The following gives an outline of the process we went through buying land to build. Although we didn't build from scratch in the end the information is still relevant. Other forum members have built and images can be found at the end of this piece and in the gallery.

Buying the land

Like anything, there is an easy way and a more challenging one, needless to say we went the harder route after the simple one so you all get a good idea.

The simple purchase is the one owner of 'arsa', predesignated building land with a build allowance in place. The agreement is between yourself and the owner and a simple cash transaction to purchase giving you the tapu, much the same as all property deals here. In keeping with the simplicity, the road, water and electric are in situ.

Our initial plot of 320m2 was done this way and has since been sold on to the next self builder. As a rough guide a 300m2 plot in Guzelcamli currently starts at 25,000ytl, we'll be hunting plots down and adding them to the site so do keep your eyes open. (Update, those were the days! Currently land prices in Guzelcamli fall in the range of 100 - 150 YTL m2 and upwards. 30/10/08)

The complicated way. More than one owner of the land you want. The land is 'tarla', ie farmland or undesignated land.

The first complication arises in getting all the owners consent to sell. In our case there were 10 of them so a good agent we believe is a must. For this we used Gokhan of ASP, one of our approved agents. They were able to get power of attorney from all which then made us owners of 2000m2 of 3000m2. The next stage is to have the land split into parcels and changed from tarla to arsa so we can build on it.

Again all owners need rounding up for consent and applications are made to the belidiye. The normal time scale is roughly 45 days but you need to allow more for coordination. We bought some extra bits a as few of the other owners had 35m2 each and it was simpler to buy. Again a trusted agent is a must and someone familiar with the process.

Once designated arsa the land registry send out the 'cadastro', council approved surveyors and your land is mapped out and stakes driven in place. This is where the bur is taken away and you are left with your net land. The bur is the amount the council take for roads etc, so on our 2000m2 we will end up with roughly 1750m2. This process is ongoing so once it's mapped out we'll show you the actual plot prior to build. In the meantime this is the plot before being split.

The next stage is the project and when your architect and engineers come in prior to submitting plans to the belidiye. We'll begin this stage in the next couple of weeks and detail it here.

An update. Since starting the process another owner has died leaving 60m2 to 5 family members. There are 2 routes we can go to split the land and change to arsa, the first is via rule 18, which allows for the change on a 51% outright ownership but is prolonged and costly so we've opted to buy the other 60m2 and submit the traditional way. Currently we've been given the 15th Jan 2006 then a further 10-15days for the project submission and permissions. However, this is Turkey! If it does go to plan we'll have 3 months to build and can apply for an extension, bearing in mind that the rule is no summer construction.

We'll keep you updated as things progress.

05/02/06

The land is before the council being changed. It's cost nearly £4000 to get to this stage and no way we could complete a build this year.

We've found a new project of a well constructed carcass and are completing that instead. I'll add pictures and details as it's not too far removed from building from new. We still have to apply for the rusat, project as the five years allowed to build has passed on it so it's like starting anew.

It's the same constructors who would have built from scratch and work so far is fast and of a great standard. There are more photos and details in the forums.

Has it been a waste? Absolutely not. We've learnt a heck of a lot about the process's here and the land itself has been a terrific investment. While it's been sat there (4 and a half months), requiring no maintenance it's nearly trebled in value and is still increasing. We are however going to sell the land as that will fund a swimming pool and other things on the new project. Details in the land for sale section.

Update 10/08

There have been changes in property laws related to land and building. More land (agricultural and village) have been deemed unavailable for development and purchase by the foreigner so do look into that. New builds now have to be energy compliant, insulation, double glazed etc, more info in the forums.

The simple way of course is to buy land that is already designated building land. Depending on where in the country it is it will have a build allowance, anything from 5 to 40%. It is possible to buy land that also has a project in place but check the dates, planning permission lasts for 5 years and if not completed in that time has to be reapplied for. You may also want a building completely different to that already applied for in which case you will have to submit new plans and have them passed. Whenever possible, make sure there is water and electric supplies nearby as that can be quite costly, also roads.

2008/9

The following is a self build in Yaliciftlik of one of our forum members Sue G. You can follow the build in the gallery, linked above and ask questions in the forum that I'm sure Sue would be happy to answer.