Turkey has seen a holiday home boom after opening up its property market to foreign investors. Previously there was a suspension last year on foreigners being allowed to buy properties in Turkey, but it's all changed now. Buying a holiday home, be it a villa with a swimming pool, cottage, appartment is much easier now, although being subjected to an approval from the Turkish Army. The approval normally adds 3-4 weeks to the buying process.

Turyap, one of the largest real estate companies in Turkey, have estimated that property prices in Instanbul alone will rise 80-120 % this year, after an 85% rise in 2005. It's all the result of foreign investments pouring in, the start of the talks with European Union and the launch of mortgages.

After a new law, allowing foreigners to buy land was passed at the end of 2005, holiday home investors from all over Europe have rushed to snap a holiday home bargains on the Aegean coast. Many agents claim that a lot of the money people were spending on holiday homes in Spain are now redirected to the more promising Turkey. The main draw for this landgrab, be it from private holiday home wannabe owners or from commercial entities, is no doubt the higher return rates they get from investing in the property market in Turkey.

With all the interest in Turkey and in the turkish holiday home market, there is no wonder that EasyJet is preparing to open up a new route from London to Istanbul. The move by such a big budget airline is usually a good indicator of the touristic interest in the area and also in the property market. It's no secret that having an airport near-by, especially one served by a budget airline like EasyJet, lifts dramatically the property prices in the area, as the majority of holiday home owners dream of weekend escapes. It is also an advantage when renting out the holiday home to DIY travellers.