A strong earthquake that struck on the afternoon of October 30 and destroyed several settlements in Izmir province influenced the preferences of property buyers in Turkey. Now those looking to buy a house or apartment in Istanbul or in other cities where there is a risk of strong seismic shocks are considering earthquake-resistent options. Emlak Kulisi, a construction and real estate newspaper in Turkey, says that those who have not yet suffered from an earthquake, but live in an area of moderate or strong seismic risk, are thinking about the safety of their apartments.
Evrim Kırmızıtaş Başaran, geophysicist, real estate consultant: “The recent earthquake has changed the preferences of those looking to buy an apartment in Turkey. While earlier people were more interested in the location of an apartment, the number of rooms, the facilities in the complex, now the first thing that home buyers pay attention to is the seismic resistance of the building. In addition, many apartment owners in Turkey who are not planning to sell are thinking about the safety of their homes and their compliance with seismic standards. This compliance is determined by specialists who examine the soil for external cracks and faults, check the columns and beams of the building and its facade. These days many Istanbul residents are looking for apartments for urgent relocation to seismically safe areas of the city. A high level of risk is observed in Avcilar, Fatih, Zeytinburnu, Esenler, Kucukcekmece, Tuzla and Beylikduzu districts."
Since 2012, a social program for urban transformation of buildings has been operating in Turkey, designed to strengthen the seismic resistence of all houses in Turkey that are located in the earthquake-prone regions.