Mortgages are currently not available in Turkey at all - neither for Turkish citizens nor foreigners. Turkish citizens can take out a home loan at a bank but foreign nationals cannot borrow money at all.

This means that if you do not have the cash to pay the full price of the property, you will need to arrange finance in the UK.

However your purchase can be made easier in two ways:
" Turkish law decrees that every sale of property to a foreigner must be cleared by the government to make sure it meets certain requirements. The title deeds cannot be transferred until the sale has been approved, which normally takes several months. Before this time, you are not liable to pay the balance of your property.
" If the vendor agrees, you can have a payment schedule written into your sales contract. The schedule will state the date each payment is due and the amount, up to the total balance of the property. Any payment schedule will need to be agreed with the vendor and including it in the sales contract secures this.

Turquoise Homes will advise you of your options and negotiate a payment schedule on your behalf.

You will come across both the Sales Contract and the Title Deeds when buying your property in Turkey - in fact they are the most important documents in the whole process.

The Sales Contract is the legal document stating that, subject to security clearance, you, the buyer, agree to buy the property; the price you agree to pay, and the date by which you agree to pay it. It also states that the seller agrees to sell you the property at the agreed price, and that if there are any undeclared problems with the property or the seller pulls out of the sale, the sale will be annulled and the seller will pay you a penalty fee of £5000. Similarly if you pull out of the sale, it states that you will pay the seller the same penalty fee. The sales contract will also include any extras you negotiate with the seller, such as fixtures and fittings.

The Title Deed is the legal document of ownership of the property. The Turkish name for this document is "Tapu Senedi", hence the Tapu you may have heard about. Once the property is sold, the title deeds are transferred from the seller to the buyer and that concludes the sale. If there are any restrictions on the property they will be itemised in the title deeds. Therefore it is very important for the solicitor to check the deeds carefully before recommending that the sale proceed. You can also ask to have restrictions placed on the deeds once transferred to you if you wish.

In order to have the deeds transferred into your name, the details of the sale will be submitted for security clearance (See Are there any differences between the laws for Turkish citizens buying property and the laws for foreign nationals?) and once clearance has been given, the deeds will be transferred.

The only documents you will need to provide personally to purchase your property are your passport and two recent passport photographs, which can be taken here.

Once the Sales Contract is signed, Turquoise Homes will send to the Title Deeds office all the necessary documentation:
i. Title Deed of the property
ii. An authorised copy of your passport
iii. Two recent passport (4cm x 6cm) photos

If you are giving Power of Attorney to the estate agent or the solicitor to sign the Title Deeds on your behalf, we will also send:
iv. Copy of passport and/or ID Card of the authorised agent
v. Two recent passport photos of the authorised agent
vi. Power of Attorney documentation

No, Turkish citizens and foreign nationals are treated identically under Turkish property law - they have the same rights and the same obligations with two exceptions:

1. Foreigners cannot own property within a military zone or of more than 30 hectares / 74 acres in area. More than likely, if you are buying residential property in an established area, neither of these will apply. However, every sale of property to a foreign national needs to be screened by the government (General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre) before the title deeds are released for transfer.
The documents you will need to provide for this screening are:
i. A copy of your passport
ii. The full names of your parents
iii. The title deeds of the property

2. It is recommended that all sales of property to foreign nationals are notarised by a government-authorised interpreter to guarantee that the contract is understood by all parties (see I don't speak Turkish! How can I be sure that the sales contract I'm signing to buy my property is genuine?!)

Currently, the Turkish government takes between three and nine months to process the paperwork and release the title deeds for transfer.

Turquoise Homes will arrange the paperwork on your behalf, send it for screening and notify you when the sale has been cleared and the title deeds released.

The short answer is - you don't have to but you should. In Turkey, the solicitor you instruct to oversee your sale will perform the same duties as a conveyancer in the UK: check the title deeds of the property, confirm there is no outstanding debt against the property and verify the terms of the sales contract. If there are any unfair or restrictive clauses in the contract the solicitor will draw these to your attention and recommend against buying the property.

It is perfectly legal to buy a property without going through a solicitor but unless you are familiar with Turkish, and conveyancing, and Turkish conveyancing, you could find that £250 saving you made looks like less of a good deal when you find you are liable for the previous owner's bank loan!

In Turkey there is a legal recommendation that all property sales to foreign nationals are notarised by a government-authorised interpreter. This is the case even if the buyer, the seller and the solicitor all speak the same language fluently! This recommendation has been made to give extra protection to all parties in the buying process and formally ensure that all parties understand the contract and the terms of sale.

In addition to this service, Turquoise Homes will provide a written translation of the sales contract, also drawn up by the government-authorised interpreter. As the property purchased is in Turkey, the legal contract is the original, Turkish language version. The translation is for your information and verifies the content of the Turkish contract.

Turkish property law is very straightforward in comparison to many other countries. All properties are freehold, and only the person / people named on the title deeds of a property have any claim to that property. The permission of all named owners must be given in writing before it can be transferred to a new owner. This is checked by the solicitor prior to sale, and the solicitor cannot let the sale proceed if any party objects to it.

This may sound like hard work, but it guarantees peace of mind for anyone choosing to buy a property in Turkey!

Turquoise Homes ensure that all sales are checked by a reputable solicitor prior to contract.

When you buy a resale property in Turkey, it is important to have the property checked for outstanding debts by the solicitor. If there are debts outstanding against the property they will be logged at the Title Deeds office.

If there is any problem with the property, the solicitor will advise you not to proceed with the sale, and the seller will be required to pay you a penalty fee which is written into the Sales Contract.

Turquoise Homes arranges for this check to take place as standard on all sales to give you complete security.

There are two ways you can earn money through your property in Turkey.
1. You can rent out your property and earn rental income
2. The value of your property can rise

Technically, if you earn rental income on your property you may be liable for personal income tax. The first TL 600 million of this income is tax exempt if you are a non-resident and the first TL 1,500 million if you are a Turkish resident. Turkey has an agreement with the UK to prevent double taxation so if you are paying tax on your rental in the UK it will be deducted from the tax payable in Turkey.

If the market value of your property rises and you resell the property within a year, you will be liable for capital gains tax on the difference between the declared value of the property at purchase and the declared value of the property at resale, with the first TL 10,000 million exempt from tax. (See When I bought my property the solicitor recommended that I declare a different value for the property on the sales contract than what I actually paid. What's that about?)

If you sell your property after one year, you will not be liable for capital gains tax. However you will still be liable for appreciation tax if the declared value of the property has increased since you bought it. This is incorporated into the 1.5% Title Deeds Charge, which is also paid by the buyer (the total charge is 3%; buyer and seller each pay 1.5%).

You can freely transfer the money you have made through renting or selling your property out of Turkey.

There are two laws that apply to the inheritance of property in Turkey. One is inheritance law and the other is property law.

Under Turkish Inheritance Law the inheritance of property by a foreign national is dependent on reciprocity between the two countries involved. As Turkish nationals can inherit property in the UK, UK citizens can also inherit property in Turkey. If you have no will, the property will automatically be inherited by your next of kin (usually your children). If you wish to leave your property to someone other than your next of kin, you should make a will in the UK specifying this.

Under Turkish Property Law, foreign nationals cannot own property within a military zone or of more than 30 hectares / 74 acres in area. Therefore your inheritors will need to go through security clearance before inheriting your property. (See Are there any differences between the laws for Turkish citizens buying property and the laws for foreign nationals?)

If your willed heirs are nationals of a country that does not have a reciprocity agreement with Turkey (See Does my country have a reciprocity agreement with Turkey for ownership of property?), any real estate that you have willed to them will be liquidated and they will instead inherit the cash value of your property. The same applies if your heirs cannot inherit the property because it is within a military zone or of more than 30 hectares [Article 35 of the Land Registry Law].

Inheritance tax is payable in Turkey but any tax paid in the UK will be deducted from the amount payable in Turkey.

It is generally recommended that you have a will drawn up no matter what your circumstances.

The buying process in Turkey is very straightforward in comparison with other countries. The buyer only needs to sign two sets of documents, the sales contract and the title deeds. However due to the laws governing the purchase of property by foreign nationals in Turkey, there is generally a delay of several months in between signing the sales contract and signing the title deeds (See Are there any differences between the laws for Turkish citizens buying property and the laws for foreign nationals?).

The most popular way to avoid having to return to Turkey to sign the title deeds when they are released is to delegate authority to your estate agent or solicitor via a Power of Attorney. Power of Attorney can be very broad but the standard type Turquoise Homes recommends is a limited Power of Attorney, permitting the appointed agent only to sign the title deeds on your behalf.

The appointed agent is obliged to act in your interest and this is protected legally. You can cancel the Power of Attorney at any time by writing to the appointed agent revoking the Power of Attorney and requesting the return of the Power of Attorney documents.

If you wish, you can have your Power of Attorney document prepared in the UK but it will need to be apostilled by the Foreign and Commonwealth office (www.fco.gov.uk) at a charge of £19.

Alternately, Turquoise Homes can arrange your Power of Attorney document in Turkey for you and ensure it is notarised by a government-authorised translator in your presence.

In addition to the basic cost of your property, you can expect to pay the following costs:
" Estate Agency Fees - 3%
" Solicitor and Government-Authorised Interpreter - £250 (set fee)
" Title Deeds Charge (Buying Purchase Tax) - 1.5% of declared value of the property (See When I bought my property the solicitor recommended that I declare a different value for the property on the sales contract than what I actually paid. What's that about?)

If you plan to use your property for rental or as a holiday home, you will also need to think about the following additional costs:
" Electric and water connection - £250-300
" Furnishing, white goods and curtains - £2500-5000 depending on the size of the property

If your sales contract has been officially stamped, you are charged a Stamp Tax of 0.75% of the declared value of the property.

In Turkey the Tax Assessment Commission sets an assessed value for properties, on which tax calculations are based. This assessment generally seems remarkably conservative considering it is the valuation on which the Turkish government decides how much tax to levy!

You can choose to declare a higher value if you wish but it is perfectly legitimate to declare the value as assessed by the government instead and you will - legally - save yourself several hundred pounds in tax.

There are many benefits to buying an off-plan property in any country. The sale price will generally be slightly lower than the price of a completed property because you are effectively subsidising the construction and giving the builder peace of mind that his investment is going to make a return! Also, buying off-plan gives you more flexibility - if the structure permits you can ask for walls to be knocked through or put in and change the layout of the kitchen.

The downside to buying off-plan is that you are buying on faith because you have not seen the finished article, and you are effectively buying a promise because the property is not yet finished.

At Turquoise Homes we specialise in the sale of off-plan properties and guarantee that you will be absolutely satisfied with your purchase. When you choose to buy an off-plan property, the completion date is written into the sales contract, with a completion clause requiring the builder to pay you a penalty charge each month if the property is not completed on time.

Additionally, there is a 10 year guarantee on the structure of the building, a three-year guarantee on the windows and doors, and a one-year guarantee on fixtures, fittings and minor repairs. All of these guarantees are legally attached to the building and so if you sell the property within the guarantee period the new owner can also claim against the guarantee if required.

When it comes to resale property, there are a number of things you need to think about.

Older properties
The main one is this: when you buy an older property in a resort area, you must remember that it was almost certainly built as a summer house at most, and more likely for occasional use only. This means that the property may not have been looked after as well as a permanent home would be, and may not have been built to last in the same way as a permanent home would be. Additionally, older properties will not have been subject to the structural standards brought in after the earthquake in 1999 (See What about earthquakes?), and will not be subject to the building guarantees that apply to new and off-plan properties.

Newer properties
Newer properties are a better bet, providing they have been built since 2002. The improvement in building standards brought in after 1999 becomes more evident in post-2002 properties, and the standard continues to improve year on year. Just as importantly though, newer properties constructed very recently as part of Turkey's property boom will still be covered by the original building guarantees - 10 years structural guarantee, three years for doors and windows, and one year for minor repairs.

Geographically, the earth is divided into enormous plates that float on top of the Earth's crust. Turkey is on a plate of its own that is being squeezed by two bigger plates. This has created faultlines along the northern and south-eastern borders of Turkey, making it vulnerable to earthquakes.

The Southern Aegean Coast is about as far from the earthquake zone as it is possible to be in Turkey. In fact you are almost more likely to experience a tremor in the UK as you are on the Aegean Coast.

Nevertheless, after the major earthquake in north-western Turkey in 1999, the Turkish Government brought in new laws, requiring all new buildings to be of a certain structural standard to better withstand earthquakes, and requiring all buildings to be insured against earthquake damage. These laws apply equally to everywhere in Turkey so in Altinkum, Akbuk, Bodrum, Fethiye and Kusadasi you are about as safe from earthquakes as you will ever be!

In most coastal parts of Turkey, including Altinkum, Akbuk, Bodrum, Fethiye and Kusadasi, power is supplied largely through mains electricity and solar power. Mains electricity is provided by private utilities companies and is billed periodically - either monthly, quarterly or twice a year. Electricity bills can be paid either in person or by direct debit.

Solar power is free, but the supply is limited to how much power can be stored in each solar panel and how many panels are fitted.

Some people also like to use gas, for example for cooking. However natural gas is only supplied to some cities in Turkey and is not preferred in most coastal regions. In these areas, private companies deliver gas in barrels, which can be connected to a gas hob.

Water is supplied by the local municipal area. Bills are charged based on usage, and are generally quarterly. Water bills must be paid in person, either at the Belediyesi (municipal hall) or the post office).

When you buy your property, you will need to have the utilities connected or transferred into your own name. This can be done within one working day and Turquoise Homes arranges this for all our customers as standard.

If you are using your property as a holiday home, it is unlikely you will ever find your total utility bills reaching more than £200 / year. However if you plan to use your property for holiday lets you should factor higher usage into the rent. If you plan to rent your property out on a long lease, have the tenants register the utilities in their own names.

In Turkey, as the owner of a property you are liable for any damages if anything happens to or because of your property. To help protect against this, all new buildings must be insured against earthquake damage and must meet certain construction standards (See The property I want to buy is a resale property but most of the properties I see for sale in Turkey are new builds. Is there anything I should be looking out for?).

The mandatory earthquake insurance (DASK) can either be bought from an insurance company along with a general buildings and contents policy or separately from the government. The value of the property is based on the declared or assessed value on the title deeds (See When I bought my property the solicitor recommended that I declare a different value for the property on the sales contract than what I actually paid. What's that about?). Don't worry if this is less than it cost you to buy your property - it should be perfectly adequate to rebuild it should a catastrophe occur!

Furnishing in Turkey is generally of a good standard. In fact, Turkey exports furniture all over the world. Manufacturers and distributors such as Konfor and Istikbal supply several big companies in Europe and the United States.

If you are furnishing an entire house, get an idea how much individual items are worth, and then think about going to one supplier for everything. It puts you in a good bargaining position and you could end up saving hundreds of pounds. Even better if your estate agency has a furnishing service - they can use their even greater bargaining power to your advantage and some will forgo any commission they might receive to get you a better deal still.

Good question - you can't judge a book by its cover. A flashy website doesn't necessarily mean good customer service, but good websites cost money to build so it could be an indication that a company is successful.

Look for customer testimonials, especially testimonials that can be followed up; ask for references; look for accreditation on the website.

Additionally certain areas, such as Altinkum on the Aegean Coast, have started regulating the local agencies, requiring that they are registered with the local chamber of commerce, and that they adhere to certain codes of practice.