For most people Turkey is synonymous with glorious summer sunshine, long sweltering days on the beach, temperate nights under starry skies – it is not a country most people associate with snow, rain-showers and grim winter landscapes and yet, because Turkey is gradually becoming a more attractive expatriate relocation destination, living in Turkey in the winter is a prospect more people are having to contend with.
In northern Turkish locations such as in Istanbul and in the rural interior where it’s possible to find some exceptional skiing, homes are built to withstand the harsh temperatures that a Turkish winter can bring. But unfortunately, many of the pretty villas and seafront apartments that have been built especially for the overseas property buying market along Turkey’s southern shores have not been built especially well to cope with the dramatic drop in temperature from December to March…
If you’re planning on relocating to live in Turkey and you don’t want to freeze all the way through the winter, we recommend you keep the following considerations in mind when you’re hunting for somewhere to live: -
1) The age of the property – it’s not necessarily true that the newer the property the better built it is in Turkey. As stated above, a lot of the newer properties on the coast of Turkey and in the most popular holiday locations have been built with a specific buyer in mind – namely one who will only holiday in the property or for whom the purchase is an investment to be let out during the summer season. What this means is that corners have been cut in the build process because the developer assumes no one will be inhabiting the home during the cold and grim winter period.
2) The build quality – where it is obvious the build is low grade and cheap, again expect corners to have been cut when it comes to insulation and even the proper laying of bricks with walls unlikely to be cavity and one layer of bricks being the norm.
3) Signs of weather damage – if you’re renting or buying a resale and there are signs that the property you’re looking at has suffered from the extremes of weather either in the summer or the winter you want to be careful. Look at ceilings and under windows to see if you can see evidence of water penetrative damage for example, and make sure there are no mould spores taking hold on any indoor surfaces. Take a very good and close look at all aspects of the property.
4) Heating options – in the UK where it is nowadays unusual to find a home without central heating, in much of Turkey central heating is unheard of or a luxury at best. Look and see what options you have for the heating of your property. Is there central heating? If not, is there pipe work in place to allow you to install radiators? What about open fireplaces? What options do you have for making and keeping your property in Turkey warm during the long and sometimes extreme winter?
5) Flooring and roof covering – and finally…whilst marble floors and exposed roof beams and tiles are excellent in the summer and make a property in Turkey all the more traditional and desirable, they are really quite unpleasant in the winter when all you want are warm feet and to stop the drafts howling round you when a gale is blowing outside! Think about the flooring in your property and also think about the way the property is finished – a lot of modern villas have exposed roofs and these are really only good for one thing, namely seeing all your heat flow out through them!
If you’re living in Turkey and you want to stay in your home and enjoy witnessing the seasons change, just make sure you live in a well built house that can withstand rain, the odd flake of snow, wind and cold autumn and wintertime temperatures. Out of season Turkey is, if anything, even more beautiful than during the peak season, but just make sure you and your home are ready for the colder temperatures that start towards the end of October and last into March.
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