White-Collar Workers Gave Up on the Dream of Owning a Home

Meltingwages, loan interest rates, and housing prices have not only blocked low-income earners' access to housing but also disrupted the homeownership plans of white-collar workers. According to a survey conducted in March with the participation of 4,000 white-collar employees whose salaries range between 75,000 and 150,000 liras, 81 percent of participants do not think they will be able to own a home within 15 years. 

REGULATION IS ESSENTIAL 

arsaVev Chairman of the Board Bülent Öztürk emphasized that the data is striking in terms of the housing problem. Stating that land sales exceeded 5 million units after the pandemic, Öztürk noted that the demand for homeownership through land has increased. Touching upon the sector's demand for regulation, Öztürk said, "In Çanakkale, both village headmen and imams are selling land. There must be a regulation. Companies selling land should have licenses," and stated that the Ministry of Trade is working on this issue. Conveying that it would be very valuable if public lands were used for citizens to acquire housing, Öztürk stated that there is a need for bureaucrats on the public side who know the field. Stating that interest rate cuts are not a solution on their own, Öztürk said that in Emlak Konut campaigns, the interest is loaded onto the contractor, and the contractor loads it onto the product, thus the price of a 10 million lira house rises to 25 million liras.