Interest in property purchases in outlying areas close to Istanbul has risen after the recent earthquakes that devastated the southeastern region of Türkiye, with many looking for alternatives on what to do in case a natural disaster strikes the country's most populous city that hosts close to 16 million inhabitants.

After the Feb. 6 earthquakes, the interest in land properties in the Thrace region, in the country's west, increased by up to 200%, experts in the real estate sector pointed out, calling on citizens to invest with care.

While the search traffic on online real estate advertisement sites has multiplied since last month's disaster, according to representatives in the field, the increase in demand was also seen in these outlying areas.

According to data from several real estate investors, districts including Silivri and Çatalca – Istanbul's gateway to the Thrace region – and Tekirdağ's Çerkezköy, as well as Kırıklareli's districts of Vize, Pınarhisar, Lüleburgaz and Babaeski, became popular as a housing option.

It was observed that citizens demanded land where they could place containers, tiny houses and prefabs and stay in those structures in case of natural disasters.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Silivri Real Estate Consultants Association President Mustafa Altınkök stated that the interest in land properties in the district increased after the earthquakes, adding that many citizens are flocking to the region every day to purchase land.

Altınkök said, "Previously, demands centered only on investment; but after the earthquakes, citizens are looking for a place to come and stay in case of any natural disaster. We have experienced this before and during the COVID-19 period.''

The chairperson of Çerkezköy Real Estate Agents Association, Daimi Tavan, said that there is great investor interest, especially in Çerkezköy, Kapaklı and Saray districts of Tekirdağ, and the central Vize and Pınarhisar districts of Kırklareli.

Expressing that there is high interest in Silivri and the northern parts of Çatalca, which are located on the Thracian border of Istanbul, Tavan noted that Thrace in general was the center of attraction for investors after the earthquake.

Tavan said: "The demand for land in the region has increased by 200%. Not only the citizens but also the industrialists in Istanbul have a high interest. They also want to shift their production sites to Thrace in order not to have any trouble in the eventuality of a possible earthquake.''

However, another real estate consultant, Fatih Karatepe, stated that the increasing interest in the region has also mobilized unauthorized real estate agents, and pointed out that grievances may result from time to time. "Our desire is for our investors to work with real estate consultants that obtain real estate trade authorization certificate. Otherwise, we witness that there are (some) of our citizens who come to us later and say that their investments were wasted," Karatepe said.

Real estate expert Abdulkadir Tanrıver said there was intense activity in the region after the earthquake, with a number of investors reaching out to them to buy plots of land, regardless of whether it was big or small. He said that citizens look for a place where ''they can settle'' in the event of an earthquake, and they say, "'I want a place where I can put a container at least.'"

Last month's devastating earthquake has opened the doors for migrations across the country, as more than 3.3 million people from quake-torn areas are being resettled and moved to other provinces. This number includes some 240,000 students, according to the data provided by the National Education Ministry (MEB) on Tuesday.

Many of the earthquake survivors have resettled in provinces close to the earthquake-hit zone including Mersin, Adana, Sivas and the Mediterranean resort towns of Antalya and Alanya.