My wife and I aren’t interested in purchasing a property through any of the “golden visa companies”. We want to find a character property on our own. It’s primarily what I’ve done in the US for the past two decades. We’e no interested in these services which offer what amounts to my mind as an over-priced time shares even with the caveat that the’ll buy it back and help process the Golden Visa for you. We simply want to find a property we like with character that is centrally located in Lisboa or Porto (we like both cities), and want to hit the the 350,000 euro threshold. What do we need to know when looking? Thank you for your assistance and advice in advance.
I can relate. I went down the path of trying to buy a property from one of the “golden visa companies” about 6-12 months ago. I knew I’d be paying a premium, and convinced myself it was worth it, but once I (almost) pulled the trigger, I got cold feet and reversed the decision. I won’t mention the company name here, and I would not say they were bad, but something did not sit well with me with having little choice on the matter. Soon after that, I decided to do my own research (using idealista.com, you can narrow on properties in your chosen neighborhoods, that “Need Renovation”). I was fortunate to have received a referral for a realtor (and had met the realtor about 1 year earlier in Lisbon). So, after about 2 months of research, I found a few candidates and decided to contact the realtor. About 2 weeks ago, I purchased a flat in Lisbon, and have just signed my contract for renovation. I feel much better about this decision. I don’t know if this helps, but I can refer you to the realtor, if you are interested. I was VERY happy with her work (honest, knowledgeable, helpful, great communicator). She also introduced me to the remodeling company and my experience with them so far has also has exceeded my expectation (though the actual renovation work has not started yet). I will say this, it is becoming difficult to find a property in Lisbon that meets all of one’s wishes and does not stray too far from the 350k minimum. Please feel free to send me a direct message if you’re interested in more detail about my experience, and good luck!
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It was proposed this year to no longer allow buying property in Lisbon and Porto for the Golden Visa. Any change in the Golden Visa will be part of the national budget law. When the 2021 budget has passed parliment, it will be published on www.dre.pt, the Diário da República Electrónico.
The site gives choice of Portuguese or English. Use Portuguese[1] because when searching using English there are far fewer results. That’s because the site returns only pages that were submitted to it in English. To find the 2021 budget search this: “Orçamento do Estado para 2021”. To locate golden visa info, search the untranslated page for “Autorização de Residência para Investimento”
[1] Chrome browser translates using Brazilian Portuguese. To use European Portuguese, go to Zoeken Microsoft Translator - Vertalen uit Engels. Paste the URL into the left hand box. Clicking on the URL in the right hand box opens the translated site in a new tab.
Example of search results for the 2020 budget: https://dre.pt/web/guest/legislacao-consolidada/-/lc/130893466/view?q=Orçamento+do+Estado+para+2020
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Please email me your contact info and the contact info for the realtor you’re working with. Thank you so much for your response. - Arthur
Could I get your realtor?
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I’m confused how the properties offered by Mercan and La Vida Golden Visa qualify for Golden Visa. They both offer properties around 350K. Are they renovating existing properties?
Yes, Mercan is renovating existing land. With the 2 properties that are open right now, they seem to be complete teardowns. However, in the prospectus, it outlines clearly that a portion of your funds is for the existing property, and another portion is for the approved renovation.
Hi. Could you DM me the name of your realtor? Many thanks.
Does anyone have any thoughts about a project in Vila Vicosa named the Royal Sao Paulo? I was interested in it as an option for the GV route via a low density area for 280 eur. I welcome any information anyone would want to share about the investment group. Also, I am going to speak with representatives of [cencored due to company repeatedly spamming the forum with shill accounts]. Has anyone used them for their GV application and investments? Thank you in advance for your help.
Hi. Did you connect with [cencored due to company repeatedly spamming the forum with shill accounts]? I’m considering. Thank you!
Yes. I did connect with them and they are professional and helpful. I believe their role is to help investors with choosing a developer and a project. I ended up moving forward with the second choice of developer and project and they did not try to sway me either way. They presented spreadsheets with all of the information and helped set up Zoom meetings with representatives from each development group. I would recommend them. I chose them initially because they are local to Portugal. They are not a big company, they act more like brokers in the middle. The buyer doesn’t pay them, and I may be wrong, but they must get a commission or something from the projects. However, they did not pressure me at all in making my choices. I decided to go for the 280k low-density project route. There are a couple of them. Of course, the main concern is getting the return of the initial investment. It made me feel better to meet and work with [cencored due to company repeatedly spamming the forum with shill accounts] because I felt they added an extra layer of credibility to the project I chose. I thought if local businesses trust in their veracity and potential for successful completion, then that helps me have faith in it as well.
Thank you for this! Can you share with me about your 2nd choice of developer/project? I’m also interested in the 280k options and hope to understand more.
I plan to reach back out to them this week to reinitiate my discussions and to hopefully move forward. Our family is looking forward to the Golden Visa opportunities.
I’m still trying to figure things out. You will see that there are limited choices in that range from either Mercan or Investaureum. One in Evora and the other in Vila Vicosa. [cencored due to company repeatedly spamming the forum with shill accounts] can help you weigh your options. That is their role. I am leaning towards Mercan.
There is also Excellium, via Holborn.
Hello, would you be willing to share the name of your realtor with me? Thanks is advance, S
Hi, I have also been in discussions and a Zoom call with [cencored due to company repeatedly spamming the forum with shill accounts] and have found them to be professional, balanced and informative (but not pushy). Did you end up moving forward with them for a real estate or fund investment?
We are in the process of reviewing documents to do the Evora project with Mercan, through [cencored due to company repeatedly spamming the forum with shill accounts].
Hello. Am currently in the same situation - trying to locate properties in Lisbon and Porto for GV before years end…in search of a knowledgeable, honest dependable realtor. Would really appreciate the realtors Thanks for your help.