taking the plunge

[Baggy]

At some point all of you with second homes/main residences in Kalkan woke up one morning and said 'let's do it'.
this may not be the place to do it - perhaps someone can PM me or point me in the right direction - but I'd love to hear from some of you owners about how you went about things and also the good and bad points of ownership. I'm at the 'shall we do it?' stage and it's hard not to look at things through rose coloured glasses. We have been to Kalkan four times - about to be fifth - and have made friends and have open eyes . . . and ears. Give me the skinny . . .

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=8026.0

[maryjane]

Not an owner, but a frequent visitor - my adviceafter reading all the posts - get a VERY large water tank

[Cosetta]

We've lived here, albeit mostly 7 months / year, since 2003.  There have been many improvements since then, most notably in the electricity supply. It used to burn most all machines, phones, ACs and etc regularly but that rarely happens now.  There are also improvements in banking, telecommunications and availability of things generally. And construction quality seems to have improved.  Water supply is the weak point.  The more you can put on reserve, the better. 

[Legionaire]

Baggy
We are going through the same thought process!
The one stumbling block for us it not water, electricity, dogs et al but change!
Even though we have only been visiting for a short period of time (this is our 3rd year, 5th visit) we have noticed how much has changed in that relatively short space of time.
We loved it on day one and love it now but not sure if we will get the same vibes in 3, 5, 10 years time?
We have decided to keep on renting, we are lucky that there are lovely, clean and well kept villas and apartments to rent.
Mixed in with location, restaurants, friendly bars and people that will do for now!

[pw]

I think there are so many fantastic apartments/villas to rent so reasonably, why buy!

PW

[MartynE]

Obviously can only speak from personal experience but we have never regretted our decision. We first visited Kalkan in July 2004 on honeymoon, staying at the Samira. We had both always taken the view that you should never go back to the same place twice, but Kalkan changed all that!

We came back in September 2005, and decided on the last day of the holiday to look at a few apartments, just so we could "think about it" over the winter... but when we saw our apartment we took one look at each other and thought "errr....this is too good to let go" .... so we put a deposit down there and then. Which was actually quite brave (or foolish) because I had just changed jobs and we didn't know whether we could really afford it! 

But it all worked out fine for us.... six years later and we now have four apartments. Definitely no regrets, but the rental admin is very time consuming and a constant headache... it's hard work, trying to maintain an acceptable standard of service... especially as we both still work full time. We also have to book ourselves into our own apartment(s) which sometimes feels a bit strange! We often feel jealous of all the people who are visiting our lovely Kalkan when we can't! Plus one of our trips each year (in Spring)  is now given over to cleaning, maintenance and other chores to do with running rentals, so it's more work than pleasure. That's when we start to think we've made a rod for our own backs... staying in Kalkan but not able to enjoy it like everyone else... it's not fair! ;-) 

On the other hand, we have got to know some lovely people through renting out the apartments and have many regulars whom we now consider friends - we automaticaly have something in common, after all, in loving Kalkan... so every cloud has a silver lining... 

[edwina]

From personal experience and that of several friends who have lived in Kalkan for a number of  years, I would advise renting as the best option. I did buy, initially, without any real analysis of the future value of my investment. However, it did not come as too much of a shock to discover that when I decided to sell last year, I was extremely lucky to get even close to my original purchase price eight years previously. It took three years on the market to get that.

I now rent, very happily.

[Kalkan Magic]

I agree almost entirely with MartynE on all points he mentions. If you are looking to rent out your property it is not just a matter of popping it on Owners Direct and hoping for the best. It's extremely hard (but enjoyable for us) work and you must be prepared to return emails very quickly and arrange bookings swiftly and efficiently - it does impinge on your own free time at evenings and weekends especially when like ourselves, you are working at the same time. It is also necessary as Martyn says, to visit for maintenance reasons and to ensure everything is in working order because if you leave it to chance then you definitely do make a rod for your own back. Most of our Kalkan visits are (quite heavily) 'topped and tailed' by doing jobs, whether it is having something replaced, waiting in for repair people or going out to buy new things to ensure that our properties are constantly improving. That said, we also bought out two properties in 2005 and have never regretted it either. Hope this helps.

[clara 50]

Hi Baggy, we would also like to buy but are just not sure. A property owner out there that we chatted to about this suggested long term rental initially as apparently you can negotiate a good deal with some owners. Although she loves Kalkan she did say she wished she'd done long term rental initially before buying just to get the full picture. She has had a lot of problems and expense with her property especially regarding the pool. Mind you as she did admit it is the luck of the draw when you buy a property anywhere whether it be Kalkan or the UK. Whatever you decide to do eventually Baggy, all the best to you, I'm sure you'll come to the decision that is right for you in the end. Cheers!

[Baggy]

Thanks everyone! I'll reply to the PMs when I get a moment too.
that's exactly what I want - a warts and all; good and bad picture. . .  watch this space!