Article by: mike.dunkerley@thegpg.com (Mike Dunkerley) Published: 08/01/2009

A buyers account of buying a villa in Altinkum Turkey.

Buying a house in Turkey: After months if not years of ‘thinking about it’, in September 2008 I actually purchased a property for sale in Altinkum and so the following is an authentic account of buying a house in Turkey.

This is the first of 3 articles about Altinkum property for sale and purchasing property in Turkey.

The first thing I had to decide was ‘where’ to buy a villa in Altinkum.

As you approach Altinkum from the land side you round a bend with the Temple of Apollo on your right hand side. This is in an elevated position with views of the sea about 2 kms distant. A long straight boulevard (Attaturk Blv) leads down to the sea at the First Beach.

Altinkum has three attractive beaches. Main Beach otherwise known as First Beach is the largest. Looking seaward and to its left is Second Beach which is almost a continuation. To the right and round a headland is Third Beach. All the beaches are fine sand and slope shallowly into the sea making for safe bathing and warm water. The name Altinkum actually translates as ‘ Golden Sands’.

First and Second Beaches are well developed and built up with resale beach properties for sale in Altinkum available from time to time. Cafes and night clubs abound. In the season there is plenty of noise and excitement. Third Beach is currently less built up and developed with the traditional building line of villas and apartments some 100m back from the beach. Property for sale at Altinkum Third Beach is much rarer and prices are higher compared to the rest of Altinkum. However, two new ‘5 star’ beach front hotels have just been completed suggesting that new property for sale in Altinkum Third Beach area will soon be available. Third beach is also where the new marina has been built and this is dramatically increasing interest in the area from property buyers and investors. This is a major investment with 600 berths and dry standing / repair facilities for another 400 boats. Also on the site is going to be a new hotel and shopping centre. In my opinion this development will lift the whole resort with benefit to property prices and rental income in the medium term.

Property for sale in Altinkum summary: If you want beach front excitement there are resale properties for sale in the vicinity of First and Second Beaches. There are resales, but also new developments, in the general area of Third Beach and more will probably be announced soon. I opted for a quieter location as it is a property for my own use and not specifically for rental income but it is a matter of taste and possibly ‘age’!

Walking back from the sea up Attaturk Blv you first come to the Carrefour supermarket on your left after some 500 mtrs. This is followed by the Tansas supermarket on your right and then by the biggest supermarket Migos, again on your left, after about 1 km. At this point Altinkum has given way to Didim which is the administrative centre of the locality. Just 100 mts further up the hill on the right is the start of a ‘rabbit warren’ of local shops where the best prices are to be found. A large number of long stay ‘Brits’ have purchased property in this general inland area because of its convenience to amenities, year round life and quietness in relation to the beach area. This is the area I chose.

At the risk of confusing the reader there is a little more mental map reading involved in understanding the layout of the area.

Imaging you are standing in front of Migos supermarket. There is another main road two minutes walk to your left and parallel to Attaturk Blv called Ege Rd, which roughly translates as ‘sea road’. This road takes you down to the small headland that separates First Beach and Third Beach. Two minutes walk over again from Ege Rd is the new Marina Road that, not surprisingly, takes you down to the entrance to the new marina complex. As you move from Attaturk to the new Marina Rd the buildings become less dense with many plots as yet undeveloped. Indeed Marina Rd itself is still waiting to be tarmaced. On this side of Attaturk Blv there is a selection of apartment blocks, villas, holiday villages and finally older established developments owned mainly by Turkish families.

Coming back to Migros again but this time looking / moving to the right the area is mostly built up with apartment blocks. About 500 mtrs over is the large ‘farmers’ market and slightly down towards the sea is also the new hospital. Where the buildings finish there is talk of a new golf course being approved and built in maybe 3 years time. This area was the first to be built on when Altinkum started to be developed.

Finally there are the out of town beauty spots. Yesilkent 5 minutes bus ride beyond Second Beach and Mavisehir ten minutes bus ride round the coast from Third Beach. Both these spots are ideal for holiday homes and tend to be more expensive than ‘in town’. However, they are a little remote from the amenities of the town and can be very quiet (if not deserted) out of season when the holiday makers have gone. I was tempted to purchase here but decided not to for this reason. Also Turkish residents of the town would tend not to purchase here for the same reason, so resale options would be limited to holiday home seekers.

It comes down to personal taste. The noise and excitement of ‘beach front’ or the convenience of the being slightly inland and near to amenities or being out of town in the quieter, picturesque locations. However, with so much choice it is vital that you take the time to see for yourselves. We can arrange this with our extended, relaxed inspection trips of up to 7 days. Extended because there is so much choice to investigate and relaxed because you need to experience the ‘atmosphere’ of the place before making your decision.

Please contact me if you have any questions or would like further information.

Mike Dunkerley

...continued in Part 2: What Type of Property is For Sale in Altinkum

External Article Link: http://www.property-partnership.com/overseas-property-guides/overseas-property-guide.cfm?id=201

Article Link: http://www.property-partnership.com/overseas-property-guides/overseas-property-guide.cfm?id=201

Please contact the author at mike.dunkerley@thegpg.com for more information.