An interesting proposal in Alanya: We should shift to tourism real estate

The crisis in the real estate and construction sectors in Alanya is deepening day by day.

The real estate sector, which went through tough times due to the pandemic, the aviation crisis, and the coup attempt, experienced a short-lived recovery in 2022.

Abdullah Tuncer, President of ALEKOD, stated that the 2.5% share of foreign buyers in total home sales, achieved with great effort, was exaggerated and exploited for political purposes.

Tuncer noted:

"Manufacturers of construction materials raised their profit margins, taking advantage of high demand, but this was overlooked. Instead, realtors were blamed for the increase in property prices.

Subsequently, due to the negative perception of crimes committed by migrants in major cities and ghettoization in suburban areas, the government revised its residency policies, almost equating foreign property investors with migrants. Thus, the closure of four neighborhoods in our region and the nearly unattainable $200,000 threshold have driven the real estate sector into a bottleneck.

The steps to reduce inflation are almost the same worldwide. However, in our country, due to the role of construction material production in exports and closing the current account deficit, domestic market monopolization, speculation, and manipulation are ignored.

INFLATION SHOULD NOT BE CALCULATED BASED ON REAL ESTATE

To solve the issue of inflation in real estate prices, we need to question why a bag of cement is sold for $1 in a neighboring country but costs $5 in our country, one of the largest cement producers.

The contribution of foreign property investors to businesses in our tourist cities is well known. Since the introduction of residency restrictions, our businesses, city, and country have been deprived of millions of dollars in investments. We wouldn't be wrong to say that the withdrawal of investors, who filled the gap left by the all-inclusive system, has left our streets empty.

WE REALTORS ARE JUST MESSENGERS

We, as real estate companies, act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers. Sometimes, regardless of who is at fault, we are made scapegoats. Like in any sector, there are those in ours who operate unethically and cause dissatisfaction. During slight booms, many companies emerge, but during crises, they disappear. The negative experiences of foreign clients permanently affect the reputation of established firms.

Therefore, our profession, regulated by the Real Estate Trade Regulation, needs a new concept dedicated to foreign investors, protecting them and the country's image in their eyes.

TOURISM REAL ESTATE IS IMPORTANT

The problems have shown how essential it is to establish a professional field with serious criteria and high-quality service standards for those dealing with foreign property investments in our country, whether called "tourism real estate" or something else. As an association, we continue our work on this issue in harmony with other stakeholders.

If this system becomes law, many grievances can be prevented".