Turkey’s Home Sales Jump 14.3 pct in 2025

Turkey’s housing market closed 2025 with strong momentum, as total home sales rose by 14.3% year-on-year to 1,688,910 units, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). The figures point to a broad-based recovery in residential demand, driven primarily by a sharp increase in mortgage-backed sales, while purchases by foreign buyers continued to decline on an annual basis.

The annual increase marks a clear turnaround from the previous year and highlights renewed activity in both the first-hand and second-hand housing segments. December data, in particular, confirmed that sales activity gained speed toward the end of the year.

Istanbul Maintains Its Dominance in Housing Sales

Istanbul once again led the national housing market in 2025, with 280,262 homes sold, accounting for more than 17% of all residential transactions across Turkey. The city’s sustained leadership reflects its population size, economic weight, and continued appeal to both domestic and international buyers.

Ankara ranked second with 152,534 home sales, followed by Izmir with 96,998 units. At the other end of the spectrum, the provinces with the lowest sales volumes were Ardahan (727 homes), Bayburt (1,251 homes), and Hakkari (1,559 homes), underscoring regional disparities in Turkey’s housing market.

December 2025 Sees Nearly 20% Growth

Housing sales accelerated notably in the final month of the year. In December 2025, total home sales reached 254,777 units, a 19.8% increase from December 2024.

Of these transactions, 96,690 were first-hand (new) homes, while 158,087 were second-hand properties. As a result, 38% of December sales consisted of newly built homes, while 62% came from the second-hand market, confirming the continued dominance of resale properties.

Mortgage-backed transactions also played a visible role in December. 29,149 homes were sold through mortgages, while 225,628 homes changed hands via other payment methods. Mortgage sales accounted for 11.4% of total monthly sales, while non-mortgage transactions accounted for the remaining 88.6%.

Mortgage Sales Surge Nearly 50% in 2025

One of the most striking developments in TÜİK’s data is the sharp rise in mortgage-backed home sales throughout 2025. On an annual basis, 236,668 homes were sold with mortgages, a 49.3% increase from 2024.

This surge suggests a significant shift in financing conditions, particularly in the second half of the year, as buyers increasingly turned to mortgage options. Despite strong growth, mortgage sales still accounted for 14.0% of total annual transactions, while other sales methods accounted for 86.0%.

Overall sales dynamics in 2025 show that second-hand homes remained the backbone of the market. Second-hand sales climbed 15.6% year-on-year to 1,148,124 units, while first-hand sales rose 11.6% to 540,786 units. This distribution reflects both affordability considerations and the limited supply of newly built housing in some regions.

Foreign Home Purchases Decline Annually

While domestic demand strengthened, home sales to foreign buyers declined year over year. In 2025, 21,534 homes were sold to non-Turkish nationals, a 9.4% decrease from 2024. Foreign purchases accounted for just 1.3% of total home sales nationwide.

The provinces most preferred by foreign buyers remained unchanged. Istanbul ranked first with 7,989 homes sold to foreigners, followed by Antalya with 7,118 and Mersin with 1,800.

By nationality, the leading buyers in 2025 were:

Citizens of the Russian Federation – 3,649 homes
Iranian citizens – 1,878 homes
Ukrainian citizens – 1,541 homes

Despite the annual decline, December data showed a short-term rebound. In December 2025 alone, 2,541 homes were sold to foreigners, marking a 5.1% increase compared with the same month a year earlier. Russians once again topped the list with 504 purchases, followed by Iranians (232) and Ukrainians (193).