Q:Is your real estate agency acknowledged by any organization?
A:Turkey does not have an umbrella organization like NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents) to uphold standards. So basically anybody can open up a real estate agency. However, agents in Turkey must be registered at the chamber of commerce and have a licence. So a good real estate agent is one that has at least both! If you are not sure about an agent, feel free to ask about the licence or even have it shown. Furthermore the agent should be able to answer all your questions to your full satisfaction and interpret your wishes by finding you just the right property. Joy Properties is licenced and we try our very best to meet your requests. You can always contact us if you have more inquiries or better yet, pay us a visit to meet us in person. 

Q: What is the difference between a licensed and non-licensed agency?
A: A licensed agency is an agency that pays tax and therefore operates legally. You can check this by looking for offices that display a tax certificate outside their premises. 

Q: How will I understand everything? I don't speak Turkish.
A: We work with legal translators to ensure that you have a complete understanding of the legal process, and more importantly peace of mind. Throughout the entire process, we will get in touch with you via phone or email in English.

Q:Can I see the property before I decide to buy it?
A:Yes! We highly recommend it. There is no better way to find the perfect property than to visit and see the properties and the surrounding area with your own eyes. See the properties and witness the sun-soaked, laid-back life style Turkey has to offer and at the same time form your own opinions with no sales pressure.The viewing trips are designed to provide clients with an informative, relaxed environment to view properties.

Q: How can I come to Turkey to view your properties?
A: As soon as you have organized your flight to Turkey, contact us with the flight details, and we will arrange your airport transfers and your accommodation whilst in Turkey, at very good rates. Please refer to İnspection Trip section on home page of our web site for detailed information and prices.

If you book your inspection trip through us in advance and pay a deposit on a property (non-refundable) during the trip; in case of purchase, Joy Properties will refund the cost of inspection trip, with a maximum of two people per party (sharing a room in hotel accomodation or sharing an apartment) for the viewing trip.

As viewing can take a few hours in the blistering sun, dress properly for viewings; meaning wear comfortable shoes, bring a little water bottle and wear sun protection. If you want to request a viewing, please fill in the inspection trip request form that can be reached simply by clicking on the İnspection Trip box on home page.

Q: How do I buy a property - do I put down a cash deposit?
A:The majority of sales in Turkey are cash sales, where purchasers are requested to pay a deposit, followed by an interim payment and a final amount on sales completion. This does vary, according to whether the property is off-plan, newly-built or re-sale. If you require Turkish Mortgage can be arranged. 

Q: Can I purchase more than 1 property?
A: Yes. You can purchase as many properties as you want. 

Q: If I purchase a property, am I going to have to come over to Turkey lots of times?
A:If you purchase through Joy Properties, we manage the buying process for you. You would only need to come over to Turkey once. During this time, we will work with the solicitor to draw up your contract, and to leave a Power of Attorney, so that they can sign the Title Deeds on your behalf, in your absence. At all times, you will be fully-informed of the process.

Q: Can I give the Joy Properties power of attorney to act on my behalf?
A: Yes. If clients are in Turkey (will have to pay notary charges of £60 / € 90 / $ 125 for this), they can give POA to Joy Properties. If Joy Properties has POA, they can sign the Sale Agreement and do the water and electricity connection on behalf of the client.

Q: If I purchase property, how do I know when to make my payments?
A: This will be detailed in the sale agreement, however Joy Properties will also give clients a payment plan which details when each payment is required, very clearly.

Q: If I purchase a land / plot will the same purcahese process apply as buying a house?
A: Yes the same purchasing process will aply when buying a plot / land.

Q: If I purchase a plot do I have to build on it ?
A : No. You don’t have to build on it. You can keep it as a land. Some plots are very logical as an investment opportunity. You can keep it to sell when price rises and make good profits on it. Please refer to lands / building plots section to view plots that create an ideal investment opportunity.

Q:Are there flights all year round?
A:Throughout the summer season there are regular direct flights to Izmir International Airport and Bodrum International Airport. Transfer from both airports to Kusadasi or Didim is approximately 1 – 1,5 hours. In winter (spring and autumn) as there are limited number of flights you might have to fly to Istanbul International Airport and get a connected flight from there.

Q:Do I need a visa to enter Turkey?
A:Yes. To enter Turkey you need a visa. You can purchase one when you go through customs at the airport, for £10 / € 15 / $ 21.

Q: If I own a property in Turkey, is there a limit to the amount of times I can come to Turkey to use it?
A: No, there is no limit.

Q: Do I need to pay £10 / €15 / $ 21 every time I enter the country?
A: Upon entering Turkey, non- citizens will need to pay £10 / €15 / $ 21 per person for a visa. Eventhough this visa is valid for 3 months, it will be a single entry visa, which means that the client will have to pay the same fee each time they enter Turkey. However, if you ask for a multiple entry visa (same price of £10 / / €15 / $ 21 ), then when you next return to Turkey, if it is within the three month period, you will not have to pay the visa fee again.

Q: I want to stay in Turkey long term. Is this possible?
A: Yes, it is possible. Non Turkish citizens would need to apply for a residency visa. Joy Properties can assist clients with the process, clients would only need to pay petrol costs for the journey to the official offices where the paperwork would be completed. Fees would have to be paid directly to the local government authorities for the permit.

Q: How long does it take until the property will be in my name?
A: Presently it takes a number of months for the Title Deeds to come through. When this happens, the property will be in the clients name. However, it is expected that this process will soon be changed and that Title Deeds will be transferred in a much shorter period of time.

Q: Can the Title Deed have more than one name on it?
A: Yes, it can have as many names as you wish on it. Joy Properties will need passport copies, passport size photos, full names and addresses of all those whose names are to appear on the Title Deeds.

Q: When I die, will the Turkish Government have any claim to my property?
A: No, it won't have any claim. The same rules apply here as in European law; in that the husband/wife and/or children would inherit the property.


Q: I have heard that the Turkish Government get a 52% share in each property that foreigners purchase, is this true?
A: No, it is not true. The Turkish Government has no share, stake or claim on any property that is bought by either foreigners or Turkish citizens. The property purchased will belong 100% to the buyer. This has been verified by the Title Deeds office in Turkey.

Q: Are properties freehold or leasehold?
A: They are 100% freehold.

Q: What kind of taxes will I need to pay?
A: A Buyers Property tax, which will be approx. 1.5% of the sale agreement price depending on location. A Government tax – approx. £100. A Property tax – 1% of property price. Community tax – paid twice or once yearly (only £8 for the year!) for local services. A new law was passed in August 2003 stating that everybody purchasing property will have to pay Earthquake Insurance to the government. The amount depends on the property price and location, and is usually in the region of £20 - £60. The actual amount to be paid will only be determined once the Title Deeds have been authorised. Once the payment has been made for earthquake insurance, the government will issue clients with an earthquake policy. From then on, earthquake insurance will be paid annually.

Q:  If I purchase property, do I have to use a solicitor?
A: Technically, no, although we at Joy Properties will not give any consulting service for buying or selling any property to clients without using a solicitor, so clients will have the guarantee that everything is done legally and have peace of mind.

Q: Is purchasing property in Turkey a good investment opportunity?
A: Currently prices in Turkey (especially in Altinkum) are incredibly reasonable, so owning property is a fantastic investment opportunity. Prices are constantly rising, so purchasing now is a good idea! It is widely believed that Turkey will enter the EU in the future. Once that happens, property prices will increase significantly. ( Please refer to the section which is headlined as ‘ Why Invest in Turkey?’, for detailed information )

Q: Will I be able to rent out my property?
A: Yes. Joy Properties can assist clients in renting their properties out. We charge 20% of the total rental price, and for this, we will advertise the properties on the “Property for Rent” section on our website and in websites of the companies that we are in cooperation. We will ensure the property is cleaned before and after guests use it, we will wash the towels and sheets and check the property before guests leave to ensure all is in good order.

Q:Will I have to pay a tax on my rental income?
A:If you have a property in Turkey and you get income by renting it out or letting it, you have to pay rental income tax for your earnings.The Presidency of Revenue Administration has studies about taxpayers who are the non-resident foreigners in Turkey in accordance with taxpayer focused service principle and Turkish Tax Legislation. The one of the studies is the guide book for the rental income declaration of nonresident aliens in Turkey that you can simply reach by clicking on the web adress http://www.gib.gov.tr/fileadmin/beyannamerehberi/rental_income.pdf
Nonresident aliens can obtain detailed information about the scope of rental income in Turkey, legal basis, acquisition time of rental income, declaration time and location of rental income, exceptions and equivalent rental value and results of non-filing. We hope that this guide book will be informative about rental income tax and declaration.

Q: If I purchase property within a complex, how much would I have to pay annually for maintenance?
A: Maintenance costs for complexes vary considerably - from approximately £170 - £750 per year for the upkeep of the complex including communal pool and garden areas.

Q: I will be renting out my property – would Joy Properties be able to install a key fob in the house for electricity saving? (so that guests do not leave the air conditioning on all day)
A: Yes, this is possible. The approximate cost of this would be £ 150 / € 225 / $ 310

Q: Is it better to install ceiling fans or air conditioning units?
A: It is definitely worth your while to install air conditioning units. In Turkey, an air conditioning unit for the bedroom will cost £200/ € 300 / $ 410 to £420 / € 615 / $ 840 depending on the room size, and an air conditioning unit for the living room will cost £400/ € 600 /$ 820 to £700/€ 1.050 /$ 1.435, once again depending on the room size. Most air conditioning units are split units which means they blow cool air in the summer and warm air in the winter.

Q: Are all properties surveyed before they are purchased?
A: A law was passed recently whereby all new properties have to be surveyed, older properties will probably not have been surveyed, however Joy Properties can arrange this for the client, quotation for the cost of surveys available upon request.

Q: A lot of properties have the facility of solar heating panels. Can these also be used in the winter?
A: It is a good idea to have solar heating panels installed if your property does not have this already. Solar heating panels are used in the summer months to heat water. They are ecologically and economically sound. However, on overcast days or days when it is cold, especially in the winter, an electric heating water system is also required. If your property does not have one, Joy Properties can organise to have one installed, for as little as approx. £50 /€ 75/ $ 105 !

Q: If we sell our property, can we take all of our money out of Turkey again?
A: Yes you can. It would be better to do this via a bank so that money is recorded leaving and entering countries.

Q: I purchase a property that needs renovations, can Joy Properties organise this?
A: Yes, we can. We have a team of highly experienced builders who work for us, so we can easily supply a quote for clients for any work that needs to be carried out. We can also supply clients with progress reports upon request. We do the following: General construction of the main building, installation of kitchens and bathrooms, tiling, painting, plumbing, electrical work, design & construction of swimming pools and/or surrounding gardens.

Q: If I purchase land, can Joy Properties construct on it?
A: Yes, we can. We have a team of architects at the clients disposal should they decide to build on their land. Firstly, we would take the land title deed copy to the government land registry to check that it is in order and from there we will be able to determine how the land can be split (what percentage of the land can be used for the actual building) and what type of property we can construct on the clients behalf (eg: apartment block, duplex, triplex, villa). We will put our findings in a report to the client. Our architects can draw up plans according to the clients specifications, or clients can have their own plans drawn up in their own countries, and we can construct from these, we will update you frequently on the construction progress and will not decide anything without your approval. All to ensure you will end up with your wonderful Turkish home.

Q: Can I open a bank account in Turkey?
A: Yes. Joy Properties can assist clients with this. Clients will need to take their passports and tax numbers with them for the accounts to be opened. Setting up a bank account is useful for paying utility bills via direct debit.

Q: I plan to live in Turkey. Can I open an interest account? How much interest will I get?
A: It is possible to open an interest account. Joy Properties can assist with this. Interest rates are currently between 15 – 18%.

Q: What are the bank opening times?
A: Opening hours vary, but banks are generally open from 9:30am – 5:00pm with a lunch break between 12:30pm – 1:30pm.

Q: What other facilities do banks offer?
A: Facilities vary, but most major banks offer money exchange (travellers cheques, foreign currency, eurocheques (but note that they do charge commission for these services). Most banks have a cash point system where holders of Visa, Access, Mastercard, Eurocard and Delta can obtain cash.

Q: What is the crime rate like in Turkey?
A: The crime rate is low in Turkey – definitely much lower than in Spain , in the UK and other European Countries

Q: Will my property be safe while I’m not in Turkey?
A: Joy Properties has a Property Management division. We do property inspections, when requested, on behalf of the clients, and report back to the clients on our findings.

Q: Can I get building insurance?
A: Yes you can. Joy Properties can assist you with doing so

Q: Can I get health insurance?
A: Yes you can. Joy Properties can assist you with this. Turkey does not have a system like the NHS.

Q: Can I have satellite TV installed?
A: You can have a satellite dish installed for satellite TV, so you can watch programmes such as BBC World, BBC Prime, CNN International, Eurosport and some other English programmes. Joy Properties can assist you with doing this. Price is approx. £ 150 / € 225 / $ 308

Q: Can I have a telephone installed?
A: If you have a residency visa, you can have a telephone installed. Otherwise, you can not. However, clients can use their own mobile phones from the UK, all you have to do is purchase a SIM card from one of the shops in Turkey on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Q: What is the electricity voltage?
A: It is 220 volts. In some areas where power surges are a factor, the purchase of a regulator is a necessity as it smoothes out these surges before they reach the electrical goods in your property.

Q: Apart from Turkish Lira, what other currencies are accepted in Turkey?
A: Sterling, Euros and Dollars .

Q: We will be moving to Turkey permanently and want to bring our furniture with us. Is this a good idea?
A: Electrical goods are taxed heavily when entering Turkey. The cost of furniture is so reasonable in Turkey that it would be a better idea to sell your furniture in your country and use that money to buy new furniture here.

Q: What is the best time of year to visit?
A: Sunny weather is experienced from May – to October. The hottest months are July and August when temperatures can reach 40 degrees celcius. If you do not like extreme heat the months of May / June and September / October would be perfect. Mid September is a particularly lovely time of year, the scenery is lovely in April / May as the country has just come out of it's rainy season, so there are hundreds of wild flowers and the grass is green. In the winter months, it does tend to rain. February is generally the coldest month of the year.

Q: I will be living in Turkey for a good portion of the year. Can I buy a car?
A: Yes. Joy Properties can assist clients with this.

Q: What are the roads like for driving?
A: Driving in Turkey is on the right hand side of the road. Not all drivers observe the ‘Right Of Way’ ruling. Be careful when crossing roads whilst walking, as some of the Turkish drivers generally do not stop at zebra crossings even!

Q: Is it safe to drink the water from the taps?
A: The water in the taps has a high mineral content which will upset your stomachs. It is recommended to drink bottled water at all times.

Q: What are the doctors like in Turkey?
A: Most doctors in Turkey speak English and are well trained.