Foreign Searches for Turkish Real Estate Surge 43% in 2025 — Where Buyers Are Looking

International demand for real estate Turkey jumps 43% in 2025

International demand for real estate Turkey jumped in 2025, with foreign searches on a major Turkish platform rising by 43% in the first three quarters compared with the same period in 2024. That sharp rise signals renewed global attention to Turkey's property market and forces investors to ask where the interest is concentrated, who is searching, and what the data means for purchase decisions.

The headline number is notable, but the breakdown is what matters for buyers. Our analysis of the Konutkurdu report and market context shows that most activity is clustered in a handful of cities and price bands. If you are an investor, expat buyer, or adviser, this surge changes the way you should approach sourcing, pricing, and due diligence in Turkey.

Which cities are drawing foreign buyers?

Konutkurdu’s platform-level data points to a concentrated pattern of demand. Istanbul accounted for 41% of foreign searches, Antalya for 19%, and Ankara for 12%. Together these three cities represented about 72% of all international property searches recorded during the period.

• Istanbul (41%): The city remains the main magnet for overseas buyers. Buyers are focused on both new developments and resale apartments near transport corridors and business districts.
• Antalya (19%): Coastal demand is driven by tourists and holiday rental potential, with areas like Konyaaltı registering increased attention.
• Ankara (12%): The capital’s share is notable for investors chasing longer-term cash flow from professionals and government-linked tenants.

Konutkurdu also highlighted micro-markets that are rising in popularity. Basin Ekspres in Istanbul is drawing interest because of recent development and infrastructure projects. In Antalya, Konyaaltı is growing in searches due to tourism-driven rental demand and coastal property supply.

What this city concentration means in practice:

• Buyers seeking capital appreciation and rental demand should focus where search volumes and infrastructure investment overlap.
• Overconcentration in a few cities raises the importance of neighbourhood-level due diligence. High city-level demand can mask pockets of oversupply or weak rental markets.

Who is searching: regional and country-level trends

Konutkurdu’s analytics show that growth in foreign interest is not uniform across the globe. Key changes:

• Middle East searches rose by 38%
• Europe searches rose by 29%
• Asia searches rose by 24%
• United States searches rose by 18%

Among individual countries, buyers from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Germany and the United Kingdom were among the most active groups.

Investor profiles implied by this mix:

• Middle Eastern buyers are often cash-rich and focused on lifestyle and second-home purchases, plus branded developments.
• European buyers include retirees, second-home purchasers, and investors seeking rental yield on holiday properties.
• Asian buyers show growing interest but are lagging Europe and the Middle East in relative growth rate.
• US interest is rising from a lower base, which suggests widening global awareness rather than an established buyer flow.

From a practical standpoint, the split matters for pricing dynamics. Buyers from wealthier, cash-rich markets can push price lists on attractive inventory, while buyers seeking rental income can sustain demand for mid-market units where yields are often higher.

Budgets, product types and motives

Konutkurdu’s behavioral data gives a clear picture of where foreign demand is concentrated by price band and product type.

• 48% of foreign searches targeted properties priced between $150,000 and $350,000.
• 27% focused on higher-end listings priced above $400,000, a band that includes coastal villas and branded residential projects.
• The remaining searches were concentrated in entry-level properties that may offer rental income or eligibility for Turkey’s citizenship-by-investment program.

Why these price bands matter:

• The $150k–$350k bracket is where rental demand and total return prospects are strongest for international buyers chasing yield.
• The >$400k segment is driven by lifestyle buyers and those targeting branded developments and premium coastal stock; it overlaps with buyers who may consider the citizenship program because of investment thresholds.

Investment motives identified by Konutkurdu and market observers include:

• Rental income — short-term tourism lets in Antalya and other coastal towns, and medium-term corporate lets in Istanbul and Ankara.
• Capital appreciation — buyers betting on infrastructure and urban regeneration around transport corridors.
• Residency and citizenship — a non-negligible share of searches target properties that meet the financial thresholds for Turkey’s investment-linked citizenship scheme.

How to interpret Konutkurdu’s data as a buyer or investor

Konutkurdu aggregates verified listings, market reports and location analytics. That makes their dataset useful, but users should treat platform search data as an indicator of interest rather than a direct measure of completed transactions.

Practical ways to use this data:

• Use search-volume trends to narrow target cities and neighbourhoods before commissioning inspections or valuations.
• If you are chasing rental returns, prioritise price bands and neighbourhoods that show high search interest from short-stay markets and professional tenants.
• For capital-growth plays, match search heatmaps with infrastructure projects and zoning changes rather than relying on city-level figures alone.

I asked myself how this changes sourcing. My view: you should start with the market signal — the 41%/19%/12% split — then move to transaction-level data, local comparables, and rental rates. Search growth is an early-warning indicator of shifting demand, not a substitute for valuation.

Konutkurdu’s role and new tools

Konutkurdu says it provides verified listings and analytics to help investors make transparent decisions. The platform’s spokesperson, İlhan Palabıyık, told the company aims to support transparent decision-making by providing reliable market insights.