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They go, of course, not to see sights, but to see their property abandoned almost 30 years ago: gardens, lands, houses. Newspapers on Cyprus itself and in Great Britain (the British are the most active buyers of Cypriot housing) are full of heart-wrenching stories of one or another exile visiting their native places. In the houses left because of the war, completely strangers now live, sometimes former neighbors or their descendants. In some places, furniture abandoned in a hurry is still used.<\/p>
From the point of view of the natural landscape, the north appears to the returnees as a real Eden. Houses, by the standards of southern Cyprus, are simply drowning in greenery: climatically, this is also the best part of the island. Pine forests and cypress groves, beautiful deserted beaches, extremely low population density. That is why real estate in Northern Cyprus in Kyrenia or Iskele is in demand even among foreign citizens.<\/p>
Local residents are not averse to uniting with the prosperous Greek half and finally starting to fully earn from tourism. But many from here do not want to return to their lands abandoned in '74 near Limassol and Paphos - 'raising' a garden on the half left to the Greeks requires much more effort.<\/p>
But only now it becomes obvious how different the halves of divided Cyprus are. The good clothes and new expensive cars of visitors from the Greek side contrast sharply with the life of the inhabitants of old Nicosia, Kyrenia, Famagusta and small towns in the north. Once upon a time, this was the center of tourism (the main attractions, including Christian ones, went to the Turkish Cypriots), the best hotels, the most developed infrastructure. Now only visitors obsessed with history and extreme sports come - the comfort is not the same, and you can only get there via connecting flights through Turkey. Thanks to the economic embargo, poverty reigns in once picturesque areas, traces of war are still found everywhere. While land in Paphos has risen in price 20-25 times over the post-war years, literally enriching owners, among Turkish Cypriots it costs several times less.<\/p>
In recent years, despite the ambiguous status of Northern Cyprus, many foreigners have been tempted to buy real estate here at dumping prices. It posed no problems, except moral ones. The prices are tempting. A two-story house with an area of 60-100 sq.m. costs here $40.000-80.000, luxurious villas - from $100.000. Everything is arranged according to local laws: come and live.<\/p>
However, sensible people refused such offers. The Republic of Northern Cyprus is an unrecognized state, and the property put up for sale often belonged to Greek refugees and is 'self-seized' by the current owners. In a decent law-abiding society, the fact of owning such goods has to be hidden. When in England some politician was exposed as a buyer of a dacha in Northern Cyprus, it caused a real scandal. In case of unification, ignorance of these realities will not absolve from responsibility. You can build a house yourself. But if the 'former' (and from the point of view of international norms, the actual) owner of the plot turns out to be a Greek Cypriot, your investment in construction here may suffer. In the worst case, it will become just a pleasant bonus for the landowner for years of exile. In the best case, the question of monetary compensation will arise. Moreover, southerners do not agree with the dumping northern prices.<\/p>
If Presidents Papandopoulos and Denktash still agree on unification, then foreign buyers of housing on the 'unrecognized' half may well face a painful property settlement with Themis. After all, even if the property is 'clean', previously belonged exclusively to Turkish Cypriots, the deal was conducted through supposedly non-existent authorities, which are considered illegal in the south.<\/p>
In the southern part of Cyprus, real estate is certainly much more expensive. An average villa on five hundred square meters costs $250.000-350.000. Landscaping is more troublesome, although solvable for money (the operation of importing soil and planting plants costs $50 per hundred square meters). But only here you can be sure that the transaction is carried out legally according to any standards - whether local or international. Only here property begins to grow in price literally in the first weeks after purchase. Last autumn in the most popular places, developers had to adjust prices twice a month. Finally, the quality of construction and materials here is obviously higher than in the economically blocked north (although British-made materials are found there too). Even in case of successful unification, the southern part of the island will remain more developed for a very long time, with incomparably better infrastructure. The Republic of Cyprus has long begun to transition from individual septic tanks to sewerage. The north, apparently, will not catch up with this trend soon: for any budget it is a ruinous matter. Catching up on the long-term gap will generally be not easy for the Turkish north.<\/p>
The population of Northern Cyprus itself - especially the youth - for obvious reasons also wholeheartedly wants to join the European Union. And if on May 1, 2004, Cyprus is admitted to the EU as a united state, then everyone will benefit. Money from various European funds, expansion of the list of accessible historical monuments and, accordingly, a surge in tourist interest, growth in rental income. Therefore, potential buyers should keep an eye on the news. Every good news now further boosts land and housing prices. The 'deferred' demand from those foreigners who were still tormented by phobias and couldn't sleep over the thought of armed people on both sides of the 'Green Line' is having an effect. And the higher the local 'Iron Curtain' rises, giving hope for a complete solution to the problem, the more those who manage to invest before the main events will earn.<\/p>