House sales in Türkiye soared by 17.6% in May compared to the same month last year, reaching a total of 130,025 units, according to a statement released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) on Thursday.  

The provinces leading the market were İstanbul with 22,103 sales, followed by Ankara with 11,975, and İzmir with 7,817. In contrast, Ardahan recorded the lowest sales with 48 units, followed by Bayburt with 67, and Gümüşhane with 91.

Mortgaged house sales saw a remarkable 95.9% increase in May, totaling 19,412 units, accounting for 14.9% of all house sales. Over the January-May period, mortgaged sales surged by 98.7%, reaching 88,606 units. Of these, 4,674 units in May and 21,062 units in the January-May period were first-time sales.

Non-mortgaged (other) house sales also rose, increasing by 9.9% in May to 110,613 units, representing 85.1% of total sales. For the January-May period, other house sales grew by 17.7%, totaling 495,564 units.

First-time house sales increased by 11.2% in May, reaching 39,546 units, comprising 30.4% of total sales. For the January-May period, first-time sales grew by 17.7% to 174,055 units. Second-hand house sales saw a stronger increase of 20.6% in May, totaling 90,479 units, or 69.6% of all sales. Over the first five months of 2025, second-hand sales rose by 29.0%, reaching 410,115 units.

House sales to foreigners dropped by 14.2% in May compared to the previous year, totaling 1,771 units, or 1.4% of all sales. İstanbul led with 648 sales to foreigners, followed by Antalya with 594, and Mersin with 145. In the January-May period, sales to foreigners decreased by 13.7%, amounting to 7,789 units. Russian citizens topped the list of foreign buyers in May with 274 purchases, followed by Iranians with 133, and Germans with 127.

The robust growth in Türkiye’s housing market reflects strong domestic demand, particularly in major cities, despite a decline in foreign buyer activity. (ILKHA)