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Türkiye’s real estate market has seen a significant increase in interest from Iranian buyers following a 40-day conflict in the Middle East. Housing inquiries from Iranians have gone up by 200%, according to industry figures reported by Türkiye daily.
Burak Ustaoğlu, who leads the Real Estate Investment and Technologies Association, said this change has occurred as Dubai’s market has cooled. Until recently, Dubai attracted much of the region’s property investment.
He said the Dubai Real Estate Index has dropped by about 30% on the emirate’s stock exchange, and land registry data shows that transaction volumes are down nearly 32%.
Türkiye’s market for foreign buyers has gotten weaker over the past three years. Ustaoğlu said that sales to foreigners dropped from over 77,000 units in 2022 to about 23,000 in 2025.
In this context, the 200% increase in demand from Iranian buyers stands out as a clear exception to the overall slowdown.
Ustaoğlu said Iranian buyers are mainly interested in İstanbul and its surrounding areas. For luxury properties, many are looking at Bodrum, a resort town on the Aegean coast that is popular with wealthy local and foreign buyers.
He explained that security concerns after the war and the opportunity to obtain Turkish citizenship by investing in property are the main reasons for this shift.
Türkiye offers citizenship to foreigners who buy real estate above a certain value and keep it for at least five years. This program has attracted buyers from all over the Middle East since it was expanded in 2018.
Ustaoğlu said developers are changing financing options to attract more buyers. In some projects, down payments have dropped from 20% to as low as 10%, and post-delivery payment plans are now more common.
He also mentioned that the five-year holding period for citizenship-linked purchases is ending for some earlier buyers. As a result, more properties are being sold on the secondary market as these investors either leave or buy new homes.
Ustaoğlu’s comments suggest that property investment in the region is being redistributed. Dubai used to be the main choice for Gulf and Iranian buyers seeking stability and returns, but some of that demand is now shifting to Turkish cities, especially İstanbul and Bodrum.
Although foreign home sales in Türkiye are still well below 2022 levels, the increase in Iranian buyers could help support the market if this trend continues through the rest of the year.
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