Citizens and commercial corporate entities of the countries with which reciprocity agreements have been signed and companies established in line with Foreign Direct Investment Law No. 4875 in Turkey may purchase a real estate in Turkey on their own names provided that the property is not located in military and security zones.
The entire buying process takes between 8 to 10 weeks and is very simple. The sale procedure for foreigners is the same as Turkish citizens except a search for the military and security zones restriction.
Once you decide to buy a particular property, an agreement is prepared with the owner of the property setting out the terms and conditions of the purchase. A duly signed copy of that agreement and a copy of the title-deed of the property are given to you.
You are only required to give a copy of your passport and four photographs and make a payment, according to the payment schedule defined in the agreement.
Upon this payment, the proceedings at the Title-Deeds Office are initiated by your real estate agent.
A letter, a copy of the legal papers, and a copy of your passport are sent to the Army Headquarters in Izmir for clearance. This process will take between 8 to 10 weeks. The checks are made to ensure that the property you are buying does not fall within any military and security zones. Also, character checks are made.
Before leaving for Europe, it is advised that you open a bank account with a Turkish or HSBC bank (to enable you to transfer the remaining money). You will need your passport to open an account.
When all the checks have been conducted and the papers returned, you will be informed so you can arrange a suitable date to return to Turkey to sign a Contract and undertake the money transfer.
On the day of the transfer, the Buyer, the Seller and the Estate Agent will go to the Title-Deeds Office and complete the paperwork. The paperwork consists of all the legal issues (title-deeds, land registry etc) and financial issues. Financial affairs are concluded, signatures exchanged and the title-deeds of the property are registered in your name.
http://www.turkisheconomy.org.uk/buying_property.html
After you have purchased the property you will be accompanied to the various local offices to get the utilities changed to your name. (Registration with the municipality, Register for water and electricity supplies.)
