property hunting in Alanya

[graceingdansk]

Hi! My name is Grace and my husband Kirk and I are currently looking for a villa near the beach in Alanya.
We had a 2 week visit to Turkey in 1998 and fell in love with the country.
I joined this forum to get as much info as possible about everyday life there.
We live on 12 acres south of Kansas City Missouri currently and I'm looking forward to meeting expats from the US as well as the UK.

Any advice on buying trips? Should we arrange one ourselves independently or can we trust an estate company to do it?

 

[JEANNIE]

Hi Grace, welcome to the forum, i think you have come to the right place for info, good luck in your search. I'm sure there are other people from you neck of the woods on here.



Jeannie :high5:

 

[val2661]

Grace welcome to the Forum. I would advise you come independently and take your time to look around the area. There are sharks in Alanya and they aren't in the sea!! Take a look at the advice given to people on this forum, especially with regard to off plan developments. If you want any advice on the Alanya area, Shirley is a fountain of information. Hope to meet up with you when you do come over.

Val

 

[butt007]

Hello Grace, I would suggest to come here yourself for..... lets say 3-4 weeks, have a good look around, there are thousands of apartments and villas for sale, it all depends what you want to pay at the end of the day?
Alternatively you could come on one of those 7day inspection trips organized by an agent, Do they do them in the U S A? Trouble with these is, it is all a bit of a rush.
Warren

 

[graceingdansk]

Hi Warren,
I have never heard of inspection trips until I began looking for property last year on the internet-there's so much out there.
The US is a completely different buying experience. I have never heard of anyone getting fleeced and I've lived in the states most of my life [47 years].
We bought our first overseas property off-plan in Gdansk, Poland in 2007-it was a harrowing experience-that is why I want the ins-and-outs before I come to Turkey.
We're planning a trip sometime this month, and from what all of you have said so far I think I'll rent an apartment for a couple of months.
Thank you for the advice

 

[kemer007]

Hello Grace
Welcome to the forum.I suggest you to come and see Kemer and Goynuk.Because alanya is filled with lots of buildings.....

 

[les&Tasha]

Grace,

We rarely post on this forum but we have witnessed so many rip offs that here is our 2 cents of advice -

"Hi! My name is Grace and my husband Kirk and I are currently looking for a villa near the beach in Alanya."

Grace this type of property is VERY rare in Alanya. If a villa did become available near the beach it would be snatched to build a hotel or apartment building. You must go outside Alanya or up away from the beach 2+ miles to find a reasonably priced villas.

Researching Alanya property on the internet is VERY misleading. Internet prices are MUCH higher than a local would pay. For instance I know apartment buildings in Mahmutler advertised on the internet at prices more than DOUBLE what I could buy for.

The new build market is busted. Many developments have stopped and will never be finished by the current developers as they are unable to raise finance. Banks have repossed a lot. However there are agents still selling these developments! Also developments are being sold which are being rented to locals for Euro 150 a month. Trust me you will not be able to live on these complexes!

Finding a resale is a better option. You can see the Tapu and habitation certificate before you view. Avoid a lot of the obvious scams. There are lots of distress sales at the moment but you need to know the cause of the distress and no agent or vendor is going to tell you why they are selling at half the price they paid! An Emlak will tell you ANYTHING in order to make a sale. Making a single sale this season means survival. Half the agents in Alanya went bust last year and IMHO the same will happen this year.

You need to come here not just for a holiday but for several weeks. My best advice would be to rent first. You can rent a 1200 sf apartment for $100 a week. There is no rush, prices will be stagnent for the next 2 - 3 years. It will take that long to clear the unsold inventory...

 

[lewismark]

There are no villas on or what we call near the beach in Alanya, Most are old buildings about 200 meters inland or more.The new ones are built up in the mountains with fantastic views but you would need a car. Also bear in mind that in the winter the mountains are cloud covered alot of the time but not all day so you will see nothing.
Plenty of people i could send you to there who i know will NOT rip you off if you need contact details.

 

[val2661]

Hi Grace

Totally agree with the others about a villa on the beach in Alanya, and also that you would have to go to one of the villages outside of Alanya to get anything like you want. Have you looked at Avsallar? This is a really nice resort about 17km outside of Alanya. I also agree that the best thing is to visit for at least a month and explore every area in and around Alanya before making a decision. Good luck.

Val

 

[shirleyanntr]

i would agtee with all the comments above..there are no beach front villas in Alanya
you have to go outside Alanya town .
Alanya is atill a lovely place and i wouldnt wnt to live elsewhere......but you have to have your eyes wide open otherwise you will get well and truly stung.

 

[les&Tasha]

Shirley,

Thanks for the comment. We enjoy living in Alanya and have no intention of ever returning to UK. The children have settled and love it here! We don't wish to be negative.

There are bargains to be had but you need to investigate very carefully. I know of a 200 sqm villa up in Warrens area. Fully furnished including a serviceable 5 year old car. Offers on 140K Euro. Cheap - but you still need to do your homework, knock the doors of the other villas, talk with people. Are there problems with the development? Have other villas got Tedas electric and municipal water etc. Whats the story??

On the other side the sharks are literally starving. A foreigner who isn't "saf" (street wise) will get fleeced. No morality about it. Ripping of foreigners is seen as smart!

Alanya is a lovely place to live but newcomers need to be very careful.

 

[delightful]

Hi Grace,

I agree with all that the others have said before me and just want to add that Turkey has changed a lot since 1998, what kind of areas appeal to you? I think it's important to identify that first before you decide on where to visit in Turkey.

I run an independent UK based Turkish real estate company with lots of experience of the property sector in Turkey and can help to answer your questions if you would like to contact me. We have properties all along the southern coastline of Turkey, know each area personally and can help you to at least identify where it is that you'd rather be actively looking Then, fully informed, you can decide to come out under your own steam and see if the areas offer exactly what you're looking for and in your budget.

There are pro's and con's of resale vs new build and each area has its' own charm. Let me know if I can help.

Turkey is beautiful and I'm sure however you go about it, you'll find your own piece of heaven.

Best wishes.

Ishik