Natalie If we glance back over the last decade, official statistics show hundreds of foreigners have bought freehold property in Alanya, Turkey. Sitting on the far eastern tip of the Mediterranean coast, the city centrum and smaller coastal villages have soared ahead to become a popular destination of Turkey’s real estate market.
The success is due in part to Alanya’s growing presence on the tourism market but also to a favourable exchange rate and easy to apply for citizenship by investment scheme. Yet, Alanya offers buyers so much more. Belonging to the broader Antalya region, it is growing with admiration and pride to become a worthy destination.
Don’t just take our word for it either. In a newspaper report from November 2019, the mayor confirmed foreigners make up 10% of the population in Alanya. He said, “31,500 foreign residents from 82 different nations as part of its 312,000 population.” Continuing, he cited Alanya as a great example of “multicultural integration.”
As an experienced overseas real estate agent for buying property in Turkey, we guide all customers through the process whether you want an apartment or villa. But if you are sitting on the fence and wondering if becoming a homeowner in Alanya is a good move, let’s look at reasons to do it.
9 Reasons to Own Property in Alanya
1: Alanya’s Beachside Lifestyle and Climate
Alanya has a distinct advantage because it is home to some of Turkey’s best beaches, and in terms of sun, and days outdoors, averages about 300 days of sunshine a year. Cleopatra’s Beach, the central hub of a beachside lifestyle wins admiration from all who visit, yet many smaller coves and bays await those seeking peace and tranquillity.
Along with the sun, sea, and sand, comes a healthy diet from the Mediterranean Sea, and a rooftop and harbourside dining scene that sets the stage for making summer memories. We all know doctors say a life outdoors is the best thing we can do for our health and wellbeing, and Alanya is the perfect place to do that.
2: Embracing and Looking to the Future
The local council is not content to rest on their current success, but are instead, building a sustainable vision for Alanya for decades to come. As well as promoting it on the tourism scene, their strategic plan puts cleanliness, efficiency, and citizen wellbeing as top of the list of priorities. Anyone interested in Alanya’s future can download and review the project from the local council; hence transparency also proves their commitment to making the town the best version it can be.
3: Affordable Property Prices
It would be reasonable to think given Alanya’s popularity that properties for sale are expensive, yet compared to other places in Antalya, they are affordable and provide easy access for first-time and budget buyers to get their feet on the housing ladder. Compare any property listing, especially apartments for sale, to places like Istanbul or Antalya city centre, and Alanya provides value for money hard to match, whether this is for apartments or villas.
4: Cost of Living
One might wonder why Alanya has attracted a large ex-pat population and a strong reason is found in the cost of living. Many ex-pats, retired ones, find their money goes so much further than in their home country, especially if coming from places like the UK. While some rely on a pension, others deposit savings in high-interest accounts and withdraw the interest monthly.
Cheaper household bills like council tax and water, offset the cost of the higher ones like electricity and owning a car. Albeit for smokers and drinkers, the cost-of-living rises, but for those who own property, and don’t pay rent, the ability to live without tapping into savings or your net worth is a significant benefit and lure.
5: Community and Social Bonds
As mentioned before, there are 82 nationalities living side by side in Alanya. While other destinations in the world, see trouble and turmoil from mixed cultures living together, that doesn’t happen in Alanya. This is mostly because of the council’s endeavour for any foreigner to maintain their own culture while embracing Turkish traditions. Official groups like the Turkish and German friendship association, and the Mediterranean Trust Association guide and help foreigners to do this. There are also many more informal groups as found on Facebook. The resort is a multi-cultural community existing in harmony.
6: Diversity and Choice
The diversity in nationalities spills over into everyday life, providing choice everywhere, whether this is dining out, music, groups with shared interests and hobbies, shopping, religion, and much more. Take shopping for example. A weekly farmer market emphasises traditional shopping, while large shopping malls like Alanyum allow residents to tap into modern brand names both international and domestic. Likewise, for investment property for sale, choose a mountain home, a 1-bedroom city centre duplex apartment or a beachfront villa. You will always find your dream home in Alanya.
7: Easy to Get to
Many foreigners use the modern, Antalya Airport, a 2-hour transfer away. As Turkey’s top touristic air travel hub, frequent flight schedules all year round, always provides easy accessibility. Otherwise, Alanya sits on the main D400 highway running from the east to west of Turkey making it easy to get there via car and bus. Alanya is also an official port of entry for those arriving from international waters.
8: Active Real Estate Investment Market
As well as looking at the aesthetic qualities Alanya offers, it is essential to assess the health of its real estate market, especially if you want leeway to convert your bricks and mortar investment back into cash at a later stage. Alanya’s budget and luxury property market is an ever-revolving circle of home buyers and sellers, and off-plan, new and resale homes. As a major tourism hub, should you want to sell, your market is unlimited and includes an international audience and domestic.
9: The Larger Antalya Region
Alanya belongs to the Antalya region, that is the second most popular destination in Turkey for house sales and tourism. This provides owners embarking on a property search, with even more diversity and choice. Within a 2-hour drive, residents arrive at the city centre with even more shopping choices, a larger nightlife scene, and masses of tourist attractions. Within a shorter ride, Belek, Turkey’s golfing capital wins admiration from all over the world. Likewise, the resorts of Kemer, Side, Kas, Kalkan and Antalya all provide exciting exploration for those who like to get out and explore.
Where to Buy Property
So, Alanya ticks all the boxes for buying a dream home in Turkey, but given its colossal size, buyers have another decision to make which is where to purchase. Alanya’s official 100 neighbourhoods ranging from coastal holiday resorts to mountain villages provide a vast choice, but let’s look at individual districts emerging as the most popular.
Mahmutlar: This area is Alanya’s golden child providing not only the best prices per square meter but also a beachside lifestyle many people dream of. Sitting 10 kilometres away from the main centrum, it attracts those who want a holiday home but also holiday let investors because the population triples in summer. Property buyers will find everything they want and more. Residents love the nearby Gazipasa Airport that provides another travelling option, and local council incentives to clean up and modernise infrastructure have been highly praised.
Avsallar: Sitting 24 kilometres from Alanya city centre, and on the way to Side, Avsallar relies on tourism and citrus farming as its main trades of income. Many holidaymakers remark it has one of the area’s best beaches and thanks to its off the grid status, it is not bustling with arm to arm crowds. Life continues in Avsallar all year round, and it isn’t a season only holiday resort.
Kargicak: 15 kilometres from the main centrum, and before Mahmutlar, we arrive at up-and-coming Kargicak. It operates on a lower scale than Mahmutlar with a splattering of restaurants and bars, but for a typical residential area, it is an excellent place to start your property investment search. Gazipasa Airport is just 30 minutes’ drive away, providing alternative air access to Antalya city centre airport. Despite Kargicak’s low prominence on the mainstream tourism scene, it still offers an immaculate beach with water sports.
See the property listings of apartments and houses for sale in Alanya here. Each listing includes everything to know, including prices, location, key home features, and how to arrange a viewing. Also, the following articles will be of use if it is your first time to buy a property in Turkey.
Buying Turkish Real Estate: This article looks at all aspects of real estate for sale, to help buyers make an informed decision. Discussing prices, rules, regulations, luxury property, and the buying process, it is a useful starter guide.
Is Turkey a Good Place to Live? Some people buy property in Alanya for use as a summer residence, or holiday let, but many people also have long term plans to retire and live in Turkey. In this article, we collect the stats and look at surveys to find out what makes Turkey the right choice for those who want to love overseas.
