On my tod in Turkey
This blog is about my time in Turkey since buying an apartment in Kusadasi, a place I'd never visited until I came to view the apartment I subsequently bought. I started the blog when on enforced lock down due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
To go back to the beginning, I decided to take early retirement back in 2018 and my last day was at the end of September that year. I'd always had a desire to spend more time in the sun and as I made frequent trips to Tenerife to visit friends, that was where I thought I wanted to buy a holiday home. Also, I reckoned Spanish would be a relatively easy language to learn and I started taking lessons back in the UK. Tenerife is very expensive to buy property due to the year round summer weather so I also considered mainland Spain where property is considerably cheaper but nothing was catching my eye when I went on line.
In March 2019, for the second year, I went to the A Place In The Sun exhibition at Manchester's GMEX. I wandered round looking at property adverts in Spain and even Greece but nothing inspired me. Having a few hours to kill before meeting friends for dinner, I wandered in to the Turkish corner. I saw a stand and fell in love with a photo of a wide, three storey block of very modern looking apartments overlooking a pool. I got chatting to the guy manning the stall who lives on the complex and, being English, helps out at British exhibitions. Everything he showed and told me, got me more excited and for the first time, I agreed to go on a 4 day inspection trip but said I wanted to put it off until September or October as my plan was to find somewhere to spend the winter months.
property for sale in Kusadasi Turkey
Back home, I thought everything through and questioned myself. "You don't speak a word of the language." "Not a problem, I'll learn it." "You're a logical person, why are you letting your heart and not your head lead you?" "I don't know but I've never been more sure about wanting to pursue something."
A few weeks later in early April, there were two unpleasant incidents in my home village and I decided that I was going to sell up, move to my static caravan in the countryside and go on the inspection trip to Turkey and the sooner the better. Before I could contact the complex, they rang me! A good omen! I ended up flying out on Good Friday and was collected at the airport. It was an hour's drive from Bodrum airport before we turned off the main road down in to Sogucak village. I have to admit I had a few concerns arriving in the village in the dark and then taking the road out to the complex as it all seemed a bit remote but now I know the area any concerns are gone. On arrival at Lavender Residence, I was taken in to the bright and airy Panorama Restaurant where I met the site staff and was fed and watered.
In my mind, I'd been thinking I would buy a one bedroom apartment but they had listened to my requirements about feeling safe, after being carjacked on my drive some years previously. They decided, for my four day trip to put me in a 2 bedroom apartment that was central, close to the restaurant, next to a young Turkish family who were part of the site management and above the English guy who lives there permanently. The apartment was also for sale! I walked in, saw the night time view from the lounge, fell in love again, and thought "The bastards, I hope I can afford this one." Even the furniture, light brown with orange accents appealed to me.
For four days, I was shown around Kusadasi, the village, Sogucak, and had everything about the complex explained to me. By Sunday, I'd already decided I was buying and on the Monday we arranged my ID and tax registration, required to buy a property there. I returned to the UK on the Tuesday. My son, who knows his mum isn't 100% stupid, was pleased for me and accepted my reasoning for suddenly buying in Turkey, after being fixated on Tenerife. Some people, mainly those who have never been to Turkey and have a skewed impression of it, thought I was mad although most are now coming round. One friend has since been out for a break, also fell in love with the complex and is now looking to buy one of the apartments, even though it wasn't originally on her mind.
It took a few months for the purchase to go through; trying to get one's own money out from the pension company and through HMRC is a feat in itself. I returned to Lavender Residence in mid October and spent two weeks there for my initial stay as owner. The weather was excellent during this time and I had chance to explore Kusadasi centre and experience using the dolmus as well as getting to know my neighbours. I couldn't stay longer due to other commitments but I booked to come back in January for a longer stay. My reasons for coming in the autumn and winter time was because I had entered in to a 2 year contract to rent my apartment out between April and October through the site management. This gives me a guaranteed annual return of 5% of my original investment and, as I wasn't intending to use it in the summer, it made sense. I thought I'd probably do this for 2 lots of 2 years, after which I'd possibly decide not to rent out any longer and totally refurbish the contents for just my personal use. Well that was the plan!
I came out for 75 days in January and should have returned home on 24th March but as I watched what was happening throughout the world, on Aljazeera International, and the different approach being taken by the Turkish and UK governments, I decided to cancel my flights, stay in Turkey and isolate. As my 90 in 180 days visa was going to expire on 25th March, before then I made my online application for a long stay permit which is available to those who own property or have a long term rental agreement. Pending my interview in April, I'm now legal to remain here. I'm also, due to my age, subject to the Turkish government's mandate that those over 65 or suffering from a chronic illness must not leave their homes AT ALL!! This was introduced before the UK's 'social distancing'. My Turkish neighbours are doing my shopping when they do their own and I'm not in need of the doctor or to get cash but if I did, there are numbers to phone for assistance. So that explains why I'm here and my blog is just one of many things I'm doing to keep occupied.
To go back to the beginning, I decided to take early retirement back in 2018 and my last day was at the end of September that year. I'd always had a desire to spend more time in the sun and as I made frequent trips to Tenerife to visit friends, that was where I thought I wanted to buy a holiday home. Also, I reckoned Spanish would be a relatively easy language to learn and I started taking lessons back in the UK. Tenerife is very expensive to buy property due to the year round summer weather so I also considered mainland Spain where property is considerably cheaper but nothing was catching my eye when I went on line.
In March 2019, for the second year, I went to the A Place In The Sun exhibition at Manchester's GMEX. I wandered round looking at property adverts in Spain and even Greece but nothing inspired me. Having a few hours to kill before meeting friends for dinner, I wandered in to the Turkish corner. I saw a stand and fell in love with a photo of a wide, three storey block of very modern looking apartments overlooking a pool. I got chatting to the guy manning the stall who lives on the complex and, being English, helps out at British exhibitions. Everything he showed and told me, got me more excited and for the first time, I agreed to go on a 4 day inspection trip but said I wanted to put it off until September or October as my plan was to find somewhere to spend the winter months.
property for sale in Kusadasi Turkey
Back home, I thought everything through and questioned myself. "You don't speak a word of the language." "Not a problem, I'll learn it." "You're a logical person, why are you letting your heart and not your head lead you?" "I don't know but I've never been more sure about wanting to pursue something."
A few weeks later in early April, there were two unpleasant incidents in my home village and I decided that I was going to sell up, move to my static caravan in the countryside and go on the inspection trip to Turkey and the sooner the better. Before I could contact the complex, they rang me! A good omen! I ended up flying out on Good Friday and was collected at the airport. It was an hour's drive from Bodrum airport before we turned off the main road down in to Sogucak village. I have to admit I had a few concerns arriving in the village in the dark and then taking the road out to the complex as it all seemed a bit remote but now I know the area any concerns are gone. On arrival at Lavender Residence, I was taken in to the bright and airy Panorama Restaurant where I met the site staff and was fed and watered.
In my mind, I'd been thinking I would buy a one bedroom apartment but they had listened to my requirements about feeling safe, after being carjacked on my drive some years previously. They decided, for my four day trip to put me in a 2 bedroom apartment that was central, close to the restaurant, next to a young Turkish family who were part of the site management and above the English guy who lives there permanently. The apartment was also for sale! I walked in, saw the night time view from the lounge, fell in love again, and thought "The bastards, I hope I can afford this one." Even the furniture, light brown with orange accents appealed to me.
For four days, I was shown around Kusadasi, the village, Sogucak, and had everything about the complex explained to me. By Sunday, I'd already decided I was buying and on the Monday we arranged my ID and tax registration, required to buy a property there. I returned to the UK on the Tuesday. My son, who knows his mum isn't 100% stupid, was pleased for me and accepted my reasoning for suddenly buying in Turkey, after being fixated on Tenerife. Some people, mainly those who have never been to Turkey and have a skewed impression of it, thought I was mad although most are now coming round. One friend has since been out for a break, also fell in love with the complex and is now looking to buy one of the apartments, even though it wasn't originally on her mind.
It took a few months for the purchase to go through; trying to get one's own money out from the pension company and through HMRC is a feat in itself. I returned to Lavender Residence in mid October and spent two weeks there for my initial stay as owner. The weather was excellent during this time and I had chance to explore Kusadasi centre and experience using the dolmus as well as getting to know my neighbours. I couldn't stay longer due to other commitments but I booked to come back in January for a longer stay. My reasons for coming in the autumn and winter time was because I had entered in to a 2 year contract to rent my apartment out between April and October through the site management. This gives me a guaranteed annual return of 5% of my original investment and, as I wasn't intending to use it in the summer, it made sense. I thought I'd probably do this for 2 lots of 2 years, after which I'd possibly decide not to rent out any longer and totally refurbish the contents for just my personal use. Well that was the plan!
I came out for 75 days in January and should have returned home on 24th March but as I watched what was happening throughout the world, on Aljazeera International, and the different approach being taken by the Turkish and UK governments, I decided to cancel my flights, stay in Turkey and isolate. As my 90 in 180 days visa was going to expire on 25th March, before then I made my online application for a long stay permit which is available to those who own property or have a long term rental agreement. Pending my interview in April, I'm now legal to remain here. I'm also, due to my age, subject to the Turkish government's mandate that those over 65 or suffering from a chronic illness must not leave their homes AT ALL!! This was introduced before the UK's 'social distancing'. My Turkish neighbours are doing my shopping when they do their own and I'm not in need of the doctor or to get cash but if I did, there are numbers to phone for assistance. So that explains why I'm here and my blog is just one of many things I'm doing to keep occupied.
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