# Trip advice needed



## highlandbob (Feb 25, 2015)

Going to be retiring in a few years time and starting to explore where to move to, have looked at Spain but might be preferring Portugal so we are having a week in March driving around to see some parts we have not visited as yet.
The plan is to fly to Lisbon and spend two or three days looking around the area to the north of Lisbon then drive down to Lagos looking at the area between Lisbon and Lagos on the way, stay a couple of days in Lagos exploring the area around there and then drive over to the east staying in Tavira for a couple of days looking around the area from there up to the Spanish border. 
We will be looking for a detached house in a quiet area but not very isolated not in the middle of a town, probably something of a project that requires work and good outside space.
We have been to west algarve a few times before,not been to east algarve or silver coast and Lisbon area yet.
Any advice on what to watch out for when buying a project, the placement should make sure to see on our route, advantages or otherwise of the different areas and where we would get the best property prices would be much appreciated 
Regards 
Bob


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## BodgieMcBodge (Mar 8, 2013)

Hi,
Sorry to sound a bit raw but be realistic. If you are looking for somewhere to live then a week in a foreign country is a joke. You are also looking at the same requirements of 90% of the Brits who dream of "living in the sun" for a pittance. The cheapest properties are where people do not want to live. Please come to Portugal and flash your cash about, it's a wonderful country with a lot of honest and hardworking people some of whom live in abject poverty unseen in the UK. You can rent places for a couple of months at different times of the year to have some idea what an area is like but you will struggle to understand the local community in that short a time.

If you are passing Tomar or Pombal during the summer I'll willingly show you around and introduce you to local agents.


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## highlandbob (Feb 25, 2015)

I have always thought of myself as a realistic person and our week looking round is certainly not a joke as you say. Its the first trip of many followed by longer term rental in any area we are considering buying in. I would love to have more time but we both still work so time away is limited and even a week is a start to what I envisage will be a long process to make the right choices.
I am not looking to buy anything for a pittance or in an area nobody wants to live, we will be buying a larger house project because I have been involved in the building trade for many years and enjoy developing property.
Bob


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## anapedrosa (Mar 21, 2011)

One thing I would recommend is contacting a couple of agents before you come. We had decided to explore the Silver Coast, contacted an agent and created a short list of properties we wanted to see before we arrived. We also explored the Algarve, I think almost to rule it out as we were familiar with the area and the Silver Coast appealed to us more. 
In terms of things to look out for, building permission to build new or extend the size of a house. So if you have something in mind that you want to do with a place, you may want to check with the camara to ensure it can be done. We bought a lot and built from scratch. Prior to buying we had an engineer / project manager confirm building permissions were as stated. 
Timing is another thing to keep in mind, anything that needs permits takes time. If you are looking for a basic fixer-upper, this may not apply.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Bob

If you're just beginning what you expect to be a long research period then you're doing the right thing but Bodgie does have a point that it's not an easy or a fast job. 

Just one example of that is that you say you have many years of the building industry......... frankly, it doesn't matter how good you are or how much experience you have, you'll still need a builder who is registered as an approved builder here if you're going to do major structural work.

Also, if it is to be a long research period, I'd suggest you don't discount the northern and central zones which are very beautiful, still within reach of the areas you mention and often significantly less expensive. 

The thing to remember about Portugal is that whilst it's a small country it varies immensely from area to area.


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## Duchess (Sep 28, 2009)

*Hi*



highlandbob said:


> Going to be retiring in a few years time and starting to explore where to move to, have looked at Spain but might be preferring Portugal so we are having a week in March driving around to see some parts we have not visited as yet.
> The plan is to fly to Lisbon and spend two or three days looking around the area to the north of Lisbon then drive down to Lagos looking at the area between Lisbon and Lagos on the way, stay a couple of days in Lagos exploring the area around there and then drive over to the east staying in Tavira for a couple of days looking around the area from there up to the Spanish border.
> We will be looking for a detached house in a quiet area but not very isolated not in the middle of a town, probably something of a project that requires work and good outside space.
> We have been to west algarve a few times before,not been to east algarve or silver coast and Lisbon area yet.
> ...


Hi Bob

We too will be retiring in a few years and have decided on Portugal. We are having a 2 week trip later in the year and want to view some properties to get a feel for what type we like. We are looking at the Silver Coast and also the Coimbra and Porto areas.

Are you going to buy soon and do it up or am I misreading your intentions?

It would be great to keep in touch and share our journey. PM me if you like.


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

We just purchased a place here a few months ago. Unless you plan in advance with the agents which properties you are going to see you might not see much in 2 weeks. It can take a while to find the right properties, and then organise visits etc...


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## highlandbob (Feb 25, 2015)

Yes our plan so far is to first decide where then look for the right house that needs work that I can do most of without requiring very major structural work and having to involve lots of local trades and building control issues. 
We plan to buy as soon as is sensible once the decision is made about the area and renovate over some time so its ready for when we retire in a few years time.
As probably with most people that do the same thing we have spent a long time discussing this, looking at different options, different countries and trying to get our heads around whats the best for us, time is passing so we do really need to get on with it so the plan is to get over there and look at the different areas, the property that is on offer, rent somewhere in the area we focus on and get a feel over time if we think its the right place.
We have travelled a lot over the years and spent quite a bit of time in France, Spain and Portugal and thought about all three but with the focus now on Portugal.
Even with the wealth of information out there to be viewed its hard to really know you are making the right decisions.
I do know from past experience its not worth putting too much time and effort in to looking at properties online because when you actually get there they are never as you imagined. So no substitute for getting there and going around the agents and viewing as many as possible that fit the criteria.
Of course we have all the doubts that I am sure many people have,
Is it the right country for us ?
What about the EU and if after a referendum the UK leaves ?
How will we manage the language ?
Will the health care be good? 
Will we integrate or feel isolated as we dont know anyone there ?
Should we keep a house in the UK or just move completely ?
Will the drive back and forth be too long ?
Will our animals make the move allright ?
And lots and lots of others !!!
Happy to PM and keep in touch about our journeys but I think I have to post more before I can PM anyone ?
Bob


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Bob

Sounds like you've assessed it about right & for what it's worth, the health care is from our experience pretty much tip top, language isn't too much of a problem even here in the central zone & the friendliness of the people means you won't feel isolated at all. 

My Portuguese is limited to ordering coffee and asking very basic questions in the supermarket but I get by with a bit of mime and the help of a translator program on my Ipad. 

As for pets, we bought ours all the way from Africa and they coped without any problems and we have several friends with pets who travel between here and the UK on a regular basis without any problems.

Oh and you need to make 5 posts before before you can send/receive PMs.


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## highlandbob (Feb 25, 2015)

One slight problem in making the journey is we live at the north tip of Scotland 750 miles away from Plymouth!


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

I'm not usually a fan of homoeopathic treatments etc but for what it's worth, we were advised to put herbal calming collars on our cats for before they were shipped from Africa to Portugal (via the UK) and they worked an absolute treat. 

Even after close to 48 hours of travel and layover times etc they arrived so so laid back you'd never believe it. - I've never used them on dogs but am told they're equally effective.


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## dstump (Apr 26, 2010)

Hi Bob, 

It looks as you have a long'ish road ahead of you in selecting your retirement dream, no pun intended regarding your 750 miles to Plymouth plus onward journey. 

But I think you have given yourself ample time to do your research and make up your mind. 

As a couple who are just about to complete our journey and make the move to retire to our house in Portugal, our advice is to start with a few real basics. Put together a 'bucket list' of things you want, need, would like, can do without, effectively: what is important, what is nice to have and what is absolutely non-negotiable. It really does help to focus the mind.

Just a few things we used in our 'bucket list', you may have some more. 

Single storey or multi storey building (as we get older we might not always be able to bound up and down the stairs as we used to),
Footprint of house,
Nearness of medical services,
Hobbies and past times,
Size of plot/garden, be aware stuff grows very quickly in PT, and all year round too, so a large lump of land will need far, far more management than the same sized place in the Highlands.
Nearness of an airport, 
Nearness of town or city,
Accessibility, 
Noise,
Countryside, seaside, urban, rural, etc. 

It all boils down to the old adage: location, location, location. You might well be able to build your dream house, but if it's in the wrong location, you can't move it. There is a lot to be said about getting the correct ‘feel’ for the place.

Only you can answer how important the items in your list of concerns are to you, although I see TM has addressed some of them: language, pets, and health care. 

As for the referendum conundrum, we feel it has little concern to us, whatever happens it's out of our hands, but we balance this unknown against: climate, pace of life, lovely helpful people, beautiful scenic countryside, empty motorways, plus the added bonus of ten years of tax free income (check out Non Habitual Residency regime). 

Oh, and don't under estimate the time it will take you to find a 'good' estate agent (one that 'listens ' to you and understands what you want) or the time it takes in viewing properties. The Portuguese estate agencies are NOT the same as those we find in the UK. They do not have the concept of 'sole agency'. If you are expecting to see 'For Sale' signs as you drive around, you will be sadly disappointed, not a concept widely practiced.

Also beware if you are searching on the web, you may well see the same property turn up with multiple agents. As a result many properties have been sold, but remain on the web. In fact our house is still being advertised on a local agent's site, but we bought it eight months' ago!

Good luck.


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## Duchess (Sep 28, 2009)

highlandbob said:


> One slight problem in making the journey is we live at the north tip of Scotland 750 miles away from Plymouth!


We live in Yorkshire, and have a small dog, so we have decided that when we finally make the move, we'll probably stop overnight in a hotel on the way down to the ferry in either Plymouth or Portsmouth.

I forgot about the amount of posts required before you can PM me, but I look forward to speaking to you, as you seem to have the same questions as we do!!


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## highlandbob (Feb 25, 2015)

That's all really good advice thanks. We have made many mental lists of our various wishes over time and they seem to change like the weather but maybe writing them down will help. I will try that today.
I run a business supplying various renewable and waste to energy products to the Uk and various other countries so I would be interested to learn if I wanted to continue this even part time once we are resident in Portugal what the issues are I should aware of.


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## Le Saint (Dec 24, 2014)

Hi Bob
We start our journey in April with almost identical intentions as your self.
Agents have been contacted with our requirements in several areas and we will certainly let you know who took notice and listened to what we wanted.
Our plan is to travel for 3 weeks looking at projects then rent in the chosen areas before we buy.
This forum as you probably know will answer most of your questions but a great piece of advice I received was cross reference all advice given.
Good luck with your search.


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## Duchess (Sep 28, 2009)

Le Saint said:


> Hi Bob
> We start our journey in April with almost identical intentions as your self.
> Agents have been contacted with our requirements in several areas and we will certainly let you know who took notice and listened to what we wanted.
> Our plan is to travel for 3 weeks looking at projects then rent in the chosen areas before we buy.
> ...


Hi Le Saint

Perhaps you could include me when you pass on your experience to Bob, as we are about the same time frame as him in our search/journey?


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## Le Saint (Dec 24, 2014)

Hi Duchess
Yes I certainly will share my experiences with you, we have visited Portugal for many years and have viewed lots of properties around Tomar which we love but now we have decided to look over some coastal areas aswel, have you an interest in any particular area?


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## Duchess (Sep 28, 2009)

*hi*



Le Saint said:


> Hi Duchess
> Yes I certainly will share my experiences with you, we have visited Portugal for many years and have viewed lots of properties around Tomar which we love but now we have decided to look over some coastal areas aswel, have you an interest in any particular area?


We are going in October for 2 weeks to look at the Caldas da Rainha, Obidos and Silver Coast areas. I get the feeling from what I've read on here is that further north near Coimbra and Porto is colder and not many expats live there.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

There's a fair number of ex pats in the areas you mention...... but nowhere near as many as in the Algarve and surrounds.


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