New home in Kalkan

[Mike]

Hi,

I am about to visit Kalkan next week (21st - 27th Sept) with the view of hopefully making a home here and have just found this great forum.  I will be viewing properties and checking out the area so would be interested in finding out more about living in Kalkan from anyone who is a resident or perhaps is going through the process of buying a property here. It's all an exciting adventure for us (myself and my wife) - and although we have travelled the world quite a bit over the years - this is a great opportunity at owning and living in a great location and also hopefully finding new friends here. Be great to hear from you!

Mike 

PS anyone tried shuttle bus transfers from Dalaman airport to Kalkan (& return)?

 

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=13040.0

[Haybo]

Welcome Mike. There are lots of residents and owners that contribute to this site so you will get lots of useful info.  Sadly, i am just a visitor!

[DRBD]

Mike how much do you know about Kalkan, I imagine you & your wife have knowledge & done some homework.   Are you thinking of living in Kalkan full time?

Kalkan has 2 seasons really, the tourist one & then the winter building one. The official tourist season is May- Nov. From November it's building time & golly that can be a really noisy time with diggers etc hammering away all day & into the late evening. The 'rules' regarding the making of noise & mess are quite flexible for some.& of course being surrounded by mountains the noise does travel.  The winter weather seems to change each year, for example last year was not good, very wet, cold & windy, we even had more snow yet the previous one was almost spring like every day. 

Obviously once the holiday seasons ends the town is very quiet indeed regarding businesses, the majority of cafes, restaurants etc close down, the supermarkets are open & the Thursday market operates but is greatly reduced in the amount of stalls.  Christmas & New Year brings more people out, especially property owners, the weather is usually quite nice but can vary. Quite a few local residents might go off somewhere for a break for the festive season eg Antalya.  As the Turks don't celebrate Christmas there is none of the usual hassle, but they do enjoy New Year.   January/February are usually very quiet. Then of course it's time to get ready for the new season or like us get the spring cleaning underway.

Purchasing property,  would advise you to check everything several times, ask lots of questions, know what you want & not what the builder wants you to want !!!!!!! Engage a good lawyer. Location is important also, if you are mobile not too much of a problem but the hills etc don't get any shorter some do however get steeper.

All in all life is good, the same as anywhere else it's what you make it, no where is perfect, even Kalkan.

No doubt there are many other aspects of living here that others can & will help you out with.   

 



     

[philips]

Some good thoughts already given about life here in Kalkan. I would add that when you are looking at properties you consider if they are going to be warm enough in the winter as most are not designed for cold weather and do not have heat insulation (in fact if you say insulation to a Turkish builder they think you mean waterproofing). Those lovely cool floor tiles in the summer months can prove a bit chilly in the winter. You will only know if those stylish bi-fold or sliding doors leak when a storm comes through and the rain lashes against them! But next day the storm will have past, the Belediye will have cleared up any mess, and the sun will shine as though nothing happened. As stated, last winter was unusually cold. No snow down near the sea but a couple of mornings there was ice on the puddles in the road! Nevertheless, nothing like as cold as the UK.

I would always chose somewhere with solar water heating - most, but not all villas have this. There are relatively few days in the winter when I need to switch on the immersion heater. My villa has underfloor heating and was intended for all year living (and is up for sale, but I suspect saying any more will be against the protocols of the site so will leave it at that :-)  ).

i actually like the winters. The Thursday market may have less stalls but they are much more genuine and you won't get any of the silly 'cheap as chips' sales techniques, and the prices are better. There are more than enough bars and restaurants open to satisfy most needs. In addition, art group meets on Weds, Quiz night, keep fit, and other events which bring people together.

The building work does take place in the winter season and can be noisy, but it won't be everywhere of course. Last winter i had three go up near me but that means there will probably not be any building work nearby this year :-)

None of this should put you off, but it's important to be aware of some of the realities and I know you will enjoy this community

[Cosetta]

Our villa was custom built and has central heating and an anti-seismic "net" in the foundation.  It is also ytong, not brick, so holds both the cool and the heat more than most homes.  Generally, the homes on the hillsides have cooler summer breezes and much better views of both the sea, the town lights and the surrounding mountains.

There is a wide choice available.  You might do better to buy a home that has been lived in as any problems have already been resolved.  Not so for a new build.

Most importantly, make sure the land has a tapu and the villa has a building permit.  Some do not, meaning you cannot legally own the home, only the land.  This is particularly true of some areas outside Kalkan such as Islamlar. 

Good luck and enjoy it when you come.  We have been here 12 years now but spend the winters in Spain.

[MartynE]

I'd agree 100% with all of the above.

We lived in Kalkan for the last two years (although had to move back to the UK earlier this year for work reasons). The best times are April -June and September-November. July and August are very busy with tourists and can be unbearably hot, especially down in the town during one of the frequent power cuts - when, of course, the aircon and electric fans won't work! The winter months can be wet, chilly and windy - especially last winter! - and as has been stated above, you need efficient heating and insulation. Holiday villas and apartments are definitely not the best places to be in these conditions.

A good suggestion, rather than buying a property straight away, would be to take a long term rental so you can get an idea of what life is like in Kalkan without committing all your cash. Stick the money in the bank and you can get a 9% return, which should cover the rent

However, having said all that, we really enjoyed our two years in Kalkan and will be coming out again for six weeks from this Sunday!

[Charlie]

Philips you can advertise your villa for sale on EK under Property for Sale in the Classifieds and Everything else section.

[EK Moderator]

Now Mike has introduced himself, I have split the topic and started a new thread for him in the Owners Lounge so his specfic questions regarding buying and living in Kalkan can be addressed by our wonderful and wise owners.
It is headed New Home in Kalkan part 2.
Cheers

[happy days]

Not sure about the financial advice from martynE. While the high interest rates on TL accounts may be tempting the TL has risen sharply against GB Sterling so any money stuck into a TL account would have depreciated significantly even with  a 9% return. I estimate your investment would have lost over 20% last year. Look at the TL exchange rate for last few years and this will tell the true story.

[MartynE]

Fair point Happy Days, but my view was that if someone is uncertain about whether to stay in a country, keeping capital liquid is probably more sensible than sinking it into bricks and mortar - especially in the current environment. Any speculation on currency is dangerous, that goes without saying - but who is to say that exchange rates won't move rapidly in the other direction?

Trust me, I'm a financial adviser...

[EK Moderator]

Can we please remember to keep on topic - this is the Introduce yourself thread. Cheers