The costliest error involves taking legal advice from the other side. The developer is paid only if the sale goes through, which is a different interest than acting for you. Your own legal adviser represents a fraction of what is at stake and remains the best protection.
Putting your name to untranslated contracts ranks close behind. buying an apartment in san francisco official translation costs little set against what is at stake. Verbal assurances carry no weight when the written text differs — only the signed text matters.
Purchasing off-plan on trust has ruined plenty of plans. Before any payment, review the developer's completed projects, the construction licences, and how deposits are protected. Late deliveries happen frequently with even the best developers; unfinished projects are the exception but genuinely ruinous.
Ignoring the exit is less obvious but just as costly. A home bought abroad has to be sold or passed on at some point, and the pool of future buyers decides what you get back. A home attractive only to a narrow group takes longer to sell in a weak market.
Last of all, a lot of buyers underestimate the annual paperwork. Annual declarations can be required even buy property in famagusta years with no rental income, and bafra villa prices late filings generate fines nobody warns you about. Putting in place a local tax adviser from the first year prevents most of these problems.