Can anyone advise on the following properties/developments?

lippylou


Joined: 11/09/2008
Posts: 13

Message Posted:
17/09/2008 14:59

Hello again,

I am very soon coming out on an inspection trip and wonder if any of you can help/advise on the following properties and developments wiht regard to legalities/buiders/reputation/problems and anythng else you may think may be helpful to know.

(1) Aspire villas in Alsancak

(2) Catalkoy villas in Bellapais

(3) Ozankoy bungalow in Ozankoy

(4) Palm court villas in Alsancak

(5) Selvi village villas in Karmi

(6) Tekjen villas in Alsancak and Karsiyaka

(7)Fontana villas-location unknown.

(8) Eden by the sea villas-location unknown.

(9) Lapta villas-location unknown.

(10) Miracle villas-location unknown.

thanks for any help!

rocky


Joined: 17/10/2007
Posts: 1749

Message Posted:
17/09/2008 15:05

dont limit yourself to those properties shown on the inspection trip, have a good look at the various threads for different developments on this forum, also have a look at sweetwater bay website the site will be completed early 2009 and is looking very attractive. Completed properties are good value on the right sites

CJtill


Joined: 02/05/2008
Posts: 836

Message Posted:
17/09/2008 15:19

Though I cannot advise on the ten sites posted, I would like to offer the following 5 tips when looking to purchase

1. Do not buy off plan

2. Consult an independant solicitor on day one of your trip.

3. Do not buy off plan

4. Do not put down a deposit until you have spoken to your solicitor

and most important of all

5. DO NOT BUY OFF PLAN.

Michael

cyprusishome


Joined: 31/03/2007
Posts: 2381

Message Posted:
17/09/2008 15:31

Follow on from msg 3, do not believe anything you are told by anyone about building here.



Always triple check anything you are told and make your own decisions.



Do not buy on first trip, go away and research everything you are told on every site you can find.



Might sound negative but well worth it.

gillken


Joined: 25/05/2008
Posts: 521

Message Posted:
17/09/2008 15:56

Can't agree more with the others comments, do as much research as poss, but that can only be done once you get back, DO NOT put down a deposit at the time, they will say the price is going up next week and someone else is interested in your plot blah blah.

We didn't put down a deposit for two months whilst I looked at the contract much to the frustration of the Estate Agent, spoke to others whom had bought on the site as well, spent hours looking at the posts on Cyprus 44, everyone is so helpful.

We then returned to TRNC to sign paper work and make sure we were still happy with the Villa.

We are buying off plan,near to Sweetwater Bay, beautiul location. If you want to know more contact me at my email and I will gladly forward you pics of the site, and a completed Villa

They are fantastic (my opinion)well worth a view.

maggie


Joined: 25/03/2008
Posts: 192

Message Posted:
17/09/2008 16:03

I bought off plan through a reputable builder Fikri Terkan, highly recommended.

Also our solicitor Mine Konat highly recommended. She actually refused to act for us when we were going to buy a bungalow from Aga Construction (lucky escape). Fikri is building villas in Lapta, really good value for money. He has just finished building 15 villas (all sold), a few of them bought by my friends and relatives. He is starting a new site in Karsiyaka. If you need any further information email Margaret.Hushon@kier.co.uk .

CJtill


Joined: 02/05/2008
Posts: 836

Message Posted:
17/09/2008 16:59

You will of course find happy people who have bought off plan and have a wonderful house, but it really is a very dangerous way of using your hard earned.

Having been in the TRNC for about 6 years I would prefer going to Rocks Casino and put it all on red than buy something I cannot see.

Michael

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
17/09/2008 17:13

It very much depends on the purpose of your purchase too...



If you want splendid isolation fine to go out as far as Tatlisu (Sweetwater). If you plan to live/retire to the house then it's probably a bit too far out... live near a village proper with shops etc. I would advise against buying a former GC restored home if not being bought from the GC owner.. they may come knocking on your door to re-occupy given the re-unification talks going on now... not much fun if you've paid a fortune and brought it into the 21st Century



Then there is the traffic to consider... if you want to work, say in Kyrenia, then living in Lapta is not a good choice as the morning grind into Kyrenia is truly awful... The tail back reaches to Alsancak/Karaoglanoglu border every day.



Then, there are the views... make sure your view is not due to be blotted out by another development... do not believe anythng the Estate Agent tells you about there being no scheduled development in front of your prospective villa.. unless it's on the very edge of a ravine or the sea it's unlikely that someone else does not want to build on the bit that will ruin your views... if there are no buildings there now... you might be looking at some very soon...



Don't buy off plan for a one simple reason.. it only seems cheaper. In the end once all the hidden extras are added on (about 25% to bring the house up to the level you'd expect) it is not really cheaper, especially when you take into account the risks... that are numerous...



Builder goes out of businesss without finishing

Turns out the builder does not own the land

Does not have building permission

Is not likely to get it

Builder has a mortgage on the land

You won't get the deeds if it is not discharged.

He does not have the funds to do so...

You may not get mains water.. there is none to be had, delivered water is expensive - don't beleive the Estate Agents who tells you water main is coming

Electricity meters are like gold dust

Builder's Electricity is 3.5 times the rate of normal domestic electric

They want you to pay up £25k extra to lay on the electricity poles and transformer

The builder is not required to build a road to your plot - he has no plans to do so... you might think the fram track is OK... when it rans and your 4x4 gets stuck you won't.

The road to your plot goes over somebody else's land

That somebody wants x£1,000 to give you access.

The property maybe near a military zone... as it stands as a foreign national you won't get permission to buy it... so you have to sell it on at a loss....

The building continues for years around you - they are notoriously slow to finish sites here...

The "contract" which you and your builder sign is rendered totally without legal merit by the fact that the Specific Performance Law here dates from the dark ages and basically means that the builder can simply change his mind and sell the property to someone else and give you your money back with a little interest. Thus, meaning that having lent him the wherewithall to build your dream home he decides that he can make more money by selling it to someone else... He would have had to pay a local bank about 20% interest to borrow the dosh to do this so you make a very cheap alternative!



These are just some of the problems others have had to cope with... if not all.



Why would subject yourself to these risks if you don't have to? You wouldn't if you packed your brain when you packed your suitcase... alas all too many ex-pats and holiday makers get a rush of blood to head and forget to pack this essential item.



Why not consider renting... don't beleive all the hype about "you must buy now", "they are selling like hot cakes", etc. Nothing could be further from the truth... if an Estate Agent does try this line on... give them a very wide berth...



As other have said do not sign anything

lippylou


Joined: 11/09/2008
Posts: 13

Message Posted:
17/09/2008 18:07

thanks very much Grouchu-sound,good avice!

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
17/09/2008 18:21

Groucho said: "I would advise against buying a former GC restored home if not being bought from the GC owner.. they may come knocking on your door to re-occupy given the re-unification talks going on now... not much fun if you've paid a fortune and brought it into the 21st Century."



lippylou,



Groucho gives good advice but could have gone further. In case you don't already know, in 1974 the Turkish army invaded Cyprus and seized the northern part of the island, forcing out the Greek Cypriots who owned the vast majority of the land. You don't want to risk your savings on buying anything which is being sold illegally without consent of the legal owner. The only safe title is pre-74 Turkish or foreign owned, and the only way you can verify this is through the Kyrenia district officer and land registry in southern Nicosia.

fire starter


Joined: 19/06/2008
Posts: 3401

Message Posted:
17/09/2008 18:46

here,here pike exellent advice!



lippylou, don't rush in, it took us three years to find our house here. be patient and you will find what you are looking for.

girne 29


Joined: 06/12/2007
Posts: 1488

Message Posted:
17/09/2008 23:07

and do not buy off plan.

wireless


Joined: 10/08/2008
Posts: 157

Message Posted:
18/09/2008 02:08

Pike said "Groucho gives good advice but could have gone further. In case you don't already know, in 1974 the Turkish army invaded Cyprus and seized the northern part of the island, forcing out the Greek Cypriots who owned the vast majority of the land. You don't want to risk your savings on buying anything which is being sold illegally without consent of the legal owner. The only safe title is pre-74 Turkish or foreign owned, and the only way you can verify this is through the Kyrenia district officer and land registry in southern Nicosia."



You need to learn your history - I and my family were burnt out of house and home in 1964 by Enosis seeking GC's - our house is still on the green line - we have land in the south used by the GC's - the history of the cyprus problem did not start in 1974 it was sorted out in 1974 by the turkish nation who intervened as was their right under the treaty of independence, a treaty also signed by Greece and the United Kingdom. The independence was threatened by the coup staged by Nicos Sampson and it was this that led to the intervention by Turkish armed forces.



The trouble with some GC's is that they are either ignorant of the facts or feel that providing a lie is told a sufficient number of times it becomes the truth - it does not!



It was also Mr Pike that suggested that 'the genocide files' a book on the cyprus problem was rubbish and full of lies presumably because it disagreed with his version of events.



I have a lot of GC friends but if we forget the truth of how we came to be in this position then we cannot learn from history and that itself is a crime.

PtePike



Joined: 20/05/2008
Posts: 2334

Message Posted:
18/09/2008 02:17

wireless,



I do know my history. The poster was looking for advice about safe purchase of property and the only relevant period from that point of view was post-74. It's not a political thread. Whereabouts was your family home, BTW?

Nunu1


Joined: 31/03/2008
Posts: 536

Message Posted:
18/09/2008 03:18

Lippy Lou,

My advice is take your time, the whole World market in housing is slowing down. In about 6 months time prices of already built unsold properties in North Cyprus will come down. You will have the pick of the bunch and will be able to negotiate on price to your advantage.



Buying off plan is a gamble, it is also a waiting game and anything can go wrong or happen a long the way! Its not all horror stories like Spain, far from it!



Take your time, dont sign anything. Visit, look, smile, enjoy Cyprus then go home and do your homework. If you would like anymore info from first hand I would be happy to assist.



Good luck!



nunu

mickey rourke


Joined: 27/08/2008
Posts: 157

Message Posted:
18/09/2008 03:50

unfortunately pike gives very tainted advice with a GC slant it depends where you stand on whether the Turkish army 'Invaded' or rather intervened to save the Turkish speaking Cypriots from genocide, however his advice about land is fair, that said however it is highly unlikely that there will in our or our childrens lifetimes be a full reunification of the island,

most of the advice offered on these boards is offered sincerely by the writers but it is usually the very vociferous few who have a specific axe to grind, there are plenty of good quality homes available for sale and another option might be to buy a resale from one of the vociferous few who is desperate to sell - then I bet you a pound to a pinch of salt the house is suddenly one of the best on the island !!!!

rocky


Joined: 17/10/2007
Posts: 1749

Message Posted:
18/09/2008 10:32

there are various views on ownership and recent problems 63 and 74 but really how far do we need to go back to find who are the true owners of Cyprus, is it England, Ottomans etc etc etc lets all look forward and stop squabbling inter race, the world is a beautiful place only the humans spoil it

stanley


Joined: 30/06/2008
Posts: 42

Message Posted:
18/09/2008 16:34

Mine konat highly recommended, i don't think so, avoid her like the plague.

JimmyG


Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 900

Message Posted:
18/09/2008 16:54

Stanley - care to enlighten everyone about your opinion that Mine Konat "should be avoided like the plague"

No1Doyen


Joined: 04/07/2008
Posts: 16617

Message Posted:
18/09/2008 17:34

Yes, come on Stanley enlighten us all.

JimmyG


Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 900

Message Posted:
19/09/2008 13:20

Still no answer Stanley ? Let others draw their own conclusion.

MUSIN M


Joined: 26/06/2008
Posts: 1352

Message Posted:
19/09/2008 19:55

lippylou

i have properties on both south and kktc and i am a t/c, what ever you buy in the kktc no greek will ever take it from you .you will be buying from the kktc

and you only have to answer to them and not anyone else.

musin

long live the kktc

andysue


Joined: 12/11/2007
Posts: 891

Message Posted:
19/09/2008 22:16

why dont buy off plan? nearly everyone as bought off plan at sweetwaterbay and its due for completion springtime, latest comments from buyers returning recently is it will exceed all our expectations when finished. it all depends on who the builders are, SWB is being built by AMek who im informed get all the big government contracts. regards andrew

TheSaints



Joined: 28/01/2009
Posts: 1369

Message Posted:
01/02/2009 14:32

Why avoid Mine Konat Stanley?? she is currently representing us and is doing a very good job of it too.

PIPIE


Joined: 05/01/2008
Posts: 5499

Message Posted:
01/02/2009 14:36

Groucho ,

We have shops/restaurants/bank ,takeaway.petrol /station 35 minutes from Airport overlooking the sea at Tatlisu , good road system , when was the last time you visited ?

Mindy



Joined: 27/10/2008
Posts: 1210

Message Posted:
01/02/2009 14:40

Agree with all said so far, had to smile when I read no. 10 on your list.

MIRACLE VILLAS. it is certainly a miracle if a person can buy a villa and have no problems here

TheSaints



Joined: 28/01/2009
Posts: 1369

Message Posted:
01/02/2009 14:41

Like Maggie we have bought off Fikri Terkan, after looking at loads of properties by many builders FT properties just gave us a lot more for our money in a good location and quality build finish. We also use Mine Konat for all of our legal work and the reason we used her is she was highly recommended by several expats the we met.

DONTY


Joined: 07/06/2007
Posts: 534

Message Posted:
01/02/2009 18:39

Used Sales

Look at all the problems people have reported about their houses on this forum. These are the same houses you will be looking at to buy. Once you buy you are completely on your own in almost every case.



If you do look at resales look for signs of fresh paint around the bottom of walls, perhaps they are trying to offload their damp house to you?

allow 5k to repair the leaky pool. Allow 5k for re-tiling, waterproofing etc etc.

Ask for evidence of fixes and repairs. Only buy a resale built by a reputable firm



New sales

Be wary of buliders with a bad reputation (obviously).

Seek out builders with a good reputation (obviously).

Look at previously finished product if buying off plan.

speak to owners who bought from your chosen builder, ideally not via a forum unless they can show you round their place and verify their remarks.



Don't buy the biggest thing for the least money as low quality will hit you hard in the long run. This is the mistake many make!