Off Plan Buying

[ceemac]

Many TLF members will have read numerous posts and threads here about the pitfalls involved with off plan purchases - in fact, a number of members have fallen victim to the process.

The popular advice (as I perceive it), appears to be don't touch off plan developments with a barge pole. But surely there's bound to be 'safe' off plan investment opportunities somewhere or is it the case now that no-one will take the chance with this type of buying? Maybe Mushtaq and Kym would know this.

Anyway, I found this article, that inquires whether off plan buying is too sophisticated for the novice, and although almost 3 years old, it offers very sound advice for anyone considering going the off plan route.


C

 

[juco]

Good advice in this article but even that can point potential buyers in the wrong direction.

always takes local independent legal advice

This is one area I feel a lot starts to go wrong as we `think` they are like uk lawyers and will protect us, as many are on the side of the seller and are only interested in getting their money.

 

[tiiegil]

We bought our villa 'off plan' in 2005, went into with a completely open mind, I think if you are going to buy anywhere in the world you have to know first off that there is a lot of complex laws etc everywhere and it is definately the opposite of the UK laws as purchasers.

One of the reasons for buying abroad was because it is so unlike the UK, so if thinking of buying read everything you can get your hands on, speak to the people out there and still end up confused at times !!! lol - we just plod through each bit as it comes along and eventually one day it will sort - the info on here is excellent too for those contemplating buying.

Re Builders in Turkey - make sure you get everything (even the smallest of things) in the contract and that is notarised too, at least you have something in writing then too.Even then it is not a walk in the park sometimes.

We are still learning and could have done lots of things differently - but enjoy (at times) sorting out all the bits and bobs that are and yet still to come.
So unless you are prepared for lots of challenges best not to buy I would say!

 

[ceemac]

You've a good attitude about it tiiegil - I think that's where a lot of folk have problems, they get so stressed out with the many 'little' things that go wrong that it becomes a real issue, and can, in certain cases, totally spoil their dream.

It wasn't that extreme for me but it did ruin a few family holidays for us. Having said that, I reckon I was my own worst enemy because of the type of person I am - I'm a worrier and I didn't want to fall foul of Turkish laws. I know some others with many of the same problems I had and they just shrugged their shoulders.

There are of course cases where it has nothing to do with being stressed out by the relatively minor but numerous problems - some people were simply defrauded on a grand scale..


C

 

[Ms Who]

Sorry Ceemac, only just seen your post. The problem with off plans is here is a lot of them tend to be a 'bright spark' who makes a deal with a landowner. They get the plans drawn up by an architect and advertise the images of 'how it will look'. People are then encouraged to make off plan payments which fund the build. Off course, if they dont sell enough, they dont have the money to continue building and this is where all the problems stem from.

There are only a few reputable builders here that I would be happy to sell 'off plan' for. Actually, I can count them on one hand. There are 4!

 

[ceemac]

I'd quite believe that Kym.

The point of my original post I suppose is that although it's obviously a risky transaction, it shouldn't just be entirely dismissed as a purchasing option.

I wouldn't consider it given my circumstances, but it could very well suit someone else as long as they have the proper safeguards in place.


C

 

[blue nose]

Having read through the various horror stories regarding off plan buying I thought I would put the counter view to balance the arguement. We bought our apartment in Datca off plan around 4 years ago. When we bought the foundations had not even been laid in fact it was still a pile of dirt. We had only very minor problems and the apartment was completed on time and now 4 years on we still love our apartment and Turkey just as much as when we first decided to buy. I appreciate that we may have been fortunate however it does show that not all Turkish builders are crooks and conmen.
Our apartment is on the Zeytin Dali site and was built by KA-NE Construction and I only have praise for them.

 

[moortenerife]

we have bought two off plan apartments, one in 2005 and the other one last year, and we have not had any problems. we did buy them both from the same developer, so maybe that helped as we knew what to expect. they went through everything with us beforehand and kept us up to date with photos etc along the way. we received our tapus straight away. i realise we were very lucky and could quite easily have had problems as other members have had. our only problem now is with the management companies we have had with the apartment we bought in 2005, in the last two years we have had management that have ripped us off, the one from the last year took everyones money and did not pay any bills therefore leaving us with bills to pay twice. we have had to find someone quick to take over the rest of this year, and its costing us double the amount of money. does anyone know what is the average maintenance payment for a small complex with pool?

 

[kaplumba]

In answer to the maintenance costs, we pay 1500 lira per year. We pay in 3 installments. There are 14 houses and 1 pool. The residents (all Turkish except us) vote in a manager, chosen from the residents every year and he does the job unpaid. He is such a nice man and is very happy to help me with any problems I have. We have an employee who acts as security/ gardener /handyman. So far this has worked well and we have a very beautiful and well kept site. The fees cover pool costs, wages, gardening, annual roof repairs, wireless internet to all houses. Just now and again there have been a few costs I wasn't expecting such as connection to new sewer system.
I too bought off plan and apart from making the mistake of using a very dodgy lawyer, it was OK. However having read all the problems people have encountered I would not do it again. My experience with the lawyer means I would probably never buy in Turkey again but that is fine as I have the house I love and have no intention of selling it yet.

 

[Janice Oakley]

Having just listened to a very sorry tale on Radio 4 from someone who has been ripped off buying off plan in Turkey, It's clear that buying in Turkey can be risky. My worry is that Turkey is beginning to get the bad name that Spain and Bulgaria have for dodgy builders. I would have thought that the government must be concerned, as this is likely to adversely affect property prices and in turn tourism. We bought off plan, and do have our Tapu, but the whole process was not easy. We're very happy with the property we've bought, but I'm not sure I'd want to go through it again! I'm sick of hearing 'This is Turkey, not England'. It seems to be an excuse for not meeting agreed deadlines and making up the rules as you go along!