Library of Celsus, Ephesus
İzmir · Aegean

Buying property in Selçuk

Village houses next to Ephesus – where archaeology decides what you may build. On-site visits available.

Request a check for a property in Selçuk
Photo: Benh LIEU SONG, CC BY-SA 3.0

Selçuk at a glance

Provinceİzmir (Aegean)
AirportADB (İzmir Adnan Menderes)
Homes sold to foreigners, 2025389 in İzmir province1
Typical stockVillage & stone houses, olive groves, flats
Our checkDesk check ✓ · on-site visit ✓ (İzmir region)
Top watch-outArchaeological SİT zones

📍 On-site visits available here – we are based in Çeşme, İzmir (Premium tier).

İsa Bey Mosque, Selçuk
İsa Bey Mosque, Selçuk
Traditional houses in Şirince
Traditional houses in Şirince
Arcadian Street, Ephesus
Arcadian Street, Ephesus

🧭 About Selçuk

  • A small town beside Ephesus, one of the great ancient cities (UNESCO2).
  • Şirince, a hillside wine village, is just up the road; Kuşadası and the coast are close.
  • Quiet, rural and full of history.

🏠 Market snapshot

  • Typical buys: village and stone houses (Şirince, Selçuk), olive groves and farmland, apartments in town.
  • A small market for foreigners: İzmir province as a whole sold 389 homes to foreigners in 20251.
  • Many rural plots are farmland, not building land.

Check before you buy

  • Archaeology: land around Ephesus is graded SİT (1st degree = no building). Check the plot’s SİT status first.
  • Village houses: old houses in Şirince sit in a protected area – renovation needs approval.
  • Farmland: agricultural land has minimum parcel sizes and cannot simply be split or built on.
  • Shared title: olive groves are often hisseli (shared) – you buy a share, not a defined plot.
  • Earthquake: the İzmir region is seismically active. Check building year and permits.

Rules for all foreign buyers in Türkiye

  • Residence permit through property: for homes bought since 16 Oct 2023 the price on the title deed must be at least USD 200,000, and the home must be lived in, not rented out3.
  • Citizenship through property: at least USD 400,000 with a 3-year “no sale” annotation on the deed; since Dec 2023 only built property counts4.
  • Foreigners can own up to 30 hectares each and up to 10% of a district’s private land; plots near military or security zones need clearance5.
  • Short-term holiday rentals (100 days or less) need a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism6.

Found a property in Selçuk?

Send the listing. We check title deed, zoning, permits, hazards and the asking price, and send an English report with red, amber and green flags in 3–7 business days. You pay only if we accept the job.

Request a check for a property in Selçuk See a sample report

From $149 · Independent · No commission from sellers or agents · Not an official valuation, not legal advice.

Other places

IstanbulCappadociaÇeşme · İzmirBodrumKaş · AntalyaFethiyeAntalyaAll places →

Sources

  1. TÜİK House Sales Statistics, 2025 – İzmir (via Ege Olay)
  2. UNESCO – Ephesus
  3. Presidency of Migration Management – short-term residence documents
  4. Your Key Türkiye (official) – acquisition of citizenship by property
  5. Land Registry Law No. 2644, Art. 35 (foreign ownership limits)
  6. Law No. 7464 – tourism rental permit (e-Devlet application)

General information, checked October 2026. Rules change – we re-check them for every report. Not legal advice.

Photos (Wikimedia Commons, resized/cropped): Ephesus Celsus Library Façade – Benh LIEU SONG, CC BY-SA 3.0 · İsa Bey Camii – Carlos Delgado, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Traditional houses of Sirience- it's not so tiny after all! (16315050585) – shankar s., CC BY 2.0 · Ephesus - Arcadiane Street 01 – Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Full credits