Buying a place in Portugal

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Buying a place in Portugal

Posted By Castelo Construction Lda in Building in Portugal, buying property in portugal, House for sale, Living in Portugal, low cost build December 3, 2014

Buying a place in Portugal

Here is how not to pay “foreigner” prices.

1, Make sure that you know exactly what you are buying and get this from the vendor or estate agent in writing. You need to know if there are any rights of way over your property and that there are no debts linked to the property.

2, Relax, take your time and make an offer of 25% less than the asking price.

It is now time to RELAX and do not be impatient. Using northern European timescales will cost you thousands of Euros.

3, When the vendor refuses your first offer go back to him a month later and offer 20% less than the asking price.

RELAX and do not be impatient if someone else becomes interested in the property the estate agent will tell you soon enough.

4, Have a property survey done so that you know all about the condition of the property warts and all. Use this survey information to keep your offer low.

If the vender comes back to you with a reason why he can’t accept your -20% offer go back two weeks later and tell him that your final offer is based on all the work that you are going to have to do and if he doesn’t take it you will offer on another house.

RELAX and do not be impatient.

This strategy may sound, rude, harsh, whatever. It really doesn’t matter because the vendor already had the property priced up for the rich foreigners and all you are doing is not being ripped off.

We meet many people house hunting in Portugal and after looking at dozens if not hundreds of properties on the internet they come out here and throw all of their research to the wind and end up buying a property with their heart and of course far more money than it was actually worth.

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About Castelo Construction Lda

Castelo Construction Lda are builders in Central Portugal. We have 12 years’ experience of working with and delighting clients in Portugal. Tel 00351 927168247 or kelvin@casteloconstruction.com If you need an English speaking builder for renovation or new build work we will provide free estimates, fixed prices and carry out your work to a very high standard. Many of our clients are not in the country full time so rely on our regular photographic updates and written reports. They are always surprised when they make inspection visits. New Construction and Refurbishment of Portuguese Property It’s exciting for both our team and of course our clients to mark out on the earth the site of a new home. We will have been with them during the design process and have spoken to the architect many times so we will be comfortable with what we are about to do. For many clients, this stage is a little daunting as it’s hard to see without experience just where the house is going to be in relation to other things on the property. Once the foundations are dug out the house normally looks smaller than they thought, As the pillars and foundation wall start to go you get a much better idea of scale. You can see with your mind’s eye the location of the kitchen, bedrooms and so on. Once the walls are up and the first floor is in place the rooms start to looks smaller again (something to do with the light absorbing properties of the bricks) once the walls are plastered the rooms look a lot larger and it starts to feel more like the home our clients imagined building. As the build progresses we are involved with many specialist subcontractors and it is our job the get them on site at the right time so that the trades do not overlap and time is not wasted. Once the roof is on and tiled it is traditional in this area to have a dinner on site. Everyone who is involved in the build is invited to share a suckling pig dinner with local bread, oranges and of course wine. This is a great way for the clients to enjoy some local hospitality and meet the craftsmen who are building their new home. We also invite the near neighbors so that they get a chance to see what’s going on (when the house is at a very basic stage) and it gives our clients a relaxed opportunity to make their acquaintance. As we always accompany our clients to choose, kitchens, tiles, bathroom fittings or whatever they want. We can help with translation and of course negotiation! As the house is coming to completion we always have them professionally cleaned so that when we hand over the keys it feels more like a home than a building site. 2 months after the house is finished we are back to check for any small faults that may need attention and of course we are available to help and advise should that be needed. Central Portugal builders