If you are thinking of buying property in Cyprus you may be considering using a North Cyprus estate agent and perhaps even buying in the North. Before you go ahead however it may be worthwhile doing a little research into the "Cyprus problem" as it is called. The North of the Island is considered by Southern Cyprus to be occupied illegally by the Turks who invaded there in 1974. The Turks however maintain that they took possession of the land in the interest of the Turkish Cypriot population who they felt were in danger from a military coupe in Cyprus by Greece. Whatever you believe to be the rights and wrongs of the situation there are few facts you ought to be aware of before dealing with North Cyprus estate agents or property developers.
As the situation stands up untill now (October 2007) the only country that recognizes the self titled Turkish Republic Of Northern Cyprus or TRNC is in fact Turkey. Most other countries including members of the United Nations and the European Union continue to exercise embargoes against Northern Cyprus. The situation is further complicated by at least two other major political issues one of them being Turkeys desire to join the European Union in the not to distant future. The other delicate matter concerns the presence of the American military in Turkey which is being further complicated by the Iraq situation. But when it comes to dealing with North Cyprus estate agents or buying property there are some far more emotive matters involved.
When the invasion of 1974 took place many Greek Cypriots were driven out of their homes and fled with only as much as they could carry. They left everything behind including businesses and land that had been in their families for generations. In fact most of these displaced people and their descendants still consider themselves to be refugees to this day. This is a view shared by the Cyprus government too and there are still official refugee settlements that have housed these people ever since. The bad news for everyone concerned is that the land and property left behind in North Cyprus is under contention by these refugees. Therefore foreigners dealing with North Cyprus estate agents could technically end up living in a house belonging to one of these refugees or their families.
No one can predict how the Cyprus problem may eventually be resolved but it is now becoming more pertinent than ever. So for someone looking to buy a home in the sun it doesn't paint a rosie picture in terms of either financial security or lasting peace of mind. Then again increasing numbers of buyers are dealing with these North Cyprus estate agents and property developers despite the ongoing situation. If you are comfortable living on land that is under dispute of ownership and have little or no care for the feelings of the Greek Cypriots Northern Cyprus may be for you. It is also rumored that these North Cyprus estate agent companies are giving assurances that the Turkish government will compensate buyers if the property is ever given back to the original owners.
The bottom line is of course that buying property in Northern Cyprus has the potential to lead to all sorts of problems for the new owners. The other more practical problem for would be purchasers of property in the North is infrastructure. To put it bluntly there isn't any! You can forget about shops, schools and public transport too because there aren't many of those either. So you could pioneer this new frontier whilst waiting to have your brand new luxury villa or apartment repossessed. Waiting for that knock on the door in the middle of the night from a Greek Cypriot land owner. You never know, they may let you take only what you can carry just like they did back in 1974. Perhaps you should think long and hard before you agree to deal with a North Cyprus property agent.
