The
Turkish Mediterranean is an area of spectacular beauty.
Beautiful sheltered sandy coves, backed by the Taurus Mountains, are a
sight once seen never forgotten. With no pollution, a relaxing atmosphere
and the warm hospitality of the Turkish people it’s like living in paradise.
Imagine waking
up and looking out of your window at spectacular scenery that makes you
feel good to be alive. The easy-going lifestyle here allows you to relax
and really enjoy your life. With inexpensive living costs and not having
to keep up with the Joneses, you have less stress and more money in your
pocket. Why continue spending most of your hard earned money on ever-increasing
taxes back home?
Real Estate
prices here are much lower than in Spain and you usually get more value
for your money.
However, this
situation is changing due to recent amendments to the law making it easier
for foreigners to buy property in Turkey. The result has been a rise in
real estate prices but also a vast improvement in the standard of construction.
In the Kemer
area an ever increasing number of British and Norwegians are buying apartments
and villas. Judging from feedback they are evidently very satisfied
with their purchases. At this time the law states that as a foreigner you
can only buy property in a town or city.
This law is
presently under consideration for changes to allow foreigners to buy property
in villages.
Some web
sites offering property for sale in Turkey say that buying property in
Turkey is easier than buying in the UK. This can
be true, but we strongly advise that you obtain the services of an Avukat
(Lawyer) to handle all transactions for you.
If
you contact your Embassy/Consulate
they will be able to supply you a list/name of Avukats who speak your language.
By using an Avukat, you can be assured that the property you buy has a
Tapu (title deed) and will be legally registered in your name The cost
of using an Avukat is approx €1,000, but it is money well spent for
ones peace of mind. The Turkish Military are the authority that gives permission
for foreigners buying property in Turkey. It normally takes approx 4-6
weeks to get your new property registered in your name, and for you to
receive the Tapu.
This time scale
may vary however, depending on the amount of applicants being dealt with.
In general
Turkish Real Estate companies are honest, and will take care of all legalities
for you. Unfortunately however there have been some instances of people
buying property that has been built illegally and has no Tapu (Title Deed),
as well as being charged for items not received. By using an Avukat
one is assured that these problems do not arise.
When buying
a property in Turkey one usually has to pay a 3% buyers’ fee + 1.5 % is
paid by both the purchaser and the vendor as purchase tax. The contract
document will have to be translated into English at a cost of around £100.
On new buildings one may have to pay for the electric and water to be connected,
costing approximately £100. House insurance varies according to size
and location of the property. Once your property is registered with the
local Beleidye (council) you will have to pay a council tax that is paid
in two installments, somewhere in the region of £60. If your property
is part of a complex you will have to pay communal charges, these vary
depending on size and value of the property.
The Kemer Region
- Ex-President Özal once stated that the Kemer area where we are based,
to be the “Monte Carlo” of Turkey. Once you have visited here you will
know why he said that. This region known as the “Turkish Riviera” is the
country's tourism capital. The town of Kemer is only one hour from Antalya
International Airport with the road between the two offering spectacular
views of both mountain and coastal scenery.
The town
itself is not large but very popular with tourists from many countries.
It
is situated directly on the shore of the beautiful crystal clear Mediterranean
Sea and framed by the picturesque pine forested Taurus Mountains; it really
is a fabulous setting.
Located
at the bottom end of town is the well sheltered Marina that Kemer quite
rightly boasts of being one of the best in Turkey. It is so popular that
an ever increasing number of yacht owners spend the whole winter
here.
As well as
being able to enjoy the sunny winter weather here, they are able to have
any repairs and maintenance works carried out at very reasonable costs
by experienced tradesmen.
As there is
very little crime in this area, it’s quite safe to go walking around, even
at night. It’s a real pleasure to be able to go walking both in town, and
around the various outlying villages without worrying about being mugged.
It’s more likely that you’ll be invited into either a shop or village house
for a glass of çay (tea). As Turkish people are so friendly and
hospitable, you’re sure of a warm greeting and made to feel welcome wherever
you go. The climate is excellent with mainly blue skies and sunshine all
year round, be warned that in July and August the temperature can be rather
high. An average winter’s day is similar to a spring day in the United
Kingdom, although quite cold early mornings and evenings.
There are
various activities for you to enjoy, including sailing, swimming, scuba-diving,
white water rafting, walking, cycling and mountain bike riding. For
the skiing enthusiast 
there
are the ski slopes at Saklent, which is about 1½ hours away. Approx
½ hour from Kemer a new cable car system is under construction to
take one up to the top of the highest mountain nearest to Kemer approx
7,400 ft. There are plans for a ski centre and restaurants to be built
at the top of the mountain, with a golf course to be constructed lower
down. For those who are really fit and energetic, you can go trekking or
mountaineering. If you love horses then you’re in for a treat, as
there are ranches stocked with excellent horses just outside of town. These
ranches offer both riding lessons and accompanied riding trips up and along
forested mountain trails. For those who play golf, there are a number of
top quality courses at Belek, which is approx 11/2 hours away from Kemer
and only ½ hour from Antalya airport.
If you enjoy
exploring ancient ruins Turkey is full of them, including Ephesus one of
the Seven Wonders of the World. There are some very beautiful and interesting
ruins around the Kemer region that are well worth visiting, including Olympos,
Phaselis, Perge, Aspendos and Termessos. Termessos is famous as being known
as the only place in Turkey that Alexandra the Great never conquered. He
apparently took one look up at the narrow twisting mountain trail and decided
against attacking it.
A foreigner,
who arrives in Turkey for the first time is somewhat surprised by what
he sees until he gets to know the Turkish nation more closely. He
or she lands in Istanbul at Ataturk Airport, a huge, gorgeous, modern airport
that has been being constantly expended to keep pace with the demand of
17-18 million foreign tourists expected this year and the ever-growing
keen interest shown to this budding “world power” of the 21st century.
The
foreign tourist passes through the routine passport and customs check points
rather quickly with courteous policemen and officials serving them, under
the watchful looks of an Ataturk poster or a bust; gets in the bus which
usually contains an Ataturk photograph somewhere somehow; passes through
a few streets named after the founder of the Republic; goes through some
squares that are sure to have a big statue of Ataturk; arrives in the hotel
only to face other Ataturk posters, paintings or busts; exchanges his hard
currency for the Turkish Liras with big handsome pictures of Ataturk all
over the banknote. Only in a dictatorship - in Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s
Russia or Saddam’s Iraq that one can see such a hero worship, with one
big and basic difference, however. While these posters and statues come
crumbling down with the fury of the people as soon as the dictator falls,
this love of Ataturk is totally sincere and from the depths of the heart
of the Turkish nation to show their gratitude to their great leader who
pulled them out of the darkness of the middle ages of a theocratic State
and made it today’s modern democracy heading for the European integration
in the unflinching direction of its beloved and eternal leader, Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk.
Is this love
for Ataturk unanimous in Turkey? Of course not! Which country is totally
devoid of uneducated, misguided fanatics or sick minded people that Turkey
should be unanimous in this well earned gratitude to its leader? But the
love and respect for Ataturk or rather to his masterpiece, the modern
Turkish Republic, is deep in the hearts of the nation and that is what
makes him very much alive throughout the country seven decades after his
death. What’s more the Turkish youth to which Ataturk delivered the Republic
is quite alert and in its guards against any possible dangers menacing
these reforms.
Turkish
economy is flourishing under free market rules and democracy. Leaving
aside the disenchantment that arises from these differences of opinion
between these two great democracies of our time, with the belief that they
have so far been able to bridge their differences, we should bring the
Turkish economy under the spotlight. Under the suspicious eyes of the majority
of the Turkish nation, it has been observed in the last 2-3 decades that
the Americans’ democracy and free market methods are really making an unbelievable
impact in the national economy.
To cut a long
story short, the higher up levels of the two digit inflation rate which
once, in 1994, went up to three digits, were bitterly pestering the Turkish
nation for the last 3-4 decades to the point of losing its patience at
times. In May 2005 the yearly inflation rate was 8.7% for consumer prices
and 5.59% for producer prices, the lowest rates of the last 37 years.
The
six zeroes thrown off from the Turkish Lira this year saved the Turkish
nation from being “poverty stricken billionaires.” Today the TL or rather
the YTL (Y standing for “Yeni” new) has almost one to one parity with the
US dollar or Euro. As of the end of May, the dollar parity was YTL.1.35
and Euro YTL1.75. To prevent the YTL from over-appreciating the Turkish
Central Bank has bought $9 billion this year, contrary to the practice
of the developing nations which exert great efforts to keep up the value
of their currencies. These purchases have raised the Central Bank’s foreign
exchange reserves to close to $40 billion.
Along with
the sharp drop in the inflation rate, there has been a sharp drop in the
bank rates in the last three years. The Treasury marketed %1.5 billion
worth of 15-year Eurobonds last week, on 3 June. The demand, especially
from abroad, was so big that it was “plundered” within three hours at 7%
interest rate on dollar basis, the most suitable price for the sale of
Turkey Eurobonds so far. The supply could hardly meet one-sixth of the
demand from abroad and it was a good assurance for the economic stability
of the country.
The economic
growth in 2004 was 9.9%, the highest of the world, even surpassing China’s
miraculous performances of recent years. It was
a good sign, but its sustainability is more than doubtful. The growth target
this year is 5%.
The exports
are simply booming with leaps and bounds in recent years. As of end-May,
the one year exports were close to $70 billion ($69.419 billion, to be
exact.), up by 28.5% on a year before. The target for 2005 is $72 billion.
Tourism is a God-send to Turkey. With some optimism, Turkey is expecting
$20 billion a year from 17-18 million tourists this year or next. Since
the beginning of the year, Antalya received 1 778 889 tourists with a 25-30%
increase on a year before.
As
against these phenomenal achievements of recent years, the Turkish economic
is not lacking setbacks and pitfalls either. As against 30% growth or so
in exports, imports rise equally high, if not higher, tending to exceed
$100 billion. Consequently, the foreign trade gap is widening and it makes
a bad impact on the current accounts. In the first four months of the year,
the current accounts gap was 8.9 billion, up by 25.4% on a year before.
This deficit will be $15.3 billion this year, according to the IMF report.
Government
sources say that the rise in imports is partly due to the rising oil prices
and mostly to imports of manufactured goods, with the end in view of competing
with the Chinese challenge in this globalization age since the beginning
of the year. By importing high technology intensive manufactured goods
instead of much cheaper labour intensive industries Turkey fails to solve
its unemployment problem and the current accounts gaps, but it is able
to get less harm from the Chinese textile exports and other industrial
goods. - March 2006
