Foreigners buy property at Turkey's most southern tip
This year, at the most southern tip of Turkey's Mediterranean coast, surrounded by mountains and pine forests and historical sites, in a town called Çavusköy, local authorities finalized new zoning plans, revealing the capacity to build in places that before were designated as farmland, or forest areas.
Before becoming a town in 1955, Çavusköy was a village and over the past five years foreigners, most of who first enjoyed the coastal town while on vacation, are buying property here, and are telling the world about Çavusköy's unspoiled nature, sea view, and good deals on property. A few kilometers from the Olympos National Park, a famous backpacker haunt with wooden cabins, Çavusköy is at the same time a developing tourist area. While it is known as Çavusköy, the locals know it as Adrasan, and geographically it's on the most southern tip of Turkey.
A year ago, Çavusköy was zoned, making available large plots of land for building. Already more than 30 foreigners, mostly British, attracted by its natural beauty, and the fact that to a large extent it is still “unspoiled” by construction live here. One of them, Rosie Mason, manages a ten-room hotel, Kybele, on the top of a hill overlooking Adrasan's valley and sea, 90 kilometers south of Antalya. Hers is one of the few in town with a legal property deed in a town, which has been beset with legal town planning problems one of the largest ones being the absence of a town plan. Until recently, she explained, in Adrasan, no one knew where they could build. “There's a hotel by the sea that's been illegal for 18 years.” She explained that with the new regulations, hotels can build 400 meters in from the beach, whereas many of the seaside restaurants and hotels are currently at 150 meters.
“People were building at a time when there were no controls,” Mason said, “But now people know what they can and can't do.” She explained that now land is clearly designated and it is easier for people.
Mehmet Yilmaz, general director of Adrasan Emlak said that until today, construction and main road infrastructure projects have been problematic. “The development plan has been applied to the coastal area, while construction projects are going on in the center of town.” Adrasan is part of the government's southern Antalya Tourism Project, which started in the 1980s, in an effort to revitalize towns of cultural and tourist interest by making them accessible.
Locals and real estate agents are hopeful that with the new legislation, things will be clearer for foreigners who are interested in buying land in Adrasan. Cengiz Pınar is a real estate agent in Adrasan and he said that the Adrasan council announced the new zoning regulations last month. He is currently the only one building custom made houses for foreigners. So far, he has built and sold 18 homes, mostly to Britons. His company is in the process of building 11 more houses which will be finished this summer.
Pınar explained that there are limited areas to build on because Adrasan is on a mountain and surrounded by forests. “There isn't a lot of land to build on,” he said. He estimates that with the new regulations the town has room for 500 more houses.
Adrasan has a population of 2,500 and most of the locals make a living from agriculture and the tourism industry. For people who want to buy houses, there is a limited amount of stone houses available but investors are generally interested in investing in plots of land. The government has designated 3 percent of the land for agriculture, 20 percent for building houses, and 20-30 percent for tourist purposes. It's possible to find land for YTL 20,000-25,000. Closer to the coast prices increase to YTL 250,000-300,000. Boutique motels dominate the area, which also increases the value of property. Houses, which have already been built and ready for re-sale are also available ranging from 50,000 to 150,000 euros.
Pınar described Adrasan as a magical, quiet place with reasonable house prices. “People are friendly, always welcoming everyone and Adrasan is unspoiled. People who have been coming here on vacation for years decide to start a second life there,” he said.
Mason, 35, came to Turkey from London six years ago to teach English. Her first visit to Çavusköy was as a tourist and two years ago she started managing the Kybele Hotel. She explained that in Çavusköy she has escaped the monotony of big city life, adding, “I missed nature and found what I was looking for here.” Mason said she was very happy that she the chance to start a second life in Çavusköy. When she came to Turkey, she did not know the language or the culture. “I felt like a child learning. It was like having a second life and the locals are very friendly and warm. Now I would like to sell houses to my friends, have one of my own and stay here,” she said.
DAMARIS KREMIDA and SELMA ŞENOLADRASAN, Antalya – Turkish Daily News/Referans
