but came close to being silly last year till sense and a good solicitor kicked in...

 

[bobthenob]

Bob , İ'm wondering who ''them'' and ''they'' are .

l am referring to the one's in businesses that are defrauding people.Estate Agents,so called Lawyers,Builders,Tour companies,restaurants,shops.

They are the culprits.Never give them an inch or they will take a mile

 

[yalimart]

i agree with Bob completely on this, I considered making a check list for buying my 2nd property but I didnt and at one point thought I was facing problems, that with my initial experience of buying and failure to act on my instincts ie the check list, it all worked out well for me and the delays were genuine beaurocracy.

If there was a generic plan/checklist put together by people more in the know than me Im sure that buyers would probably not go through the heartache and traumas of dealing with systems, emlaks and lawyers, unsscrupulous builders etc.
There is so much info on this site about peoples experiences, and the legal aspects etc that if it was pulled together to create maybe a downloadable package for prospective buyers that perhaps some of the "villains" would realise they had got it wrong when their phones stop ringing

martin

 

[bobthenob]

Immac has a valid point, anyone comtemplating a house purchase should have enough common sense to do all the appropriate land, financial and property checks before they part with a penny. It would be easy to be done over by a UK estate agent too if you didn't do the correct preparations.

My heart goes out to anyone who is fleeced or dealt an injustice by the Turkish house purchasing system and its sometimes complicated procedures...I do think a lot of trauma could be avoided or lessened if people were as cautious in Turkey as they would be at home. No offense intended to anyone who has had a bad experience in Turkey, I know how hard the system is and that is why I haven't purchased yet but came close to being silly last year till sense and a good solicitor kicked in...

l disagree with that.lt is a lot more difficult to be fleeced in Britian then here,because of the proper regulations in place.When the final searches are done from the solicitor and the money is exchange exactly the same with the other solicitor stops this corruption from happening.lf there was no deeds to the house then the money would not be exchange.
Also if the solicitor has done a terrible job in conveyancing.The client can complain and get compensation.Here you cannot.
Turkey has an open wound to infection.That wound can be sewn up for it to improve.But l have this gut feeling they want to keep this wound open

 

[carolk]

Bob is quite right. You don't know to ask, do you own the land, when the builder is building on it? You don't know to ask, exactly what is your arrangement with the land owner - can you show me your tapu? Can I see you proof that you or X Y or Z own this land/building, that you have permission to build on it? Then to complicate matters further, you need to make sure you don't use a solicitor within a million miles of them!! I have my problems here but, it wasn't with the buying process - that was fine on both occasions and I'm not willing to say there wasn't a lot of luck on my side!

It is not the same as buying in the UK (or any country) where there is redress if a solicitor is corrupt, Oh sure, you can report them but it seems to end there here. In the UK in particular you have a solicitor that works for you and money is not handed over at any stage until completion, not even the Estate Agents fees. Ask the hundreds of people who are told this is the way it is in Turkey - pay this, that and the other first!! Emlaks here take their cut straight off the top in the long list of must pays which include the military check, lets face it, who is going to pay for that if not you, you are buying the property so you get the 'good old list' of what needs to be paid first before you get anywhere near paying for the actual property!

The military checks are an outdated money maker, nothing else.

Thank heavens for these forums.

 

[bobthenob]

Well said Carol.There is no comparison to the system in Britian to the system here.
Even when a client has a solicitor here working on his behalf,where he has payed just as much or even more then the price in Britian,cannot be guaranteed the job will get done.

 

[immac]

I agree Carol, but surely that is a reason to carry out more checks, not less. The experiences of people on this forum show that the tendency is not to do these checks in a country where they don't speak the language or understand the law.
Ian

 

[bobthenob]

All the checks should be done by the solicitor you employed him to do,the client shouldn't be burdened with the so many complicated issues of whether to check this or that.That's their job.lf they don't do the checks then they are not doing the job properly

 

[Guz1]

I confess to being one of those who left her commonsense on the plane at Izmir. Fortunately I ended up with a house although it has taken me years to find out exactly what I bought. Must thank TLF and the generosity of many of the members who have been willing to share their knowledge. All credit to Mushtaq for making it possible.

Immac, it is almost impossible to check everything and off-plan is a minefield all of its own. Just because so many of us acted irresponsibly when parting with our money it didn't give others the right to take advantage, and the legal system appears to work in favour of those who do take advantage of ignorant/innocent buyers.

 

[ceemac]

I confess to being one of those who left her commonsense on the plane at Izmir. Fortunately I ended up with a house although it has taken me years to find out exactly what I bought. Must thank TLF and the generosity of many of the members who have been willing to share their knowledge. All credit to Mushtaq for making it possible.

Immac, it is almost impossible to check everything and off-plan is a minefield all of its own. Just because so many of us acted irresponsibly when parting with our money it didn't give others the right to take advantage, and the legal system appears to work in favour of those who do take advantage of ignorant/innocent buyers.

I think that's a fair point - because you weren't thorough or experienced enough to cover every angle or ask every question, does/did not give so called 'professionals' in the property business the right to 'stitch you up'.

Even if you have supposedly covered all your bases, how the hell could you have factored in (in the early days at least), solicitors/lawyers who are at best unprofessional, unknowledgable, lazy buffoons, and at worst, bordering on the criminal.

I'm extremely knowledgable, cautious, and canny now, some 5 years after my purchase, thanks to my own, and others' experiences - at the same time, you always have that uneasy feeling at the back of your mind that, even when you're sure that you have everything sorted out, it could go pear shaped at any time as the result of some crazy new retrospective law they pass, or something similar.

On balance, I don't regret the fantastic experience I've had in discovering Turkey and it's 99.9% wonderful peoples, but I wouldn't buy property there again - sounds Irish that I know, but that's 'cos I am :hehe:.

The fact is though, I am where I am at the moment, and I have some great folk looking after my interests there, so I prefer to drink out of the half-full glass, rather than the half-empty one.

When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because etc etc...(I've completely lost it now)

C

 

[carolk]

I agree Carol, but surely that is a reason to carry out more checks, not less. The experiences of people on this forum show that the tendency is not to do these checks in a country where they don't speak the language or understand the law.
Ian

Immac, it is our responsibility to check and then check again, I agree, but where do the checks an ordinary person has to make end? If I hadn't been lucky and, had to carry out all the checks I now know I would have to - I wouldn't have bothered. None of us know everything, thats why in all walks of life there are 'specialists', someone who has studied and understands their particular field. We then pay them for their knowledge and expertise to work on our behalf. I like many others had no problem engaging experts to work on my behalf but, its doesn't work like that here - its more pot luck than anywhere I know! I was also happy to engage translators, again I was lucky because I also personally know of two people who did and what they told them was wrong!!

I worked and my area of knowledge is people with learning and physical disabilities, I also had to know the laws pertaining them. How would/could I have much knowledge of the system here? I paid for that expertise here, that should be good enough but as we see from this forum it isn't!!

I cant defend them at all - ever and blame the buyer. Maria has just posted she must have left her brains some where, I disagree. I believe people have been deliberately told lies and conned, yes conned.

Its a disgrace and this forum should be compulsory for anyone buying here!

 

[immac]

it is almost impossible to check everything and off-plan is a minefield all of its own. Just because so many of us acted irresponsibly when parting with our money it didn't give others the right to take advantage, and the legal system appears to work in favour of those who do take advantage of ignorant/innocent buyers.

But what you are saying is, you can't check things so carry on regardless; my point would be, you can't check things so don't buy.
Ian

 

[crystalclear]

How about someone or all of you actually listing the buying procedures for both types of purchase resale and off plan in detail from your own experiences.

things like
tapu -viewing - land - or property- who to ask to view- at what point of buying process
military checks - when to do - how to - apply, cost and why needed
passport translations - when to do - how to apply - cost and why needed
notary office - what to submit - when - why - and cost
solicitor - what part should they play in total
Emlak - what part they should play in total if used to find property
Translator - why should you get one
When to hand over money and sign contracts ?
when to pay final payments ?

Yes I know there are lots of other things but I was only trying to get the ball rolling with suggestions of things to do rather than seeing the word checks in the majority of posts in the thread. As someone wanting to buy for the 1st time may not fully understand the (wording) Check .

Hope this makes some sense lol !!

crystalclear

 

[bobthenob]

When l first came over in Altinkum to buy with an estate agent that claims to be highly recommended,because they are more concerned that clients get a competitive price on a property of their choice than to think about what money could be generated per sale.So,we went with them.

I thought l was going through all the proper legal channels with the guidance of this agent.l found the house l was interested in and handed the part payment in front of the solicitor to the builder,since this is what l was told to do,because this is the way they do it here.
They said you will receive your tapu in thee months[no later]once you hand over the rest of the money which l did.The excuses started with delay in military clearance or the builder is off somewhere on business etc etc.After a year of arguing with them,l received a tapu but not the one that should be for the house.The tapu was for the land only.l never received the right tapu,until l sold this property to a another builder.He went straight to the builder that was in liason with this agent and low and behold it suddenly appeared from his drawer.
This tells me straight away he has deliberately held the tapu for fraudulent reasons,because my translater that was there with me in the builders office said.Don’t mention this to anyone,because l am not to blame for the delay.
The proof is their that the corrupt practices are definitely deliberate to leech as much money from the foreigner as possible.
The solicitor didn’t do his job properly and the estate agent with the builder knew what they were doing.lt was all planned to exploit me.
l assumed l was doing the thing as stated to me,this is the way the system works here.l didn't know how bad it was until l started questioning them,which was to late by then.l also thought there were proper regulative boards here to complain to,if things didn't work out as planned and found out,even if you do complain,doesn't mean they will be sued.l later found out,this agent l was with had multiple writs against them.And all they say is sue us,l don't care,because they know the system is in their favour

 

[immac]

So you did everything wrong: made assumptions that did not stand up, did not do the right checks and bought something that did not exist. Yes, they may have been bent, but you handed them everything on a plate. Would you have done the same in UK?

Ian

 

[shirleyanntr]

İ wonder what the % is of sales that go through without a hitch and those that dont ..given the size of the property market ...
and also the % of Brits that have a had terrible time as opposed to other foreigners.