IbrahimAbi

Wise is an excellent system, you know how much it will cost you upfront, and you know exactly how much you will get in TL. In my experience your money will be in your account within 2 hours. Some banks simply don't want foreign customers. In some cases they will not open accounts for specific nationalities, eg Iranians.

No, the commission is a one off for finding the property. you should expect a raise in the rent though, but it must be within the legal guidelines. There is a maximum percentage increase that is legal.

Sorry I cannot compare, I use internet banking, but not mobile, as I hate these HUGE smartphones. My wife has one, but generally, we prefer internet banking. We are more than happy with Garanti, their internet banking is more than we need, we have used it for paying bills, paying traffic fines, money transfers to pay bills, or send money to our other accounts, to receive money from, and send money to our banks in the UK. The English provision is also good.

You will find Kusadasi more relaxing than a big city like Izmir, but it will be much quieter in winter time. Izmir tends to be quieter in summer as people move out to the beach towns.

We banked with Yapi Kredi for a while, no problems, but now use Iş and Garantı banks (only because they are ın the nearest town)

We have several hundred books in English (but suitable for adults not kids), you can have what you want for free in you are able to collect. We are about 120km from Antalya. Send me a PM if you are interested.

I wouldn't expect anything to happen this week as it is Bayram. I think you will see changes in status from Monday

We have used (transfer) Wise several times over the last year. I am pleased with the clarity, they tell you what you will get, and what you will pay in commission. The money arrives as they say it will, and you can track it every step of the way. (I am transferring from a UK bank, not US). It is a bit of a fiddle to set up, but bear with it, after the initial proof of who you are, it is so simple, and relatively secure. My UK bank would want at least £25 per transaction, I pay a fraction of that with Wise, and get a good rate. The only issue though, as it has to arrive in TL, is to transfer only what you will spend in the upcoming month.

I would be wary of bundles. Years ago I signed up to a TV and internet bundle with one major company whose name begins with a 'D'. After 3 weeks they contacted me and told me that, as I was a foreigner (with residence permit), they could not activate the internet. They requested me to return the equipment (which I did, and got a signature), they would cancel the contract. They then hounded me with up to 7 different lawyers for several years because I had not made the monthly payments for the service that they had cancelled.

We have two vehicles, one a Ford (bought new), one a VW (bought second hand). I have no preferences for either. First you need to bear in mind that Road tax (bandrol) is payable twice a year, and can be expensive. It icreases (significantly with engine size and newness of the car. It is in band of 3 year. So, for a 5L engine, under 3 years, you will have to pay thousand of dollars. Service for well know makes is easily available and reasonably priced, although they do not service as they do in Europe. Oil will be changed and filters, but if you have a specific requirement eg cam belt replacement, you need to specify this, it will not be done automatically at a particular mileage point. Check whether there is an authorised dealer in your town, eg we had our eyes on a Jaguar, but Antalya 120 km away is the nearest dealer, so we let that one go. If buying second hand, I would take advantage of the new computerised check up (Expertiz), available in the industrial estates in many towns. Any more questions, then please post. If buying second hand look at prices in www.sahibinden.com to get an idea what is reasonable (but even some of these are too high). Never pay the asking price. Good luck

You do need the 11 digit TC number though, it begins with a 99 for foreigners.

Or UPS

We use transferwise and just change it as we need it. the exchange rate is continually changing so, to maximise benefit to you, do not change too much at one go. Enjoy your time in Turkey.

Aferin Mick amca

I asked the missus, she says that she tips if it is convenient, for example if it cost 45TL she would give 50TL and say keep the change. Now it costs 50 she probably won't tip.