Leading investors from across the globe are keen to invest in the real estate properties in Turkey, thanks to its expanding infrastructure, new ground-breaking projects and historic and cultural charm, said a report.

There has been about 14.6 per cent increase in numbers of foreigners buying properties in Istanbul over the past 12 months, according to the recent figures released by the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat). This constitutes 34 per cent of all property sales in the city, it added.

Savvy investors are recognising that now is the ideal time to get on the Istanbul property ladder, with the city maintaining its top spot on the list of to-purchase Turkish destinations, taking close to 19 per cent of all of the property transactions in the country.

And it is not just overseas buyers that are increasingly looking to Istanbul for a property purchase, the city is today a hugely popular location for transactions of this nature in general terms, registering a massive increase of 32.4 per cent property sales in March this year compared to 2014 statistics, according to TurkStat.
 
There has been a huge surge in property sales to foreign buyers in the past twelve months in Istanbul, stated Adil Yaman, the director of Universal21, a leading property agency in South-West Istanbul.

"With an expanding infrastructure, new ground-breaking projects under development and historic and cultural charm that is second to none, combined with a mesmerising feeling of east meeting west, Istanbul has much to offer both the short-term visitor and the longer-term property purchaser. There is a really positive, exciting vibe of growth and evolution in the city today, drawing international attentions and increasingly so," he noted.
 
"It is also hard to ignore the national context of stand-out property price growth, which has earned Turkey worldwide recognition," he added.

The Knight Frank Global House Price Index for Q4 2014 placed the nation second only to Ireland in terms of its house price growth, an increase of 16.2 per cent growth year-on-year and an impressive 10.3 per cent change in just six months, said Yaman.

"Making it clear why it is gaining so much attention from those around the world looking to make a shrewd property purchase, Turkey is relishing its place as the country with the second highest worldwide change in the last twelve months," he observed.
 
A noticeable increase by any standards but what is also helping to draw so many from overseas to make a purchase in Turkey is the outstanding economic growth the country is also witnessing, said Yaman.

Alongside this, Turkish tourism is booming - especially in Istanbul. The opening quarter of this year saw a growth of 1.3 per cent in tourism revenue (taking it to a total of $4.87 billion), generated from an increase of 5.5 per cent in visitors to the country (taking Turkish tourists to 5.3 million in the first quarter of 2015.

In Istanbul in particular, Turkey's top to-visit destination, there was an above the curve increase of 8.99 per cent in the numbers of foreign visitors arriving, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, he added.
 
For those looking to purchase a property that can be rented to these visitors, such investors are also in luck. There are many property options that are perfect created to suit this growing demand such as Diamond Residence from Universal21.

Just a 20 minute drive from the main Ataturk airport, Diamond Residence comprises a range of 148 apartments of one- and two-bedrooms situated in a quiet relaxed area of Old Beylikdüzü, Istanbul's upmarket neighbourhood.
 
The property, which is a short drive from the beach and a 10-minute walk from the area's major shopping centre, Marmara Park, also offers an array of excellent and functional facilities including 24 hour security, a Vitamin Bar, fitness centre, indoor swimming pool, children's games room and cinema room.-TradeArabia News Service