General help and advice on TRNC

[Janners]

Hi all. Thanks for allowing me to join this forum. It's been really informative reading this forum and gaining plenty of information.
My wife and i are coming out to North Cyprus in a few weeks with the prospect of purchasing a property. We are looking to purchase now with the intention of scaling back our work in 10 years time to split our time between the UK and TRNC. The property will only be used by ourselves and close friends and family until semi retirement. We have a week lined up with an agent (recommended by a close friend) who will be showing us off plan, new builds and resale property. My wife knows the areas that we are looking at and we have tried to do some research prior to our visit. No matter how much research you think you can do there is always something that will surprise you. I don't think there is anything more valuable than peoples own experiences and hopefully the expat community could help us.
As this will hopefully be our first purchase in TRNC, are there any do's or dont's/must/must not's you'd personally recommend when purchasing property and moving over? I'd like to think we have a general impression but any information people could share would be very grateful.
Many thanks.

[Keithcaley]

Read this thread first...

[PoshinDevon]

If you carry out a search on the forum you will find a lot of advice and suggestions to the questions you have asked. This would be the first place to start gathering information. It will range from buying property, solicitors, estate agents etc.

You will no doubt receive a lot of information to your questions and as a starter one of the pieces of advice that always comes up is rent first.......buy later. Also many will say do not buy off plan. Better to find a property that has the deeds (Kocan) in the owners name and ensure all taxes etc have been paid. Check also that all services, water/electric are connected and there are no bills outstanding.

Also should you appoint a legal representative please bear in mind they are not solicitors as you would understand one to be. They are advocates. Duty of care is not something that is universally followed. Make sure you put everything in writing, not just verbal agreements. Do not use an advocate/solicitor recommended by an agent, research and choose your own. A search on the forum will bring up names of those who are recommended.

Good luck with your venture, I am sure you will be able to gather lots of good advice off the forum, in fact you may be overwhelmed by some of it. All I will say is proceed with caution, do not rush things however tempting, make sure North Cyprus really is for you and always remember that sometimes it’s better to walk away. Some have had bad experiences buying property here however there are many who are happy with their property and are enjoying everything about North Cyprus.

Good luck.

[ljarvo]

Agree - don’t buy off plan if possible - you will be waiting for the property longer than expected and that could be the least of your problems....

Always safer to buy a resale with Kocan and final approval in place so there shouldn’t be no issue transferring the property.

Area is very important now especially with the traffic problems

Nothing seems too far out when you first move but can soon drive you mad after a number of years !!

Good luck and still be careful with what ever agent you use.......

[waz-24-7]

Welcome to the last gem on the Mediterranean.
Buying in the TRNC can be easy and fruitful but beware of potential issues.
Certainly use an Agent to view properties.
If you can find a property with deeds in owners name (KOCAN) then that is a fist step to a safe purchase,
DO NOT buy off plan as the risks are far greater.

Do not let the agent guide you to an advocate. Choose your own. They are not solicitors and it is nothing like UK law.
Duty of care is often absent and there is little due diligence.
I suggest you keep closer to Kyrenia rather than further out where it can be more secluded even isolated.

There are some really good deals out there now as the TL remains weak. Negotiate hard , its a buyers market.

You wont find better value than TRNC right now.

Good hunting

[Jonnie]

You have come to a good source of info. Start asking specifics and also it would be good to share who the Estate Agents you have been recommended. I have had my ear to the ground here and would recommend 2. One of those I would only recommend to sell, the other I would recommend for buyers, they are a British based family firm with the company still in the founders name, you can PM me for specifics.

[Cally]

Waz 24-7 I can't imagine anyone wanting to live near Kyrenia. I visit twice a year for 3 weeks at a time & stay at a very central hotel. Over the last few years the traffic has increased so much it is akin to the M25, bumper to bumper, east & west

[Hedge-fund]

Waz 24-7 I can't imagine anyone wanting to live near Kyrenia. I visit twice a year for 3 weeks at a time & stay at a very central hotel. Over the last few years the traffic has increased so much it is akin to the M25, bumper to bumper, east & west

I agree with waz (4 words I never thought I'd write)

I live near Kyrenia and I live near the M25. They are busy because they are popular and there are nice places to live and good things to do nearby.

The infrastructure certainly needs updating and no doubt will be done in time but if you avoid the rush hours and the busy routes any issues are few and far between.

[jofra]

"...near Kyrenia..." - how near is "near"?
My place is eleven miles west; I consider that to be not very near, but not far either - if/when I hire a car (being a swallow), it's almost always no problem as to traffic 'congestion' (avoid morning/evening peak); without a car, it's an enjoyable (cheap) ride on the dolmus...
And it's nice and peaceful 'out in the country'......

[niceone]

A lot of people have lost everything by buying off plan, builders have gone bust and the land/properties have been taken by the banks, if you buy resale you can make sure they have the kocan first, there are plenty of fairly new properties to choose from.
I hope you enjoy your new adventure

[tomsteel]

Get your permission to purchase (PTP)!

[suecheshireuk]

Definitely rent first. North Cyprus is changing so quickly, becoming more built up, more cars on the road, and it can get so congested, it may not be the place you want to be in a few years time, plus with all the new hotels springing up, you might end up with one close by eventually, and from what I can gather, during the summer months when loud music is blasting out until the early hours of the morning is not a great recipe for a good nights sleep. After four years there, we moved back to Turkey having had enough of the traffic and the dangerous driving. Good luck, but do rent first.

[solic200]

Buy something a little further up the mountains because if you buy down towards the sea in 10 years time you won’t be able to see the Mediterranean as the entire coastline will be blocked by hotels.
I lived in the trnc for 17 yrs having left in 2016 to return to the uk. I loved the earlier times, but as like many other countries it was spoilt by too many British bars or British theme bars opening up everywhere and my biggest complaint so many high rise apartments being built and the old Turkish properties being knocked down to build them.
Like someone else said “rent first” for at least 6 months it may save you a lot of money in the long run.

[dani]

I agree with most of the above. However, you say that you are looking for a property which you will use as a holiday home for 10 years with a view to moving out here eventually. So, although the advice to rent first is sound, I don't suppose this is practical for you. Rather, I would say, come out a few times and stay in different places to get a feel of the differences. It also depends on what you want. For instance, if you want a remote, quiet location then places like Kayala in the West and Tatlitsu in the East might be of interest. If you want to be within a short distance of the sea, shops, hotels and restaurants then Alsancak, Lapta and Karsiyaka in the West may suit. I would also say, check out the area really late at night too as it is not always obvious that there are night time venues playing incredibly load music into the early hours. An example of this is the really nice looking new development on the left, past Escape Beach. There is an open-air Club (BTW - Night Clubs are brothels and Clubs are where mainly young people go to dance) almost opposite which is licences 'til 4am. Although you will no doubt hear lots of negatives, if you are careful this is a truly beautiful place to live. We have lived here permanently for 9 years now and have no regrets.

[waz-24-7]

Rent first if you intend to come out full time.
For a holiday home this is not really practical. As Dani says visit a few times. Look at the 3 primary regions around Kyrenia WEST, EAST and CENTRAL.
Then decide.
As long as you use due diligence its a buyers market now. Holiday homes are in abundance.

[PoshinDevon]

Rent first if you intend to come out full time.
For a holiday home this is not really practical. As Dani says visit a few times. Look at the 3 primary regions around Kyrenia WEST, EAST and CENTRAL.
Then decide.
As long as you use due diligence its a buyers market now. Holiday homes are in abundance.

Also remember if you buy a property/villa with a large plot or garden and possibly a pool as well, this all requires maintenance and upkeep when you are not on island. This will inevitably mean getting a gardener in plus a pool maintenance contract. Unless of course you want to come out to your holiday home and spend a lot of time sorting the garden/pool etc.

If it’s a holiday home you may want to consider a complex where the gardens and pool are maintained on behalf of everyone........there will of course then be a management fee for the upkeep. Plus you have to consider if the management of the site is well run and residents in the main pay their annual charges. If you go down this route make sure you understand what the management fees per annum are as these vary by a considerable amount.

Just as an example our fees per annum for pool maintenance, cleaning etc plus upkeep of communal gardens is £250 per annum which we believe is great value. Others are more expensive but may also include such things as a rolling repainting programme for the properties plus other items. You need to check carefully.

Good luck