Are you one of the very many Brits thinking of buying in Turkey? That’s great – property is reasonably priced, the climate is great and the local people are lovely.

Don’t let talk of earthquakes scare you too much: in fact, as one property owner I chatted to said, be more scared of driving in Turkey!

Seriously though, the last time I was on the Greek island of Kefalonia, they had an earthquake comparable in size to the one that almost annihilated the entire island in 1953 and nothing was harmed. This was due to the fact that everything had been rebuilt according to the strictest anti-earthquake specifications – and these same regulations have been introduced in Turkey.

All homes built since their disastrous earthquake of 1999 by law have to be built to very clear and regulated anti-earthquake specifications. To make sure of this you need to ask to see the “Use of Building Permit (“Yapi Kullanma Izni”) or “Habitation Certificate (“Oturma Izni/Ruhsati”) when you buy a property to ensure that this has been done.

Bear in mind too that once you have purchased your property you will be required to pay an annual contribution to the government’s earthquake insurance scheme – a small price to pay for peace of mind…

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Turkey, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Turkey Property Buying Guide’