# Looking for referrals for property agents



## HeraB (Jul 12, 2015)

Hello all 

I am new here. I am Canadian, currently living here in Canada, with my Portuguese husband. We are looking into establishing in the Algarve and looking to buy a land to build in the hospitality business. Does anyone have any suggestions of a good and reliable property agent to help us look for an appropriate land? We will probably be visiting Portugal again once things go forward, but would like to start this process from here  Also, any other suggestions or referrals in terms of legal aspects of this project? 

Nice meeting you all, I just browsed through some of the posts


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## MrBife (Jul 26, 2009)

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your choice of places to live

However your question is almost like asking for a recommendation of a real estate agent in Canada (although the Algarve is not quite as big  ) You need to narrow it down to at least a main town to get any useful suggestions


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## HeraB (Jul 12, 2015)

thank you!
hehe yes of course. We are mainly looking into Lagos, but open to other possibilities. That is why I wanted to connect with an agent who covers Lagos and surrounding areas. We have a contact from Lisbon and it is not leading to anything at this point.


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## Speago (Jun 27, 2013)

Hi HeraB

If you are looking to build in the Lagos area I would do some serious research, as there are currently a LOT of building restrictions in this area. Unscrupulous agents and even well established agents will try and sell you land under the pretence that you can build.. Even if you find a plot with planning permission, it doesn't necessarily mean you can build there.


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## paramonte (Sep 9, 2007)

Before buying any land pay a visit to the council (Câmara) of the pertinent area asking what and if you can build. Do it yourself even if you don't speak PT.

Most Câmaras have assigned a week day to receive people. Quite simple


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## HeraB (Jul 12, 2015)

That's great, thanks a bunch for the advise. 
My husband is aware of this process and I know that we will have to go there in person once we go ahead with the plan. We had thought that we could advance things by linking with an agent and once some interesting lands come up, we would then go and visit and do the necessary research. That is why i asked if anyone would be able to refer me anyone they trust


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## BodgieMcBodge (Mar 8, 2013)

Hi and Welcome,


What do you mean by "property agent" ? If you mean Local Estate Agent - who act on behalf of the seller by listing the properties for sale - then an internet search will give you some and if they are official then they are regulated. It is up to the buyer what they want to do with the land and no seller will pay to get planning as it has a time limit and only the property in the plans will be permitted so they would just be wasting their money. Even getting the official paperwork will only be done when there it is proceeding sale. If your husband is aware of the process then surely he knows this? If you are looking for an agent to represent you and actively look for land to ease the process for you then there are some (very few) but you would have to meet them discuss your requirements as there will be a compromise between what you want and what is possible/available as, maybe, what you are after does not exist. You have to pay them for all the work they do so it's 100% trust based. They would unlikely to accept work without meeting you and probably checking your status. You should be aware not to confuse "research" with " web search".


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## HeraB (Jul 12, 2015)

Thank you for your reply.

As i said in my original post, i was asking if anyone knows, and can refer me to an agent to help me look for lands for sale. I simply asked for a personal referral, meaning, if you have worked with one, and if its a trustworthy person, then you would be willing to refer him or her to a friend. As i also said earlier, my husband is aware of the process, but I would like to thank all those who gave me further information anyways to warn me of these processes.
thank you.


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## BodgieMcBodge (Mar 8, 2013)

There is an agent I have dealt with who looked for and found property for me and organized the estate agents to be there for viewings.

It is very unlikely he would get involved in any planning permission applications. There is a lot of land for sale in Portugal but I have never found any with current planning permission included. He has connections in two places and one of those is Lagos. If he worked exclusively for you then you would have to pay his invoice so you'd to have your tax number sorted at least. You will need at least 5 posts before I can PM his details to you. One thing he is very weary of is people wasting his time with "living the dream" aspirations when they need to live in the real world when buying property.


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## Speago (Jun 27, 2013)

To be honest, I wouldn't trust any of them.


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## BodgieMcBodge (Mar 8, 2013)

Likewise, but at least if the guy is working for you then there's some control rather then being swamped by the endless dirge of Estate Agent material which doesn't fit the criteria.


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