Buying

If you are considering buying a property abroad, Portugal has a lot to offer everyone, from stunning beaches to friendly people. We invite you to review our listing of properties in for sale in the Algarve.

• Looking for a property to buy?
• Why wait until you arrive? Register with us
• Why buy with Graham's Property?
• Services we offer
• Additional requirements when buying a property
• Financing your property
• Buying In Portugal - The Buying Process

Why wait until you arrive? Register with us

If you would like to see what Graham's Property has to offer you and your family, please complete the contact form below. Our friendly and experienced negotiators will get back to you as soon as possible.

Please keep in mind that the more information you provide us, the better our team will be able to assist you.

Alternatively, you can: Call us or Visit us

Your contact details:

“We look forward to speaking to you and meeting in the near future.”

Why buy with Graham's Property?

There are many Real Estate Agencies all over the world who offer a variety of services to assist you with your purchase, so why as Graham's different?

•  Graham's Property aims to be second to none.
We pride ourselves in offering a complete and professional service which will take through the whole process from beginning to end and afterwards.

Buying property here in Portugal is a straight forward process when you have all the information at your finger tips. We can assure you that we will answer every question that you may have and if we are not able to answer you we will not tell you what we think you want or need to hear but we will check with the relavent legal body and not pretend that we know everything.

We regularly attend classes and courses with APEMI who is the Real Estate Governing Body, so that our team are as up to date with any changes or amendments to the law and the process that you are investing in.

•  We will guide you through every step.
When you return home we will continue to keep in contact with you and keep you up to date with all new information about your purchase and if there is anything that we need you to send to us, you will never have to feel that you are far away.

You will be made to feel comfortable with our whole team at Graham's so that you know that should you have a question or are worried about anything you can contact us and we will put your mind at ease. We do understand that it is a very large investment when buying property abroad and the distance is substancial but it is easily bridged by a telephone call.

• There is no language barrier and you will not be speaking to a stranger...
 When you choose to view property with Graham's you will be shown all property that we have available at that time, that is with in your specifictions. We will take you out and show you the different areas so that you can see what each town has to offer and you will be able to get a good feel for each place so that depending on what you are going to use your future property for it will help you to decide on the best location to suit you.

When you have found you property we will make sure that you are looked after and given all the information available regarding the property and we will help you through the process so that it goes ahear as smoothly as possible for you and the sellers.

If you choose to take our service package we will introduce to an independant lawyer and we can proceed with the sale with regards to obtaing your Fiscal number, Bank account and mortgage if applicable, which are the first things we need to put in place for you.

As the sale progresses the Lawyer will assist you with the legal and monatory requirments and we at Graham's will be on hand to guide you and offer useful information for the future.

During the process and after the sale has been completed we will be communicating with you and making sure you have all the information is available for you. We will then help you with any after sales assistance that you may need from showing you where the shops are that will be best for you what you are looking for to getting quotes for pool and garden mainenance.

We at Graham's will also help you by renting your property should this be of interst to you.

• You can trust that at Graham's we feel that it is the most important part of buying property here in Portugal is Communication and quality of service, we believe that we treat peole how we would expect to be treated and we have very high expectations...

Services we offer

PACKAGE 1:

A Fiscal number: This is similar to a national insurance number and enables you to open a Portuguese bank account and buy property among other things like becoming a resident.

A Portuguese bank account: You will need a Portuguese bank account to enable you to transfer monies from the UK and to set up direct debits to pay utility bills.

Mortgage: If you require a mortgage please see the "Finance your property" section.

Money transfer: We recommend a professional company who will be able to assist you with transferring money. See the "Finance your property" for further information.

Financial support & advice: We have professionals in their field that we can put you in touch with should you need to speak to someone.

Unlimited property viewings: You can view as many or as few properties until you see one that is suitable and we can update you on new property as it comes into our books.

Continuous support and advice: You will be able to contact us when ever you have a question or need something attended too and we will assist you when ever we can.

Portuguese SIM card: This will save you a lot of expense if you need to make and receive calls while you are in Portugal instead of using your UK number.

Discounts of furniture: We can offer up to 20% in certain furniture and appliance shops.

The above package costs €2,000.00

The following services are additional:

Four day car hire: We will arrange a car for you to collect at the airport when you arrive, normally a small Peugeot of Fiat depending on availability and time of year. (Additional car hire can be arranged if required)If the car hire is not required: We can arrange transport from and too the airport by means of a taxi.

Additional requirements when buying a property

When you find your ideal property here in Portugal you will need the following to proceed with the sale process:

Fiscal Number:

This is similar to a National Insurance number and enables you to open bank accounts and apply for mortgages and more. To do this you need a guaranture who is a Portuguese resident, we will provide you with this person.

Paper work required to obtain a Fiscal Number:

Valid Passport

We recommend that you open a Portuguese bank account, it is not a legal requirement but when your sale progresses you can have your monies transferred directly into your own account instead of someone else´s, this will also enable you or your lawyer to set up direct debits to pay for the utilities for your property in the future.

Paper work required to obtain a Bank Account:

1. Portuguese Fiscal Number
2. Passport
3. Full Birth Certificate with both parents names on
4. Proof of employment, this can be in the form of a simple letter containing the following details- Profession, employers name and address and your National insurance number.
5. National Insurance Card/Number

Financing your property

Money transfers
Depending on quantity and method of transfer of monies clients can benefit or lose up to 3% on a transfer taken from the inter-bank rate at the current point in time. We can offer advice and facilities so that the client will maximise sterling to Euro, Euro to sterling transfer which can include the forward buying and transferring monies via companies designed specifically for this task, unlike high street banks.

How to obtain a Mortgage
Graham's real estate can help you arrange your mortgage with an UK/Portuguese or German bank of up to 70% of the appraised value of the property over the maximum of thirty years and up to age 75. The interest rate will vary but can start as low as 3.25%

We have links to independent mortgage brokers in the UK and Portugal.

Depending on your situation, you can choose, with advice from professional consultants, whether a Portuguese mortgage on the actual property that you are buying or a mortgage in the UK on your existing property is the best way to finance the purchase. The documents for a Portuguese mortgage that will be required are as follows:

• Copy of Passport & Fiscal number.
• Full birth certificate with both parents names on.
• Proof of employment (Profession, Employer, Address, this can be given in a simple letter)
• Previous years tax return - P60.
• 3 - 6 months of your salary pay slips or employers declaration stating gross monthly income.
• 3 - 6 months personal bank statements.
• If you are self employed you will need the equivalent accounts.

Buying In Portugal - The Buying Process

Here are the basic steps to help you understand the buying procedures and legal requirements that are involved in buying a property in Portugal. The most important recommendation we can make is that you obtain qualified, competent and idependent legal advice. This is for many reasons, the first being that you ensure that all the relevant documents are available and up to date and that there are no outstanding charges against the property. The lawyer will also assist you in the complete purchase of the property/plot plus comply with all necessary laws and regulations.

It is important to ensure that any plans in the town hall referring specifically to the property do physically agree with the existing construction and or plot of land and have not been altered in any way. A property for living purposes must have the following documentation available:

A) A habitation licence for properties constructed after 1951.

B) A certified insertion into the records of the land conservatory.

C) A detailed Caderneta Urbana from the tax office.

Commerical and industrial properties require both points B and C.

If you are buying a rural property you will require the following additional documentation, which is a detailed and up to date description of the property and is called Cardeneta Rustica . This document is issued by the tax office.

It is quite normal that once you have chosen your property and a price has been agreed that you will be asked to sign a reservation contract of up to €5,000.00. This money will be included in the overall price of the purchase and will hold the property while you organise the deposit.

The next step is called the Promissory Contract with the seller identifying the conditions of sale and price - Contracto de Promessade de Compra e Venda . The contract should then be legalised by registering it at the notary office; this contract is legally binding on both sides. There are specifc laws that relate to these acts and your lawyer will explain them to you. It is often found practical for the buyer to appoint a third party such as an independent lawyer to act for them legally in the matter. If you decide to appoint a Power of Attorney you will specify exactly what he/she will be able to sign for and have control over. This document is called Procuracau Publica and once signed is registered by the notary.

All documentation registered at the notary should be in Portuguese however your lawyer should provide and English translation if requested.

The buyer is required to obtain a Fiscal number from the local tax office. Before the final purchase is completed you will be subject to a state payment IMT which you will pay at the local tax office before the final deeds are signed. The cost of this tax is dependant on the nature of the purchase and does vary.

Once all of the above requirements are complete the final act will take place at the Notary office, this act is called Escritura de Compra e Venda which will be recorded in the Notaries official records. At this time the final payment is given to the seller. You will be given a copy of this document, as is the equivalent to a title deed in the UK.