Turkey is one of the countries that Russians are most interested in in terms of buying a "second home". Prospective homeowners should understand that it is one thing to come on vacation and stay at a hotel, and quite another to own and take care of real estate. The first thing to do after buying a home in Turkey is to pay taxes and get health insurance. If the first speaks about the owner's law-abidingness, then the second - about his thrift and foresight. There is no need to postpone deciding how much and when to pay utility bills, who should be entrusted with taking care of real estate while outside the country. Having solved the financial issues, you can finally equip your new home on the Turkish coast. Community Balance In Turkey, as in most other countries, real estate is taxed and the owner must be prepared for this. “The annual tax on real estate in the country is up to 0.3% of the cadastral value of housing (usually it is much less than the selling price). The payment is made twice a year - in May and November, ”explains Anastasia Bakulina, Sales Director of EKOL Construction Investment. Medical care in Turkey is quite expensive, so it is better to take care of purchasing health insurance in advance, especially when it comes to a family with children. Insurance for foreigners provides for the services of an interpreter when visiting a doctor. Alena Onder, Real Estate Sales Manager of Solim SG Investment & Real Estate, draws attention to the fact that in Turkey it is more profitable to purchase a policy valid for one year - it costs from 1000 to 2000 euros. The utility costs of a homeowner in Turkey are divided into several parts. Water costs 0.75 euros per 1 cubic meter. m, electricity - 0.1 euros per 1 kWh. Meters are installed in each apartment. When paying for the phone, you can choose either a subscription fee - 6 euros per month, or a per-minute payment for calls, including within the city. Internet use is paid depending on the selected tariff and costs an average of 15 euros per month. Most new homes have wireless Internet access. If the apartment is located in a complex with developed infrastructure, then its owner pays for the maintenance of the common areas, regardless of whether he lives in the apartment or not. The amount of the payment depends on the range of services and the number of apartments in the house. On average, according to Anastasia Bakulina, these costs range from 50 to 100 euros per month. “The amount of expenses varies, and if in winter the costs are less, then by the summer season the savings are spent, for example, on the purchase of umbrellas and sun loungers for the beach,” the expert explains. Since the climate in Turkey is mild, and the temperature in winter does not drop below zero, there is no centralized heating like in Russia. The problem is solved with the help of electric heaters. There is no central gas pipeline in Antalya and Bodrum either. Gas tankers are installed in the complexes, and residents also buy gas in cylinders (20 euros for 12 liters). You can pay for utilities both in cash and by bank transfer. Banks provide a service for automatically debiting the required amounts from the account. Each complex has a building manager who, by agreement, can pay residents' bills with the cash left. Payments to utilities can also be entrusted to the management company. However, foreigners who arrive in the country at least three to four times a year usually handle the paperwork on their own. What about everyday life? Thanks to the “smart home” system, you can control the state of your home remotely while abroad, but not all complexes are equipped with it. A more common option is to conclude an agreement with a management company. The range of services provided by such companies is diverse. This may include guarding the complex, airing apartments during the absence of residents, which is especially important in a humid resort climate, cleaning rooms and purchasing food before the owner arrives, airport transfer services, car rental, and organizing excursions. The list of services, as Alena Onder notes, may include rental management. For a percentage of the rent, the company will look for tenants, show them housing, solve payment issues, check the safety of things, clean rooms, wash clothes and so on. Most often, such services are provided by a management company affiliated with a developer. By the time the construction is completed, she has contacts of future residents, besides, he knows how the building was built and how the communication system functions - therefore, if necessary, he will quickly fix the problems. In a number of complexes, self-governing bodies, such as homeowners associations, are involved in exploitation issues. However, Germans, Dutch, Swedes, Russians, Iranians, Belgians can live in one house, so it is rather difficult to imagine that they all gather at the same time and make some decisions with a total number of votes. Usually, one representative is chosen from among the tenants (necessarily a Turkish citizen), who later resolves all organizational issues. So, in a neighborly way In Turkey, the people are hospitable and sympathetic. Even not speaking English or Russian, the Turks will do everything to understand the foreigner's question and will try to help. Many people speak Russian in Antalya, Bodrum, Kemer and other tourist centers. The staff of hotels and restaurants must know at least one foreign language, so it is not difficult to communicate with the locals at the resorts. It is possible to enroll in courses and learn Turkish. Good neighborly relations are highly valued here. “If in the evening on the doorstep you saw a smiling neighbor with a plate of something tasty, do not be surprised, accept the treats with gratitude. But do not return the plate empty: you should definitely put something in it, - says Anastasia Bakulina. - There is another detail to keep in mind. In Russia, for the arrival of guests, tea is brewed and sweets are prepared for it. With us, this means that you were expected. Here, when guests come, offering them something to drink or eat from the doorway is a bad form. It feels like you want to get them out faster. " It is customary to buy water for drinking in stores, and food, especially fresh vegetables, fruits, meat and fish, in the market, where you can bargain and reduce the price, which is already lower than in Russia. But alcohol and cigarettes are much more expensive than in our country. The same applies to gasoline - about 1.5 euros per liter. Russian driver's licenses are valid in Turkey. Arriving in the country for a couple of weeks a year, it is easier to rent a car for 20-25 euros per day. If often or for a long time, it is better to buy your own car. Anastasia Bakulina advises to think about where to park the car: “In many complexes there are closed parking lots. The owners of the apartments in these houses believe that their car in such a parking lot is completely safe. However, it is necessary to take into account the weather features: in Antalya it rains heavily in winter, and if the underground parking is arranged incorrectly, the car will “float”. It is often much safer to leave it covered in an open parking lot, because there is no frost or snow here. "
