Sales of real estate to foreigners increase by over 90% in Turkey

Some 78,400 real estate properties were sold in Turkey in February 2019, which is 18.2 percent less than in February 2018, referring to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). During the period, 11,400 real estate properties were sold in Istanbul, 7,600 properties in Ankara, and 4,400 properties in Izmir, according to the TUIK. "The remaining 55,000 real estate properties fall to the share of other cities," the TUIK said. In February 2019, 3,300 real estate properties were sold to foreigners in Turkey, which is 92.1 percent more than in February 2018. In February 2019, Iraqi citizens acquired 628 real estate properties in Turkey, Iranian citizens purchased 307 properties, while citizens of Afghanistan, Kuwait and Russia purchased 166, 150 and 236 properties, respectively. "The remaining 1,800 real estate properties fall to the share of citizens of other countries," the TUIK said.