Antalya Chamber of Real Estate Brokers Chairman Şeref Sağlam points out that there are many unlicensed foreign real estate agents in Antalya, and he appeals to authorities to take precautionary measures. “Foreigners sell homes to other foreigners via the Internet. Almost 90 percent of properties in tourist cities are sold by unlicensed foreign real estate agents,” he adds. The chamber in Antalya has 2,100 registered real estate brokers, but there are over 2,000 unlicensed, mostly foreign, real estate salespeople. There has been a rise in fraud cases for Internet-based property sales recently. Unregistered brokers evade tax payments by not properly notifying official institutions of their sales. They sell 100,000 euro homes for 200,000 euros, but notify institutions of a lower price.
Bodrum Chamber of Real Estate Brokers Chairman Ömer Yetkin says there are many foreign real estate agents in Bodrum and warns that the number of unlicensed real estate agencies will increase in the summer months. “There are 300 real estate agencies registered with our association in Bodrum. All other agencies are operating illegally,” he notes.
Didim Emlak Consultation Association President Osman Coşkun says Didim has attracted the real estate market thanks to foreigners’ interest in property there, but this has prompted an increase in unlicensed real estate agents, too. Foreigners set up construction companies with Turkish partners to overcome legal obstacles, he says.
Kuşadası Real Estate Association President Hüseyin Şentoker says there are 275 licensed and about 600 to 700 unlicensed real estate brokers in the city. Most foreign partners are Irish or German. Şentoker complains about loopholes in the law and says: “Foreigners buy land, build and then sell to other foreigners. If they could, they would employ workers and use material from their own country as well.”
