The main reason why my husband and I decided to move to Turkey is the poor health of the children. We have two sons, aged 4 and 6, who have problems with the respiratory system: one has asthma, the second has chronic bronchitis, which threatens to turn into asthma. In Russia, they lived in St. Petersburg is a wonderful city in all respects, but, as we think, the cause of our children’s health problems is precisely in the place of residence, or rather in its climate.
We visited Turkey on vacation several times, for a month, the sons always felt better, the seizures went away for a while, the children were less ill. Then it all started all over again. I got tired of everything last year. After consulting with my husband, we decided to radically change our lives and move to Turkey, since financial opportunities allowed. We bought an apartment and left. I live in Turkey with my children all the time, my husband is in two countries, he has a job in Russia. I’m telling you how we settled in and what’s going on with our sons’ health now, maybe my information will help someone.
How to buy
We bought an apartment through a realtor, he was advised by friends who also bought a house in Alanya, Turkey. We were dealt with by an agent who knows firsthand what Turkey is: he has studied the local mentality well, has been working in the real estate market in this country for more than 10 years, and studied here too.
We chose objects based on photos and videos: the realtor simply showed the possible options based on our preferences and budget, demonstrated literally every corner in great detail. The information provided was enough for us. The agent did not impose his opinion, which was very pleasant.
We came to Turkey only for the final viewing of the selected object, the rest was done by the realtor, for whom we issued a power of attorney. In general, everything was very convenient and fast, the process itself did not cause any complaints.
Apartment price, infrastructure
We bought an apartment in Alanya, in Avsallar — this is a resort area 20 kilometers from the city center. Minibuses run to Alanya regularly, so there are no problems with trips to the center. We purchased real estate in a modern, almost new residential complex built in 2015. The sea is about 600 meters away, we were looking for housing specifically at some distance from the coastline so as not to feel the increased humidity in winter.
The apartment has 2 bedrooms and a living room combined with a kitchen. The area is 100 square meters, including 2 bathrooms, a balcony and a large terrace. There is plenty of room for our family.
The infrastructure is gorgeous. There is a heated swimming pool, a playground, a restaurant, a fitness center, a sauna, a barbecue area and much more. The apartment is furnished, sold with necessary household appliances.
The cost of housing is 85 thousand euros, taking into account additional expenses, the price of real estate increased by about 7%, which, in general, is very little. Here are the main expenses:
There were several other small payments (insurance, duty, etc.) — it’s still about 200 €. In total, the total amount was about 90,500 €. As for a three-bedroom apartment with such an area and in a good residential complex, we believe that we bought it profitably.
Life in Turkey
I will tell you briefly about our life in Turkey. As I have already said, the main purpose of buying an apartment in Alanya is to improve the health of children. Doctors have long advised us to move somewhere closer to the sea and with a hot climate. Russian resort towns were not considered because the climate there is not as hot as in Turkey, the sea is not so warm, winters are quite cold, and housing prices do not match the level.
We immediately turned our attention to the Turkish coast, where we chose between Antalya and Alanya: We used to come here often, first together with my husband, then with the children. The choice fell on Alanya, or rather on the Avsallar district, for three reasons:
Additional advantages of Alanya are low prices for accommodation and food, a lot of our compatriots who do not just come here to relax, but work in many fields, which is very convenient, because we have not mastered the Turkish language yet.
In addition, there is a huge selection of fresh vegetables and fruits all year round, and they cost a penny. The sea is ideal — salty and warm (in summer 28-30 ° C), children can swim from May to November, the husband opens the season in early April and ends at the end of November: compared with the relatively cold Black Sea, in which the temperature can stay at 17 ° C for weeks at the height of the season — this is heaven and earth.
A little more about the cave. We come here to breathe in cycles: two weeks daily once every three months, as the doctors advised us. The result is impressive: the younger one’s asthma attacks almost stopped after two cycles, the older one had only one exacerbation of bronchitis in winter during the year, now he does not cough at all, there is no shortness of breath even after strong activity.
In general, the goal has almost been achieved: we moved here to cure our boys and we almost succeeded — the ideal climate and the Dalmatash cave made more in a year than tons of pills and nebulizers that we used in Peter. Against this background, the minor problems that inevitably arise when moving to another country seem insignificant. I thank fate that she gave me the opportunity to move and heal my children, here we finally found peace of mind.
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