the best way is wait til you are going over and give yourself a few dys to look round and do your research into who you are buying off

rent somewhere for a while and do a lot of legwork....estate agents will only tell you positives! Firstly decide what you are buying for. Some areas the prices are going down! If you want to rent your property have a look at how many there are in competition. land is usually a good investment and easier to resell.
If you can buy direct from the owner/ builder you can get better deals.
Finally .... good luck!

Can anyone recommend an Emlak on the Bodrum Peninsula? We're thinking of buying, but don't want on a complex. We want a place where we have Turkish neighbours in a town, and it doesn't have to be a new build. Thanks.

Buying property in Bodrum, is the same as buying property anywhere in the world... its about location, location, location...

You need to research the area and know what you want. If you are looking to rent it out, you need to make sure its in a viable area.

We have bought an apartment in Bitez, its on the harbour, with fantastic views and sunsets. Its a new build, and 7 out of 50+ apartments are owned by British/Irish the rest are owned by Turkish families which we love.

We have a fantastic 'Emlak'. Who has helped us every step of the way. The aftersales care is second to none.

His name is Omer Ozmen, and his company is called Aegean Real Estate and he is based in Bitez. (Hes lived in Bitez for 35 years) and we thoroughly recommend him if you are looking for an agent who is trustworthy and honest.

Omer's website is
http://www.aegeanestatebodrum.com

Email me if you would like more information...

We holidayed in Yalikavak 3 years ago and hired a car to see the area. We've been to other parts of Turkey, loved them all, but feel this area suits us best. We're going to Bitez in October and might open a bank account etc. then, and then come back in May/June next year to decide what we actually want to do with regards to possibly renting out. It all gets a bit daunting when you get down to the nitty gritty! I'll check out the Aegean website you suggest.

Tishtosh I am an estate agent and have just got back from Bodrum having spent a couple of days there looking for properties. My thoughts on Bodrum area are 1. Bodrum itself is overcrowded. 2 Bitez very nice family orientated and a bit more upmarket. Torba Gundogan Yalkavak all very nice places. 3. Prices are a bit higher than some areas but a lot of this is down to the fact that there is limited size of build making it less viable for builders. I shall be loading these on my web later. I did find one nice villa in ortakent no sea view etc but a stunning villa. Downside is its price of 350k Euros. Average price for villas seems to be the 250k euro mark assuming a good quality build.

Bryn,
What is your website address?

I dont know if I am allowed but what the heck its http://www.ba-property.com Sorry mods if this isnt allowed please remove
Tishtosh give me a few days to get the stuff loaded though

Thanks Bryn. Hope you don't get into trouble! Blame me, Mods!

Bryn ......... i too liked the peninsula but if they don't control the building then there will be no land left..... at least in marmaris they can't build in the forest area.

Guys

Please don't get me wrong. I love Turkey and have been visiting every year for around twenty years.

The political situation there is questionable and will be for the forseeable future.

Think Bottom Line.

Hi everyone
Thanks for all the replies, some very useful info and alot to think about, this would be an investment property for ourselves with us getting the use out of it a couple of weeks a year. I will have a look at all the websites mentioned, we fly out on the 7th sept so will have a good look about when we are there

Thanks again.

Hi there,

I can recommend an Emlak in Gumbet who would be able to work with you to find what you want. He really is a cut above the others and listens to what you want and, more importantly, don't want.

You can get to him through http://www.turkeycoast.com - his name is Fatih. All his contact details are on the site.

I'd be interested to hear if you do contact him and how you get on. I think he's the best I have ever spoken to, and certainly doesn't forget you once he's sold you a property.

Hi Gimmel,

It's imperitive that you do lots of homework before buying in Turkey. Lots of people buy out there in the hope they can rent their property out - and find they come unstuck when they can't rent their places. Estate agents will promise you that you'll be guaranteed a rental income - DON'T BELIEVE THEM!

Sometimes, estate agents will even guarantee a rental income for up to two years, and will even send you the money. But they are actually sending you YOUR money: all they have done is bumped the asking price of the property up - and are giving you back what you overpaid.

It's also very difficult to find buyers if you want to resell. There are literally thousands, and thousands of new builds and off plan projects waiting to be sold. And no one will pay the same price for a resale when they can buy a brand new place. Resells seem to be getting harder and harder to sell. And some people are even selling at a loss!

If on the other hand you were thinking of investing because you intend to live out there for long stretches of the year, and intended to hold on to the property for, say, 10 years or so, then it wold be a worthwhile exercise.

There's lots of forums on the net which can offer you good, sound advice; take a look at the site Turkish Living - you'll get some great advice from the people on there.

Hope this helps. I know it's all a bit negative, but you should be made aware of the pitfalls. I myself was actually gong to buy in Uzumlu up until just a couple of weeks ago - until I discovered they intend building a Cement Factory there! I haven't abandoned the idea totally (waiting to see if the factory gets the go ahead or not) but I am treading with extreme caution. And anyone thinking of buying out there should do the same too.

Strawberry

some great advice there strawberry , as a buyer you are in a good position.But try to go somewhere that has all year potential...bodrum, marmaris, kusadasi, antalya. These places don't shut and become ghost towns! I live in a village and it doesn't change much from summer to winter. Yet Icmeler is buzzing until october and then looks like a bombsite. Good luck in your search

Strawberry you must have read the advice on my website I dont make extravigant claims about rental income or investment potential- I would rather people bought for the reasons you stated as then we would have longer term and more sustained but steady growth, problem is a lot of people are expecting to come here buy something off plan and then flip it a year down the line- that only works if you have bought absolutely front line property.

Best advice buy something that you are going to use and enjoy and if you have bought something you really like chances are you will find a buyer further down the line who will like it if you need to sell.

Hubby and I are going/coming to Altinkum next week to have a look around at some properties.

A friend of ours has a place there and we holidayed with them this year and fell in love with the place.

Needless to say I am a bit nervous but we are determined to do it. I have been reading some of the past posts, would love to know how others have got on since they last posted.

Regards to all

are you sure that altinkum is the place. A lot of people rent there and can be quite dead in the winter. Make sure you can afford the property AND running costs without rentals, that way any rental is a bonus. Make sure you know what the site fees will be each year.add on basic insurance 200 ytl/year. 0.3% property tax per year(like council tax) Lastly, please walk away from the estate agent and allow yourself 24 hours cooling off before you say yes. The property market here is slow and you are in control.... good hunting!

for your reply C.B. We are looking for somewhere quiet.(ish) to holiday, with a view to moving out full time in a couple of years when Hubby retires, so we dont really intend to rent it out. It will be for our use only....we hope.

Is there any need for any real concern Re the political climate ? or am I putting barriers up already. would appreciate you views. If thats allowed