The British Independent newspaper has published a lengthy report on the property market in Northern Cyprus entitled ‘How the Other Half Lives.’ This report is a refreshingly open, honest, well researched and unbiased account of how the real estate landscape in the North makes for a worthwhile investment, and that the rustic charms of North Cyprus make the island a really decent alternative to other, more built up areas across the Mediterranean.
So, because the Independent backs investment property in North Cyprus, what might this mean for the future of the market? Well, because the report intelligently explores the land rights issues and lays out the ongoing improvements and developments that are occurring in the North, hopefully the report will allay many people’s concerns and draw greater levels of interest to the market.
The Independent newspaper has really bucked a trend in praising property in North Cyprus for being good value and for increasing in value when other markets around the world are suffering.
And if that’s not good enough news for you, what about the fact that Joe Calzaghe the Welsh boxing hero has also bought a house on the island…not only is property in North Cyprus becoming famous for positive reasons, it is receiving positive promotion thanks to the famous people who are buying real estate in TRNC.
Forbes magazine recently lumped the whole of Cyprus together in a report about the state of the property markets in Europe and had the nation lying in second place to Poland in terms of its positive real estate fortunes in 2007...but the image used to illustrate the allure of Cyprus was certainly one of the Northern third of the island!
So it seems that suddenly this beautiful part of the world is receiving stronger than usual attention. According to estate agents on the island this is also the case...they are reporting that Easter was busier than they had expected, and that now thanks to the positive political developments in Cyprus, the number of inspection trips booked for the rest of the year is well up on their 2007 figures. This means that North Cyprus could actually have one of the most dynamic real estate markets in Europe by the end of 2008.
There has been a wealth of good news to hit the headlines in Cyprus this month. Firstly the Republic of Cyprus voted in a new president who has committed to work with his counterpart in North Cyprus, Mehmet Ali Talat towards a solution to the ongoing division of the island, and now an Ireland based international mortgage brokerage is going to be offering mortgages for property holding pre 1974 title deeds in North Cyprus.
The brokerage has made it clear that it ultimately wants to be able to offer mortgages on all properties in North Cyprus, but that it is starting with pre ‘74 as it watches the political developments closely. If you’re thinking about making a move on the real estate market before prices rise once the news about the impending solution to the Cyprus Problem and the fact you can get mortgages spreads internationally, may now well be the time to buy!
Northern Cyprus is moving closer towards worldwide recognition and acceptance each month and as it moves closer, so the property market in North Cyprus develops, matures and heats up as confidence in it grows.The news announced today that President Papadopoulos has lost his re-election fight in south Cyprus is naturally bad news for him, but exceptionally good news for North Cyprus and all those with property assets and interests in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Because politics are complicated at the best of times and even more so when it comes to Cyprus where there is partial EU entry, partial isolation, an armed border post and highly emotive issues involved, we thought we’d have a stab at explaining how the south Cyprus elections may have a profound and positive impact on those with property in North Cyprus in this article in order to assist you.
Now that the silly season is over and North Cyprus has calmed down from the Bayram, Christmas and New Year celebrations, it’s time for many people to get back to work. As one of the largest employment sectors on the island, the property market in Northern Cyprus is one of the first sectors to call everyone back in to work.
January is one of the busiest months for estate agents in North Cyprus and property developers as well; this is because many would-be homebuyers from the UK and Northern Europe spend January making plans for inspection trips later in the year. And this year these home seekers are expected to be joined by fellow property hunters from Russia. Russian interest in Northern Cyprus is intensifying and so About North Cyprus goes Russian in response to this growing base of interest!
As is usual this time of the year, interest in the Northern Cyprus property market has intensified after a laid back summer and the number of arrivals to the island specifically in search of a real estate investment opportunity, a retirement property or even a second home is up.
While these people go in search of their ideal home, the North Cyprus property market receives some positive news from the construction industry and the government…
You may have noticed that there is an abundance of property for sale in Northern Cyprus - apparently all of it is luxurious, all of it represents fantastic investment potential, it’s all well located with perfect views and of course it’s all within reach of the best amenities, facilities, beaches and so on and so forth…apparently.
So how on earth can one determine which is the wheat, what’s the chaff, who’s selling the dream by marketing the lifestyle and who has actually gone to the lengths required to develop quality, well priced property that truly does make for a solid property purchase choice?
As far as we are aware there is only one way to find the best properties in North Cyprus and that is to trust the British Residents North Cyprus Property Finder Team – the members of this Team have done every inch of due diligence into every aspect of a development, a developer and a build team and they have covered every ounce of research into everything from the security and validity of title deeds to either the investment potential or the home comforts provided by a given property on a development by development basis…
A recent television program in the UK that focused on buying property in North Cyprus told the story of a couple who had bought an apartment in Girne and who had had a horrible time getting building work completed despite having paid up front for the completion of their home. Clearly the commentary accompanying the facts was written in such a way that viewers would feel this was par for the course if you buy property in North Cyprus and that also, North Cyprus is the only place on the planet to have such awful stories of buyers being treated so shoddily…
However, when you actually look at the facts that the program sought to convey in their own right and then consider the general issues at hand by taking a common sense and logical approach to each problem discussed, you’ll realize that actually, had the buyers had better legal representation and had they done a little more due diligence they may well have avoided many of their problems. Additionally, not one of their problems was unique to North Cyprus – you will find similar tales being told in Spain, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey for example. So how can you avoid these problems yourself? With our commonsense guide - ‘how to safely buy property in North Cyprus’ – it’s written with first hand knowledge and hindsight so that you can learn from our mistakes and benefit from our experience!
In the Cyprus Today newspaper this week there was a leading article about the requirement of homeowners in the TRNC to pay income tax on any profits that they derive from the rental of their real estate assets in North Cyprus - whether they are resident on the island or not.
This information relating to income tax and renting property in North Cyprus is not new, but the newspaper needed to publish it again because there has been a significant increase in the numbers of those coming to the island to buy investment property that they then rent out to holidaymakers for example. In this article we detail the income tax requirements and explain how you pay it and whether you can claim it back on your UK tax return.
It seems that the tide is definitely turning in Northern Cyprus as a result of the positive developments in the Orams case and the first successful resolution of a case by the North Cyprus Property Commission; an increasing number of international citizens are considering moving to live full time in this stunning country. Of course there are plenty of opportunities to develop a business here, find a job or even just put your feet up and enjoy life, so it’s no wonder now that things have calmed right down on the property litigation front that more people are confident about buying property and moving to live in Northern Cyprus.
However, this inward flow of interest from those who want to come and live here right now is creating a problem – there is a shortage of resale property in North Cyprus! There’s plenty available off plan if you’re prepared to wait for anything up to two years, but if you want to buy now and move in tomorrow then your property options are restricted.
One of the areas of Northern Cyprus that always proves popular with both investors and retirement or new home hunters is the elevated village of Bellapais - as a result of the location’s evergreen desirability the prices for property in this part of Northern Cyprus have become expensive which has priced many buyers out of the area.
But fear not - astute developers aware of the everlasting appeal of Bellapais Abbey have come up with a solution and they are using the location benefits of the village of Ozankoy and constructing abbey view apartments and villas at far more realistic prices than similar properties for sale in Bellapais itself.
Those who have ‘been there, done that’ and already bought a property in North Cyprus will tell you that they wished they’d known one or two things before they signed on the dotted line…
Such things as how to negotiate a better bargain with a developer, how to cut costs with a solicitor and how to barter for extras and ultimately how to pay less for property in North Cyprus…it’s a fact that the market is ripe for investment, it is fast moving and property prices are increasing – but these facts mean that buyers are often in a panic when they arrive and would dearly love to have someone take them under their wing and shield them from some of the harsher aspects of the buying process.
To solve this problem the British Residents North Cyprus Property Finders Service has been created with the sole aim of getting foreign buyers property deals that offer them the best value for money and which ensure that they don’t pay over the odds for any of the services required during the property purchase process.
The property finder service takes the requirements of the individual into complete account and together the British residents who run the free and no obligation service work with the property seeker to match their requirements to the letter and negotiate together with them or on their behalf with vendors or developers to get the absolute best price.
To find out how you could pay less for property in North Cyprus try the British Residents North Cyprus Property Finders – you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain from their vast experience of the property market and North Cyprus in general.
For this site to be a truly worthwhile resource for those buying property in North Cyprus or considering coming on holiday or living in Northern Cyprus it is sometimes necessary to have to publish ugly truths that exist but which estate agents, property developers and even hoteliers who are dependent on your business will not talk about.
This article contains essential advice about purchase contracts for those buying property in North Cyprus and it is written based on personal experience, reports in the local press and stories from friends and fellow expatriates about their property buying horror stories.
When the building boom really began in North Cyprus back in 2004 there was an influx of those buying apartments and villas in North Cyprus off plan for property investment purposes. Now that these properties are finally coming to completion, 2006 has seen a surge in the numbers of tourists visiting the island seeking villas and apartments with pools to rent out.
Car hire businesses have reported that the majority of those they are renting to are staying in private homes, and even Northern Cypriot hoteliers have begun to complain that the numbers choosing to stay in hotels in North Cyprus has dwindled – so what does this mean for the island?
The building boom in North Cyprus really began back in 2004 when Cyprus joined the EU, the Turkish Cypriots voted yes to the Annan Reunification Plan and confidence was at its highest that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus would eventually get the international recognition it deserves.
The number of international expatriates who bought property off plan surged and today, two years down the road with confidence in Northern Cyprus having been bolstered by a number of announcements and developments, the first really strong tide of resale property in North Cyprus is coming onto the market for sale, and demand for it is heating up.
When one thinks of property for sale in Northern Cyprus the majority of us think of all the new build or off plan properties being sold by developers and estate agents the whole island over – but for those who want something a little more ‘traditional’ there are an increasing number of older homes becoming available that require a certain amount of TLC.
Buying up renovation property for sale in North Cyprus is slowly becoming more and more popular with those expatriates seeking a dream home in the sun that comes with character, history, large well established gardens and maybe even a bit of business potential on the side.
If you’ve spent any time on the internet looking at properties for sale in Northern Cyprus you’ll already know that the volume of developments currently under construction is quite impressive and that the sheer choice of property is exciting.
But with too much choice comes too much confusion (in my experience anyway!) so which are the best investment properties in North Cyprus? Ask any developer and he’ll say HIS are the best – unsurprisingly – but in all seriousness how on earth are you supposed to choose? Well, here’s a short guide to the types of property and the locations most suitable for those looking for investment.
The new draft law on property compensation and reinstatement adopted by the TRNC government in December 2005 has already been misinterpreted, misunderstood and misreported by the media.
This article attempts to explain the new North Cyprus property law in layman’s terms, to remove the media hype, to give home owners in Northern Cyprus the facts they need and to allay any fears that property investors considering the Northern Cyprus property market may have.
Because Northern Cyprus has managed to remain wholly unspoilt from overdevelopment it is still a beautiful Mediterranean island paradise to this day and one which many more people are now beginning to discover the delights of.
The number of people wishing to holiday and also live in Northern Cyprus has risen dramatically over the past three years and because of the lack of villa and apartment type housing previously built in TRNC, those who are seeking real estate for sale are buying off plan property in Northern Cyprus.
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