It's been a while getting here this year but the cold is
now biting! We still have the bright blue skies and the sun
taking the chill off through the day but the minute it slips
away you know what month you are in. We can't complain
though, coffee on the terrace right through November and
early December, tomatoes and peppers still giving fruit and
roses for xmas morning.
Like everyone, we've been worrying about the economy,
though we don't have it nearly as bad here as the UK and
most of Europe it has had it's impact. The biggest sufferers
have been the car manufacturers and the exporters, though
funnily enough property prices haven't slumped at all. We
keep our eye on the national market through Turkish
classifieds, emlaks sites and sale by owners and the clear
trend is increasing property values. Construction may have
slowed but the demand is still there. A few locations where
there has been over enthusiastic construction specifically
for the foreign buyer is where the bargains and deals are to
be had.
If you are looking to invest in property in Turkey, do
read and research all you can. It isn't just foreigners that
can get caught out but as has recently happened, Turks who
chanced their luck building illegally (without requisite
planning permissions) are looking at paying the price now.
There are relatively clear rules as to where the foreigner
can buy and what those limits are. There is information in
the forums and in FAQs as well as further information
available on the web. If unsure, ask!
As to Turkey as a holiday destination, it is now ranked
5th in Europe and within the top ten globally! This year
Turkey hosted 26 million tourists and that figure will just
keep growing given all it has to offer. The site has
information regarding most of the resort areas, if you look
you are bound to find something suitable for you then there
is a search engine available that will crawl the major
holiday providers to bring you the best deals for 2009.
Turkey's Central bank also reduced interest rates
earlier, they are currently standing at 15% for Turkish
lira.
Tomorrow, New Years day, sees the introduction of the
Turkish Lira. We've had a couple of years with the 'new' YTL
which saw the end of all those zeros', shame as it was the
only time I was ever able to claim a million! The Turkish
Lira will have a hologram foil stripe (the first in the
world to do so) which increases security and aids the
visually impaired.
Turkish banks have also started to offer mortgages for
the non residents of Turkey.
There is a great deal of interest for long term rentals, I
guess many of you want to try before you commit yourselves
which is good thinking. However, we do ask that you only
request availability within a month or so of your move
unless you intend to secure a property straight away. There
is absolutely no guarantee that what is available today will
be there next week let alone a month away. Rentals are
required by the domestic market also and they are obviously
in a better position that you to secure immediately.
Well they were a bit of a nightmare with oil prices this
year. Oil has come down drastically and this is being
reflected in online prices. British Airways currently has a
terrific sale on, links on the site. A piece of advice for
those booking online, do make sure there is abta protection.
Many people lost out when XL went bust so do bear this in
mind.
There have been new FSBOs added, one with it's own pool
and fantastic views in Kusadasi for a mere 85,000 Euro with
mortgage available!
For one week starting tomorrow we are going to reduce one of
the most spectacular villas by 10,000 Euro for our
newsreaders. Already well below valuation price this offer
will last for seven days. Link HERE
UPDATE REDUCED FURTHER.
One of our members SueG has been a busy bee building her own
villa from scratch. She shares the journey with us in the
forums and the gallery, do take a look.
Well this is the end of our last newsletter for 2008. We
do genuinely wish all of you a Happy New Year and a less
stressful 2009.
|
