Properties for Sale in North Cyprus

With such a bewildering array of properties for sale in North Cyprus advertised in the papers and on the internet each week, how can a buyer seeking an investment opportunity or a new home truly determine whether they’re comparing like for like and getting quality and value for money?

As anyone who’s visited Northern Cyprus or who resides here already knows it’s neither a case of comparing properties by location nor simply comparing prices - oh no, the process is a lot more complicated than that! So, here’s our guide to the successful navigation of the real estate market in TRNC for anyone seeking properties for sale here.

Location, location, location

The location of a property should have a considerable bearing on the price of that property and in some cases it does! Basically the nearer the property is to the main town of Kyrenia the more expensive it’s likely to be a) because land prices are more expensive and b) because the area is more desirable.

Furthermore the areas of Bellapais, Ozankoy and Catalkoy are highly popular and you can sometimes see higher prices asked for properties in these villages than for similar properties elsewhere.

The further up the coast you move either towards Esentepe and Tatlisu to the east or towards Karsiyaka or even Kayalar to the west the cheaper the land, the less accessible the area to the main amenities and facilities (for the time being at least) and therefore the cheaper a property should be!

Build quality

Some builders put in a damp proof course and some don’t, some build with a cavity wall, some just use one layer of the red hollow clay bricks. Some buildings are seismically reinforced throughout with even a solid concrete roof, some just have a wooden frame and a non-insulated tiled roof balanced on thin wooden beams.

You should get what you pay for but often a house that is badly built is beautifully finished and sold for a far higher price than it’s worth. If you’re buying new or off plan check out the build quality of houses built by your developer and ask lots of difficult questions - unless you want to be living in a freezing cold leaky house in the winter!

Plot size

If buying off plan it is sometimes very hard for people to work out exactly how big their proposed plot will be. Get exact measurements from your builder and if possible ask him to mark out your boundaries and also the base of your house so you know how much space you’ll have all around your home to play with. If he can’t do this ask him to draw to scale on a piece of paper the plot and how exactly your house will fill that plot. You might be surprised to find your house will swallow up the land and you’ll be pressed up against your neighbour’s fence when parking your car! Alternatively you may find you have an enormous garden and will be able to fit in an Olympic size pool and a 5 car garage! The larger the plot, naturally the more you would expect to be paying!

House size

If you’re buying off plan get all the main room measurements from the developer and with a tape measure compare room sizes with the house you’re living in now to have a realistic idea of the space you’ll have to play with. You can then see whether the pretty artist impression will actually turn into a doll’s house with no room for your dining room table or whether it’s a well thought out and spaced out living space.

It should follow that the better laid out and more spacious a property is the more expensive it will be!

Additional features

These fall into 2 categories - those that add value and those that don’t. A brick built barbeque and a fireplace are nice to have but they barely cost the builder anything to add when building the property so they shouldn’t add too much to the asking price. A pool on the other hand is an expensive commodity and if a house comes with one this will likely be reflected in the asking price.

If the builder is boasting about all the additional features his houses come with make sure they add value to the house especially if the house seems more expensive that similar sized homes in the same area.

And finally, never buy unseen - even if you’re buying off plan you need to meet the developer, see the proposed plot of land, examine other houses your developer has built and you should also consider visiting the wider area around your planned home to get an idea of what’s around you.