@@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife hi guys just saw your video - fantastic. I am looking to buy this year. You mentioned a good estate agent but couldn't hear which one it isn - was it alstar? Could you clarify please?
Thank you so much for the super important tips to keep in mind. When you talked about losing the value of the entry into the business that you gave in case you give up on the purchase, I think that if the owner gives up on the sale he will have to give you double the amount you paid to formalize the business. In other words, if you give up the purchase you lost 2 thousand euros, if the owner to give up the sale he will have to pay you 4 thousand euros.
My mother and I watched your videos for hours yesterday. So interesting! And you are so transparent and genuine. Wish I lived in Portugal so we could be friends. We enjoyed watching you interact with your animals, your love of them is palpable. Wish you much luck and look forward to all your new videos!
Hi guys, :) Really good (to the point) comprehensive vid that reiterates most things we are aware of, as we move into the last stages of retiring/moving to Portugal, purchasing a property, and creating a food forest where we can be more self sufficient. You have helped with a couple questions and thoughts to keep in mind for us going forward. Thank you so much. Nathalie & Greg
Hi Nathalie and Greg, Thanks for your comment ,glad to help even in a small way. Today we will be releasing a video on the costs of the bare neccesities so hopefully you'll find this helpful too,and can compare it to the bills in your own country. Have a great day guys and if there is anything else you might want to know to help you with your move just let us know and we ll do what we can to inform you. Much love Sarah and Luke
@@sebastienjeanchauvet5590 just check date of construction with local authority for property registrations (local Conservatoria do Registo Predial) ask to check the property registration (Caderneta Predial) file, can be done online or anyone who knows the matrix article (artigo da matriz), meaning the position number in the official land plot matrix, before buying we can consult that information about who really owns it, if there are any active mortgages (very important and they must be written off before buying act), and other data. Also with Finanças it can be checked for tax debts and other debts
If you buy a plot with a ruin on it you don't need a habitation license Right? But I do need a building permission to renovate it to a permanent house? Or do you just begin to renovate the ruin without any permissions ? 🤔
Clear and sensible advice, I would emphasize that there are some really dodgy estate agents out there (ERA), they ask your budget and then offer you properties at twice your target price, the smaller agents are usually better. I used BM and I can highly recommend them even after I bought they still give me advice on bits and bobs 2 years later.. trust your instincts.. Happy hunting and good luck.
Darn,, you are who I have been searching for. Lived in Portugal for two years now, this is the only time I’ve been informed. I can’t thank you enough. I of course subscribed and need to watch this video again, as well as your other videos. Thanks again.
Saw you both on Cindy Vine’s RUclips session for the first time. Lovely couple. Hope the operation goes well. Definitely no heavy lifting after the operation. Let it heal.
Nice video. Learned something I did not know. To add to the information given here; you can get the stamp duty all the way down to zero percent, depending on the price you pay for the peoperty and the taxation value afterwards. Also it depends if it will be your main residence or holliday home. The rustic part and land you buy without property on it will always have a fix rate around 5 percent. Cheers!
Questios Do you live in Porto? If yes, which part of Central Porto you will recommend ...more water, greener, cheaper...etc. Any recommendations in areas to buy? Thank you
I do not know the Porto area, sorry. Getting a bank loan is not hard if you got a western European/ American salary. The process is very annoying. My experience is that most banks have no work ethic. Everything is slow in comparison to the experience I have in Holland.
Awesome thanks for this nice comment, if you have any video worthy ideas let us know, we want to put out more videos that are relevant to our subscibers.
Sorry, I can’t help financially but did subscribe and am writing a comment in hopes it will help. Your video was very informational and you both very “ simpáticos “. Best of luck to you
HI ,what's your name Seattle? 😃supporting us by subscribing and watching our videos helps more than you know, so thanks so so much . Have a great Sunday
Good honest information guys,I travel with the motorhome and usually spend the winters in Iberia,often thought about buying a small plot to stay with the motorhome,and may look again after Brexit next year,hope your dream is fulfilled 👍👍Paulo
Your videos have been helping me a lot to get prepared to buy a land in Portugal. It's nice to see the great community you guys created with folks like me that need some help to be eyed open. I'm studying a way to come visit the region by car and when that happens I'd love to come meet you in person and maybe be neighbors in the future. I love your videos dealing with your animals, they are funny and entertaining. Maybe it would be interesting if you make a video about how to get a lawyer and name a few of them. I just learned in this video that I may need one and it was a great tip. Thank you. Sorry my for broken English, I speak Brazilian Português New subscriber ! Hugs !
question...are u moving from USA? when do you plan to move...any find info in regards to shipping items to Porto? I am planing to move as well, but I am waiting for my social security case and see how much money I will get...sell 90 percent of my stuff and get out of here...to a new adventure.
Yes when you want to make an offer to buy property you make a previous "promissory purchase and sale agreement" contract where you have to put 10% or so of the final price you're offering. If you withdraw and the sale doesn't take place you lose your money. But also if the seller who signed the contract with you does sell to anyone else it has to pay it back to you as well. So you have to be committed and serious to your offer and don't go around make offers you cannot fulfil.
That’s what I loved about living in Germany was the “bulk rubbish” nights, recycling everything, from pots and pans to furniture. Some amazing things thrown away! Maybe take a drive to Germany with a van and enjoy!
It was the same when we lived in the Netherlands. Still quite a long way to go though unfortunately. We used to go over to spain pre-covid but it was pretty slim pickings unless you drive closer to madrid.
Im happy y'all got the property 👍. Y'all had me rolling though that in your native country you don't need deposit. In the U.S the deposit can take from 10k to 100k depending on the price of the house
Hi Rich.. the deposit we were talking about was just to put in an offer..In Malta you put down 10% as a deposit too once an offer is accepted, but you can put offers on as many properties as you like.
Thankyou very much for your wise words......we have a saying in the uk..( buyer beware).... yes of course you have to be very careful do your homework as we say, and make sure youve done all the checks BEFORE you buy.,....... a very interesting article... thankyou again.
Just subscribed Great information. I'm from California and we have to deal with wildfires. I want to move to Portugal but didn't realize there's a wildfire problem there too. Will definitely alter my options.
Hello and thanks for your support it is much appreciated. You do have to be very careful where you buy land and make sure you are not in the middle of a eucalyptus forest , there are quite a few fires that get started in summer. Most get put out quite fast but there was one 60 km away that took 2 or three days this year to be put out. You just have to be really careful ,obey the rules and clear your land.
Nice video guys. My wife and I are interested in buying land in Portugal. You make some good points that I have not known about. especially the fire safety. And of course the crooked sales men.
You guys are awesome, thank you so much. We are over for a month in 3 weeks for a month, we are staying in Castelo Branco but hope to buy in Coimbra district. Hope you do some more videos x
Good advice, and Your right, it's all about the Portuguese independent lawyer. Going for a month this year, thinking of buying something. Find a nice area then find a house and a piece of land. Thankyou for the good advice! 😁
Thank you for an informative video! My partner and I (from the UK) currently live in Bulgaria, living a similar lifestyle to you. We've been here several years now and love so many things about life here, but one thing that is missing is a community of 'like-minded' or younger people. We are friends with the locals of course, but most are pensioners, as younger Bulgarians tend to live in the cities. We are considering moving to Portugal in the future and from a little research it seems there are quite a lot of people living a sustainable / off-grid lifestyle. I wonder if you have found a community of people doing a similar things to you? Or similar age group? I understand life is more isolated when you live rurally, but it's nice to be able to exchange ideas with others sometimes! Thanks! :-)
Hi Minty yes there are a lot of like minded people here and the community is growing Luke and I like our own space and definitely mingle less than most others but the community is there for those who want it 😁
Hey guys! I really like your videos and find these ones about buying in Portugal especially helpful. We're hoping to move out there this winter and do something similar to yourselves! I saw in another comment to email for real estate tips etc. I'll do that also, thanks!! We have been looking online at properties near Castelo Branco but it is no substitute for going to visit places in person. Already we have learnt many useful things from your videos so thank you so much for sharing your lives and the lovely home you have built with us online!
Thanks so much for this comment and feedback. Hope you had a brilliant weekend , our e mail address is lukeandsarahsoffgridlife@gmail.com and if you think of any other topic that you might find useful to help you with the move, that is video worthy let us know , and if we can do it , we will cover it in the next few weeks. Thanks for the support and watching our videos , have a great week.
Thank you very much for a very informative vlog. Even though I am Portuguese and have lived in Portugal when I was a child, (which by the way was a long time ago.lol) I have never bought land there, so your tips are very helpful as I am investigating perhaps retiring back there.
Nice couple,,also your wife when she laught,,,she is so nice,,, thankyou,,l love people of Portugal,,and also all Portugal,,,my favorite country in Europe,and all the world
Little trick for you guys: second hand items are expensive because Portuguese people expect bargaining from the potential buyer! For example, if they are selling something for €50, they're actually expecting to get €30. Good advice on the lawyer! Too many people get screwed with the building licences. Source: I'm portuguese
Thanks so much , this was one of our first videos, you might also find this one helpful ruclips.net/video/pYPmCr8Ojic/видео.html and Part 2 is coming out tomorrow . have a great weekend Marcus
Wow thanks for this great comment, so happy to help ,if there is anything else you think you might need to know just let us know and we could do a video on it, we have a few ideas in the pipe line but it's great to get input from the outside. 😃
Hi Thank you and welcome to our RUclips family 😃 what is your name? Yes the only way to find where you belong is to travel around . we did travel around and lukes first choice was anywhere by the sea but we couldnt afford a nice piece of land that was close to the sea, they are all quite pricey but central portugal suited us and our budget and we fell in love with this place that we now own. Love at first sight 😃 Where are you from? You asked about the heat and yes it is very hot here but we are from Malta where it is also super hot but very humid too so this is actually a very nice change because it's not very humid in summer here.
Very good advice, congratulations! As a Brit living off grid in Spain in a container house, I came across a few of the things you mention. The "derecho de acceso" or right of access is a big thing to look out for as you say. Even if someone else´s land isn´t in the middle of yours, make sure they don´t need to access their land by going through yours because, for example, your land is between the access path and their plot. Our neighbour has a 15 year feud (typical rural story) with his neighbour who drives a combine harvester straight through his land once a year at harvest time. :-) Also, the "hidden debts" are a problem. In Spain, you have to check for council, provincial AND national debts and embargos as they come under different authorities and that can be a burocratic nightmare. When we bought our neighbour´s plot I had my bank account embargoed for a hidden unpaid debt which luckily was only 30 € !
@@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife John Curtin said that in Spain the hidden debts can be at a council, provincial or national level, and you must check the authorities at all those levels. Is that the case in Portugal? What are the names of the authorities, for example "Camera", that you need to investigate for hidden debts?
Saw yor channel today when I opened my RUclips and the title of your video caught my eyes. I watched it, read the comments, and I liked it. Subscribe it. I have a dream moving to Portugal someday but for now, I am just watching and gathering information about moving and living a new life in Portugal from channels like yours. I have a lot of questions to ask but for now this is suffice.
Welcome to our RUclips family Adolf, so happy that this video was useful to you. We plan to make more videos to help others with this move so if you have a topic which you think will be useful to you let us know and we might make a video on that subject. Have a great week and stay safe
Hi nice people...happy you enjoy my country ,just a piece of advise. If the land is Registered then you need licence for anything you want to build...if its not, it means is Your land and the state cant trespasses just put NOTICE. We use common law now..the world is changing...Be safe!
@@tau3nify please do check the site of commonlawcourt.com they have all info you need, after you register under common law and yes works worldwide.. the statutes do no longer apply to the living man and women...plus much more..enjoy!
LOL good vid, I myself will be in Portugal in November looking to relocate in retirement. I laughed when they said you need to be aware of the wildfire liability in the area. Here in Northern California our family lost three homes in the Paradise fire in 2018. Believe it or not we're kind of used to it
Number 1. DO NOT buy a property near eucalyptus trees, it will scare the crap out of you every single summer. Cars are cheaper because it is so cheap to get them fixed, a full body refurb and complete high quality respray, Eur650, in the UK £2000+. If you are foreigner always obey the laws and rules, in Portugal or anywhere. We paid about Eur500 for our lawyer and everything was very quick and easy. Ruins are bad news in that it will take at least a year to get anywhere, even before you start. Best get something that just needs work, like a roof plus, but ruins are cheap for a reason. We got a really good agent and they did everything including a bank account and everything happened so quickly. We found a great builder and now everything is finished, except a few odds and sods.
@@yashjaja1467 hi Yash we don't have one but if you join the facebook group "castelo branco district and around including penamacor " they are very helpful and you will probably find one there. Good luck and stay safe
Hi, great video ! My partner and I have bought a little farm near Penamacor off the N233 road. Stuck in UK at the moment due to covid and business but really wanting to be over there to sort the farm out ( lots to do ), hope to get over there permanently (eventually )Love the videos, great info , easy to understand . Thank you 😀
Maybe a strange question but I’ve friends who are looking for temporary housing. She’s a permaculture specialist, wrote a book about it and he’s a cob builder. I’ll give you my email if you’re interested. She has several videos on YT about permaculture.
Further information about me. I rent a small holding in the UK, I've got a 12v of grid setup, I grow food, raise pigs, goats and chickens. I've worked with draft craft horses in woodland management. I'm more interested in working land than owning land. Blessings
Well there's plenty of vacant land here in Portugal, but I havent seen many lots of land for rent here but most probably it's because we never really looked. Good luck with it glen!
My ruin was prior to 1951 so all I did was to refurbish it.... i had no problem and 3 years have passed. the permits here take forever (over 2 years sometimes) and the cost is the same as the fine you get.... so it pays off to do your thing and if they fine you just pay.
priceless video that will save other people countless hours and time. I hope at some future point you can maybe come up with an even more detailed video. What are the annual property taxes for your land and possible differences between just a house and agricultural acreage (Hectares).
Very informative video, thanks! I live in Spain and I keep thinking if I should get the land here or in Portugal,so it is interesting to compare and see the differences.
Oh thats so nice. Thank you for this lovely comment Dolores, we have a few more videos that might interest you on our "life in Portugal "playlist Have a great weekend
I love your enthusiasm with life . As I was watching your blog I notice Sarah’s neck with some swelling . Please have it check by Your doctor. I deal with this all my life.
This was so useful, helpful, informative to be honest it was bloody great 👏👏👏, wishing you all the very best for the future, glad you found your peace of tranquility, just subbed up 👍🏻 thank you for a great video, sending love 💙✌️xx
😃 We don't know you but we love you guys already ,we have the best past experiences and memories with some amazing Welsh guys. Let's just say we never met a Welsh person we didn't like
@@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife hopefully we'll get to meet you in person one day 🙏🏻 we have a RUclips channel we started it to record our journey purely for ourselves and our son (grown up now just starting his own journey in life) to look back on , we aren't very good we struggle with technology but learning as we go, you guy's are so inspiring on all levels so thank you 🙏🏻 send love and cwtches 💙✌️xx
@@brettnbeckvalleyvan to tell you the truth 5 months ago i couldn't even switch on a computer 🤣 but i watched a bunch of videos to help me start this channel and am slowly getting better , if i can do it so can you, I have subscribed to your channel so that when I get some time I can check it out, thanks for all your lovely comments and support.
I have been looking into buying a property in central Portugal for a while and then the pandemic hit and put all my plans on hold. I have lived in Lisbon in one of the old bairros for many years but now that it has become a major tourist destination i really can't stand it anymore. I've scoured the net on information about buying land and the legalities of living on it in a temporary home or the possibility of building a home on it. Most of the info I've got is confusing and sometimes even contradictory. Your video gave me more practical information than anything i can find on the portuguese forums. Thank you so much! Would you have anymore info on the details of buying land with a ruin? And what are the possibilities of having built one of those small prefabricated wooden houses. I can't find any real information on that except on the sites that sell them. Do you know anyone on youtube that's done that? I've subscribed to your channel and look forward to binging some videos! Beijinhos
Hi Polly.. regarding building prefab houses it depends on the area you are looking at. Some Camaras (local town hall) allow prefab houses upto 20m2 and others dont. It really does depend on where you are interested in buying. Good luck with it and thanks for watching!. Xx
Also be aware of the access roads and whether a truck can deliver your building materials. It can happen that the delivery driver of building materials puts everything at the beginning of your dirt track.
Hi Luke and Sarah, we love your video’s you mentioned in their video your solar panels. Can I ask which company did you purchase your panels from please? We have purchased our off-grid property near Pedrogao Grande and have had one quote and sent out a second enquiry, so would like to know from someone like yourselves what solar system you purchased? Many thanks James & Liane
We got them from a spanish company but were not very happy with their service so I wouldn't like to recommend them but i recently saw some good prices on solarshop.pt and you could also check out spark solar ,our friend bought his from them and was very happy.
😃😃sewwa hsibt, mil accent ta l-Ingliz taghkhom. Anyway, good to see a Maltese couple living in Portugal. My girlfriend & I wanna move there as well, she's from Austria & I'm Maltese😎. We've been thinking for a while now to go there, for a couple of weeks or a month to get used to Portugal. Thanks a lot for sharin this video, will be checking out the others very soon 😁. Grazzi u nixtiqlkom hajja mil l-isbah fil-Portugal
Hi Adolf! We did look into it a little bit but it did seem we could get more for our money here. We have never been to azores or madeira but they're both definitely on our list to visit . Especially Azores.
Thanks for this informative video, guys! English is not my native tongue so I can’t work out what you’re saying at 1:57... ‘Direct Ramona’? I’d love to know cause it sounds like a great tip to find a nice place. Thanks in advance!
Hi Bas.. at 1.57 I mentioned the site idealista.pt where you might find properties DIRECT FROM OWNER! LOL sorry for my slurred talking haha. If you're looking and know the general area where you would like to buy look for facebook groups of the area too. Good luck
Thank you for time and honesty in putting together this video, I really appreciate the truth, it helps so much more, I have a dream, I want to buy land in Portugal, I have a vineyard in my vision, are there any that you know of, please
Very informative and interesting video. Thank you for sharing. You mentioned 2 websites to find properties. One is idealista and another one which I couldn't understand at all. You said something like PO Portugal or PEO Portugal? Do you mind just clarifying that please? I did not find anything similar on Internet. It would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance xx
Fair enough@@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife 😁 but if nobody asked this before probably it's me. Thank you so much for your quick response. Really appreciate it xx
I have been a subscriber to your RUclips channel for quite a while and thoroughly enjoy your quirky & candid videos. I love the mix of food, DIY and day-to day life.
I have found a property in the Idanha a Nova area and I would like to have a lawyer do a background check for me. Would you please tell me the name of the one you used? I assume that you were happy with the service you received.
To myself.... I am a single 62 year old German woman whose formal educaton was in New York, USA. I have never been to Portugal! Gasp! I am looking to buy this small plot of farmland with a ruin on it as an investment as I am starting to doubt the security of the banking system. I would like to renovate the ruin into a rustic tiny home full of charm, but do not see myself living there anytime soon as I still have an elderly father here in Germany to attend to.
I have been told that the ruin is pre-1951, but I would really like to have everything checked out before I make an offer and put a security deposit down on. Any pointers would be much appreciated.
Hi Cathrin, I wish you all the best in this adventure x x and I suggest you follow the facebook group "Castelo Branco district and around including Penamacor" and people on there are very helpful and will recommend a good lawyer, architect or whatever you might want to know .We do not recommend the lawyer we used anymore 😁I wish you a whole heap of luck
![Hunxho - Ball Forever [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nki9ZTF9Uls/mqdefault.jpg)
An excellent, well put together advices, no hype,no blaring intro music, just factual advice...thank you.
Thanks John. Appreciate it! 😄😄
@@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife hi guys just saw your video - fantastic. I am looking to buy this year. You mentioned a good estate agent but couldn't hear which one it isn - was it alstar? Could you clarify please?
@@dambusterproductions thanks so much for this nice comment if you send us an email on lukeandsarahsoffgridlife@gmail.com, i ll send you the details.
yes, that agree with you no freaking annoying music...and lots of excellent advice
Thank you so much for the super important tips to keep in mind.
When you talked about losing the value of the entry into the business that you gave in case you give up on the purchase, I think that if the owner gives up on the sale he will have to give you double the amount you paid to formalize the business. In other words, if you give up the purchase you lost 2 thousand euros, if the owner to give up the sale he will have to pay you 4 thousand euros.
That's correct.
My mother and I watched your videos for hours yesterday. So interesting! And you are so transparent and genuine. Wish I lived in Portugal so we could be friends. We enjoyed watching you interact with your animals, your love of them is palpable. Wish you much luck and look forward to all your new videos!
Wow, thank you! So happy to hear you are both enjoying them x x x
Hi guys, :) Really good (to the point) comprehensive vid that reiterates most things we are aware of, as we move into the last stages of retiring/moving to Portugal, purchasing a property, and creating a food forest where we can be more self sufficient.
You have helped with a couple questions and thoughts to keep in mind for us going forward. Thank you so much. Nathalie & Greg
Hi Nathalie and Greg,
Thanks for your comment ,glad to help even in a small way. Today we will be releasing a video on the costs of the bare neccesities so hopefully you'll find this helpful too,and can compare it to the bills in your own country. Have a great day guys and if there is anything else you might want to know to help you with your move just let us know and we ll do what we can to inform you.
Much love
Sarah and Luke
i like this tips, i am living here 23 years, it is all true. Don´t hurry we say "devagar vai ao longe" Greetings René
I will be using that saying! Thanks René!
Nice video, thanks. Just an informative note: houses built before 1951 don’t require Habitation License , because that only came in force that year
Thanks for the info ,have a great weekend
How to prove some construction are before 1951?
@@sebastienjeanchauvet5590 by the date of property first registration, within the local authority
@@sebastienjeanchauvet5590 just check date of construction with local authority for property registrations (local Conservatoria do Registo Predial) ask to check the property registration (Caderneta Predial) file, can be done online or anyone who knows the matrix article (artigo da matriz), meaning the position number in the official land plot matrix, before buying we can consult that information about who really owns it, if there are any active mortgages (very important and they must be written off before buying act), and other data. Also with Finanças it can be checked for tax debts and other debts
If you buy a plot with a ruin on it you don't need a habitation license Right? But I do need a building permission to renovate it to a permanent house? Or do you just begin to renovate the ruin without any permissions ? 🤔
Clear and sensible advice, I would emphasize that there are some really dodgy estate agents out there (ERA), they ask your budget and then offer you properties at twice your target price, the smaller agents are usually better. I used BM and I can highly recommend them even after I bought they still give me advice on bits and bobs 2 years later.. trust your instincts.. Happy hunting and good luck.
That is so true Noddy ,yes BM Imobilaria were very good and told us the truth about properties and land and legalities
I'm saving up to hopefully buy in Portugal by the end of next year, definitely some helpful tips to take on board. Thanks 👍🏽
Thanks for watching Kwame and good luck on your property search
Darn,, you are who I have been searching for. Lived in Portugal for two years now, this is the only time I’ve been informed. I can’t thank you enough. I of course subscribed and need to watch this video again, as well as your other videos. Thanks again.
Hi Sandi happy you found us and welcome to our youtube family x
Saw you both on Cindy Vine’s RUclips session for the first time. Lovely couple. Hope the operation goes well. Definitely no heavy lifting after the operation. Let it heal.
Thanks so much June ❤ operation went great and fully recovered now😃
I've just bought in Central Portugal and am excited to follow your journey!
Awesome congratulations 😁 that is so exciting, good luck and thanks for watching our videos.
Welcome to our RUclips family Cindy
Nice video. Learned something I did not know. To add to the information given here; you can get the stamp duty all the way down to zero percent, depending on the price you pay for the peoperty and the taxation value afterwards. Also it depends if it will be your main residence or holliday home.
The rustic part and land you buy without property on it will always have a fix rate around 5 percent.
Cheers!
Questios Do you live in Porto? If yes, which part of Central Porto you will recommend ...more water, greener, cheaper...etc. Any recommendations in areas to buy? Thank you
forgot one more question....How hard is to get financing from bank institution for expats..
I do not know the Porto area, sorry.
Getting a bank loan is not hard if you got a western European/ American salary. The process is very annoying. My experience is that most banks have no work ethic. Everything is slow in comparison to the experience I have in Holland.
@@recoveringmoonboy5292 thank you so much for the info -so much appreciated...
you guys are saying every thing that we need to know. keep it up please.
Awesome thanks for this nice comment, if you have any video worthy ideas let us know, we want to put out more videos that are relevant to our subscibers.
Sorry, I can’t help financially but did subscribe and am writing a comment in hopes it will help.
Your video was very informational and you both very “ simpáticos “.
Best of luck to you
HI ,what's your name Seattle? 😃supporting us by subscribing and watching our videos helps more than you know, so thanks so so much . Have a great Sunday
Have purchased property in Portugal.... this is all very good advise !!! Charming couple.
Wonderful Brian Congratulations! and thank you 😁 have a great weekend
Good honest information guys,I travel with the motorhome and usually spend the winters in Iberia,often thought about buying a small plot to stay with the motorhome,and may look again after Brexit next year,hope your dream is fulfilled 👍👍Paulo
Thanks Paolo and good luck with all your future plans
Your videos have been helping me a lot to get prepared to buy a land in Portugal. It's nice to see the great community you guys created with folks like me that need some help to be eyed open. I'm studying a way to come visit the region by car and when that happens I'd love to come meet you in person and maybe be neighbors in the future. I love your videos dealing with your animals, they are funny and entertaining.
Maybe it would be interesting if you make a video about how to get a lawyer and name a few of them. I just learned in this video that I may need one and it was a great tip. Thank you.
Sorry my for broken English, I speak Brazilian Português
New subscriber ! Hugs !
question...are u moving from USA? when do you plan to move...any find info in regards to shipping items to Porto? I am planing to move as well, but I am waiting for my social security case and see how much money I will get...sell 90 percent of my stuff and get out of here...to a new adventure.
Yes when you want to make an offer to buy property you make a previous "promissory purchase and sale agreement" contract where you have to put 10% or so of the final price you're offering. If you withdraw and the sale doesn't take place you lose your money.
But also if the seller who signed the contract with you does sell to anyone else it has to pay it back to you as well. So you have to be committed and serious to your offer and don't go around make offers you cannot fulfil.
HI Vitor ,Yes we had never experienced this but it is a good way to stop time wasters . Have a great day
That’s what I loved about living in Germany was the “bulk rubbish” nights, recycling everything, from pots and pans to furniture. Some amazing things thrown away! Maybe take a drive to Germany with a van and enjoy!
It was the same when we lived in the Netherlands. Still quite a long way to go though unfortunately. We used to go over to spain pre-covid but it was pretty slim pickings unless you drive closer to madrid.
Im happy y'all got the property 👍. Y'all had me rolling though that in your native country you don't need deposit. In the U.S the deposit can take from 10k to 100k depending on the price of the house
Hi Rich.. the deposit we were talking about was just to put in an offer..In Malta you put down 10% as a deposit too once an offer is accepted, but you can put offers on as many properties as you like.
Thankyou very much for your wise words......we have a saying in the uk..( buyer beware).... yes of course you have to be very careful do your homework as we say, and make sure youve done all the checks BEFORE you buy.,....... a very interesting article... thankyou again.
Thanks for this sweet message Nathon😃
Just subscribed Great information. I'm from California and we have to deal with wildfires. I want to move to Portugal but didn't realize there's a wildfire problem there too. Will definitely alter my options.
Hello and thanks for your support it is much appreciated. You do have to be very careful where you buy land and make sure you are not in the middle of a eucalyptus forest , there are quite a few fires that get started in summer. Most get put out quite fast but there was one 60 km away that took 2 or three days this year to be put out.
You just have to be really careful ,obey the rules and
clear your land.
Nice video guys. My wife and I are interested in buying land in Portugal. You make some good points that I have not known about. especially the fire safety. And of course the crooked sales men.
Thanks David , we love Portugal so much. Have you started looking for property ?Are you looking in a particular area?
You guys are awesome, thank you so much.
We are over for a month in 3 weeks for a month, we are staying in Castelo Branco but hope to buy in Coimbra district.
Hope you do some more videos x
Thankyou!! ❤❤ yes plenty more to come.
Good luck on your property hunt!! Xx
Good advice, and Your right, it's all about the Portuguese independent lawyer.
Going for a month this year, thinking of buying something.
Find a nice area then find a house and a piece of land.
Thankyou for the good advice! 😁
Best of luck!
I know this video was released years ago, but the information is very practical and helpful. Thanks for putting it together.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you so much for this feedback
Thank you for an informative video! My partner and I (from the UK) currently live in Bulgaria, living a similar lifestyle to you. We've been here several years now and love so many things about life here, but one thing that is missing is a community of 'like-minded' or younger people. We are friends with the locals of course, but most are pensioners, as younger Bulgarians tend to live in the cities. We are considering moving to Portugal in the future and from a little research it seems there are quite a lot of people living a sustainable / off-grid lifestyle. I wonder if you have found a community of people doing a similar things to you? Or similar age group? I understand life is more isolated when you live rurally, but it's nice to be able to exchange ideas with others sometimes! Thanks! :-)
Hi Minty yes there are a lot of like minded people here and the community is growing Luke and I like our own space and definitely mingle less than most others but the community is there for those who want it 😁
I left portugal salaries 750 euros rent 800 euros tourist prices,electricity sky high@ to many expats! Poverty-stricken!
Your are a lovely exemple. I hope you continue sharing your experience with us. Thank you so much.
Thank you Monica , if this is one of your first videos of ours you have a lot to catch up on😁😁❤️❤️
Same in Belgium when you put in an offer. Here the advance is 10% of the total sum.
This was something totally new to us, in Malta you can put an offer on anything you want and until you put a deposit and sign ,it's not a deal .
Shukrun guys, that was really useful! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. :)
Thanks for the helpful advice. Good to know from people who have done it, and what to look out for.
Thank you, Luke and Sarah! This answered a lot of my questions! Love all of your videos!
Our pleasure!
Very detailed and honest video. Cheers ! Looking for some info re portugal and your video popped up. Malta power 🙂
Hi Spud thanks glad you found it useful ,have great day
Fantastic video. Important practical advice based on first-hand experience. Immediately subscribed!
Awesome welcome to our youtube family Eugene😁
Hey guys! I really like your videos and find these ones about buying in Portugal especially helpful. We're hoping to move out there this winter and do something similar to yourselves! I saw in another comment to email for real estate tips etc. I'll do that also, thanks!! We have been looking online at properties near Castelo Branco but it is no substitute for going to visit places in person. Already we have learnt many useful things from your videos so thank you so much for sharing your lives and the lovely home you have built with us online!
Thanks so much for this comment and feedback. Hope you had a brilliant weekend , our e mail address is lukeandsarahsoffgridlife@gmail.com and if you think of any other topic that you might find useful to help you with the move, that is video worthy let us know , and if we can do it , we will cover it in the next few weeks.
Thanks for the support and watching our videos , have a great week.
Thank you very much for a very informative vlog. Even though I am Portuguese and have lived in Portugal when I was a child, (which by the way was a long time ago.lol) I have never bought land there, so your tips are very helpful as I am investigating perhaps retiring back there.
Glad it was helpful! And we wish you the best of luck for all your future plans
Nice couple,,also your wife when she laught,,,she is so nice,,, thankyou,,l love people of Portugal,,and also all Portugal,,,my favorite country in Europe,and all the world
Thanks x x xPortugal is definitely a really beautiful country x x x
Super, super good tips. Just starting to look for land, probably in the Castelo Branco area. So I found your tips very very helpful and practical.
Glad it was helpful! good luck
Little trick for you guys: second hand items are expensive because Portuguese people expect bargaining from the potential buyer! For example, if they are selling something for €50, they're actually expecting to get €30.
Good advice on the lawyer! Too many people get screwed with the building licences.
Source: I'm portuguese
Hi dre! Thanks for the tip! And thanks for watching!!
Thank you for all your tips with your pleasant enthusiasm. Well done.
So nice of you. Hope they come in handy Yolande😁
Thank you for the video , and i wish you 50 k subs in the foreseeable future !
I hope so too! Thanks Rik that is so nice of you 😁
Great honest advice, thank you!
Thanks so much , this was one of our first videos, you might also find this one helpful ruclips.net/video/pYPmCr8Ojic/видео.html and Part 2 is coming out tomorrow . have a great weekend Marcus
Please recommend your estate agent to me
Thank you!!!
@@mpc6879 Hi Michael, where are you looking for property ?
Thanks for this one, very much good information on getting to Portugal, hope one day soon...
Love you and good luck for you both
This is the best advice i've found so far! Thank you so much.
Wow thanks for this great comment, so happy to help ,if there is anything else you think you might need to know just let us know and we could do a video on it, we have a few ideas in the pipe line but it's great to get input from the outside. 😃
Great video guys! Thanks for all the helpful hints and tips!
Our pleasure!
Great information , Glad i found you both :)
Glad you found us too
Misty Blue😀
A very informative and well presented video. Thank you both.
Thanks for watching Jason
Thank u very much for this info..I'm just starting to look around. Much appreciated.
Glad it was helpful! Good luck
Thanks. First time watching you. Enjoying it! Thank you. A delight!
I also expected to find left over material cheap. Good advice.
I am learning Portugese, and would like to go to explore this winter (jan-febr). It's a pity I am alone...but exploring is needed anyway:) and I feel the wish! Definity looking for land with flowing water, ability to grow trees, safe from fire, and no flat land.
© how you decided the region? Ah at the end you answer this! :) you travelled around :) And what about the summer heat..how to deal with that? 🌿 - don't know yet how I would like that 🙃
Hi Thank you and welcome to our RUclips family 😃 what is your name?
Yes the only way to find where you belong is to travel around . we did travel around and lukes first choice was anywhere by the sea but we couldnt afford a nice piece of land that was close to the sea, they are all quite pricey but central portugal suited us and our budget and we fell in love with this place that we now own. Love at first sight 😃
Where are you from? You asked about the heat and yes it is very hot here but we are from Malta where it is also super hot but very humid too so this is actually a very nice change because it's not very humid in summer here.
It seems a lot of drama to live in Portugal
It’s so informative . Yoi added all the expenses
Land us not actually cheap and the living
thanks
Very good advice, congratulations! As a Brit living off grid in Spain in a container house, I came across a few of the things you mention. The "derecho de acceso" or right of access is a big thing to look out for as you say. Even if someone else´s land isn´t in the middle of yours, make sure they don´t need to access their land by going through yours because, for example, your land is between the access path and their plot. Our neighbour has a 15 year feud (typical rural story) with his neighbour who drives a combine harvester straight through his land once a year at harvest time. :-) Also, the "hidden debts" are a problem. In Spain, you have to check for council, provincial AND national debts and embargos as they come under different authorities and that can be a burocratic nightmare. When we bought our neighbour´s plot I had my bank account embargoed for a hidden unpaid debt which luckily was only 30 € !
Thanks for watching! Wow at least it was only €30!
@@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife is it also council, provincial and national in Portugal? What are all the authorities you need to check?
I'm not sure I understand your question!
@@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife John Curtin said that in Spain the hidden debts can be at a council, provincial or national level, and you must check the authorities at all those levels. Is that the case in Portugal? What are the names of the authorities, for example "Camera", that you need to investigate for hidden debts?
The lawyer can check everything for you. Make sure you get one.
Superb advice guys, I’m just about to purchase land in Lameira and was curious about about the offer deposit, thanks for clearing that up 🙌🏽
New Sub !
Hi TM.. yeah we thought it was a con at first..lol.
Good luck with your land!!🇵🇹🇵🇹🇵🇹
@@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife Thank you 🙌🏽
Thank you, one of the best videos I’ve watched
Thank you for such a lovely comment A Marie, have a great weekend
Saw yor channel today when I opened my RUclips and the title of your video caught my eyes. I watched it, read the comments, and I liked it. Subscribe it. I have a dream moving to Portugal someday but for now, I am just watching and gathering information about moving and living a new life in Portugal from channels like yours. I have a lot of questions to ask but for now this is suffice.
Welcome to our RUclips family Adolf, so happy that this video was useful to you. We plan to make more videos to help others with this move so if you have a topic which you think will be useful to you let us know and we might make a video on that subject.
Have a great week and stay safe
Excellent video with great information. THANK YOU so much!💜💜
So happy it helps x x
Great vid, thank you both. Good luck with all you are doing.
Thank you :)
Recommend you read The Portuguese, a modern history by Barry Hatton , available on Amazon . Good luck
Thank you will check it out , have a great sunday
Great post Sarah and Luke, keep em coming :)
Cheers claude!
Hi guys , well done l'm very happy for you. I am maltese aswell. Thanks for all the tips , it very useful to know those things. God bless guys
Thanks so much Vincent a fellow Maltese! 😊
Hi nice people...happy you enjoy my country ,just a piece of advise. If the land is Registered then you need licence for anything you want to build...if its not, it means is Your land and the state cant trespasses just put NOTICE. We use common law now..the world is changing...Be safe!
Hi Sofia ,thanks for the information and advice , yes portugal is beautiful, have a great day
Can you elaborate Sofia quite interested also to know more
@@tau3nify please do check the site of commonlawcourt.com they have all info you need, after you register under common law and yes works worldwide.. the statutes do no longer apply to the living man and women...plus much more..enjoy!
LOL good vid, I myself will be in Portugal in November looking to relocate in retirement. I laughed when they said you need to be aware of the wildfire liability in the area. Here in Northern California our family lost three homes in the Paradise fire in 2018. Believe it or not we're kind of used to it
so sorry to hear this Chris , we wish you the best of luck with your hunt
Number 1. DO NOT buy a property near eucalyptus trees, it will scare the crap out of you every single summer. Cars are cheaper because it is so cheap to get them fixed, a full body refurb and complete high quality respray, Eur650, in the UK £2000+. If you are foreigner always obey the laws and rules, in Portugal or anywhere. We paid about Eur500 for our lawyer and everything was very quick and easy.
Ruins are bad news in that it will take at least a year to get anywhere, even before you start. Best get something that just needs work, like a roof plus, but ruins are cheap for a reason.
We got a really good agent and they did everything including a bank account and everything happened so quickly. We found a great builder and now everything is finished, except a few odds and sods.
Its great to hear you had an awesome experience with the whole process like we did..😃
Hello, can you please tell me your builder’s details as I’m looking for one in the Castelo Branco area. Thanks
@@yashjaja1467 we are not in Castelo Branco. Sorry.
@@yashjaja1467 hi Yash we don't have one but if you join the facebook group "castelo branco district and around including penamacor " they are very helpful and you will probably find one there.
Good luck and stay safe
Very helpful video, thank you and good luck with your new life in Portugal 😊🙏
Thank you 😃
Very beneficial. thanks!
Wish you the best luck.
Hi, great video ! My partner and I have bought a little farm near Penamacor off the N233 road. Stuck in UK at the moment due to covid and business but really wanting to be over there to sort the farm out ( lots to do ), hope to get over there permanently (eventually )Love the videos, great info , easy to understand . Thank you 😀
Thank you so much Lorna for this lovely message .Hopefully all this craziness will be over soon. Good luck and hope you had a great start of the year
Maybe a strange question but I’ve friends who are looking for temporary housing. She’s a permaculture specialist, wrote a book about it and he’s a cob builder. I’ll
give you my email if you’re interested. She has several videos on YT about permaculture.
Great video guys, great content all around.
Much appreciated! Thanks Juan
Amazing and helpful, thank you 🙏🏼
Further information about me. I rent a small holding in the UK, I've got a 12v of grid setup, I grow food, raise pigs, goats and chickens. I've worked with draft craft horses in woodland management. I'm more interested in working land than owning land. Blessings
Well there's plenty of vacant land here in Portugal, but I havent seen many lots of land for rent here but most probably it's because we never really looked. Good luck with it glen!
My ruin was prior to 1951 so all I did was to refurbish it.... i had no problem and 3 years have passed.
the permits here take forever (over 2 years sometimes) and the cost is the same as the fine you get.... so it pays off to do your thing and if they fine you just pay.
Good to know
priceless video that will save other people countless hours and time. I hope at some future point you can maybe come up with an even more detailed video. What are the annual property taxes for your land and possible differences between just a house and agricultural acreage (Hectares).
Thanks George and yes in the future we might make a more detailed video hopefully better quality than this one 🤣
Very informative video, thanks! I live in Spain and I keep thinking if I should get the land here or in Portugal,so it is interesting to compare and see the differences.
Good luck , glad we could help and thanks for watching our videos , have a great day
This video was absolutely excellent. Thank you so much.
Oh thats so nice. Thank you for this lovely comment Dolores, we have a few more videos that might interest you on our "life in Portugal "playlist
Have a great weekend
Smart people and good advice, this video is a gem...
Thanks for this lovely comment Patrick ,hope you had a wonderful Christmas
I love your enthusiasm with life . As I was watching your blog I notice Sarah’s neck with some swelling . Please have it check by
Your doctor. I deal with this all my life.
Thanks Melania but I had it removed over a year ago and i am fully healed now so I think you have quite a few videos to catch up on ☺
This was so useful, helpful, informative to be honest it was bloody great 👏👏👏, wishing you all the very best for the future, glad you found your peace of tranquility, just subbed up 👍🏻 thank you for a great video, sending love 💙✌️xx
😃 We don't know you but we love you guys already ,we have the best past experiences and memories with some amazing Welsh guys. Let's just say we never met a Welsh person we didn't like
@@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife hopefully we'll get to meet you in person one day 🙏🏻 we have a RUclips channel we started it to record our journey purely for ourselves and our son (grown up now just starting his own journey in life) to look back on , we aren't very good we struggle with technology but learning as we go, you guy's are so inspiring on all levels so thank you 🙏🏻 send love and cwtches 💙✌️xx
@@brettnbeckvalleyvan to tell you the truth 5 months ago i couldn't even switch on a computer 🤣 but i watched a bunch of videos to help me start this channel and am slowly getting better , if i can do it so can you, I have subscribed to your channel so that when I get some time I can check it out, thanks for all your lovely comments and support.
@@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife thank you 🙏🏻 but the pleasure is all ours all the information you give is priceless diolch yn fawr 💙✌️xx
@@brettnbeckvalleyvan 😀❤
Thanks a lot, very good information, fruitful for everybody, wish you goodluck
Thanks Abbasi😁
Many, many thanks for this very helpful video, all clearly said and laid out.
Thanks Carolle!
Thank you for a very important information. It helps me a lot.
Glad it was helpful Oz ! Good luck
I have been looking into buying a property in central Portugal for a while and then the pandemic hit and put all my plans on hold. I have lived in Lisbon in one of the old bairros for many years but now that it has become a major tourist destination i really can't stand it anymore. I've scoured the net on information about buying land and the legalities of living on it in a temporary home or the possibility of building a home on it. Most of the info I've got is confusing and sometimes even contradictory. Your video gave me more practical information than anything i can find on the portuguese forums. Thank you so much! Would you have anymore info on the details of buying land with a ruin? And what are the possibilities of having built one of those small prefabricated wooden houses. I can't find any real information on that except on the sites that sell them. Do you know anyone on youtube that's done that? I've subscribed to your channel and look forward to binging some videos! Beijinhos
Hi Polly.. regarding building prefab houses it depends on the area you are looking at. Some Camaras (local town hall) allow prefab houses upto 20m2 and others dont. It really does depend on where you are interested in buying. Good luck with it and thanks for watching!. Xx
Thoughtful, well put together, super informative video. Lot's of the important stuff. Thank you very much.
You are welcome Nelson, thanks for this lovely comment have a great Sunday
Also be aware of the access roads and whether a truck can deliver your building materials. It can happen that the delivery driver of building materials puts everything at the beginning of your dirt track.
So so true
Hi Luke and Sarah, we love your video’s you mentioned in their video your solar panels. Can I ask which company did you purchase your panels from please? We have purchased our off-grid property near Pedrogao Grande and have had one quote and sent out a second enquiry, so would like to know from someone like yourselves what solar system you purchased? Many thanks James & Liane
We got them from a spanish company but were not very happy with their service so I wouldn't like to recommend them but i recently saw some good prices on solarshop.pt and you could also check out spark solar ,our friend bought his from them and was very happy.
😃😃sewwa hsibt, mil accent ta l-Ingliz taghkhom. Anyway, good to see a Maltese couple living in Portugal. My girlfriend & I wanna move there as well, she's from Austria & I'm Maltese😎. We've been thinking for a while now to go there, for a couple of weeks or a month to get used to Portugal.
Thanks a lot for sharin this video, will be checking out the others very soon 😁.
Grazzi u nixtiqlkom hajja mil l-isbah fil-Portugal
Awesome, we love it here so much , i wish you the best of luck and thanks
Very nice v blog , thanks 4 the tips
This video was perfect. Just exactly perfect :)
Thank you 😁
Honest no non sense great advise.
Thanks so much Ian .Have a great sunday
Great info we are looking around Castelo Branco 😊👍🏻
AWESOME good luck with the property hunt 😀
Good info, thank you. Did you also consider buying a property in Madeira or Azores?
Hi Adolf! We did look into it a little bit but it did seem we could get more for our money here. We have never been to azores or madeira but they're both definitely on our list to visit . Especially Azores.
Very useful advices even for Portuguese people like me
Bom Dia ,That is so nice to hear Jose😁
You are so lovely couple, thank you so much for sharing
You are so kind Thank you .Hope it was helpful
Thanks for this informative video, guys! English is not my native tongue so I can’t work out what you’re saying at 1:57... ‘Direct Ramona’? I’d love to know cause it sounds like a great tip to find a nice place. Thanks in advance!
Hi Bas.. at 1.57 I mentioned the site idealista.pt where you might find properties DIRECT FROM OWNER! LOL sorry for my slurred talking haha.
If you're looking and know the general area where you would like to buy look for facebook groups of the area too.
Good luck
Hahaha makes total sense! Thanks again🙏🏻
Thank you for time and honesty in putting together this video, I really appreciate the truth, it helps so much more, I have a dream, I want to buy land in Portugal, I have a vineyard in my vision, are there any that you know of, please
Thanks Elle 😁 good luck with the hunt. We dont know of any but there are many properties with vineyards . have a graet day
Thanks for the good advice!
Really great advice, and presented nicely, I am subscribed
Happy you enjoyed it and welcome to our youtube family 😁 Thomas
Thank you! That was so informative! 💖
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Guys, very informatic video. I'm planning to move to Portugal so would like to know about the process of Visa's. Thank you.
Hi Shimal.. we are from Malta which is part of the EU so we didnt have to apply for a Visa. So unfortunately we have no idea. Good luck.
Excellent advice. Obrigada 🤗
😁
Very informative and interesting video. Thank you for sharing. You mentioned 2 websites to find properties. One is idealista and another one which I couldn't understand at all. You said something like PO Portugal or PEO Portugal? Do you mind just clarifying that please? I did not find anything similar on Internet. It would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance xx
The other one was pure Portugal 😃
Wownow you said it,@@lukeandsarahsoffgridlifeit makes sense 😁 thank you so much xx
@@1969betina 🤣 this was a very early video and our sound was not good , i am happy to say it is much better with our new microphone.
Fair enough@@lukeandsarahsoffgridlife 😁 but if nobody asked this before probably it's me. Thank you so much for your quick response. Really appreciate it xx
@@1969betina my pleasure have a great weekend
thank you guys all the best to you
Hello Luke & Sarah,
I have been a subscriber to your RUclips channel for quite a while and thoroughly enjoy your quirky & candid videos. I love the mix of food, DIY and day-to day life.
I have found a property in the Idanha a Nova area and I would like to have a lawyer do a background check for me. Would you please tell me the name of the one you used? I assume that you were happy with the service you received.
To myself.... I am a single 62 year old German woman whose formal educaton was in New York, USA. I have never been to Portugal! Gasp! I am looking to buy this small plot of farmland with a ruin on it as an investment as I am starting to doubt the security of the banking system. I would like to renovate the ruin into a rustic tiny home full of charm, but do not see myself living there anytime soon as I still have an elderly father here in Germany to attend to.
I have been told that the ruin is pre-1951, but I would really like to have everything checked out before I make an offer and put a security deposit down on. Any pointers would be much appreciated.
Muito obrigado,
Cathrin
Hi Cathrin, I wish you all the best in this adventure x x and I suggest you follow the facebook group "Castelo Branco district and around including Penamacor" and people on there are very helpful and will recommend a good lawyer, architect or whatever you might want to know .We do not recommend the lawyer we used anymore 😁I wish you a whole heap of luck