I'm looking at buying a holiday home abroad, possibly Northern Cyprus. Does anyone have any tips/advice/experience on buying there? One of my main concerns is ownership of the land with the Turkish/Greek issue. Another drawback is actually getting there. I've heard that you can now fly to the South and drive into the Northern side. Does anyone have experience of this? is it difficult to do? It seems there are some great properties on offer, so any advice most appreciated.

Hi

I bought a property in North Cyprus in May on the advice of a very wealthy property developer I met at a wedding. I had some equity in my property in the uk which I know I wanted to invest in something overseas and after flying out to North Cyprus decided to go for it. I was lucky enough to find just before I felw out that one of my customer (from my uk job) actually was fron North Cyprus and he had many friends and contacts that he introduced me to. I was very well looked after and made good friends with a developer my customer had introduced me to and felt very comforatble that he would look after me, everything has gone through so easily it really is straight forward and North Cyprus is gorgeous, by far nicer than the South which I had visited a few times. I advise that you definately get a solicitor and make sure you buy the safest land option possible. The safest is Turkish owned, which is nearly impossible to source and comands such a high value, then there is Exchanged land which is also considered safe to buy, this is land that was once owned by Greeks pre 1974 but has leagl documention confirming that the Greek owner was compensated by receiving land of the same value in the South, therefore they no longer have any rights to this land. There are other land options which are not considered so safe, I personally would go for Exchanged land only but I can assure you there are plenty of brits out there buying property on any type of land. They cannot build quick enough. I can only say its a beautiful place, lovely people and property prices are on the increase daily, mine for example has risen 20k and isnt even finished yet! I fly into Ercan airport which is 20min drive from Kyrenia, but yes it is very easy to fly into the south and cross the border which is open 24hrs a day, its about a 40min drive from Larnaca to Kyrenia. If you have any questions or would like to talk to me personally (very happy to give you details of my contact out there) then feel free to ring me on 01992 825 847. Rgds Nina

I have numerous friends in CYprus, north and south! Those in the south and who have been there for some time are now finding it getting over-built - and some other drawbacks - and are moving to the North. That's apparently causing some already up there to thinkabout making for the Turkish mainland! The purchase of property can be a prolonged process as it requires the approval of the Turksih military. Because of this some Bits have been "taken" by unscrupulous estate agents who then re-sell the property a few times over, or occupy it themselves.

>>then there is Exchanged land which is also considered safe to buy, this is land that was once owned by Greeks pre 1974 but has leagl documention confirming that the Greek owner was compensated by receiving land of the same value in the South, therefore they no longer have any rights to this land. <<


May I ask, without causing offence, as to HOW the invading Turks aquired land in the south to give to the evicted Cypriots living in the north at the time of the invasion?

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Originally posted by Sally-Ann Philpot:
Hang on Angelus, haven't you somehow got lost and found your way to the wrong forum? I thought you normally lived in the Angel/buffy related threads (I am a fellow fan, a little less vocal than you however!)
I'm quite dissapointed to find you have any interst in foreign politics, you have shattered my illusions!!

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What illusions did you have about me? did you think that I was a vacuous airhead?

Am I not alllowed to post in any other forum? Besides, was I staying on topic of this thread or not?

I`ve been on holiday to Cyprus. I heard quite a lot on the subject of the Turkish invasion of the norther territories. The Greek Cypriots were, and still are very aggrieved at being forcibly evicted from their homes and farmlands in the north, especially as the north had the land that was far more suitable for growing wine.

I was intrigued by the post saying that people had been given land in the south when they were evicted from the north. The post implied that it was the Turks who supplied the land in the south. How did the Turks get the land there? Why did they feel the need to BUY land in the south, but steal land in the north??

I have the Greek Cypriots version, I was asking about the Turks version.

Whoooaah there, please dont get offended! As far as vacuous airheads go i must be one because i really dont understand the cyprus situation. I only have experience of turkey itself.
I was just surprised to see you here is all!

That`s OK, sorry. Lack of sleep.Comes of working the night shift.

My other half wants to move abroad, and we both liked Cyprus. He says that the north is cheaper, but I was wondering about the political situation. The Greek Cypriots in the south prevented the North from joining the EU. There`s talk of reuniting both sides, but from what I can gather the south is still feeling a great deal of animosity for the Invaders.

"Exchanged land" is said to be "considered safe to buy". Why is that? If the land was originally siezed illegally, wouldn`t any deal arising from that be also considered illegal?

Hiya,
I think the turks get a lot of unfair flack with one thing and another, after all, look at how many Greek islands there are... at one time they belonged to what is now Turkey but were given to Greece.
The last time I visited Cyprus I was teething!! I dont really remember much about it. My specialist subject is definately Turkey itself i'm afraid, maybe someone else can interject and answer your queries?

Hi there
We have just bought a 3 bed villa in Oznankoy very easy to buy in northern cyprus, we have just completed the only thing to watch out for is don't believe the completion date from the builder. When buying the furniture and other household good always remember to barter.

listed below some helpful infomation for you.
Buying a property in Cyprus - is relatively straight forward:-
Compared to many other countries the process of buying property in Cyprus by foreigners is very simple.
Non-Cypriot buyers are entitled to FREEHOLD ownership of:
-a villa
-an apartment or
-a piece of land, with a maximum allowed extent of 4014 m2
Offshore entities may also acquire premises for their business or for residence of their foreign employees
Once you have choosen your property in Cyprus a reservation fee is paid to hold the property while your solicitor draws up the relevant paperwork and applies for your residency permit if you intend to live on the island.
During this time the contract will be drawn up which will be agreed between the buyer and the vendor - outlining any specific details like furtniture etc. The contract will need to be signed as soon as possible and either a further deposit or full amount will be paid depending upon the agreement between buyer and seller. Once the final payment has been made to the seller, the property then becomes yours.
Non-Cypriots on having signed a purchase agreement for a property, as a formality and routine procedure, are obliged to make an application to the Council of Ministers (COM).
The Council of Ministers is the body that grants its approval for a non-Cypriot to transfer a property (title deeds) to his or her name. The entire process may take 5-10 months, however in the meantime there are no restrictions in signing a contract, taking possession of your purchased property, and living in it, as you are the legal owner of the property according to contract law.
The Council of Ministers application procedure is undertaken by your solicitor.
The following is required from you for this procedure
- A bank reference.
- Character reference – for controls issues such as criminal records, etc.
- Purchase contract or document stating that the land size is within the required limits and that only one property is owned in Cyprus.
- Documentation stating that the buyer has the minimum required funds (pensions, income from investments, etc) to live in Cyprus.
- Copies of your passport.
- Your solicitor will inform you in case any other documentation or information is required.
Stamp Duty - on properties in Cyprus
Stamp Duty is paid within 30 days of signing the contract. Your solicitor handles this.
The buyer is liable to pay the Stamp Duty at the rate of Cy£1.5 per thousand for up to the value of Cy£100,000, and Cy£2.0 per thousand for any amount above that. Thereafter, the contract is officially recognized as an authentic and valid contract upon presentation to various authorities.
Property Tax

Example : On a purchase price of Cy£110,000:
The 1st £50,000 is taxed at 3%£1,500
The next £50,000 is taxed at 5% £2,500
Remaining £10,000 is taxed at 8% £800
Total transfer fees to be paid £4,800

sell or let property privately

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Originally posted by rachelamills:
I'm looking at buying a holiday home abroad, possibly Northern Cyprus. Does anyone have any tips/advice/experience on buying there? One of my main concerns is ownership of the land with the Turkish/Greek issue. Another drawback is actually getting there. I've heard that you can now fly to the South and drive into the Northern side. Does anyone have experience of this? is it difficult to do? It seems there are some great properties on offer, so any advice most appreciated.

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Have you tried any of the MSN Forums, there are a lot on Northern Cyprus (TRNC) each offering message boards and links. We have found more people moving from the U.K. to Northern Cyprus than to the south. If you register with MSN and then do a search on TRNC or Northern Cyprus and it will throw up all the forums. Some are much better than others but overall there is plenty of information.

Boogiebob or anyone know if you can get mortgages easy enough in N Cyprus and if so what sort of %rate are we looking at?

The advice given by Nina123 on 17/01/05 is excellent. It is almost identical to what I gave on another forum yesterday.

My additional advice would be to search and go for quality. Northern Cyprus is a small place and you can get to place quite quickly. Stone built rural homes are worth buying and renovating to a high standard.

Finally, do not fear separation or unification of the island. The Turks have been the poorer and weaker of the two communities for well over a 100 years. But they would prefer to be poor and free rather than rich and 'slaves' like pre-1974. After 30+ years of suffering they will not surrender to something which is against their interest or compromises their past suffering etc.

Buy today and in 3-5 years you will find most things would have improved in terms of air transport, infrustructure and property prices...and about time too. Good luck!

I found some very useful Land Title information on this North Cyprus Property website - www.sonnetto.com.

Hope it helps.

Flex

Also, more and more I find myslef doing research on Wikipedia. Have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Cyprus.

Before purchasing property in "northen cyprus" please read the following:

Property issues are closely linked to the political situation. There are a number of potential practical, financial and legal implications, particularly for those considering buying property in the north. These relate to the non-recognition of the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus", the suspension of EU law in northern Cyprus, the possible consequences for property of a future settlement, and the many thousands of claims to ownership from people displaced in 1974. There is also a risk that, as a result of the disputed ownership of many of the properties, purchasers could face legal proceedings in the courts of the Republic of Cyprus, as well as attempts to enforce judgments from these courts elsewhere in the EU, including the UK.

The above article was taken from the official web site of British High Commission.

http://www.britishhighcommission.gov.uk/servlet/Front?p...ge&cid=1039607499833