Buy Property Portugal asked:


The Buyer´s Guide to Portugal

 

Its richness from the age of discoveries, great climate and excellent food, make Portugal a great lifestyle choice!

 

Good things come in small packages and, at only 560km by 220km, Portugal is a small country with a lot to offer. Portugal is situated on the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, which it shares with Spain, and its 800km of coastline all face the Atlantic.



Winters are particularly mild on the coast, and summers are hot but rarely unpleasant. The Atlantic air masses keep Portugal green and beautiful. But best of all, the country is largely unspoilt and the food and drink is fabulous.

 

The beaches along much of this coastline are sandy and very popular, with surfers from all over the globe coming to take advantage of the huge waves.

Whether you are planning a holiday in Portugal or looking to buy property there, you will have lots to keep you occupied during your stay. Portugal was a hugely wealthy country about five hundred years ago when its maritime discoveries brought riches to the Iberian Peninsula. However, the Age of Discoveries ended along with the sixteenth century and Portugal slowly became a remote place compared to much of Europe.

There are plenty of excellent golf courses in Portugal, especially in the Algarve where you can often combine sea views, sunshine and a round of golf quite happily.

Another reason for moving to Portugal is that it seems a lot cheaper than places in Northern Europe. Flights to Faro, are quite inexpensive and this, combined with the 3000 hours of sunshine that some regions get every year, really makes Portugal the ideal place to live.

Buy Property Portugal asked:


This is www.buypropertyportugal.com ’s next chapter of how to buy a property in Portugal, here we focus on the Algarve as it’s currently one of the most attractive places to invest and to enjoy investment growth while enjoying the sunshine on the beach

 

The Property Market

 

Why not choose to base yourself in an area with over 3000 hours of sunshine each year and give yourself the quality of life you deserve?

 

 

Portugal is an attractive location for house buyers, with the Algarve being the most popular area for British buyers, mainly due to the weather, golden beaches, and the abundance of golf courses. It is Portugal’s busiest, most developed region and it is reported that 90 percent of all property sales to foreign buyers are in the Algarve.

 

The age of Internet and ADSL means that mobility of labour is very much a reality and it is easily possible to maintain instant contact with colleagues anywhere in the world. Satellite TV means access to English language television and VOIP systems give you a U.K. telephone number and U.K. calls at low rates.

 

There are excellent air connections to anywhere in Europe and intercontinentally from Faro or Lisbon airports, making it perfectly possible to base yourself in Portugal and ‘commute’ back to the U.K. Many of the ‘budget’ airlines fly into Faro from Stanstead, Luton, Bristol, Gatwick, Heathrow, East Midlands, Dublin or Manchester and offer excellent value charter fares. Additional routes come on stream during the summer months.



 

Where to Buy

 

The Portuguese property market is showing consistent growth, strong rental demand, relative living costs and safe environment.

 

 

There is a wide choice of great properties in wonderful locations and often less expensive than the equivalent in France or Spain.

 

Remember that the summer months in the Algarve, especially August, are very busy in terms of traffic and there are visitors from the north of Portugal and from Spain as well as holidaymakers from all over Europe, all expecting good access to the beach. Unless you enjoy being part of the crowd you may appreciate being a little removed from the bustle. Being just a few kilometers inland can have considerable benefit.

 

Don’t forget to take into account your proposed usage of the property, if you are expecting to live in Portugal permanently then the factors that affect your decision on what to purchase will vary from those required if you are planning to rent the property out for part of the year.

 

Many properties inland or ‘up in the hills’ do not have mains water or drainage. Instead they rely on a system of cisternas (tanks) to collect rainwater and store water brought in by or pumped from a ‘furo’ (a bore-hole), whilst a ‘fossa’ or sceptic tank contains and treats sewage waste.

 

All of these facilities are reliable and capable of many years of unattended operation. Bear in mind if you plan to re-plant the garden, water can be at a premium in the summer months and a new garden may require a bore-hole to be drilled to obtain the necessary extra water needed for irrigation.

 

Drilling companies charge per metre for drilling and then the cost of the pump, control equipment and electrical installation must be added.

 

At Exclusive Algarve Villas, we  try our hardest to give you the latest and most up to date information on the Portugal property market and costs.

 

Please feel free to question our consultants about anything to do with buying and investing in Portugal, in person, via email at info@eavillas.com or on the telephone (+351) 282 353 019

 

Portugal remains an exclusive location, with fewer of the ‘over development’ problems of some of its neighbours. The opportunity to buy quality property in a great location remains excellent but, like all good things in life, availability can’t last. Portugal is slowly but surely being ‘discovered’ and if you’re going to do it, now could be the perfect time to step in to this beautiful country!

 

Portugal is an utterly charming country and relatively speaking still overlooked by second-homebuyers.

 

Many areas have an exclusive feel and second-homebuyers and investors are waking up to the advantages of buying in a country which has not suffered the mass development of other parts of Europe, which is quick and easy to get to, and where the cost of living is still relatively cheap.

 

The Portuguese market is very active, with purchasers from across Europe.  There are plenty of Dutch, French, Spanish and Scandinavians buying, as well as the British. This means that to buy your dream property, quick and decisive action is often required. New developments are selling particularly quickly at the moment and many properties are sold from plans.