Any regrets? Seems to be the most popular question we get when talking about our life changing move to Portugal.
After almost 2 years here we find that we are regularly answering the same questions. And we are each time very happy to answer these questions because, well, the answers are 'Our Story'.
There is a method to our madness. We did not do things in a way we would recommend to everyone but at the same time some things we would strongly suggest to anyone.
To start off, here are the main recurrent questions we get, grouped in 5 major categories.
- How did you end up in Portugal /the Algarve?
- How did you find the villa/ buy it /manage the move/ what is the process/ was it hard?
- Are you worried about language/ health/ laws (or lack of)/ animals/ insects/ food/ living standards/ safety/ fires/ earthquakes/ droughts/ brexit / trump...? - What are the winters like / what do you miss / what do you do now?
- What do you like most/ least /any regrets?
Now, let us try to answer some of these questions with Our Story. This is how we did it:
First and foremost is the firm determination to make a change. No matter what it's about, dreaming, wishing, hoping, praying will only help once the actual decision is taken and all your actions and efforts are applied at making it happen. For real. Everyday.
Our project took form as an idea about 2 years prior our move. The decision to make it happen was about 18 months prior and the final go/ no-go decision 12 months. Once we agreed the idea was at least 'not bad' we did research, mostly online. We asked ourselves where we wanted to live. We eliminated fairly quickly all the far away exotic destinations, and became aware of our 1st criteria: Must be in Europe. And that already answers a lot questions & things we need not worry about.
From there we eliminated countries one by one for all sorts of varying reasons through after diner conversations until Portugal popped out.
Turns out the answer to Portugal was basically that we had never been there, neither of us. We each had been to many European countries, but never Portugal. Why? The only real way to answer was to go visit. So we did. We visited Lisbon, then Porto. And that's how we decided we would come live in the Algarve. By elimination without ever having set foot there.
During these months many, many many very many hours were spent online learning
all about Portugal, It's geography, it's history, it's people, it's economy, the business environment, real estate. This also answered a lot of questions right there. The more we answered these questions the more it became obvious to us that the correct answer for us was Portugal. And that real estate prices had become ridiculous.
Remember, we come from the financial / banking world. Moving to PIGS' 'P' was not something that came intuitively. But the prices for 'dream' properties where really enticing and there are a lot of properties for sale. Really a lot.
So along the months we'd listed 100+ nice properties for which we could build a business case for a B&B or small hostel. Because that's the business idea that just came with the answers to our questions. There was no special 'calling'. Just the idea that it is possible to earn a sustainable, modest, but enjoyable and healthy living...if successful. Then I used one of my favorite tools, MS Excel, to list and categorize each property using 20+ attributes from price to bedrooms to pool size etc all the way to potential income/ business model .
Together we would regularly go through the list and eliminate or keep properties just based on the online pictures. On the first pass, the No1 villa based on our criteria was veto'ed out by Sylvie, she did not like the pictures. But it had great potential, so 3 months later I added back into the list. And Sylvie spotted it so well I got an earful about her having already told me 'no'. So I was someone fully aware of the danger when, 6 months later I did it again! Her reaction convinced me it was not worth getting my head chopped off.
By the time we decided to move to the Algarve, our 'keep' list, filtered for the Algarve, contained only 8 properties. We noticed many getting sold and newer adverts slowing down. So we decided it would be good to go and visit the Algarve and some villas before there are none left. The market was turning right before our very observing eyes.
We were extremely lucky to have found a real estate agent so helpful and friendly that she offered to organize any / all visits with any other agent for any property and to personally drive us around all week end to visit the Algarve and the villas. Fantastic service. Life changing information.
By the time we got plane tickets for our 1st visit, one property turned out to be illegal and two others were sold, leaving only 5, but at least our 2nd favorite, the one we both agreed on and were ready to buy, was available. Our agent had the time and kept asking us to add at least a 6th property to visit and I managed, in absence of anything better, to get No1 on the list again! Sylvie was not thrilled but agreed none the less to just go see it.
What turned out to be even luckier is that it rained hard during the whole of our week end visit. And through some providential intervention (300 days of sunshine here remember) the rain seeped through the roof and into the electrical box of our '2nd favorite'. Boom& Burn, So we never even visited that one. Hoping for the weather to clear we decided to tick No1 off the list by visiting that one first, just to get rid of it and save the sunny hours (that never came) for the other properties.
It was a dark rainy day but Sylvie's eyes lit up like the sun when she saw the villa. We'd only just arrived that she already said *This is it". My heart pounded ever faster as we moved around the property. This, to me, was the best on paper and confirmed in real, and now even Sylvie fully agreed.
We visited the other properties. But No1 stayed No1 as Monte-Bougainvillea has stayed Monte-Bougainvillea.
The main lessons of this part of the process: Pictures never render justice. You really need to visit on site; visiting in the worst conditions can be very positive; never give up; Renting out apartments is not the same business as a B&B and thus not the same lifestyle on a day to day basis...
From there we spent 1 year organizing our lives for a permanent move to Monte-Bougainvillea, and convincing the sellers that we were serious. We would be there in 12 months. And we were.
Our main recommendations: Have a good agent and a Portuguese lawyer who speaks your language; Chose your moving company from the location you are moving to, not from; Think of legal aspects such a 'wills / testaments' and car import rules and the ensuing taxes... A good lawyer will cost money but will save both money and time in all relevant matters. 40 friends will give you 20 different variations. You only need 1 good lawyer.
For the other questions most have obvious answers in us being here and being very happy about it.
But the biggest answer to this FAQ is that the first real step to answering any question is to ask.
Question anyone?
Hope to see you soon,
Sylvie & jc
Monte-Bougainvillea
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