# Buying a house, some admin questions



## orange1290 (Sep 15, 2019)

Hi,
looking to buy a house in Portugal, I've narrowed down a few areas of interest. I have the following questions as an EU citizen:

1. What's the process in Portugal to get a property checked out prior to purchase, engage an architect/surveyor?
2. As a buyer, apart from the annual IMI, what are the one off taxes/costs when buying a property in Portugal?
3. Are property annual insurance costs reasonable? Yes, I know this can be subjective, just want to get a feel for this.
4. How is the property market in the Porto/Lisbon areas, not in the centre but 10-20km further out?
5. What's the negotiation culture, offer a big percentage lower than asking price or is this subjective by property?

Can anyone recommend a good property lawyer/notary and a good accountant in the Porto or Lisbon areas?

Thanks for anyone's time if they can answer/give guidance on the above.


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## Edsilver (Dec 22, 2020)

I cant help you much about the subject, but there are a few guides in Portuguese to buy property in Portugal. You should at least use google translate and read through them, ill give a few examples below:









Vai comprar casa? Conheça todos os custos, papeis e impostos!


Se vai comprar casa a pronto ou com crédito habitação, conheça aqui antecipadamente todos os custos, papeis e impostos que terá pela frente!




www.doutorfinancas.pt







https://www.idealista.pt/news/financas/credito-a-habitacao/2019/06/26/40074-5-coisas-que-os-proprietarios-gostariam-de-ter-sabido-antes-de-comprar-casa





https://www.idealista.pt/news/imobiliario/habitacao/2020/03/26/42865-guia-para-comprar-casa-em-plena-crise-do-coronavirus



Feel free to message or reply if you need further help with the Portuguese language, cheers


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## LuciaFragoso (Jul 15, 2020)

orange1290 said:


> Hi,
> looking to buy a house in Portugal, I've narrowed down a few areas of interest. I have the following questions as an EU citizen:
> 
> 1. What's the process in Portugal to get a property checked out prior to purchase, engage an architect/surveyor?
> ...


Hi,
I can help you with your questions. It is better if you can send me a message so I can provide you with the information you need (not allowed throught the forum).
Thank you,
Kind regards,
Lúcia Fragoso


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## orange1290 (Sep 15, 2019)

Thanks for the replies, please keep them coming if you've had private experience of buying in Portugal, thx.


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## portuguesedude (Dec 29, 2020)

orange1290 said:


> Hi,
> looking to buy a house in Portugal, I've narrowed down a few areas of interest. I have the following questions as an EU citizen:
> 
> 1. What's the process in Portugal to get a property checked out prior to purchase, engage an architect/surveyor?
> ...


From a legal point of vue, the "due diligence" in terms of deeds and paperwork of ownerships etc is made by a notary. If some thing is not right, he might be persecuted for wrong pratice. For new houses, there is a 05 years warranty period. Used propertys no warranty applies. On those situations, an audit by civil engineer is not expensive and worth it. Even when using realtors an external audit is highly recomended. 
In order to prepare the paperwork another figure is often used. Chek out "solicitador".
Negociation is subjective, if possible people will try to avoid realtors fees.


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## geological (Jan 18, 2019)

portuguesedude said:


> For new houses, there is a 05 years warranty period. Used propertys no warranty applies. On those situations, an audit by civil engineer is not expensive and worth it. Even when using realtors an external audit is highly recomended.


This thread is of great interest to me. I have heard that getting remedies under a new house guarantee is sometimes difficult. So I was already thinking of getting expert assistance to ensure the condition of the new apartment we are buying is good enough before we take ownership. So it is good to know that audits by civil engineers are normal here (or so I take it from your advice). But I am wondering how best to ensure independence from the builder/developer. I wonder whether you or anyone else looking can advise us on this.


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