yobboung

Hi, we are Bob & Bernie, we reside in Belfast and hope to move to Portugal next year (2015) or at least seriously look for somewhere to move to.

We have friends in Pera, not far from Albufeira, they are an English woman married to a Portuguese man from Madeira and hope to move to somewhere that will be within under 1/2 hour drive from Pera.

So looking for anyone living in Portugal in the above area if possible who may be able to gude us in what type of property to look for and any pitfalls to look out for.

We don't like modern too much and love the traditional style Algarvian type property.

ouriquejan

Bem Vindo ! Welcome to the forum

Sorry I can't help with the area, as I live the other side of Portugal.

Hopefully some-one will be along soon to help

Or if there's anything else we can help with, just shout

peterfc

Hi Bob and Bernie

The best bit of advice i can give is to spend as much time doing research into you move as you can. I spent four years before my move and this prepared me for my move and all went well for me when the time came.

The local planning department is the place for answers to do with a house and any planning issues, Don't listen to an agent as to what you can do they may tell you what you want to hear but is what they say accurate. Ask the people who know best the planning department

Peter " Dreams can come true "

ouriquejan

Just read your post properly, sorry, I was in the middle of cooking and looking on here at the same time

If you're retiring, think about single storey, rather than lots of stairs, and the area you want to be in to. How close are the local shops, centre do saude, banks, chemist etc.

Older properties may well get damper than modern in the winter - also think about heating, it does get cold here too. The list is endless - better make one and add the plus and minus points, then start looking.

As Peter said, do lots of research. Just becuase your friend is local, doesn't mean that is the right area for you.

Good luck

yobboung

Thanks Peter and yes I also have been planning this move since 2008 but the old credit crunch kicked in and then the euro when bad against the pound, so everything was put on hold.
We are seriously starting to lok again so any info that you think will be of use is most welcome.

Bob

yobboung

Yep single storey is what we are looking for and I really want to buy outright if possible. Your comments about older properties are duely noted and appreciated.
Thank you

peterfc

Hi Bob and Bernie

Don't rule out older properties. I have an older property and i started with my kitchen. I have insulated the ceiling and all four walls with insulated plaster board. now i am doing the same to my lounge and then the bedrooms. But then again i have all the time in the world to do it. Also in the UK i never did a thing i always paid someone else to do it, i now know i missed out on so much.

Good luck

Peter " Dreams can come true "

joseph69

hello, So true about ...Stairs..That was the case with my Late Mother..She fell ..Down And that was the Begin of the End of her life..
Good Luck
Jose

mfesharne

Older properties can be nice but one does need to be sure to insulate properly etc and of course, use a good lawyer for whatever property you purchase.

Things like habitation licence and area classification such as rural or urban etc can make a big difference to what you want/need to do.

EMR

There is a wide range of properties for sale in that part of the Algarve.
There are many new or nearly new which are excellent value but as there are signs that the market is picking up "quality " properties at the bottom end of the price range are getting harder to find.
What sort and size or property are you looking for ?

Realme

We bought a old style house and renovated it and we love it. But we had a sympathetic builder and worked with him on damp proofing/ guttering/ condensation issues and our property is fine. However , when we bought, 15 years ago old houses were cheap and you could afford to do them up properly. Now even a ruin can be quite expensive and this is the problem. my advice would be to buy a properly renovated property and make sure you have all the right documentation when you buy it...ie any renovation was done wi a proper project, that there is a caderneta predial, licenca de habitacao, registo predial etc or go for something more modern built in the last ten years. Even quite modern properties...ie eighties and nineties weren't built to a standard and can suffer from condensation etc. This country can be wet and cold for several months of the year. The rain can be torrential. Many houses don't even have gutters. So do consider that when buying.

CAROL ELIZABETH

You are nearing retirement. I think the most important thing to factor in is the health aspect. With any luck you will remain healthy, but you will age and if you aren't healthy it is a choice between paying for expensive private health or waiting for treatment under the Portuguese equivalence of the NHS, and from our experience this varies considerably dependent upon where you live and what you need. You will also have to pay for prescriptions which are free if you are over 60 in the UK. This is just one one reason why so many of the people we have met keep a small place or an address in the UK even if they are spending 90%of the time in Portugal. They are more confident about dealing with complex health issues in English in the UK. And it is free. Sorry don't mean to put a downer on your plans but it is important to remove the rose tinted glasses. I am not saying there are issues with the Portuguese system but you will be dealing with a language which I assume you cannot speak and you will find treatment so varied depending on problem and location. Good luck anyway. Best thing I can recommend if you are going to retire to Portugal is to try and learn the language.

Ukkram

Download the "Learn Portuguese" App from Playstore to your Android device for free. It works great but make sure you get the Portugal Portuguese and not the Brazilian Portuguese as they are very different.

Reg1

My advice is come down to the Algarve and rent 6 - 12 months, there are lots of very reasonably priced properties on the rental market. Also never ever use a solicitor/surveyor recommended by the estate agent.

blownaway

We used a lawyer recommended by the seller and she's the best thing that ever happened to us in Portugal administration wise - she and her assistant have done lots of extra work after the purchase for no additional costs even 4 years later.

I would go with the advice on keeping a place in the UK - 2 habitations one in Portugal and 1 in the UK and you've got:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxtreaties/i...rtugal-dta.pdf

Article 4 is worth reading about. Make sure you let the Financas know if you decide to go back to the UK for a long period of time as friends of ours didn't let the Financas know and they stayed in the UK for a period of 2 years due to family ill health - and got back to Portugal having received a 1,000 Euros fine. The Financas decided that their Portuguese property had become a holiday home whereby I believe different tax payments are due to be paid and fined them for not advising the Financas that they had to return to the UK. Had they written to the Financas no fine would have been issued!