Solicitud de reunión virtual
Luximos Christie's International Real Estate

Ronaldo moves house due to sheep. How to buy a house without going wrong?

Ronaldo moves house due to sheep. How to buy a house without going wrong?

Love is blind, even when buying a house. But there are strategies to avoid being fooled. Turning your estate agent into a partner is just one of them.

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the English Premier League and to the city of Manchester to play again at Old Trafford. In what is one of England's main locations, he bought a house worth several million euros, with a swimming pool and an extensive garden, as befits a top competition athlete of that level of demand. However, shortly after he had settled in, he was forced to move house. For an unexpected and almost bizarre reason: the bleating of the sheep in the vicinity of the property would not let him rest, reported the English newspaper "The Sun". The paper also states that security did not meet the standards claimed by the best football player in the world.
 
Ricardo Costa, CEO of LUXIMOS Christie's International Real Estate, had already drawn attention to the mistakes that can be made when buying a house, particularly in times of pandemic, with the increase in distance property purchases. For this reason, the real estate company that he founded many years ago, and which is focused on the markets of Porto, North of Portugal and the Algarve, has adapted to the digital world but has not ceased to give primacy to the real world. "We have not totally substituted physical visits by virtual visits", underlined the economist and businessman in a webinar promoted by the newspaper "Dinheiro Vivo" on the future of real estate in Portugal. What happened to Ronaldo in England could never happen in this Portuguese affiliate of Christie's International Real Estate. Even in non-face-to-face sales, the company provides a set of information it considers indispensable about the property and the concerned territory, a procedure that is part of the DNA that characterizes LUXIMOS' relationship with each client.
 
The truth is that it is very easy to fall in love with a photograph or a video. And to create expectations from an image. It has been demonstrated that many purchases are responses to an emotional impulse. However, a substantial part of the characteristics of a property (noise in the surroundings is just one example) are not visible to the naked eye. Nor are they likely to be known in good time if the agency you are dealing with does not have a proven track record of trust and an unshakeable reputation. It is not enough to show a property in a shop window and let yourself be carried away by the desire for investment or even by emotion at the time of purchase. This can be very expensive. It is fundamental to choose a real estate agency that makes it impossible to make the five mistakes we present below.
 

1. Location, location, location

More and more foreigners are buying houses in Portugal, especially in the south of the country, where the heavenly beaches, the inviting climate and the quality of life offered by places like Vilamoura, Quinta do Lago or Vale do Lobo are unrivalled in the Iberian Peninsula. The city of Porto, recently elected as the best city in Europe to live with your family, has also been very popular with digital nomads.
 
 
 
 

The real estate marketvillas and apartments with swimming pool, sea view and highly competitive prices are strong factors of attraction. The desire to invest in a country that has not stopped appreciating since the 1980s is also decisive. In short, the investment is safe, the idea of living on national soil is extremely appealing, but within each region there are several neighbourhoods, streets, condominiums and resorts. Wouldn't you want to choose the best?

Remember that the first rule of the real estate market is: location. The second rule, too. And the third... also. Nothing is more important than location. When you think of buying a house, remember Ronaldo's sheep. And then remember that just as important as choosing a house is choosing the real estate agency where you're going to buy that house. Otherwise, how do you know, for example, if there are many planes passing over your property? Ignoring location is the mistake most often made when buying a house. Be sure of what you are looking for - excitement or silence? Centrality or privacy? - so you can be helped to find what you want.

2. Buying a house without seeing it

All the technological tools that are available to any company today are important. In the real estate market, we can resort to professional photographers and use high-resolution images (have you ever wondered why such a small space can look so big in a photograph?), we can use 3D floor plans, virtual tours, FaceTime or even drones that show everything we can't see from the ground. However, how to photograph the light of a house? Or the temperature? Or the ambient sound?

Even if everything is possible from a distance, dispensing with a personal visit (preferably at two different times of the day, because of the light) is the second biggest mistake when buying a house. It is always important to make a competent inspection before buying a property and to be informed about all its specificities: plumbing and electrical system, facade and roof, condominium rules, etc. For better or worse, don't judge a house by its appearance.

3. The security factor

It may be the most beautiful property in the world, but if it's not safe, what good will it do you? That was, also, one of the problems Cristiano Ronaldo pointed out to justify moving home in Manchester. Again, this episode could hardly happen in Portugal, where security is considered one of the main assets of the real estate market. For several years, Portugal has topped the list of the safest countries in the world, which implies a low violence rate and high public safety. In any case, it is possible to be afraid in a safe place. Or feel insecure for a long list of reasons of a personal nature. Also for this reason, it is fundamental to inform yourself about the dynamics of the place where you intend to buy a house. This includes checking the view, the neighbourhood and the services.

 

Related Article: The safety factor as an asset in Portuguese real estate

 

4. Choosing a real estate agent without criteria

Buying a house - for permanent or holiday residence - is serious business. Nobody likes throwing money out of the window or having a heartbreak with something they've wanted. That is why before falling in love with a property you should, as mentioned before, choose well the real estate agent you are going to negotiate with. This small step, if well thought out and decided on the basis of criteria such as transparency, trust and respectability of the sector, will radically shorten the whole bureaucratic process and above all avoid possible big problems in the future. Use this principle as a trick: an estate agent is not a salesman, he is a partner. If you can't see him this way, you are not with the right agent.

5. The rules of private condominiums

Are you prepared to hear what colour you can use on your balcony awning, where outside you can put your air conditioning boxes, what parking space you can park your car in or how often you should mow your garden or vacuum your swimming pool? For many people, the answer is no. But many people don't think about that when they decide to live in a resort or private condominium. If you like to dictate your own rules and do your chores in your own time, it's worth thinking about choosing a detached villa rather than a residential block with common rules. Read this text to find out which property - villa or apartment - fits your lifestyle best.

 

Related Article: Algarve: What to buy: a villa or an apartment?

 


Solicitud de Contacto
COMPARTIR EN:

Propiedades Destacadas: Porto, Norte de Portugal, Algarve

DESARROLLO ICON
Piso de lujo con vistas a la Ria Formosa, en venta en Faro, Algarve
Ref.: 1LS02080-T
€ 434 600
Promoción ClubHouse Residences
Venta de apartamento en Vila Real de San Antonio, Algarve, Portugal
Ref.: 1CS00704-C4
€ 1 420 000
Moderno apartamento de 1 dormitorio, con vistas a las colinas de los viñedos, Lagoa, Algarve
Ref.: 1LS01295-AD
€ 226 000
Promoción ClubHouse Residences
Venta de apartamento en Vila Real de San Antonio, Algarve, Portugal
Ref.: 1CS00704-H1
€ 895 000
Desarrollo Senhora do Porto Residencia
Piso nuevo, en venta, en Ramalde, Oporto, Portugal
Ref.: LS04570-AI
€ 540 000
Desarrollo Delmar Waterfront
Pisos nuevos con vistas al mar, 1, 2 y 3 dormitorios, en venta en Olhão, Algarve
Ref.: 1LS02011-CM
€ 1 320 000

Suscríbete a nuestro boletín

© 2018, LUXIMOS.  | ENTREPORTAS