Feyza Süsal
06 November 2015•Update: 06 November 2015
IZMIR, Turkey
News that A-list Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have bought a multi-million-dollar summer villa on Turkey's western coast has thrilled the region and local people, even as it reportedly pushes up property prices.
It was reported that the late-October purchase of the $2.6 million super luxury mansion was made via an Italian real estate company.
Local businessman Mehmet Unal told Anadolu Agency this week that the star couple – often tagged with the ‘Brangelina’ portmanteau – bought the four-storey, 2,500 square-meter mansion with swimming pool in the Saklikoy area of Urla after he organized a boat trip for the couple and their children last summer.
Speaking as he anchored his vessel off Saklikoy on Thursday, Unal says that he himself accompanied the couple as they looked around the seven-bedroom mansion which comes complete with two living rooms, a private swimming pool and a sports hall.
"They had their children, cooks and staff with them. We took them around Pinarli, Yassi, Cicek and Kasik islands from early morning till the afternoon. They even came to our restaurant with their yacht," he said.
"The couple loved Urla very much, because we have the sea, artichokes, fish and everything here and this place is just 20 kilometers [13 miles] from the airport. [Now that] they saw this, I think they will visit here very often," he added.
Mesut Guleroglu, chairman of Izmir Chamber of Real Estate Agencies, said that housing prices in Urla have begun to rise as soon as the names of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were mentioned.
"Earlier, you could find a moderate house far from the coast for a price of 200,000 Turkish lira [around $69,500]. But after the news of celebrities buying houses flew about, the price of the cheapest house has jumped to 250,000 Turkish lira [around $86,900]" he said.
