People find property through a variety of tried and tested ways, often using a combination of more than one method. It is certainly worth considering the different options and keeping an open mind about the process.
Newspapers
There are three main journalistic sources of house information: UK newspapers, English-speaking papers in Portugal, and Portuguese newspapers, as well as specialist overseas property magazines, although the vast majority of these focus on Spain and France.
In the UK, most daily papers have overseas property sections, but the main listings come out in the weekend editions. Papers like the
Telegraph, Times, Daily Mail and others have property supplements, quite often with key
articles about purchasing/life in featured countries, plus a wide selection of adverts from private vendors and agencies alike.
The Sunday Times runs a particularly good supplement. Even if the articles are about countries other than Portugal, they are usually worth reading, as they throw light on the whole area of buying and living overseas, and may give valuable insights into what you may be about to embark on. Many of the houses advertised through these means tend to be the more modern villas and apartments, although you do also see the odd ad or two for older, rural buildings.
In Portugal, the main English-speaking publications,
The Anglo-Portuguese News (APN), Algarve Resident, and
The News, carry adverts and features on local property sales.
The News, in particular, has a separate property section, which, in addition to the published paper, can also be accessed via its website (see Directory section). It can be contacted by email too on:
property@the-news.net Properties featured are mostly in the Algarve, although there are a good number in the Lisbon area too. There are also local businesses for sale, such as bars and restaurants, often with accommodation attached. If you have friends in Portugal, you could ask them to send you copies of the papers, otherwise you can subscribe to them from the UK: details in Directory on page 228.
Madeira also has its own monthly paper,
The Madeira Island Bulletin, available from: Apartado 621, 9001-907 Funchal, Madeira.
In Portugal, the local, regional, and national papers all have property ads, usually in the section marked
classificados, or
anúncios. Look for the columns headed
imobiliário (property),
vende-se (for sale) or
aluga-se/arrenda-se (to rent). The main papers to check out are:
O Público, Diário de Notícias, Correio da Manhã, and
Jornal de Notícias, as well as the many regional and local publications. The main papers are also available on the internet:
www.publico.pt www.dn.pt www.correiomanha.pt www.jn.pt The Directory has many more sites for you to explore.
For guidance on understanding Portuguese adverts see page 59.
Specialist magazines dealing with overseas property have mushroomed in the last few years, at the same pace as the TV programmes extolling the virtues of a move abroad. A wonderful magazine dedicated to Portugal, is actually called
Portugal, and is available monthly from good newsagents, or on subscription, from: Merricks Media Ltd, Tel: 01225-786644. Email:
onlineorders@merricks media.co.uk Another useful one I have found which also features Portugal is
Homes Overseas (The International Homefinder). It is published in association with an overseas exhibition company, and has many adverts from estate agents, financial organisations, and relocation
companies. Although the material on Portugal itself is minimal, the magazine, which comes out monthly, is an interesting font of general information. It can be bought at WHSmiths and other large newsagents, and has its own website
www.homesoverseas.co.uk . There are also snippets in other, similar magazines, such as
World of Property, Private Villas, Dalton’s Weekly. The Algarve Golf Guide also has houses (mostly villas) for sale.
In Portugal, Vista Ibérica Publicações Lda publishes a bimonthly magazine called
Algarve Property Advertiser, which again includes a combination of articles and ads. They can be contacted by email at
vista.lda@netvisao.pt Their publications are also distributed in the UK, and you should be able to get hold of them via a good newsagent.
International property consultants David Headland Associates publish their own guide, which includes hundreds of properties. It is called
The Ultimate Property Guide (Algarve) and is available by calling 01933-353333. Or to view properties, try their website
www.headlands.co.uk From 2000 to 2002 they were voted ‘Best Portuguese Estate Agent’ (in the UK), and have over 30 years’ experience in selling in Portugal, so are a safe bet when it comes to requesting advice.