How to Build a House in Istanbul
Many people decide to relocate their lives to Turkey. This can be for many reasons, but the most probable one is a combination of the wonderful weather, the friendly people, the delicious food, and the chance to basically live this life every single day. Whilst there are many destinations to choose from in Turkey, Istanbul is without a doubt the most popular.
If you have visited the city over the last few years you will have noticed there is a large amount of building going on. These are not usually offices or new attractions being built, they are homes. This is to accommodate the growing population of Istanbul, one which is certainly booming in number every single year.
If you decide you want to move to Istanbul and build a house of your own, or perhaps you simply want to build a house to have as a base when you do visit the city, how do you go about it as a foreign national?
It’s not too difficult, but there is some red tape you need to be aware of. Most of this revolves around the real estate niche. It is probably much easier for you to buy a home that is already built, and you won’t struggle to find brand new ones in Istanbul! You can easily visit the buying office of a large construction that is in process and buy a plot, and then wait for your home to be completed. This is probably the best and easiest way.
Having said that, maybe you want to build your home from scratch, and in that case you will need to purchase the land, seek approval, and then hire the correct design and building company to build your home for you.
As a foreigner, you are able to do this, but there are restrictions in place which change from time to time. It is always the best advice to check at the time of making your decision with the consulate of your particular country within Turkey. There aren’t really any restrictions from country to country, and there are simply general rules for foreigners buying property or land in Turkey, and then subsequently building upon it.
What is an Emlak?
When you venture into the real estate and housing world in Turkey you will see the word ‘emlak’ coming up a lot. This is basically an estate agent. This is someone who works on your behalf when either buying or renting a home, or building land. They will charge you commission fees, but it does make life easier because you don’t need to directly communicate with the owner of the land or the home, and the emlak does it all for you. This is a perk if you either don’t speak Turkish well, or you don’t speak it at all. In such complicate cases, it is always better to have a native speaker on your side, to ensure there are no misunderstanding. Remember, you’re dealing with a large amount of money here!
There is also the case of where you want your home to be. Remember, Istanbul is a very large city, but it is also a crowded one. There are any areas and districts, as well as choosing between the Asian and European sides. Generally speaking, the European side is more expensive because it is so touristic, but the Asian side is less international, so it’s something you ned to weigh up. Buying land to build a house on within the European side is also quite challenging, because of the sheer number of buildings and people already living there.
Put simply, if you decide to build your own home in Istanbul, you will need patience and a lot of planning time, but living in this vibrant city is something you will always cherish.
