The coronavirus pandemic has changed not only the daily lifestyle of Turkish citizens, but also their holiday preferences. There is an increase in demand for villas and country houses: the suburban housing market in Turkey continues to grow rapidly. For example, the demand for suburban real estate on the Aegean coast has risen greatly. Since Izmir has become more accessible in terms of transport (after the opening of new highways from Istanbul, Canakkale, Çandarlı), the demand for houses with a garden in the vicinity of Izmir has increased, the main flow of buyers come from Istanbul.
Thanks to the buyers of villas and other resort real estate (residents of Istanbul and Ankara), the population of Bodrum and Kuşadası has grown 4-5 times. Most of the buyers of summer houses by the sea plan to use them this year as winter ones - without returning to the cities for the winter after the holiday season closes.
Filiz Akkaya, director of real estate appraisal and investment company EVA: “Those who are afraid of the coronavirus and want to spend their holidays in safety are going this year to the Aegean coast. Summer houses with a garden today are becoming more than just summer houses - many people plan to continue living there in winter, which is why such houses are now being sold at much higher prices than before the pandemic. The rise in prices for cottages and summer houses in Turkey amounted to about 25 percent over the past six months."