Digital technologies are constantly evolving, changing absolutely all areas of our lives. They have not spared the purchase / sale of real estate in Turkey, where they adapt the most advanced innovations in the field of office management and finance. Today I will explain how it works in detail using the example of buying a home from the most dynamic real estate agency Expert Property.

Online service: what is it and why Turkey is the world leader here

By online purchase, we mean the remote acquisition and registration of real estate in Turkey, without the physical presence of the buyer in the country. The modern level of Internet technologies makes this process as simple and convenient as possible, and Turkish legislation is reliable and transparent.

I am an experienced broker and have been a conservative in this matter for a long time. I was sure that housing should be chosen only in person, and not online. Because you need to see the house with your own eyes, the view from the window, feel the plaster and all the details of the décor with your hands, feel the energy of the place. But then, during the pandemic and quarantine, I radically changed my mind – simply because I tried everything on myself and I, suddenly, really liked it. The main thing is that our clients also appreciate it – the number of online transactions is growing every month.

Moreover, during the pandemic, we optimized and reoriented the entire sales and transaction processing process in our agency from offline to online. Of course, we will never give up offline sales and personal communication with customers – we are always glad to see you! – but the system in Turkey today is arranged in such a way that even offline transactions still go through online services.

These services, which have sparked a “digital revolution” in Turkey’s records management and finances, have been adopted by the state over the past couple of years. Among them, the key ones are digital registers and real estate cadastre, an online account in tax and other services, the provision of public services in the “single window” format (access to all services using one personal QR code), the adaptation of legislation for the use of smart contracts based on blockchain technology, the introduction of cryptocurrencies into the financial system and many other innovations. Even electricity meters in Turkey themselves transmit information to the right service.

Smart contracts have become ubiquitous thanks to electronic signatures – including in the form of QR codes. Such signatures are already quite widespread in all countries, including the CIS . However, Turkey has gone much further in this direction than its neighbors, creating an electronic “portrait” of each person and company, accessible simply by scanning a corporate or personal QR code.

Codes can now be found literally everywhere – on documents, certificates, announcements, tickets, etc. A personal QR code may be required in a hospital, bank, shopping center, in any public places. This is essentially an identification number tied to all registries at once, which allows you to get all the information about the activity of a person or company, including violations, debts, etc. This level of transparency is not yet available in any country in the world – each counterparty, service provider or potential client can be checked in a couple of clicks!

Thanks to the QR code and digital signature system, all smart contracts have full legal force. Once created, a smart contract cannot be forged, cannot be changed. Such contracts in Turkey were introduced back in 2019, but during the quarantine period they were brought to perfection, having received full compatibility with all other digital services.

I describe this so that you understand that online sales are not the know-how of Expert Property, but the state digital infrastructure with increased reliability and security. We simply connect to this system to support the transaction. Moreover, this can be done not only by Turkish citizens, but also by foreigners – everyone can contact the embassy or consulate of the Republic of Turkey to get information on each citizen or company from Turkey. You can check me or our agency, for example. But we’ll talk about that in the next section.

Expert Property Online Services: Instructions

Contrary to the initial skepticism about smart contracts, we were forced to master online sales during the quarantine period. We created our own smart contract and optimized all the agency’s online services, created representative offices in all popular messengers, introduced callback in four countries (you leave us a request, and we call you ourselves) and other services. As a result, the sales growth was simply unprecedented – we realized that online sales really work and that it is incredibly convenient. From now on, we are supporters of digitalization in real estate!

A smart contract or “smart contract” is so called because it is triggered automatically when both parties have fulfilled their obligations in full. This means that the risks of traditional transactions are completely eliminated here, when the money has already been sent, but the service has not been received, or, conversely, when the service is performed, but there is no payment. From now on, this is in the past. Now everything happens synchronously and automatically, depriving both sides of the opportunity to manipulate. Everyone gets exactly what was previously agreed and spelled out in the contract.

But to take advantage of all the digital benefits of Turkey, you need to log in first. It works as follows. First, you contact us or order a call from the agency. Together with you, we choose the ideal option for your wishes on the Expert Property website. We send our employees there to organize video filming and broadcasting, so that the full effect of presence is created for the buyer – as if you personally visited the apartment.

When the object is selected and preliminary agreements with the seller are received, we send you QR codes or simply text data of the seller and an employee of our agency who will represent your interests in Turkey – this is how you will enter the country’s information system.

Next, with these data, you need to visit the Turkish embassy or consulate in your country. There you will be able to check all participants in the transaction, learn about licenses and other business information, but the main thing is to issue a power of attorney for a lawyer or other specialist of our company, who will now be authorized to represent your interests in Turkey.

The fact is that according to Turkish law, the buyer is obliged to be present at the signing of the purchase / sale agreement directly at the cadastral office of the municipality. But the law also specifically spells out a mechanism for circumventing this rule for foreigners – the registration of a trustee.

Your representative will have the right to draw up documentation on your behalf – but only within the framework of this transaction and for a strictly limited period (usually five days). The system is designed in such a way that your representative will be able to act only within the framework that is determined by the home buyer, smart contract and Turkish law – no unnecessary amateur performances.

I will specifically note once again – you give your representative the right to register only this particular property and for a strictly limited short period, so that there is not even a hint of any abuse. In our practice, there have not yet been cases when the client was dissatisfied with the trustee, therefore our employees are highly qualified and have sufficient experience in this area.

Optionally, in addition to signing the contract, your authorized representative can issue a tax number in Turkey in your name, as well as all utilities (water, electricity, gas, internet, etc.). He will control the connection of all in-house communications and meters so that they are also in your name. If desired, he can purchase furniture for an apartment or arrange a car rental – but only if the client requests it himself.

Before visiting the embassy or consulate, you need to call there or leave a request online to take a “rendezvous” – this is how diplomats call the reception of visitors. Moreover, we also help clients to fill out an online application to make the process even easier for them. To issue a power of attorney, you will need to provide all the information about the person who will represent your interests. Therefore, we preliminarily send you all the data of our employee, who will be your authorized representative.

Before issuing a power of attorney, the embassy staff carries out a full check of our representative, the entire agency, the property, as well as the seller. You can also get all this information – do not hesitate, ask for details.

Only after making sure of the reliability and legality of the person and the company he represents, the power of attorney will be issued by the embassy. This is an additional degree of buyer protection. Our agency and employees undergo such checks regularly and without hindrance, which we are very happy about – this indicates the reliability of our reputation.

After the power of attorney is issued, you simply take a picture of it on your smartphone so that the QR code is visible, and send the photo to us on WhatsApp. We do not need the document itself, but a QR code on it with the document number. We print out a copy ourselves and go to the notary’s office, where we certify the copy.

When the title deed is signed by your representative (TAPU), we take a photo in the same way and send it to you in the messenger – TAPU also has a QR code. Just like we did before, you can go to the embassy and check all the data and your ownership through their system. The consulate says that, yes, you are indeed the legal owner of this property. You will also be informed that the property is not collateral, has no bank encumbrance (if you did not apply for a mortgage), etc.

Conclusion: online shopping is easy!

Visiting a consulate or embassy in your homeland is much easier and cheaper than crossing the border during the quarantine period, but it also allows you to buy housing in Turkey. That’s why online sales have gained such high popularity. Online transactions do not even have a 1% risk – the system has already been established and repeatedly tested in practice. But the main thing is that it is completely transparent and understandable even to a non-lawyer.

It is unprofitable for us, like any Turkish broker, to substitute a buyer, because this will immediately be recorded in our “digital dossier”, leaving an irreparable mark on the reputation. Loss of reputation threatens the business with closure, so we value our brand very much.

I note that working with a smart contract , we ensure the interests of both the buyer and the seller, acting as a kind of arbitrator. We have been on the market for many, many years, and our business is constantly expanding, because we always do everything right, check the reliability of the seller and the buyer. A successful properly executed transaction is the key to success for the buyer, a reliable profit for the seller and the key to long-term prosperity for our agency – WIN / WIN!

To find out more, you can contact me remotely, via any messenger, or contact one of the Expert Property offices in Turkey – in Antalya, Alanya or Istanbul, or (even easier!) in our foreign representative offices – in Moscow, Kiev or Astana. Experience the benefits of progress firsthand with Mustafa and Tatiana Güneş!