Looking for advice: furnished apartment in Istanbul (budget under $400) – struggling to rent for short stays

[u/Separate_Fishing_136]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some honest advice from people familiar with the Istanbul rental market.

I have a fully furnished 3+1 apartment in Istanbul (Esenyurt area, near Akbatı Mall). It’s inside a hotel/residence complex (Nidya Hotel), fully equipped and move-in ready.

The problem is I’ve been trying to rent it out for short-term stays (around 2–3 months), but I haven’t had any success for quite a while.

My target is budget-conscious tenants (around $300–$400/month), ideally expats, students, or remote workers who need a furnished place for a few months.

I tried working with a real estate agent, but it hasn’t really brought any results, so I’m trying to understand:

Is this price range unrealistic for the area?

Where do people actually look for short-term furnished rentals in Istanbul?

Should I be targeting different platforms (Airbnb, Facebook groups, etc.)?

Any tips on repositioning the listing or improving visibility?

The apartment itself is high quality and ready to move in, so I feel like I might just be missing something in how I’m marketing it.

Any honest feedback would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance 🙏

[u/ChampionDry1479]

The price is fine. The problem isn’t the price, it’s the demand.

To be honest, most expats moving to Istanbul would never choose Esenyurt. The area has very little appeal for foreigners looking to experience the city, so targeting expats is probably unrealistic.

Students might be a better target, but even then most won’t be looking for a furnished apartment for only 3-4 months. I’d try advertising directly in groups for nearby universities.

The other issue is the rental period itself. Even if you find someone, constantly replacing tenants every few months in that location is unlikely to be sustainable.

For context, my family has lived in Istanbul for about 100 years and none of us has ever had a reason to go to that area. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, but it does show how disconnected it is from the parts of Istanbul that most newcomers actually want to live in.

[u/jenrazzle → u/ChampionDry1479]

I just asked my husband and he said he’s never been there either and doubts anyone in his family ever has

[u/dalekxen → u/ChampionDry1479]

only reason to go esenyurt is booty call when you are desperate lol

[u/ChampionDry1479 → u/dalekxen]

I wish.. I haven’t met a person from Esenyurt in my entire life lol