On To The Western Algarve, House Hunting, Day 2
After two days in Tavira, we were ready to drive West on Saturday to the coastal tourist town of Lagos. A one hour drive down the A22 (did I mention Portugal isn't very wide?).
The hotel, the Marina Rio, was in a great location, very near the marina (duh) and a short walk from the center of town and included a decent breakfast buffet. Our 3rd (or as we say, 4th) floor room had a balcony with a spectacular view of the marina. We weren't here to be tourists, but we had a couple of days before the next round of House Hunters, so why not? Our last day trip to Lagos was a bit rushed, so we were happy to explore more and use it as a jumping off point for Western Algarve. It was past the end of the high tourist season, so it wasn't wall-to-wall holiday-makers, so that was good planning.
On Tuesday, we got up and drove to meet Peter at his office in Carvoeiro (it is just a few doors down from Paula-the-nicest-lawyer-offices). He drove us to Portimao, where we met his partner in Real Estate, Debora Martins, of SPA Algarve Immobilier agency. On the way he gave advice about buying cars ("go to Lisbon - cheaper and better dealers") and other practical matters.
Our goal was to see primary residences and to see an example of a rental (to get us over the magical 500K Euro mark) and to talk specifics of renting and buying. They had examples of what we wanted and managed to hit the nail on the head.
The first property was a not-yet-completed 3BR 4th floor penthouse with a large rooftop terrace. It was rather like the property we liked in Faro. It was walk able to beach and to the riverfront and bordered a park. It had all the modern conveniences (home automation!) but didn't quite have a view.
Here is a link to a real estate listing. It might expire when the property sells
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/overseas-property/property-62685897.html?currencyCode=USD
It is interesting visiting a construction site. They're about 60% finished. No fitting or finishing in the condo yet. We have to rely on renderings.
The next stop was a newly remodeled 2nd (read 3rd) floor 4br in an older part of town. Again all the modern conveniences. Big modern kitchen, lots of built-in storage, modern ("Home Automation"), with a large wrap-around balcony. It is easily walk-able to beautiful river walk ("Ribeirinha"), downtown, restaurants and a short walk to the local coastal train stop (from which we can get to Faro or Lagos for about 2 Euros per person if we wanted).
AND OMG - Finally A VIEW! Debora told us to be prepared for it, and she wasn't wrong! Overlooks the expansive river, hills and towns beyond. The place is a bit more expensive and bigger than we had thought about, but... wow. Another link...
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/overseas-property/property-64331601.html?currencyCode=USD
Then we went to a 2BR rental for sale in a nearby beach town. We talked about costs and rental possibilities to understand the process, licensing and the running costs. This particular rental needed some modernization, which we'd have to think about. Debora and Peter would rent and maintain the property, handle deposits and rent and cleaning - for a fee, of course. But in the Algarve a nice 2BR can rent for 800 Euros per week in the high season, we are told, so can easily pay for itself and perhaps provide some pocket money.
It is all we want in a rental. Manage, fire and forget. It is a "filler item" to get us to the investment needed for the Golden Visa. If we got a 3BR, guests could stay in it. Well, friends and guests would be more than welcome, just cover costs.
On the way back, Peter pointed out some more beaches, the local Portuguese Premier League soccer stadium and some good restaurants with views and good food. Surprisingly, the Western Algarve, still seemed kinda busy with tourists, mostly Europeans, even in October.
Heads spinning about the two properties which hit our want lists, we headed back to the hotel in Lagos and a pretty good Tex-Mex dinner.
All sorts of food is available in Lagos - and all along the Algarve. Of particular note we had seriously excellent Italian in Faro, btw at a restaurant called l'Osteria! They cook-to-order and the duck pate lasagna was amazing. Highly recommended. Fresh seafood is popular Portuguese Algarvian food, but all types of world cuisine (Sushi, BBQ Ribs, Indian, pizza, Chinese, etc) are available. For the quality the restaurant prices are very low compared to California, especially, by comparison, beer and wine.
L'Osteria, Faro
The hotel, the Marina Rio, was in a great location, very near the marina (duh) and a short walk from the center of town and included a decent breakfast buffet. Our 3rd (or as we say, 4th) floor room had a balcony with a spectacular view of the marina. We weren't here to be tourists, but we had a couple of days before the next round of House Hunters, so why not? Our last day trip to Lagos was a bit rushed, so we were happy to explore more and use it as a jumping off point for Western Algarve. It was past the end of the high tourist season, so it wasn't wall-to-wall holiday-makers, so that was good planning.
On Tuesday, we got up and drove to meet Peter at his office in Carvoeiro (it is just a few doors down from Paula-the-nicest-lawyer-offices). He drove us to Portimao, where we met his partner in Real Estate, Debora Martins, of SPA Algarve Immobilier agency. On the way he gave advice about buying cars ("go to Lisbon - cheaper and better dealers") and other practical matters.
Our goal was to see primary residences and to see an example of a rental (to get us over the magical 500K Euro mark) and to talk specifics of renting and buying. They had examples of what we wanted and managed to hit the nail on the head.
The first property was a not-yet-completed 3BR 4th floor penthouse with a large rooftop terrace. It was rather like the property we liked in Faro. It was walk able to beach and to the riverfront and bordered a park. It had all the modern conveniences (home automation!) but didn't quite have a view.
Here is a link to a real estate listing. It might expire when the property sells
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/overseas-property/property-62685897.html?currencyCode=USD
It is interesting visiting a construction site. They're about 60% finished. No fitting or finishing in the condo yet. We have to rely on renderings.
The next stop was a newly remodeled 2nd (read 3rd) floor 4br in an older part of town. Again all the modern conveniences. Big modern kitchen, lots of built-in storage, modern ("Home Automation"), with a large wrap-around balcony. It is easily walk-able to beautiful river walk ("Ribeirinha"), downtown, restaurants and a short walk to the local coastal train stop (from which we can get to Faro or Lagos for about 2 Euros per person if we wanted).
AND OMG - Finally A VIEW! Debora told us to be prepared for it, and she wasn't wrong! Overlooks the expansive river, hills and towns beyond. The place is a bit more expensive and bigger than we had thought about, but... wow. Another link...
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/overseas-property/property-64331601.html?currencyCode=USD
Then we went to a 2BR rental for sale in a nearby beach town. We talked about costs and rental possibilities to understand the process, licensing and the running costs. This particular rental needed some modernization, which we'd have to think about. Debora and Peter would rent and maintain the property, handle deposits and rent and cleaning - for a fee, of course. But in the Algarve a nice 2BR can rent for 800 Euros per week in the high season, we are told, so can easily pay for itself and perhaps provide some pocket money.
It is all we want in a rental. Manage, fire and forget. It is a "filler item" to get us to the investment needed for the Golden Visa. If we got a 3BR, guests could stay in it. Well, friends and guests would be more than welcome, just cover costs.
On the way back, Peter pointed out some more beaches, the local Portuguese Premier League soccer stadium and some good restaurants with views and good food. Surprisingly, the Western Algarve, still seemed kinda busy with tourists, mostly Europeans, even in October.
Heads spinning about the two properties which hit our want lists, we headed back to the hotel in Lagos and a pretty good Tex-Mex dinner.
All sorts of food is available in Lagos - and all along the Algarve. Of particular note we had seriously excellent Italian in Faro, btw at a restaurant called l'Osteria! They cook-to-order and the duck pate lasagna was amazing. Highly recommended. Fresh seafood is popular Portuguese Algarvian food, but all types of world cuisine (Sushi, BBQ Ribs, Indian, pizza, Chinese, etc) are available. For the quality the restaurant prices are very low compared to California, especially, by comparison, beer and wine.
L'Osteria, Faro
Comments
Post a Comment