Villa for sale in Turkey: with a pool, sea views and room for everyone

Villa for sale in Turkey: detached or in a complex

If you want to buy a villa in Turkey, you first choose between two worlds. The detached villa on its own plot, with a wall, a gate, a garden and a pool only you use. And the villa in a complex, detached or semi-detached, with its own or a shared pool, but with a caretaker, security and Aidat (the monthly service charge).

The detached villa is what most people picture. A summer evening, the whole family at the long table on the terrace, the children in the pool, smoke from the grill, and nobody watching. You pay for it with organisation: someone has to look after the pool and water the garden when you are not there.

The villa in a complex takes that off your hands. You fly home, the caretaker looks after things, and next spring everything is as you left it. Complexes like this are common in Alanya, Side and Antalya; on the Aegean and in Bodrum the detached form is more usual.

Where villas stand

In Alanya on the slopes above Kargıcak, Oba and Tepe, with views of the castle and the sea. In Antalya in Döşemealtı and Lara, often with a large garden. In Side among the hotels and in the area around Manavgat, quiet and flat. In Bodrum on the peninsula near Yalıkavak, Gümüşlük and Türkbükü, stone villas overlooking the bays. In Fethiye above Ovacık and Hisarönü, with views of Ölüdeniz and the mountains. In Izmir around Çeşme and Urla. In Kalkan and Kaş on the steep coast, with pools right above the water.

Hillside plots

A sea view mostly means a slope. The villa stands above the coast, the terrace faces south or west, and the sea is there from every room. The evening light over the water is why people pay more for this than for the front row.

A slope also means a steep driveway, steps down to the pool, and a car journey to the beach. We go there and send you a video of what the road looks like and how far it is to the supermarket. With retirees and families with small children, we are honest about whether the slope will suit in the long run.

Pool and upkeep

A villa with a pool needs someone to look after it. Chlorine or salt, filter, pump, cleaning twice a week in summer, covering it or keeping it running in winter. Then the garden, irrigation, palms. If you are not there all the time, you need a pool and garden service. Every coastal town has them, and we know the reliable ones. What that costs per year, we add up for you together with electricity, water, DASK (compulsory earthquake insurance) and property tax, so you know the running costs before you buy.

Letting as a holiday villa

A villa with a pool and sea view in Kalkan, Fethiye or Bodrum lets well in summer, to families from England, Germany and Istanbul who would rather have a villa than a hotel. That works with a permit for short-term letting and a local agency that takes care of keys, cleaning and guests. Whether it pays for your property depends on location, season and running costs. We work it out for the actual house and tell you what is realistic.

What we check

With a villa there are more documents than with an apartment, and we go through all of them. Tapu (title deed) and plot boundaries, the building permit and whether the building matches it, Iskan (occupancy permit), encumbrances, the coastal protection zone for locations near the water, and connections for electricity, water, sewage and road access. For older villas we look at the roof, damp and the pool equipment. Ownership only arises with the entry in the Tapu, so everything is read first.

We are with you at the notary, the bank and the land registry office, and afterwards we help with DASK, electricity, water and internet. After handover, the number stays.

What a villa costs

Villas in complexes near Alanya or Manavgat start well below detached villas with a pool and sea view in Bodrum, Kalkan or Çeşme. High-end villas on the Bodrum peninsula are in a league of their own. We give you figures for specific properties. The additional costs are roughly 4 to 5 per cent, of which 4 per cent is the Tapu fee on the declared purchase price, plus a valuation report from about 5,000 lira, DASK, translator and power of attorney. Work it out in the cost calculator.