The evolution and challenges faced by the real estate market in Portugal have led to a legislative revision aimed at simplifying bureaucratic processes in property transactions. This poses opportunities and risks with new legislative changes. Among the various approved measures applied in Portuguese law, one noteworthy change is the elimination of the mandatory presentation of the habitation and usage license by default at the time of property acquisition. The new law Decreto-Lei N.º 10/2024 undertakes the reform and simplification of licensing in the fields of urban planning, territ ..read more

The local councils of Castelo Branco responded to the increasing amount of travelers and new home hunters by creating brand new aires for campervans, motorhomes and van lifers. In the newsletter of December 2021 we point out two new aires in the district of Castelo Branco. 1. Chão do Golego, Montes da Senhora. This aire has 5 designated parking places for campervans, all with a own free electricity hook up. There is a spot for waste water of the septic tank as well. Several picknick tables are placed for everyone´s use. Great location near the fire watch point Serra das Talhadas. A 4 minute dr ..read more

What are the extra costs on top of the purchase price? Most of the people who ask me that question, directly add a wrong answer: I have read that I have to count on 10% of the purchase price. I don´t know who is spreading this wrong information because if this would be true, it means that if you buy a property of € 2.000,00 you pay € 200 purchase costs and if you buy one of € 200.000,00 you pay 20.000,00? Ouch. It is true that it works with percentages, but that is only for the transmission tax (0-6,5%) and stamp duty tax. (0,8%) The notary costs and property registration costs are always fixe ..read more

The search for in-dependency Analyzing the increased interest in off-grid properties Off-the-grid traditionally refers to not being connected to the electrical grid, but it developed into a popular choice of lifestyle that goes hand in hand with self-sufficiency. An increasing amount of people search the internet for off-the-grid living solutions. Joining a community is one of the options to live together with like-minded people and unite forces to reduce environmental impact and cost of living, but the best idea is to start your own project. In the search for off-grid properties, Central Port ..read more

We are arriving at the end of a year where we had to learn to live and think differently. COVID-19 shattered a lot of hopes and dreams, but having said that, it also made us see things in perspective. At Home Key, I had to rethink what I have been doing for many years, and this resulted in creating more possibilities for our clients! When the first lock-down was announced in March, I introduced the ´Virtual Visit´. This was an immediate success! I have done many Virtual Visits during this year and it has been proven to be a highly effective way of visiting a property in Portugal without being ..read more

Does this house have a habitation license? This is by far the most asked property question. As many people get confused about the building registrations in Portugal, I decided to shed some light on it for you. First of all, you need to know that there are two different types of building registrations here in Portugal. 1. Urban 2. Rustic On any registered building, the property paperwork also indicates a usage for that building. These are mainly: habitation, storage, rural construction, agricultural outbuilding. This is for the finance department to base the calculation for the property tax ..read more

And off I go again, in my car with my working equipment on the passenger seat. My photo camera, drone, contracts, flyers, business cards, phone and a house hunting mind. Another day of property acquisition in the area of Castelo Branco! As I enter village after village on a sunny afternoon during a weekday, I come to realize the villages are almost deserted. Not even 10 years ago, you would still see Portuguese people strolling through the streets, working on their land, inviting each other to their ´adega´ to drink homemade wine. Now, the ruins and abandoned houses prevail in the still life o ..read more

Never so many foreigners with a residence permit lived in Portugal. Portugal is currently the official home of more than 590,000 foreign citizens with a valid residence permit – and this is the highest figure since 1976, as shown by data from the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF). The percentage of the foreign population in relation to the total is now around 5.7%, but still remains below the average of other European Union countries, which is almost 8%. At the top of nationalities, the United Kingdom is included with 34,358 residents, the result of the “Brexit effect”. The British were the ..read more

Portugal is the second safest country in Europe. Portugal is the second most peaceful country of the European Union and the 3rd most peaceful country in the world, according to the Global Peace Index (GPI). In the last decade the conflicts and crises that emerged begun to decrease, only to be replaced with a new wave of tension and uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a sharp increase in global civil unrest. Read full report here: http://visionofhumanity.org/…/uplo…/2020/06/GPI_2020_web.pdf The peacefulness of Portugal does not stay unnoticed as we have witnessed a significant ..read more

During one of my many trips through central Portugal, I was able to take this detailed picture of a stork couple in their nest. Did you also notice the white storks nesting in the tall trees, chimneys and poles? Also the stork feels at home in Portugal! Cegonha is stork in Portuguese, which is not much different from the official name of the white stork: Ciconia. Stork Nests Their nests are often very large and may be used for many years. Some nests have been known to grow to over two metres (six feet) in diameter and about three metres (ten feet) in depth. The white stork is famous for buildi ..read more