Well you have booked it now but having been there, got the Tshirt etc. I would most definately advise anyone to go independently when property hunting. Bear in mind that Turkey is very much a buyers market and DO NOT get rushed into buying anything. It's your money and you do not have to buy. There are loads of estate agents in Turkey and you need to ask around to find a couple of good ones in the area where you decide to buy. Be aware that most agents will charge you 3% when you buy something. This is also negotiable - haggle this at the start. Yes the asking price for property has gone up a lot in the last couple of years but for some time it has not been selling well so you really should be able to negotiate a lower price and do not believe anyone who tries to tell you otherwise.
My advice is to go on your trip and look but do not buy. You can easily say you are going home to think about it. Remember there are many thousands of lovely properties throughout Turkey with many owners desperate to sell. Go back on your own later and have another look.
I haven't done the Izmir to Bodrum trip but at a guess I would think it was around 3 hours.

Please look around other resorts before you buy anything, as said Turkey has so much to offer.
Do not be pressured into signing anything, there are loads of bargains to be had.
Bodrum is beautiful depending where about you are, i find the Gumbet area not my cup of tea but we are all different, thank God.
Turunc has a lot to offer as does Dalyan and Icmeler, you need to visit lots of places till you find the one that ticks all the boxes and hunt on your own.
Sounds a big jump in price to me

hi

we have an apt in turkey and my mother lives there and both apts are in different areas and neither of these areas have increased in price in the last few mths so i dont beleive that they have gone from 20 to 50 grand in a few mths, in maybe 3 -4 years could be possible, so be very careful, property in turkey at the moment isnt selling very well, some apts, houses etc ive been watching have been up for sale for a year now. this isnt in the bodrum area but i would say all areas of turkey havent increased 150% like they are suggesting in a few mths, every part of turkey suits different people sadly bodrum it isnt 1 of my favourite places so take a good look around and dont rush into anything, look at some apts independently too so you can get a good feel for the prices, try and visit some other places in turkey too, its a big decision to make and lots of thought needs to go into it, good luck

It 's now very much a buyers market. The press, here, are talking of property values having fallen by between 18 and 40%.

Don't be pressurised into parting with yuor money. There are plenty of properties for sale.

Visit as many other estate agents as you can. There are many forums for you to look into.

Turkish living, Expats in Antalya, calis beach forum, Expats in Turkey, My merhaba. All of these forums have sections and members who can give specific advice on the regions in which they live.

I would expect that if this company are contributing towards the cost of your travelling/hotel expenses you will find it very difficult to escape from them and someone will be 'looking after you' the whole time. Obviously it is not in their best interests to let you wander off and look in estate agents windows.
Do more homework right now before you go. Look on the web sites recommended above and ask the members of those sites lots of questions. Also google property and an area name and see what other agents have for sale. ie property Bodrum, property Akyaka etc
It is in the nature of Turks to keep putting prices up regardless of whether it will sell. They have had raging inflation for many years. I bought 3 years ago and houses I looked at then are still for sale but now some of them are twice the price and not selling!

Do let us all know how you get on

the main thing is if a deal seems too good to be true then it is! Take your time, DO NOT be pressured into giving deposits etc. Make sure that you can pay for the house and it's costs without income from here.
Finally, the best property buys in Turkey at the moment are new builds in Izmir and Istanbul.
Good luck!

Hi
I am interested in buying a property in the Olu Deniz area, what prices am I looking at for say a 2 bed appartment? Also does any of you have appartments near that area, Fethia (think thats how you spell it?) is above olu deniz up hill, I have been told that this is another good area????
Any hints tips and advice would be welcome.
Liz

Liz all of the above info applies to you. Use a search engine and do loads of research before you plunge in. Make sure you understand the buying process before you start. Take care as there are many pitfalls. I bought off plan and all was well, however I now know of many who have had huge problems with bankrupt builders. So my advice would be to go for a resale at least you can see what you are getting. Don't believe everything you are told and double check everything. There are loads of emlaks (estate agents) advertising on the web so you can get a feel for what is available. Then you need to find a reputable one!
ps. It's Fethiye.

Leave your heart at home.

take lots of photographs and make notes.

Ask lots of what appear to be stupid questions.

Try and read between the lines of what you are told.

Things are done differently here.

Find a lawyer. You would not buy a house in the UK without a lawyer.

Sit down and think logically when you get back home.

Sorry to sound like I am lecturing but all of us who live here and gone throught eh experience of buying know many horrendous tales.

Apart from all of the doom amd gloom I wish you luck and hope that you do find the place of your dreams to enjoy.

I agree with above, do not do anything you would not do at home

Dunsberry

The 20k quote was obviously a scam to get you to book the viewing trip, once they have you out here and captive the screws will probably be applied.

Apollo etc are right in what they say about prices- I know as I am an agent out here (but I dont like being called an emlak as I like to think I am a better than most of the shower you get out here)

Bodrum at the moment you can get some good places at good prices, So have a good look round.

Liz mc you can get places in ovacik fethiye in the 60 k mark ( good stuff) again though shop around as there are plenty for sale there as well.

Because the market is down try to find the best complexes/ areas as these are the one that will have a better chance of resale further down the line. Be choosy

15 years ago the bus trip from Izmir to Bodrum took 5 hours. I don't know what the roads are like now but expect a long journey.

Property prices in Turkey have actually decreased by between 20% and 40%, Its a buyers market presently follow the link below for more details.
http://www.fethiyetimes.org.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1296&Itemid=112

RWB46
that article if taken at face value is true-ish but in reality its the 'pitching 'prices that have fallen by 40%
A couple of years ago I had a builder offer me two very good villas in that area to market for 99,000 Each. This when everybody was selling at 140k. I asked him why so cheap and he said and I quote ''I am not greedy and can make a fair profit at that price'' You could of blown me down with a feather at that point. Anyway thaose two villas went within ten days whilst all the others languished on the market.
just a bit later I was turning down one bed studio apartments which the builders where asking 60k for, they wanted to know why as they thought the Brits would rush in and buy them I responded by telling them only the very stupid Brits would buy them and it wasnt the kind of business I wanted.

Now the prices being asked are coming back to reality and you can get reasonable value again, and a few of the developers will go under or sell at a loss ( they have had it coming). For me it means I have to be very careful to protect the buyers against the risk of a developer going under whilst the title deed is in his name (This can be done) But also from my point of view I would like to see prices rising about the 6 or 7 % mark which would make the market sustainable. Anybody who has believed the hype that gains were going to be 30% per year were at best easily deluded. A lot of the agents and builders out here will suffer but some of us will be ok as long as we keep trying to get tthe bargains for our clients.

Hi

We have a villa at Gumusluk, near Bodrum, on the Bodrum Peninsular, inbetween Yalikavak and Turgetreis.

The trip from Izmir to Bodrum can be done in 3 and half hours, there is now a very good motorway. If the motorway is not used, it is obviously longer
I have done the trip a few times now, having to pick up some of my wifes friends from Ukraine.

Our first trip was to Side, in 2004. We liked it, but we were looking for something different. We hired a car, and drove South to Alanya, nice, but again not for us. We then drove North, and my target was no further than Kusadasi.
We arrived in Bodrum, and as we drove down the hill, with the castle all lit up, we looked at each other, and we knew we had found our bit in Turkey !

Bodrum can be very lively ! Gumbet is very noisey ! Yalikavak is a nice small town, Turgetreis a little bigger but quite nice.
We settled on Gumusluk. It is a fishing village, it is very quite ! Just what we were looking for.

We then came home, joined Holiday Truths, and My Merhaba, asked lots and lots and lots of questions ! !! !
Research and more research !

I then went back in Feb 2005 (with all the rain) !
I saw a few properties, and like I said before, plumped for Gumusluk.
We love it !
If you want any further info them mail us.

Best wishes
Geoff and Olya

PS: we now have two houses, and one is for sale if anyone is interested.

try the right move abroad and you will find property in Altinkum and other places from £28000 upwards