Search Results for: portugal

Buying Real Estate In Portugal: A Step-By-Step Guide

Azenhas do Mar Seaside Town in Sintra, Portugal

How To Buy Property Overseas: Our Portugal Guide

Portugal has been my top all-around destination choice for both lifestyle and real estate investment for the past several years.

It has an awful lot going for it as a country.

More sunshine than California, a low cost of living, and rich history and culture. Portugal also has excellent health care, low crime, and is safe and …

Comparing Investments In Real Estate: Northern Cyprus Vs. Portugal

Northern Cyprus to the left and Porto, Portugal to the right

Property Investment In Northern Cyprus Vs. Portugal

How do you decide which real estate investment destination is best for you?

Comparing real estate investments in your home country is easy because information on the market is available. You are generally comparing apples to apples.

When comparing real estate markets of countries that are thousands of miles apart, with different economies, cultures, and legal systems, it’s a different scenario.

There isn’t a single number I can pick to show you which country is better. And the investment that is best for you is not necessarily going to be the best for everybody.

I’ll illustrate this by comparing Northern Cyprus’s burgeoning market to Portugal’s more mature property market. Despite appearing similar at first glance, they offer vastly different investment opportunities…

Northern Cyprus

Size: 3,354 square kms
Population: 326,000

Adobe Stock/Vladimir Sazonov

Nestled in the northeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea is the Republic of Cyprus, the third-largest island on the Med. Northern Cyprus is the Turkish Cypriot side of the Republic of Cyprus.

It’s not part of the EU while the Republic of Cyprus is. Despite this, business continues as usual on both sides of the border, and residents and vacationers travel freely across the island.

With long sandy beaches and an ambiance of ancient culture and history, Northern Cyprus is the new lifestyle and investment destination for pioneering investors. It’s also possibly the cheapest place to live in the Western World.

This tiny country has a near-perfect climate, with up to 340 days of sunshine every year and temperatures that rarely rise above …

Portugal’s Algarve Versus Spain’s Costa Del Sol—Finding The Best Value

The Algarve to the left and Costa del Sol to the right

When it comes to sun, sea, and sand, southern Europe offers two attractive options on its warm, southern coastline—Portugal’s Algarve and Spain’s Costa del Sol. Each share a similar history of Roman and Moorish patrimony, excellent fresh seafood, and sunny idyllic climates. Owning property and living in either of these locations is a dream for almost anyone.

The property markets of the two regions differ in both value and affordability, with the Algarve being a better choice for those who want to live in the sunshine.

Let’s take a look.

Costa Del Sol

Malaga from the skies in Costa del Sol, Spain
Adobe Stock/LucVi

Costa del Sol is located on the southern coastal area of Spain’s Andalucía region. It’s bordered by the busy towns of Nerja and Marbella, with Málaga as its centerpiece. As an American expat living in Portugal’s Algarve for three years now, I have an easy two-hour drive to Spain’s Costa del Sol. The scenery is stunning, with mountains rising dramatically out of the sea.

Costa del Sol became a tourist haven early on and, unfortunately, tourists, expats, and property developers flooded the region. Builders erected hundreds of thousands of …

A Portugal Golden Visa Property With Four Diverse Benefits

The Monchique mountains, Portugal, view from near highest point

The Investment Visa Quadfecta—One Investment, Four Benefits

A “quadfecta” is a betting term for picking the four fastest horses in a race. The odds of this happening are small… so the rewards for picking a quadfecta are great.

Sometimes an investment comes along that wins on four different fronts in one go.

When I find an investment like this, I tell my clients to act fast because it will sell out before the retail property market even hears about it.

If a second residency is on your radar, you can still get permanent residency, risk diversification, and other great benefits in Portugal.

Rumors of the shuttering of the Portuguese Golden Visa Program aren’t true, but the program has changed dramatically for most investors.

Most popular coastal areas and large cities no longer qualify.

The Portuguese government introduced these changes because the influx of Golden Visa investment had driven up the average property prices across the entire country by 57% in just eight years.

This is a phenomenon called Investment Visa Price Creep.

Investment Visa Price Creep is when property markets are inflated by visa buyers making investments just for …

Why Portugal Tops The List For Living Or Investing In Europe

Skyline of Porto, Portugal at sunrise

Why The World Is Hot For Portugal’s Spicy Investments

For six centuries Portugal’s mighty empire dominated European life. Soon after launching its age of discovery, Portugal had an empire encompassing West Africa, Asia, and the Americas, becoming the first de facto world empire.All this bloody conquest was to slake her insatiable thirst for priceless spices from every corner of the globe. People flocked to the banners of the Portuguese empire to enjoy the many benefits of her citizenship.Alas, no empire lasts forever. When Portugal finally relinquished the island of Macau to the Chinese in 1999, the world thought that Portugal’s days of plundering were over.However, a little over two decades after Portugal relinquished the last vestiges of her empire, she is back to her old tricks once again. Portugal is back in the spice game, but this time she’s not looking for cinnamon or saffron. Her eyes are on …

Some Helpful Tips Before You Buy Real Estate In Portugal

View on Lagos in Portugal

While I feel  lucky to wake up in my new Portuguese home, it took more than good luck to get me here. It was the calculated process leading up to my purchase that did.

Having already been through this procedure, I caution all potential foreign investors to roll up your sleeves and do your homework before starting to look at properties.

Familiarize yourself with Portuguese law and governance, especially pertaining to real estate. International “White List” treaties, the application of property and income taxes, and fiscal responsibilities may factor into your decision. Remember that the “beach and café vacation” you fell in love with isn’t the daily reality experienced by most Portuguese homeowners.

Utilize Online Assistance

A woman using her laptop
Pixabay/Free-Photos

The Portuguese Consulate website clearly defines the information relative to each buyer’s citizenship. Depending on where …

What You Should Know Before Buying Property In Portugal

Traditional Rabelo Boats, Porto, Portugal.

4 Things You Should Know Before Jumping On A Portuguese Property

Languishing

According to an article in The New York Times last week, this may just be the dominant emotion of 2021.

When we’re languishing, we’re able to drag ourselves out of bed and go through the motions. But we’re missing much of our old spark. We don’t have the …

New Independent Living Project On Portugal’s Algarve Coast

Representation of architectural plans for a living facility in Portugal

With the cost of retirement communities skyrocketing in the States and Canada, many vibrant retirees are looking outside their home countries for alternative places to bask in the sun and enjoy a cultural yet modern lifestyle.

Capitalizing on this growing market of baby boomers, a savvy developer in Portugal has launched the Algarve’s first coastal independent-living project. Those who attended our Global Property Summit in March were among the first to glimpse this revolutionary plan.

The lucky folks in the room this month for our Live and Invest in Portugal Conference were privy to the latest updates and last-minute details of this project, with the opportunity to get in on the ground floor. As I write, the pre-launch offer has expired, and the project is going public around Europe and the world.

Everything from the project’s location at the highest point in town with the best sea views to its fully accessible unit designs has been carefully chosen for this custom project. Even the municipality of Lagos has dubbed this development as the most important project in the town of Praia da Luz.

The Details

The four-story complex will feature four different apartment types:

  • 24 units on the top two floors boasting sea views;
  • 6 sea- or garden-view units offering narrower sea views and garden vistas with large, private terraces;
  • 4 units without sea views but accentuated by large, private terraces; and
  • 4 poolside units with direct access to the common areas and the ground floor.

Although the exact floor plans are not set yet, the project will offer:

  • 29 two- or three-bedroom layouts of approximately 90 square meters (969 square feet) plus terrace space;
  • 5 two-bedroom options with 73 square meters (786 square feet) plus terrace; and
  • 4 one-bedroom apartments ranging from 55 to 60 square meters (592 to 646 square feet).

The upper terraces will cover 17 square meters (183 square feet) while the ground-floor terraces will be larger with 50 to 100 square meters (538 to 1,076 square feet) of outdoor space.

Special Features

This upscale living environment has been designed to provide luxury living in a community setting. From soundproofing, which is now required by law, to in-floor heating, these fully accessible apartments offer the latest in security and high-tech details. All floors will have elevator access and modern furniture packages are available. Plans feature open kitchens if desired, but owners can also choose a closed kitchen plan.

Accessible showers are standard, but bathtubs are also available. Each unit comes with a covered parking space and locked storage area of approximately 6 square meters (65 square feet). A few larger storage spaces are available at an additional cost.

The community space includes two swimming pools, an outdoor lap pool and an indoor heated pool, a library, gym, reading lounge, high-tech internet in all areas, solar heating, a roof-top terrace, barbecue, and small community kitchen with beautiful landscaping all around.

This project is within walking distance to many restaurants, cafés, shops, a hairdresser, the city center, and one of the best beaches in Europe. Public transportation is at your doorstep, which gives you easy access to everything the town offers.

Overhead view of the living units at a living facility in Portugal
A view of the three types of units available

Target Market

This development is geared toward people who are looking for permanent living options, not short-term rentals for tourists. The social spaces are designed to encourage resident interaction, and the fully accessible designs will allow residents to continue living here even if their mobility declines.

By using internal management, the project will avoid high professional-management fees while also providing jobs for locals. There will be no on-site health care provided. The ideal residents are independent and active retirees, however there is no age restriction for investors nor residents. The goal is to have a vibrant community environment year-round, not just during the tourist season.

How To Get In On This Deal

The developer is offering two financially friendly plans for purchasing your dream apartment on the sunny coast of Portugal.

The Mezzanine Plan requires 50% of the overall price to be paid upon confirmation of purchase from the buyer. Confirmation won’t happen until the final plans are approved by all regulatory bodies and then by each individual investor.

The remaining 50% is paid upon deed signing, which is expected to occur in 2021. The second payment may qualify for financing depending on your personal circumstances.

Until final deed transfer, your deposit will earn 6% per year, paid annually in arrears. This financing plan is not available for the one-bedroom apartments.

The Staged Payment Plan is based upon the phased development of the project. After the initial 20% deposit paid upon commitment, several 10% payments are made during various stages of construction such as foundation, roof, windows, etc., until the final 20% is owed upon completion.

You will not receive earnings on your investment under the staged payment plan.

Money-Back Guarantee

The developer is so confident that you will love this project, he is offering a 100%-money-back guarantee if you don’t like the final plans as approved by all governing bodies.

Any buyer may change his or her mind once the final plans are available for review and choose to not move forward with the investment. At that point, the entire deposit will be refunded, no questions asked, less any bank fees incurred for transferring the money.

However, if you agree to proceed with the purchase of a unit, you cannot sell your unit until the development is completely sold, and then the sale must go through the development company at market rates and conditions or better.

Pricing

This company has done an extensive market analysis to determine reasonable pricing for this project. They’ll even provide their research to any prospective buyers interested in these details. The overall intention is to keep the prices within market averages while providing a solid base for retaining property values and ensuring growth over time.

The pre-launch prices shared with the Global Property Summit and Portugal Conference attendees ranged from 199,000 euros to 410,000 euros. But, of course, this project is flying off the self, so prices are constantly changing. To get the best deal, click here as soon as possible and speak with the developer directly.

Wendy Howarter

Portugal’s Golden Visa Program Offers Residency And Profit

Algarve rock - coast in Portugal
Obtain European Residency With A Chance To Profit In Portugal
Plus: A Potentially Great Path-Of-Progress Buy

Obtaining residency in a foreign country is one of the most important benefits of buying real estate abroad. I write frequently about obtaining residency through property purchase, and the examples of good programs are almost always in Latin America.

But now it’s Europe’s turn… specifically, Portugal. Portugal has a program called the Golden Visa program, which targets the foreign investor and property buyer.

For the average buyer with no family connections in Europe, it’s the best residency program that I know of right now.

Here’s why the Portuguese Golden Visa program is so valuable today.

First and foremost, Portugal is a great place to live, so residency there is naturally attractive. The Portuguese claim to have the best beaches in Europe and boast their moderate weather and abundance of sunshine.

Also, Portuguese properties are a good deal at this time, as they still have not come back from …