[merlin]

Home Sweet Home

Wondering how to change a house into “Home sweet home”?
Here are some clues to help you settle in Kusadasi.


Rent a house - KIRALIK

There are three ways to rent a house:

through newspaper ads, estate agencies, or friends.

Perhaps the most straightforward way to rent a house or apartment is to use the services of a real estate agency.

Most of the agencies are professional and have experience dealing with foreigners.

If your budget is modest however, you would be better off scouting out the neighborhood that you want to live in and approaching the smaller real estate agencies (Emlakci) in that area.

It is common practice to pay a commission to the agent, however this fee is negotiable in most instances.

The following points are fair game to negotiate about:

*Price of monthly rent;

*Number of months of advance payment required;

*Currency that the rent will be paid in;

*Method of paying;

*Amount of deposit required and whether it is in Turkish Lira or foreign currency;

*Condition of the home - request new carpet if it is soiled, or fresh paint if the rent is in poor condition;

*Landscaping - landlord can pay for grass and plants to be planted, if it is new home for example;

*Appliances - included or not; light fixtures - included or not;

*Cleaning - insist landlord cover cost of having your place cleaned before you move in;

*Any repairs such as water damage or cracks in walls - landlord should cover all these costs.

*A final word of advice, or caution: get it all in writing, including all the landlords' promises to repair, clean and fix things in advance of your move!!!!!

It is imperative to have a local lawyer look at your contract before you sign it.

Take the time, make the effort and you will be in a much better position should any misunderstanding arise.

The agent generally participates in concluding the lease contract as well. Be sure to insist upon a termination clause, which should legally protect you should you need to cut your lease short in the event you are assigned to another city/country or having to leave the country due to health problems.

In principal, the costs related to daily use of the house (such as facility fees, electricity, water, fuel shall be born by the lessor and costs pertaining to fundamental issues such as repairs to the roof or heating system for example, are to be born by the lessee.


Buy a house - SATILIK

Most foreign citizens are permitted to purchase land and property in Turkey in their own names - you are still advised however to check with your Consulate.

To obtain a registration for title deeds, he/she must prove to the Land Registry of Turkey the transfer of the full purchase price into Turkey.

Properties within military zones or outside the boundaries of the municipalities cannot be purchased by foreigners.

In any subsequent sale of the property the proceeds can be transferred out of Turkey. The property may be rented out to others.

There is an annual property tax for private buildings.

All properties are subject to re-evaluation every four years for taxation purposes.

Different regulations apply when property is purchased for business and investment purposes that are connected to tourism.

While purchasing a house

*Better buy a house suitable to your taste rather than a non-practical one just for prestige or luxury.

*The house you are going to purchase should please you. Above all, the house you purchase is your home.

*Don’t forget to check whether the house has title deeds.

*Be sure that the water, phones, electricity invoices belonging to the previous owner have been paid.

*Have it examined its resistance against earthquake.

*Check which rooms allow sunshine at what degree.

*The material used during the construction is important. Inappropriate materials used on the outside of the house may cause problems with dampness and lack of ventilation.

Finally! A good solicitor will always pay dividends in the long run!

[x0x_JoAnNe_x0x]

thanks 4 the info merlin u are a really good moderater keep up the good work!! xxx

[merlin]

Originally Posted by x0x_JoAnNe_x0x

thanks 4 the info merlin u are a really good moderater keep up the good work!! xxx

Thanks Joanne - Nearly 5 years here gives me a good grounding - many lessons have been learnt!

[Mella]

Yes, which makes you a real asset to these forums. It's great. ere Lee how did you get your Turkish so good? Did you take actual lessons? or was it just speaking and learning from people/wife ect?

[merlin]

Originally Posted by Carmella

Yes, which makes you a real asset to these forums. It's great. ere Lee how did you get your Turkish so good? Did you take actual lessons? or was it just speaking and learning from people/wife ect?

Nah - No lessons - I actually lived in a Turkish village for nearly 18 months. Nobody else had even seen a foreigner before let alone know English. It was a case of having to learn or be totally isolated.

Mad - Yep! But loved it even though we had our electric go off for 5 or 6 days at a time and that was in winter too!

I know Turkey very well - my neighbours that didnt have a kitchen and cooked out on their balcony every night - neighbours who had children that were ill but could not afford to take their kids to hospital.

I could go on, but the real Turkey is understanding that the bar and restaurant life is a very small part of proper day to day life in Turkey.

I really cannot over emphasise the importance of taking time out to visit the REAL Turkey if you decide to live here permanently.

You will get a whole new aspect of your new country and learn to respect that the 5YTL a tourist flippantly leaves to the management as a tip is really someone elses daily wage.

[Bilge]

Originally Posted by merlin

I could go on, but the real Turkey is understanding that the bar and restaurant life is a very small part of proper day to day life in Turkey.

AMEN TO THAT! Living in Turkey is not as easy as people would like to believe. There are so much more things involved when you decide to actually live there in stead of being there for fun & holiday relaxation. Just like it is at home; you always have issues to worry about, keep in mind etc. etc. You will have the same issues in Turkey + a bonus package of new worries and new things to think about and adjust to. We in Europe take a lot of things for granted, because it's so normal to have certain "securities"... In Turkey this can be different and you could feel like you were robbed from those securities (priviledges). I love my country and I know I will move there later on, but I also know that a lot of things don't come easy in Turkey like they would in most of Europe. I will be frustrated with the system, think it's unfair... but I knew I could expect those things.

[Eline]

Did not see this before.... so a bit late but:

Thanks for the info Lee, to get to know about all this stuff I bought a book called "leven en werken in Turkije" or something like that...it's full of info for ppl who wanne work and live in Turkey !! It really was a great help !!

[merlin]

Originally Posted by Eline

Did not see this before.... so a bit late but:

Thanks for the info Lee, to get to know about all this stuff I bought a book called "leven en werken in Turkije" or something like that...it's full of info for ppl who wanne work and live in Turkey !! It really was a great help !!

he he - theres so many posts on here even I miss some as well!

[Eline]

Even you miss some....... I am gladd to hear that !! Well I was away on ski-holiday for a couple of days so have a bit of an excuse.... Oh well it keeps the forum full of surprises !!