Dateline : Istanbul, Turkey

There’s serious money to be made in Turkey Real estate. And, like all big business, it attracts its fair share of scammers, cheats, and fraudsters. These criminals are getting ever more sophisticated in how they target potential victims. 

Google “Turkish property scams’ and you’ll find a frightening number of stories involving people who been ripped off on Turkey’s Mediterranean and Aegean coasts. But if you delve a little deeper, you’ll see that the scams could have been avoided if a few simple steps had been adhered to. Zaytuna Realty Team have created 7 steps road map to follow avoid Real estate scams in turkey. However, they are rare and as long as you carefully follow these steps while making an investment in turkey you have absolutely no reason to fear.  

Avoid Shortcuts  

You’d be shocked at the number of otherwise sensible people who neglect to fully check out their property before they hand their money over. British woman Hayley brown Scammed British pensioners out of 1.2 million pounds by selling investment and rental properties in Bodrum. She took clients to turkey, where they were wined and dined, but not allowed to see the inside of the properties, as Brown claimed they were occupied by renters. When rental income failed to materialize, it was discovered the properties were not Brown’s to sell. The Lincolnshire woman served four years in jail but it’s unlikely any of the investor will see their money again.  

Greed and the chance to snap up a perceived ‘bargain’ property is often enough to make common sense fly out the window. Do your homework, make notes and read on to discover exactly ho you can make the savviest property purchase possible.  

Illegally constructed properties  

There are two most common types of illegal construction in turkey.  

Rural Houses  

These rural constructions are found outside the cities. Originally built on agricultural land for the villagers who worked the plots, these properties were given retrospective habitation licenses by the local authorities. However, they are not recognized under Turkish law. If you buy one of these properties not only will you unable to raise finance on it as it’s an illegal dwelling, but you’ll most likely be stuck with it forever as no one will want to take it off your hands.  

Deliberate violations  

This type of construction is more serious- and a more calculated scam- as in these cases a developer has deliberately flouted the law in order to build property to sell to unsuspecting buyers. The developer will outside legal zones, or build properties that don’t adhere to building regulations- such as being tree stories instead of the allowed two in places like Bodrum where this is the law. You might buy the property and live in it with no problems, but when your next buyer comes along, chances are they’ll do their homework more thoroughly than you did, and you’ll have trouble selling.  

Right Paper Work 

A legal property will be eligible for a Tapu (title deeds), which is the freehold title to land for property, or a share of land if you’re buying an apartment. It will also have an ISKAN certificate, the habitation license awarded after a property is constructed that demonstrates a property has been built in the line with all local regulations. If you’re buying from an independent seller, don’t take them at their word: ask to see the documents and have them checked over by a lawyer.  

Seek Professional Help

This so obvious but it’s shocking how many people choose not to employ the services of professional when buying property in turkey. Most often they think it will cost arm and leg to hire lawyer in turkey.  

Ensuring your deal is legitimate is absolutely crucial and all the paper work is in order, that there’s no debit on the property and that it’s built on the correct zoning and all other legal frame work.  

Find Trusted Agent or Consultant  

Finding a good consultant or agent is crucial step towards buying real estate in turkey. The “good agent or consultant ‘we don’t mean the ‘bloke you met at the pub or restaurant’ or the “that nice taxi drive’ we mean a reputable consultant, with years of experience and knowledge. Of course, this seems like common sense at its most basic- Zaytuna Realty usually approached by the clients asking for help with a property deal that turned sour, and 90% of the time they have purchased illegal dwelling- by a non-certified professional who just happened to hear a great deal. Like everything else in life, if it looks too good to be true: it usually is.  

Buy Off-Plan

A number of turkey property horror stories are centered around buying off plan, and some people believe it’s better to avoid doing so altogether. The reality is that buying off plan is perfectly safe- just so long as you take certain measures. Always use a respected and experienced developer with years of established constructions behind them. Look at their portfolio of previous properties.