The best areas to buy a property in Istanbul

Many investors are confused when they visit Istanbul for the first time and explore the city and its regions in order to buy a property, and actually they are right in this confusion, as Istanbul is a sprawling city with diverse regions and rich in differences that give it its own character, the historical city that keeps pace with the era of development and merges them together to reflect the history and modernity in various aspects of the city from its spirit and urban planning and most prominent in the form of its architecture in both its residential and investment projects.

Istanbul is characterized by its marine areas as well as its charming countryside with its picturesque nature and its captivating calm, the city also enjoys by its economic zones where economic institutions and international companies, as well as residential areas, all these differences left investors confuse in which area he should buy his new property and each area has its own features and advantages that differ from others, In fact, it is difficult to give preference to one area over another, but in this article we will try to help you to know the best areas to buy a property in Istanbul.

1-Historical and tourist areas

Historic areas are one of the most preferred areas for buying real estate for investment, because they are near to the city center, where the commercial centers and shipping ports as well as the tourist attractions that been visited by millions of tourists annually, as Turkey occupies the sixth place in the world in terms of its ranking in the most tourist countries, and therefore many investors prefer buying real estate for investment, whether it is hotel apartments or projects that allow renting apartments for tourism, to get income and an investment return for its owner, the profit concept is common in these projects located in city center areas such as Sisli, Taksim, Basiktas, Nisantasi, Fatih, Bakirkoy and Zeytinburnu, areas full of tourist attractions, palaces, museums, etc., and buying a property for investment is preferable for many because tourism in these areas never stop at all.

2-Economic areas

These are the areas in which economic institutions and major local and international companies are based, and make this area as the headquarter of their regional offices, including Maslak area in the Sariyer district, and Basin Express area administratively affiliated to Bağcılar district, both of which are in the European part of Istanbul, where most of the headquarters of international companies are located and also the headquarters of major Turkish companies and also the headquarters of central banks, as well as the presence of many famous universities, international schools, shipping and export companies, and this is why these two areas are very important.

Maslak area includes the three most famous universities such as Istanbul University of Engineering and Technology, Nishantasi University and Bey Kent University, while Basin Express area, which is one of the most important highways in Istanbul, located between “Iketeli” area in the north and Bahçelievlar district in the south, it includes about 25 of the best universities In Istanbul, including Altin Bash University, the British School and the American International school in addition to the Al-Aqsa International School, Basin Express highway is considered the central nerve of Istanbul, due to its vital location that connects the two most important main highways in Istanbul, E-5 from the south and TEM from the north, which made it a center for a number of distinguished real estate investment projects.

3-New areas

The new areas receive the attention of Turkish state, which aims to expand and get out of the old populated areas and relieve the pressure of overcrowding in the city center. Therefore, the state’s development projects in the new areas vary from housing and investment projects, as well as infrastructure projects and other projects to encourage Turkish citizens and foreign investors to live and move their business centers to these areas.

Basaksehir, Kaya Shahir, Bahcesehir and Ispartakula are the most prominent and promising new areas and also attractive to investors, these areas that are characterized by their proximity to Istanbul's new third airport, as well as their proximity to the Canal of Istanbul project that will link Black Sea to Marmara Sea, this is why these areas are considered best promising investment opportunities for today and for the future, and these areas are characterized by a modern and strong transportation network.

In addition to the state’s support by providing many social and cultural facilities into the new areas, such as schools, health centers, cultural centers, security, theaters, postal offices, and shopping centers, all these factors contributed to the transformation of these areas in recent years into an important center for attracting investors, and they are witnessing a rise in real estate prices thanks to the various projects in it, whether investment or residential projects.

One of those areas is Ispartakule area, which is one of the most important areas that the Turkish government pays its special attention to in its development projects in all fields, whether by paving roads and extending the transportation network, or establishing giant strategic projects in it, most notably the Istanbul Canal project scheduled to be opened in 2023. These strategic projects did not make the state neglects the importance of establishing housing and investment projects, and through past years the state has pumped millions of dollars to advance that area at the residential and investment levels.

The government has established a number of state-supported housing projects for its Turkish citizens, it has built dozens of mega-residential projects and complexes, but in the past few years it has been building subsidized housing projects for its citizens on one hand, as well as establishing housing and investment projects for foreign investors.

The new areas are considered the best choice for housing and investing for several reasons, one of the most important reasons is Istanbul Canal project, which is the second Bosphorus in Istanbul, and therefore it is expected that once the canal is opened, land prices there will double to millions of dollars, which means guaranteed profits in the short and long term, This means that the city center will move from Fatih and Beyoglu to the district of Ispartakule and Basaksehir, which will be economic and commercial area, due to the transfer of the trade and navigation area, as well as for the new areas to enjoy a calm nature away from the overcrowding of the old areas.

4- Coastal areas

Istanbul is characterized by the length of its maritime borders, as Marmara Sea is at its south, connected to the Black Sea in the north through the Bosphorus Strait, which extends to the north to separate the Asian part of Turkey from the European part, while the Dardanelles Strait which extends to the west, connects it to the Aegean Sea, which made Istanbul located on two continents at the same time.

This marine nature has contributed in raising the value of real estate investment in Istanbul very significantly, as you will find that a large number of real estate investment projects extend on the shores of the city, which extends more than 492 km in length, according to the latest study conducted in 2007. These projects vary between villas and apartments with beautiful sea views guaranteed for sea lovers, that is why buying real estate in areas that are close to the sea in general, and real estate with sea views in particular, is one of the best options for investors, whether the purpose of buying is investment or housing.

5- Rural areas

The countryside of Istanbul is a tourist destination and an option for promising real estate investments, and there are many places of countryside in Istanbul that is located at the outskirts of the city, some of them are in the European side and some on the outskirts of the Asian side, which gives several, varied and ideal options for those looking for a residence that combines the fast tempo of Istanbul and the calmness of nature, meditation, and away from the hustle and bustle of Istanbul. The countryside of Istanbul is characterized by its competitive prices, as there is no comparison between the prices per square meter in rural areas compared to urban areas located in the city center or even relatively new areas, prices per square meter range from 2,900 Turkish Lira per square meter to 4,300 TL per square meter.

As well as the large and spacious spaces that characterize most of the houses in the countryside of Istanbul, which are very much that suit Arab investors, and lots of houses there are independent similar to villas, so you can buy a separate house of two or three floors with a private garden for the house, which gives you a space of independence away from the neighbors, as well as the complete calm, because of the lack of population density compared to urban areas, and also the large distance between houses, whether they are independent buildings or villas from each other, to provide the highest quality of life for the residents there, providing them with pure oxygen thanks to green areas, large farmlands and trees, which leads to less vehicle and factory emissions.