Yes — foreign nationals have the same freehold ownership rights as Turkish citizens across the vast majority of Türkiye, including all of Istanbul. Purchases are registered in personal name at the Land Registry (Tapu) and the title is transferable, inheritable, and mortgageable.

The only limitations are (a) a national quota system per foreign nationality per district that rarely bites in Istanbul, and (b) some restrictions in designated military zones — none of which apply to the ten districts covered in this guide.

No. Roughly 40% of our CBI transactions are signed remotely by a Turkish lawyer holding a notarised, apostilled Power of Attorney (PoA) from the buyer. The PoA can be issued at any Turkish consulate abroad, or notarised locally and apostilled for use in Türkiye.

That said, we recommend at least one in-person viewing tour for anyone spending above $400K — Istanbul is a district-specific market and photos rarely capture how a neighbourhood feels.

A compound apartment gives you certainty — new pipes, new lifts, code-compliant earthquake structure, concierge, guaranteed parking, a defined HOA fee. Almost all CBI product sits here. Resale is straightforward because buyers know exactly what they're getting.

A historic apartment in Nişantaşı, Cihangir or Kadıköy trades character for uncertainty. Every building is different. Renovation costs vary widely. Earthquake retrofit may be needed. But the ceiling heights, the iron balconies, the location — these are things no new-build can replicate, and they hold value across decades because supply is fixed.

Long-let gross yields in Istanbul typically fall in the 4% – 7% range depending on district and building age. Emerging districts (Kağıthane, Başakşehir, Kartal, Maltepe) sit at the upper end because entry prices are lower; established districts (Nişantaşı, Bebek, Moda) sit at the lower end because prices are higher relative to rents.

Short-let / Airbnb yields can be materially higher (particularly in Beyoğlu, Kadıköy, Ortaköy) but Turkish short-let regulation is tightening — new licences are increasingly restricted, and existing licences need annual renewal. Always verify whether a specific building holds a valid short-let permit before committing.

Türkiye rewrote its national building code after the 1999 earthquake, and again after 2019. All new-build post-2000, and especially post-2019, is built to modern seismic standards. Compulsory DASK earthquake insurance is required to activate utilities and applies to every occupied home.

For older buildings (pre-1999 in particular), we always recommend a structural engineer's report before purchase. Many historic buildings in Beyoğlu, Nişantaşı and Kadıköy have already been retrofitted; some have not. It's a due-diligence item, not a district-eliminator — the good buildings in old districts are among the best-quality assets in the city.

Yes, but with limits. Several Turkish banks (Garanti BBVA, İş Bankası, Denizbank, QNB) offer mortgages to foreign nationals — typically up to 50% loan-to-value, in Turkish lira or USD, with 5–10 year terms. Turkish lira rates track domestic policy rates; USD-denominated mortgages are available but restricted to buyers with foreign-currency income.

Most of our CBI clients purchase in cash because the CBI programme has strict foreign-capital provenance requirements. Our mortgage broker partner walks you through both options before you commit.

It depends entirely on the district and product type. Established residential districts (Nişantaşı, Bebek, Moda, Bağdat Caddesi) are among the most liquid resale markets in Türkiye — good product sells in weeks. Emerging / oversupplied compound markets can trade slower on the way down because there are many similar-spec competing units.

The core principle: in Istanbul, unique product (character building, direct sea view, prime address) is liquid; commodity product (interchangeable compound units) is only as liquid as the pipeline behind it.

Typical annual running costs are:

• HOA / aidat — compound buildings: ₺2,000 – ₺8,000 per month depending on amenity stack (pool, concierge, gym, security). Historic non-compound buildings: much lower, typically ₺500 – ₺1,500 per month.
• Annual property tax — 0.2% – 0.6% of registered building value.
• DASK earthquake insurance — ₺500 – ₺3,000 per year.
• Utilities — electricity, water, gas, internet.
• Optional home insurance — ₺2,000 – ₺8,000 per year.

On new-build and off-plan, our pricing is identical to the developer's — we're paid by the project, not by you. What we add is independent representation: shortlisting across ten developers instead of one, comparative net-yield modelling, legal & tax due-diligence sign-off, CBI file handling end-to-end, and multi-language support (English, Russian, Arabic, Turkish, Farsi).

On resale, we charge a straightforward commission — disclosed upfront. Either way you get one adviser representing your interests, not the seller's.