The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), otherwise known as Northern Cyprus, remains one of the few truly unspoilt corners of Europe. It has a wonderful climate, the friendliest of peoples, a fascinating cultural heritage, empty sandy beaches, cheap living costs, spectacular mountain ranges, and sleepy, tranquil villages.

However, ever since a Greek-inspired coup triggered Turkey to invade Cyprus in 1974, resulting in the Greek and Turkish communities retreating to their own sectors of the island - with Northern Cyprus becoming the Turkish section and Southern Cyprus the Greek one - there has been a degree of discord in Cyprus.

This has included longstanding disagreement between Greek and Turkish Cypriots over the question of ownership of land and property, and over buying property in Northern Cyprus. That said, it is still possible to buy properties for sale in Northern Cyprus that are perfectly legal and which will not trigger potential ownership disputes and compensation in the future.

Properties in Northern Cyprus have Turkish, foreign or TRNC title deeds. The first two demonstrate Turkish Cypriot or foreign ownership pre-1974. A property with TRNC title deeds indicates that it was Greek-owned prior to 1974, and therefore prudent buyers should only choose a property with a foreign or Turkish deed. They are quite rare and therefore properties possessing them tend to be considerably more expensive than those with TRNC deeds.

Despite this, property in Northern Cyprus is still generally significantly lower in price when compared with southern Cyprus.

Numerous agents based both on and off the island conduct Northern Cyprus property sales, and some manage renting property in Northern Cyprus too.

Most property sales centre around the picturesque harbour town of Kyrenia (or Girne, to give it its Turkish title) and its nearby villages. Numerous new developments have been springing up in this region in recent years, but there are many areas of Northern Cyprus that remain completely undeveloped.

By Ben West