“Complete idiocy”: compared the “pros” and “cons” of acquiring housing in Turkey, Abkhazia, the DPR and the LPR

United Russia State Duma deputy Vitaly Milonov urged Russians to stop buying real estate in Turkey and pay attention to housing in Abkhazia, the Donetsk and Luhansk republics.

According to the parliamentarian, the acquisition of square meters in Turkey is a big risk and stupidity. And if it were his will, he would have forbidden his compatriots to go on vacation to Antalya resorts.

– Milonov said live on the radio “Moscow Speaking”.

The deputy does not specify what exactly the compatriots who invest in Turkish real estate risk. He is more concerned with the ethical question: how can our citizens live or even temporarily reside in a country that “behaves extremely unfriendly towards Russia’s allies”?!

Milonov considers Abkhazia and the self-proclaimed republics of Ukraine to be an alternative to the Turkish seaside. In the first case, you can buy a house even on the sea, where, according to the deputy, there are wonderful places to relax.

– said the deputy.

Earlier, experts spoke about the demand for Turkish apartments among Russians that soared by 75%. The largest number of transactions was recorded in the last two months of the year immediately after the collapse of the lira. For holders of world currencies, housing immediately fell in price almost twice. Turkey has generally seen an increase in demand for apartments and houses in recent years. Our compatriots are in the top 3 most active buyers among foreigners, the Russians were surpassed only by Iraqis and Iranians.

The asking price is really low. A two-room 83-meter apartment in Antalya, 15 km from the beach and 20 km from the airport, with a pool and a window view of the mountains and the forest, can be purchased for 53,070 euros (4.3 million rubles at the rate of 01/19/2022). Upon purchase, a residence permit is provided. A 60-meter kopeck piece in the city center can also be purchased for 46,500 euros (4 million rubles at the rate of 01/19/2022). The advantages are obvious. Turkey has a luxurious climate, you can swim in the sea from May to November. Now, for example, in Antalya +8 degrees and sunny. Apartments in resorts can be rented out for passive income, and after a few years it is easy to sell for a profit, as the market is booming.

As for Abkhazia, buying boom real estate in a country sanctioned and recognized by only six UN states has already passed. Three years ago, houses were sold at ridiculous prices for Russians of 200-300,000 rubles. For a million you could buy a real tenement house. Today, a 3-room apartment in Gagra costs about 2.5 million rubles, and a cottage in the village of Druzhba near Gudauta costs at least 4 million rubles.

But the laws in the country in terms of square meters have always been tough even for immigrants from Russia – not a single foreigner had and still has no right to buy housing, only non-residential premises for business. Real estate expert at the Higher School of Financial Management Lyudmila Anisimova told AiF that this ban was introduced immediately after the 1992-93 war, and the situation has not changed to this day. But realtors have developed several schemes to get around the bans:

• the apartment is registered in the name of a fake Abkhazian;

• possession by proxy from one to three years, however, the document can be revoked at any time, and then it is virtually impossible to return your home;

• through a will, this is the only more or less legal option.

All these schemes are absolutely unreliable, experts say. In the 2000s, a wave of raider seizures of housing, including those owned by Russian citizens, swept across the country. The authorities carried out an inventory of ownerless areas – apartments and houses that turned out to be empty were requisitioned. Therefore, Milonov’s calls to buy a home in Abkhazia are essentially incitement to violate local laws, not to mention the risks of losing both the house and money.

As for the DPR and LPR, everything is different here. On the part of local authorities, there are no obstacles to the acquisition of apartments by Russians in Donetsk or Luhansk, other cities and towns. The market is overflowing with offers – a 1-room apartment can be purchased for $12,800 (975,000 rubles at the rate of 01/19/2022), and a 3-room apartment for $15,800 (1 million rubles at the rate of 01/19/2022). Three-room apartment with an area of ​​more than 100 sq. meters in the very center of Luhansk will cost $50,000 (3.8 million rubles). The main requirements apply to sellers – they are required to change Ukrainian documents for housing to modern ones, which are drawn up in regional departments.

The problem is different. Products in the unrecognized republics are much more expensive than in Russian cities. Local residents say, for example, that a bottle of sunflower oil in the DPR costs about 150-160 rubles, while in an ordinary Russian chain store it costs about 90 rubles. Therefore, Donetsk residents go to Rostov-on-Don to buy food. Of course, there are no large stores, boutiques and brand stocks – the territory is under strict sanctions. Therefore, people also go to Russia for things. In addition, the DPR maintains a curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. On New Year’s holidays, on Christmas and Epiphany, it was canceled. In the LPR, it is also forbidden to appear on the street from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Well, and most importantly, no one now undertakes to say what will happen to the right to own housing when the status of the republics changes. Investing in something that you can lose sooner or later is really stupid.