Gated communities are regularly seen as good investments in countries where outsiders or non-nationals are purchasing property. Particularly in the US and Canada, these communities are common allowing residents to set their own rules and presumably avoid crime. But when residents of these and other countries vacation or retire in foreign countries, there is a personal desire or need to be close to like people. Thus, gated communities have typically done well in countries that attract foreigners.
Turkey is no exception to this social phenomenon. The first gated communities were built in Ankara in the 1950s. And they are growing in popularity as thousands of vacationers buy properties in Turkey. Many foreign vacationers may only stay in their Turkish homes for a small amount of time through the year. Most of the time, the house is empty which poses a serious problem in keeping the home secure and free from robbery or vandalism. Therefore, gated communities in tourist or resort areas offer a sense of security to homeowners when they are absent from their properties.
Another trend that has surfaced in Turkey is the differentiation of social status. Local residents of Turkey are moving into gated communities in order to elevate their social status keeping themselves apart from the lower income brackets. It has become prestigious to live in a locked and fenced-in neighborhood.
Indeed, all three reasons – foreigners need to stay with like people, the security of the home when absent and the nationals seeking upper class – contribute to making investment in gated communities in Turkey a wise choice. Turkish and foreign families alike have eagerly welcomed the luxurious gated communities outside of Istanbul. Away from the hectic life of the downtown city, they live in relative peace and quiet in a posh area of the countryside.
Belek, a major golfing center just east of Antalya, is another area of Turkey that is largely a gated community environment. In fact, the locals say that apart from the workers, there is no way to even determine that this area is Turkish at all. Almost all the hotels and villas in Belek are surrounded by locks and gates.
When foreigners invest in gated communities in Turkey, especially if they plan to live in the properties for at least a couple weeks per year, the properties are extravagant but at the same time inexpensive. Based on foreign dollars, most non-nationals can easily afford the price of a villa in a gated community with all the amenities so it does not make sense to buy outside.
Given the millions of tourists that visit Turkey each year and the numbers of local families and yuppie-types with money striving to live in more prestigious surroundings, there is without doubt a need for gated communities in Turkey.