By James Mumcuoglu | Created on 3rd September 2026
I was recently watching a YouTube conversation with an entrepreneur who invests in property internationally. Towards the end, the discussion turned to what he might buy in Turkey. Istanbul? Bodrum? What would he do next?
What stayed with me was his emphasis on the people on the ground. As I understood his point, there would always be properties and opportunities to consider. Finding a team he could build a relationship with and trust was fundamental to deciding whether to invest.
That resonated with me because it is something Ayşegül and I see every day. You can research locations, compare prices and fall in love with a home. But if you live in another country, who will you depend on once you own it?
Who understands why you bought? Who will explain something you do not understand? And who will still answer your call after the title deed has been transferred?
Your taxi driver knows someone. The waiter at the restaurant you have visited all week has a friend with a villa. Someone sends you an Instagram account, a few photographs or a PDF, and suddenly you are arranging a viewing.
But liking the person making the introduction can create a sense of trust before you have properly assessed the person receiving it.
You have enjoyed talking to the waiter. He has been kind to your family. When he recommends someone, you naturally feel more comfortable. Yet you still know very little about that person’s experience, professional status, financial interest or responsibility to you.
In my experience, the same property brochure can circulate through many hands. Receiving it does not establish who represents the seller, who is advising the buyer or who will take responsibility if something goes wrong.
A website alone does not answer those questions either. Some capable local professionals have a modest online presence; a polished website is no guarantee of good service. You need to understand the business and the people behind the introduction.
Ask Who is Actually Representing You
Turkey has an authorisation system for professional estate agency businesses, known as the Taşınmaz Ticareti Yetki Belgesi. Buyers can check authorised businesses through the Ministry of Trade’s TTBS system.
The practical difficulty for a buyer is understanding who is doing what. I have encountered situations where the person presenting themselves as the agent was an intermediary, with another business involved in the transaction. Simply accompanying you to viewings or the tapu office does not establish someone’s professional status.
Before committing, ask which business you are appointing, who your agreement is with, what any fee covers and who is responsible for supporting you. If several people are involved, their roles should be explained clearly.
Apply the same checks to us. A dependable professional should be comfortable answering reasonable questions and with your decision to appoint an independent lawyer.
Keep Your Judgment When You Fall in Love with a Home
I understand how easily it happens. You are on holiday, the weather is beautiful, and you are standing on a terrace imagining your family there.
At home, you might spend weeks researching a much smaller purchase. Abroad, excitement and a friendly introduction can sometimes make a major decision feel surprisingly easy.
Enjoy that excitement. Give yourself enough time to ask the questions you would ask at home, too.
Speak to previous clients, including people who bought a year or more ago. Ask what happened after completion. Find out whether communication continued, whether charges were clear and whether the help promised was actually provided.
The size of an agency cannot answer those questions for you. A small business can be excellent or disappointing. The same is true of a large one. Look for evidence of how the people you will deal with actually work.
The tapu Should Not Come as a Surprise Ending
Recently, we met an American couple in Yalıkavak, Bodrum, who want to sell their home and move closer to the centre of town. They had asked for local estate agent recommendations in a Facebook group, where our names came up, and had also looked at our testimonials.
They bought their current home in 2023 but told us they would not use the same agency again. Their reason was the way they felt they had been treated after buying.
They described being promised extensive help, then struggling to get anyone on the phone once the agency fee had been paid. They felt fobbed off and left to organise utilities and the practicalities of settling in themselves. Having moved from America, they had expected support with a new country as well as a property purchase.
That was their account of the experience, and the frustration was still very clear when we spoke. They have since learned how things work and found their own way. What they want now is someone they can trust with two connected decisions: selling their present home and buying the next one.
The Right Property Starts with the Right Conversation
We ended up sitting together for around two hours, drinking tea and talking about their life here. They are making Turkey home; she is taking Turkish lessons. Our conversation gave us time to understand what they wanted to change about their everyday life.
Being central was important, but they did not want to be surrounded by noise. They wanted to walk and ride a bike, rather than live high on a hillside where every outing meant getting into a car. They understood that moving closer to town might mean giving up their view.
Those details change the search. Knowing an area means understanding which streets might offer that balance, and where a property that looks central on a map may still make daily life difficult. Listening properly gave us a much clearer brief than simply being asked to find a house near the centre.
They told us they wanted us to help them make that transition. For me, that conversation brought home how much service matters. These were people planning their next chapter, with a name, a history and particular needs. They wanted to feel someone understood them and would remain available.
Good Service Should Not Depend on Your Budget
A well-known name or a large office does not, by itself, tell you who will answer the phone after completion. Whatever the size of the business, clients should feel that someone knows them and takes responsibility for the support promised.
It also raised something I feel strongly about: a client’s budget should never determine whether they receive respect, clear communication and the service they were promised. A $300,000 home may represent someone’s life savings. Their questions deserve attention just as much as those of someone spending several million.
That does not mean every service can be provided indefinitely without a charge. Initial settling-in assistance and ongoing property management involve different work. The important thing is to explain what is included, what is separately arranged and what it costs before the buyer commits.
Nobody should discover the limits of their support only when they need it.
A Welcoming Committee: The Walkers’ Experience
The conversation also made me think about the Walkers, another American couple who moved here. Their experience shows the difference that practical support and continued contact can make.
“You and Ayşegül effectively became our welcoming committee.”
Randal and his wife first met us during an exploratory visit in 2023. We stayed in contact while they organised their move from the United States, and they returned in March 2025 ready to find their home.
Their experience involved far more than viewings. We helped with arrival arrangements, banking, phones and internet, and the everyday questions that come with living somewhere new. We also introduced them to other clients who had made similar moves.
Those details are key. Buying a home gives you an address. Finding your feet takes time, local knowledge and people you feel comfortable asking for help.
Helping a Family Build a Life in Istanbul
The Ivanov family had a different set of priorities. Their move involved a house, their children’s schooling and the practical work of getting a family settled.
We helped with finding and buying their home, school arrangements, furnishing, their garden and purchasing a car. These were all connected parts of the relocation: the family needed daily life to work around the property they chose.
“Our children are happily settled in school, and we’ve achieved our goal of Turkish citizenship.”
Every household needs something different. Understanding those needs early helps us plan the right support and explain what will be involved.
What if You Do Not Plan to Live Here?
An investor buying in Istanbul for rental income or citizenship may have no intention of regularly travelling to Turkey. A holiday homeowner in Bodrum might visit only a few times each year.
Both need clear arrangements for the months when they are absent. Who checks the property? Who coordinates repairs? How are costs approved? Who updates the owner about tenants, maintenance or an unexpected problem?
These questions belong in the conversation before purchase. Our property management and concierge services explain the ongoing support available, with arrangements based on the property and how its owner uses it.
I grew up in England and made the decision to build my life here. My professional background includes several years with a major Turkish estate agency specialising in international buyers, helping people navigate the decisions involved in purchasing a home in another country.
Ayşegül brings her Turkish upbringing and extensive experience working for property developers as a sales manager in both Istanbul and Bodrum, for more years than she would care to remember. She understands the developer’s side of the transaction as well as the priorities of the people buying.
Together, we combine experience of Turkey’s international property market with knowledge of how developers and local sales teams work. Alongside our own experience of building a family life here, that helps us understand both the practical decisions buyers face and the excitement and frustration of arriving somewhere unfamiliar.
We also enjoy travelling and experiencing other cultures. Working with clients from Britain, Europe, the Gulf and elsewhere has taught us to ask what matters to each family, rather than assume everyone wants the same thing.
I have always believed that people buy from people, and that you should treat people as you would want to be treated yourself. For us, that means listening carefully, explaining things honestly and taking the commitments we make seriously.
Online research can help you prepare. A conversation lets you ask your own questions and hear how we respond. It is a starting point for deciding whether we are the right people for you; trust then grows through what we do.
Before you commit to a property in Turkey, take time to get to know the people you will rely on afterwards. Call James and Ayşegül and tell us what you are hoping to do. We will talk through your plans, the support you need and how we can help.
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James Mumcuoglu is a London-born, UK–Turkish dual citizen and Bodrum resident. With a background in corporate and entrepreneurial sectors, James combines local and international expertise, helping buyers secure property and citizenship in Turkey.
