CITIES QUIETLY GAINING VALUE OUTSIDE ISTANBUL

A notable shift is taking place on the investment side in Türkiye. Many investors are now looking at the same place, but they are not seeing the same thing.

One side is still discussing only today’s price level. The other side is trying to understand where economic activity is beginning to move, and in which regions the balance of production and population is being reshaped.

One of the most important turning points in the recent period is forming precisely here.

For many years, when real estate investment in Türkiye was mentioned, Istanbul was usually the first city that came to mind. This has not completely changed yet. However, investors above a certain capital level have started to ask different questions:

• Which cities will grow from this point onward?
• Where is the new economic movement forming?
• Toward which axes are production, transportation and population shifting?

Because sometimes the greatest increase in value does not begin when everyone is looking at the same place, but before the crowd has formed.

Quietly Moving Regions

Recently, the following cities and regions in particular have started to be discussed more frequently:

• Çanakkale
• Balıkesir
• Bandırma
• Eskişehir
• Manisa
• Certain development areas around İzmir

The movement here is not progressing only through “land prices.” The real point of attention is the change on the side of transportation, production, logistics and the balance of living conditions.

In some regions, organized industrial investments are expanding. In others, port and transportation projects are becoming more visible. Some cities, in turn, are beginning to attract investors, entrepreneurs and white-collar populations moving out of major cities.

Such changes may not be highly visible in the early stage. Over time, however, they begin to change the economic structure of the region, real estate demand and location value.

Large Capital Moves Before the Noise Begins

There is an important reality that has stood out in the market for years: large investors often take positions not after everyone has started talking, but when they see the first signals of movement.

Because the real value is often formed at an early stage. The picture seen today in some Turkish cities is similar to this.

These regions cannot yet be described as areas that have fully “taken off.” However, there are economic signals that have begun to attract attention. In particular, the following factors are making some cities more visible from an investment analysis perspective:

• production capacity
• transportation investments
• logistics advantage
• industrial transformation
• population movement
• search for quality of life

For this reason, when evaluating real estate and land investment in Türkiye, looking only at today’s price per square meter may not be sufficient. A region’s production, transportation, zoning, population and economic development potential should be read together.

The Core Issue in Investment Decisions Is Reading the Region Correctly

The investment balance in Türkiye is becoming increasingly diversified. In the coming period, not only major city centers but also production corridors, logistics lines, port connections, transportation investments and industrial transformation zones may come to the fore more frequently.

The important point here is not to see every movement as an opportunity, but to distinguish, on a data-driven basis, where a genuine economic transformation is taking place.

If the possibility of value appreciation in a city is to be assessed, the question “Is the price attractive?” is not enough on its own. Zoning status, transportation connections, industrial and logistics development, population movement, official plans and regional comparisons should also be examined.

This perspective is becoming even more critical for Turkish investors living abroad. When investing in Türkiye, seeing the difference between the price perception on the ground and the actual economic potential may only be possible through a proper location analysis and valuation report approach.

Reading the Places Where Value Begins Quietly

Sometimes the greatest opportunities emerge before everyone is looking in the same direction. However, this does not mean that every quiet movement represents the right investment.

What creates the real difference is the ability to analyze why a region is moving, whether that movement is temporary or structural, and which data should support the investment decision.

For today’s investor, the issue is not only choosing a city; it is being able to read the economic direction, development axes and risks behind cities together.

Mustafa Yılmaz

CEO – Anadolu Properties

Europe – Türkiye Investment Bridge