HOME sales across Turkey in May rose by a total 107.5% compared to the same time in 2021, with purchases by foreigners hitting 236%, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) revealed.

Foreigners bought 5,962 houses, corresponding to 4.9% of all house sales in Turkey.

Istanbul was the favorite property market among foreign nationals. Last month, foreigners bought more than 2,400 houses in the city, Antalya ranked second at 1,885.

Russians and Ukrainians have been moving to Antalya, since the start of the war, buying or renting houses in this holiday hotspot. Foreigners also snapped up 264 houses in Mersin.

Russians topped the list of homebuyers. The nationals bought 1,275 houses last month, followed by Iranians, Iraqis, Germans and Ukrainians.

From January to May, foreign nationals bought a total of 26,753 houses in Turkey, pointing to a 70% increase from a year ago.

Meanwhile, new house sales rose by 80.5% in May on an annual basis to 32,860 units, while second-hand house sales leaped nearly 120% from a year ago to some 90,000.