Zekeriyaköy Property Guide: What to Know Before You Buy

What kind of place is Zekeriyaköy?

Zekeriyaköy is a neighbourhood of the Sarıyer district on the European side of Istanbul. It sits on a plateau roughly ten kilometres inland from the Bosphorus, north east of the Belgrad Forest. Families who want to step out of the noise of the city without cutting their ties to it choose the area for that reason.

If the character of the area had to be put in one sentence, it would be this: Zekeriyaköy is one of the few places within Istanbul where garden living in a detached home is still genuinely possible. Children ride bicycles on the street, forest begins behind the houses, and the air is noticeably cleaner than in the city centre.

I have written this guide as an agent who has worked in the area for over a decade. The aim is not to praise the neighbourhood but to put the real questions in front of anyone about to buy or sell here.

Who lives in Zekeriyaköy?

Residents fall into three groups. The first is families with school age children who want a garden. The second is professionals working on the Maslak and Levent axis who want a short and predictable commute rather than a long one. The third is international executives on long term rentals; the international schools in the area and the proximity of the Koç University campus feed that demand.

This mix keeps demand for rental villas alive all year round. On the sale side there are fewer buyers, but those who do come have a clear budget and take their time over the decision.

Housing stock: gated villa, detached villa, flat

Three main types exist in Zekeriyaköy, and the difference between them is less about price than about how you want to live.

Villa in a gated community. Semi detached or terraced villas behind a security gate, with a shared pool, sports area, playground and landscaping service. The advantage is a ready made social environment and maintenance handled for you. The drawback is that the service charge is a serious line item and the garden is smaller than a detached plot.

Detached villa. A house on its own plot that shares no wall with a neighbour. The garden is large, privacy is high, and you are not bound by community decisions. In return, maintenance, security and landscaping fall entirely to the owner.

Boutique flat. Found in low rise buildings with few units. It is the entry point for those who want to live in the area without a villa budget. Ground floor flats with a garden and top floor flats with a terrace are the most sought after in this stock.

You can see current examples in the area on the portfolio page.

Zekeriyaköy's neighbours and how they differ

Most people searching the area look only for the name Zekeriyaköy, yet neighbouring districts offering the same way of life are sometimes the better answer.

Uskumruköy. Immediately north of Zekeriyaköy and quieter. The villa communities are here and the forest setting is more pronounced. The same budget may buy a larger garden than it would closer to the centre of Zekeriyaköy.

Demirciköy. A smaller and more inward looking settlement where detached plots dominate and the village fabric is still felt. A buyer who puts privacy first tends to find it here.

Bahçeköy. At the southern gate of the Belgrad Forest, one step closer to the city than Zekeriyaköy. For anyone who walks or cycles in the forest it has a pull of its own. For more detail, read the Bahçeköy neighbourhood guide.

Göktürk. Administratively part of Eyüpsultan, but its way of life and housing fabric belong to the same family as Zekeriyaköy. The community stock is younger and more varied, and the motorway connection is very close.

Kilyos. On the Black Sea coast. It has traditionally been used for summer and weekend living, though the number of families moving there permanently is rising.

Each of these five suits a different buyer. The right question is not "Zekeriyaköy or Göktürk"; it is "which one fits my daily routine".

How transport actually works

Transport is the most misunderstood aspect of the area. There is no metro in Zekeriyaköy; the nearest station is Hacıosman, reached by car or public transport, and the route to Maslak and Levent runs through it.

The Northern Marmara Motorway and the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge connection are close by. That connection makes two things easier: crossing to the Asian side and reaching Istanbul Airport. For anyone who flies often, this is one of the area's most concrete advantages.

Here is what I recommend when viewing homes: drive the route yourself once at half past eight on a weekday morning and once at six in the evening. The gap between what the map application predicts and the real journey time can be large enough to change your decision.

Schools and daily life

Education is one of the strongest forces behind demand here. Zekeriyaköy and the surrounding area have schools and colleges teaching international curricula, and the Rumelifeneri campus of Koç University is nearby. School bus routes directly shape which community families choose, so for households with children the distance to a pickup point matters as much as the price.

Day to day needs are met by Zekeriyaköy Çarşı and the shops around it, and the choice of cafés and restaurants has grown over the years. Even so, a large shop may mean a trip into the city. Accepting that at the outset is better than being disappointed later.

Seven things to check when buying in Zekeriyaköy

Most of the mistakes made in this area fall under the same seven headings.

• Type of title. Is it full condominium title or construction servitude? A property under construction servitude may not have received its occupancy permit, and that affects both mortgage eligibility and any future sale.

• Occupancy permit. Ask whether the building has one and ask to see the document itself. A verbal assurance is not enough.

• Forest and pasture boundaries. If the plot borders forest or pasture land, that can restrict how the garden is used and what may be added later. Confirm this from the cadastral records.

• Service charge history. Ask for the actual charges collected over the last twelve months. The figure in the listing is often out of date.

• Community rules. Keeping pets, subletting, altering the façade and changing the garden are all governed by the community's management plan. A buyer should read it before committing.

• Heating and utilities. Is there mains gas, is the heating underfloor, is there a water tank and a booster pump? In this area a generator and a water tank are often a necessity rather than a luxury.

• Building age and seismic code. Find out which version of the building code the property was built under, what condition the structure is in, and whether any strengthening work has been carried out.

These seven should be settled before you make an offer, not during viewings. An occupancy permit problem surfacing later can leave an agreed sale hanging for weeks.

Service charges and hidden costs

Most villa buyers build their budget around the purchase price and underestimate the monthly running cost. In a gated community the service charge covers security, pool maintenance, landscaping and shared area heating, and the annual total adds up to a significant figure.

A detached villa has no service charge, but the cost does not disappear; it simply moves. Garden maintenance, the security system, servicing the water tank and repairing the roof and façade all fall to the owner. When deciding, comparing the two options on total monthly running cost is a sounder approach than comparing purchase prices.

Selling: how a home in Zekeriyaköy is sold

Selling here works differently from the flat market. There are fewer buyers, but those who come are serious. What matters is therefore not booking a large number of viewings but finding the right buyer.

Three things stand out in preparing for sale. First, having the paperwork complete from the start: the occupancy permit, the title deed, the service charge history and the management plan should all be waiting in the file. Second, tidying the garden and the façade before the photography; with a villa, the first impression begins at the garden. Third, setting the price against genuine comparables, since two apparently similar villas can differ considerably on location, garden size and view.

One more point: viewings by appointment matter in Zekeriyaköy for the owner's privacy. A buyer who turns up unannounced is not well received here.

Zekeriyaköy as an investment

Supply here is structurally limited. Forest and pasture boundaries enclose the buildable area, so new plots are not easily created, and limited supply is a factor that supports value over time.

Two realities should be accepted from the start, though. The villa market turns over more slowly than the flat market, so once you decide to sell, finding a buyer can take months. And the rental yield is generally lower than on a flat investment because the entry price is high. Zekeriyaköy is better understood as a long term store of value than as a way of turning capital around quickly.

In short

Zekeriyaköy is an area within Istanbul where garden living continues, supply is limited and demand is steady. The right home is chosen by daily routine rather than by budget alone: the school run, the commute and the total monthly running cost matter more than the square metres. When the paperwork is settled before the offer, the process runs smoothly.

If you are considering buying or selling in the area, you can browse the portfolio and current listings here, or reach me through the contact page.