Real Estate Websites in Turkey and How to Use Them as a Foreigner

Most property for sale in Turkey is advertised on three national portals: sahibinden.com, hepsiemlak.com (formerly Hürriyet Emlak) and emlakjet.com. They carry listings from owners, licensed agencies and developers, mostly in Turkish and priced in Turkish lira. They are a good way to understand the market, but a foreign buyer should read them with care: asking prices are not final prices, the same flat often appears several times, and only licensed agents may advertise.

The Main Property Portals in Turkey

What about Zingat? Zingat no longer operates as a separate portal. After the 2023 deal it was merged into Hepsiemlak, and zingat.com now redirects to hepsiemlak.com.

Besides the portals, you will find new-build projects on developers' own websites and on the websites of consultancies that specialise in selling new projects to international buyers, usually in English, Arabic and other languages.

What Foreigners Should Know Before Using Them

Listings are in Turkish, and prices are usually in lira

The portals are built for the local market. Most listings are in Turkish only, and most prices are in Turkish lira (TL). Some useful words:

Because the lira moves against foreign currencies, convert prices on the day you compare them, not from an old rate.

The price on the portal is an asking price

Portal prices are what the seller hopes to get. For second-hand homes, the final price is usually negotiated. For new-build projects, developers often run their own price lists and campaigns, and the price for your specific unit depends on the floor, view and payment plan.

When a foreigner buys, a valuation report by a licensed appraiser is required before the title deed transfer, which gives you an independent check of the price. Always declare the real price on the title deed. Under-declaring to save on the 4% title deed fee is against the law and can cause problems later, for example with a citizenship application or when you sell.

Agents must hold a real estate trade licence

In Turkey, only businesses with a real estate trade licence (Taşınmaz Ticareti Yetki Belgesi), issued by the Ministry of Trade, may broker property sales. Under the Regulation on Real Estate Trade, an agency's listing must show its licence number and business name.

You can check a licence yourself on the Ministry of Trade's Real Estate Trade Information System (TTBS): open the certificate query page at ttbs.gtb.gov.tr and search by licence number, business name or province. No login is needed. If an agent cannot give you a licence number, or the number does not match the business name, do not work with them.

CCT Investments' licence number is 3405667, issued on 16 March 2021.

Fake, duplicate and "bait" listings

The same flat is often listed by several agents at different prices, and some listings show a very low price only to get you to call. Since 2025 the Ministry of Trade has been rolling out the Electronic Listing Verification System (EİDS): the owner authorises a listing through e-Devlet, and verified listings carry an EİDS mark. It became mandatory for rental listings from 1 January 2025 and for sale listings from February 2026 (piloted in İzmir, Antalya and Sivas from 1 February and nationwide from 15 February 2026, according to Anadolu Agency).

In practice:

• prefer listings with the EİDS verification mark;
• be wary of prices far below similar homes in the same area;
• ask for the title deed details (district, neighbourhood, block and parcel) before you visit;
• never send a deposit to reserve a home you have not seen or whose title you have not checked.

New-build projects are not all on the portals

Developers do not always put every project, or every unit, on the portals. Pre-launch prices, payment plans and the full list of available units usually come directly from the developer or its authorised sales partners.

When an Advisor Helps

The portals are enough if you speak Turkish, know the neighbourhoods and can check title deeds yourself. An advisor is worth it when you:

• are buying from abroad and cannot visit many properties;
• want a home that meets the USD 400,000 requirement for Turkish citizenship or the minimum value for a residence permit;
• are buying off-plan and need the developer's permits and contract checked;
• need help with the valuation report, the currency exchange document from a Turkish bank and the title deed appointment.

When you buy new-build through CCT Investments, you pay no commission to us, because the developer pays our fee; project visits, title deed follow-up and after-sales support are free. For resale homes our brokerage fee is 2% + VAT.

What This Means for Buyers

• Use sahibinden.com, hepsiemlak.com and emlakjet.com to learn prices and neighbourhoods, not as the final word on price.
• Check every agent's licence on TTBS and prefer EİDS-verified listings.
• Compare new-build projects by developer, permits and contract, not only by the portal price. Our guide on how to choose a developer in Turkey explains the checks.
• Browse current projects in our Istanbul property listings, read the buyer guide, or contact us for a shortlist.

Sources

• Hürriyet Emlak renamed Hepsiemlak (egirişim, May 2021)
• Property Finder merges Zingat into Hepsiemlak and becomes a partner (Webrazzi, November 2023)
• iLab Ventures acquires emlakjet.com (Webrazzi, May 2014)
• iLab brands: Emlakjet and Endeksa
• sahibinden.com company profile (Techcareer)
• Regulation on Real Estate Trade, Resmî Gazete, 5 June 2018
• TTBS licence query, Ministry of Trade
• EİDS verification for sale listings from February 2026 (Anadolu Ajansı)