22.01.2025 12:51
The President of the Antalya Chamber of Real Estate Agents, İsmail Çağlar, who finds the fines imposed on real estate businesses by the Minister of Trade to be unjust, argued that the price increases are caused by homeowners and stated that the fines should be applied to them.
After the announcement by Trade Minister Ömer Bolat that real estate businesses were penalized for exorbitant increases in listing prices, Antalya Real Estate Agents Chamber President İsmail Çağlar claimed that the penalties were unjustly imposed on real estate agents. Çağlar stated that the real culprits behind the price increases are the homeowners, saying, "If penalties are to be imposed, they should be directed at the homeowners."
Following Trade Minister Ömer Bolat's recent announcement that a total of 101 million 200 thousand TL in administrative fines were imposed on 1,012 real estate businesses found to have made exorbitant price increases, a notable reaction came from İsmail Çağlar, President of the Antalya Real Estate Agents and Auto Dealers Tradesmen Chamber. Çağlar emphasized that the real culprits behind the exorbitant price increases are the homeowners, arguing that penalties should be imposed on them.
"THE FINAL DECISION IS MADE BY THE HOMEOWNERS" İsmail Çağlar stressed that real estate agents have no initiative over the listing prices, making the following statement: "As real estate consultants, we must act according to the instructions of the homeowners. It is not possible for us to put anything above or below the price set by the homeowner. Real estate agents also act as appraisers; they research the market value of a property and inform the homeowner. However, the final decision is made by the homeowners. Therefore, it is unfair to hold us responsible for price increases and impose penalties."
"HOMEOWNERS ARE INCREASING PRICES EVEN WITH RUMORS" Pointing out that homeowners are increasing prices based on speculative developments in the economy, Çağlar noted that recent rumors regarding bank loans have even led to price increases. Çağlar stated, "A rumor came out; it was said that bank loans would decrease. Immediately after that, homeowners started to raise prices. This situation is entirely at their discretion. We have no connection to these increases. In fact, economic developments like salary increases also trigger rental prices. Even after news of salary increases for civil servants, homeowners raised rents by up to 50%," he expressed.
THE HOUSING ISSUE IN ANTALYA Addressing the high housing prices in Antalya, Çağlar stated that the intense migration to the city and the slowdown in the construction sector have increased rental and sales prices, adding: "Antalya receives migration from all over the world. This makes it difficult to find rental houses. Currently, the lowest rent in the city is around 12-13 thousand TL. Depending on the region and proximity to the sea, these figures increase even more."
"NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO BUY A HOUSE" Warning citizens about purchasing homes, Çağlar expressed that house prices may rise even further in the coming days. Çağlar concluded his remarks by saying, "If interest rates drop a bit more, there may be another increase in house prices. However, when we look at it in terms of inflation, we see that house prices are actually not high. Low interest rates are one of the biggest reasons triggering price increases. Therefore, now is a good time to buy a house."