Reliable Real Estate Agent for buying a house

Hi @mariavanzanten11,

Buying a house online is highly unwise. You should see it in person.

You have some support here:

Real State Agencies/Websites/Portals in Portugal

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=904388

Real Estate Website Portals, post #4

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 93#5069701

Large Real Estate Companies Websites, post #7

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 93#5069710

@mariavanzanten11

We have done two purchase transactions with Bruno Marreiros with Local Properties located in Lagos, and of the  he has gone over and above to make sure everything went perfectly, whether we were in country or back in the US, during the process.

You will also need a good real estate lawyer because they handle most of the formal paperwork:legal transactions once you have an agreed upon price. for that we strongly recommend Edwina Shrimpton, also located in Lagos. We have done many, many transactions with her—not only for real estate, but also AL licensing for short term rentals, long term leases, and many other transactions.

Both of these people are very trustworthy, communicate regularly, are fluent in both Portuguese and English, and handle transactions throughout the Algarve but also can help with things outside the Algarve as well.

i do not believe I am allowed to post contact information so please DM me for their contact info.

i hope this helps.

Unlike in the US, there are not very many buying agents in Portugal. Most agents work for the sellers who pay their fees & commission, and won't be in a position to best look after the interests of buyers.

With this is mind, some agents are honest and will advise you well but most are not. Be aware of this!

I know a relocation agent that also acts as a buying agent and looks after the interests of the buyer exclusivelly. I believe this is what you are looking for. Her name is Ana Caramujo. I'm not allowed to post her contact here but I'll send it in a Private Message.

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@mariavanzanten11

Hello Maria.

Welcome.

The housing market can stand still. That's why it's best to be careful when deciding to buy a house. Choosing the right place to live is very important for a good quality of life.

When we purchase, whether it is in the US or here, we make it a policy not to purchase directly from the selling agent to ensure our best interests are represented.

While it is not exactly like it is in the US, we have been fortunate enough to readily find real estate agents that are more than happy to represent us as buyers' agents. The first thing we ask is how they get paid. We have found--at least here in the Algarve--that it is very common for buyer's agent/seller's agent to split the commission 50/50 (paid out of the seller's proceeds) like they do in the US. The key is having that discussion right up front, so that you know how you are being represented.

However, we did have one agent tell us that if they are able to split the commission, then we do not get charged for their services. If they are not, then we would pay our agent an agreed upon amount. if the split wasn't 50/50, then we may have to pay some money toward the difference, depending upon what the commission would be.

The biggest difference that we have seen here in Portugal vs the US is that properties often have multiple agents listing the same property. This is both good and bad... but the good is that our buyer's agent then has a choice as to which of the listing agents he contacts, which helps with splitting the commission. If your buyer's agent is honest (many of them really are), it is also very helpful because they can choose a seller's agent that they have a good relationship with. When you are buying in a smaller community (I can't speak for places like Lisbon, Porto, etc.) they all know each other and have done many deals with each other and with the local lawyers, so it's pretty easy to weed out the agents that and lawyers that are not good to work with. It's in both the buyer's and seller's agents best interest to do the best deal, so we have found they work hard to help with negotiations, facilitating the lawyers needs, and dealing with weird stuff that you often run into when buying properties here.

Your mileage may vary, but we have done several real estate transactions here in Portugal and this has been what we have round.