They liked the area so much that they decided to buy a two bedroom off-plan duplex on a gated development offplan there and then. The couple had taken an inspection flight but they didn't like the properties they were shown, so Chris contacted another company, run by a friend of a friend, and viewed more appealing properties. "We had a good look round first but we fell in love with Harmony Gardens," says Chris. "It is in a secluded position only a kilometre from the beach, well served by the local bus and surrounded by mandarin trees."

The Greens viewed a couple of apartments first, but liked the extra space a duplex with a garden gave. Because Chris knew the developer, he signed a contract straight away, without getting it checked over by a solicitor. "If it had been a developer I didn't know I would have got the contracts checked by a solicitor in the UK but because I knew them, I was happy to sign whilst I was over there," he said. "The whole process was straight forward." He had done his homework first, however. He checked out the developer's previous sites and spoke to people who had bought from them before. A deposit of £10,000 was paid upfront with the remaining £45,000 due in instalments – £7,000 at the end of this year and the balance on completion in 2008. Service fees will be around £30 a month.

"The developers were flexible with the terms and even changed the payment plan to when I thought I would have funds available," says Chris. "There was no high pressure sales pitch and we had plenty of time to think about it. Even though my wife speaks Turkish, everyone spoke perfect English and the contracts were in English."

They intend to spend a couple of weeks there each year and may rent it out through the developer's rental scheme, or resell it in the future. The couple chose Turkey for its low prices, stable economy and availability of charter flights. "The yields are there but you have to be careful about over-supply of property in certain areas," warns Chris. "You can pick up a two-bedroom place for £17,000 but there are a lot of cowboy developers out there."

Getting a Turkish mortgage
Recent changes to Turkish legislation have allowed several Turkish and European banks to start offering foreign nationals pound and euro mortgages secured against Turkish property. These lenders typically offer repayment mortgages of up to 200,000 euros; or a maximum loan to value ratio of 75 per cent. Loan periods are up to 20 years. Interest rates are presently around 6 per cent for euro loans and 7 per cent for sterling loans, fixed for one to five years. One major restriction is that mortgages can currently only be used for purchases in the coastal resorts and Istanbul. There are no mortgages for off-plan purchases at the moment either, though this looks set to change. The application process can be quite different to the UK and you may need a power of attorney in place.

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