Our buying service
A free, structured process for international buyers in central Lisbon. We walk you through from first call to keys — helping where it counts, introducing the right specialists for the rest.
Book a free callHow it works
Buying property in Portugal as an international buyer involves more moving parts than most people expect — legal setup, finance preparation, due diligence, contracts, and a notary process that's entirely in Portuguese.
The nine stages below break the process down so you always know where you are. At each stage, some things are yours to sort; others we can help with or introduce you to the right specialist. We don't pretend to be your lawyer or mortgage broker — we know which ones to trust, and we handle the buyer-agent side ourselves: search, visits, negotiation, keeping everything coordinated. Unlike agencies that cover all of Portugal — Porto, the Algarve, Cascais — we focus exclusively on central Lisbon. That's what makes the difference in a fast-moving market.
A 45-minute conversation to get into your situation — where you're coming from, your timeline, budget, who's moving, what's driving the decision. From there we start thinking together about realistic options: which Lisbon neighbourhoods might fit, how your budget behaves in the current market, and what a sensible buying strategy looks like. No obligation either way — by the end you'll have a clearer picture of the process, and we'll both know if it's worth working together.
Every international buyer needs three things lined up early: a Portuguese lawyer, a NIF (tax number) and a local bank account. We can introduce you to English-speaking lawyers and bank contacts we've worked with before — or work alongside your own. The decisions stay yours; we're just there to make it quicker.
If you're financing rather than paying cash, this is when you sort the mortgage. We can introduce you to brokers who specialise in lending to international buyers in Portugal — they run the application, we help keep the timeline tight. Paying cash, you can skip this stage.
You decide what matters — budget, neighbourhood feel, views, floorplan, whether you'll live there or let it. Central Lisbon's neighbourhoods behave very differently on price, lifestyle and buying patterns. We shortlist against your brief across the public portals and the off-market opportunities our network hears about before they reach the listings.
You view the shortlist. We schedule each visit and come with you — with a brief beforehand on what to notice and a straight read afterwards: condition, realistic value, whether it actually matches what you said you wanted. If something isn't right, we say so.
When you find the right property, we work up an offer grounded in comparable sales and the property's condition, and negotiate directly with the seller or their agent on your behalf. This is the part of the process a buyer's agent is really here for.
Your lawyer runs the formal due diligence — title, planning compliance, any charges, the legal status of the building — before you sign the CPCV (promissory contract). We stay coordinated with them and the agent on the other side, help keep the timeline moving, and flag anything that doesn't look right to us.
You sign the escritura (the final deed) at a Portuguese notary. We come with you so the day runs smoothly. If you can't be in Lisbon that day, your lawyer can arrange power of attorney and we'll attend on your behalf — the transaction still completes.
Once the keys are yours, there's utilities, any renovation work, and the right registrations for residency, rental licensing or local tax. We can introduce you to utility contacts, renovation contractors, architects and interior designers we've worked with before — and stay in touch for as long as it's useful.
Our model
In Portugal, agent fees are paid by the seller — typically 3–5% of the sale price. As your buyer's agent, we earn a share of that commission at completion, which means you receive expert, independent representation at no cost to you.
No conflicts of interest. Our job is to find the right property — including the ones we think you should walk away from.
We search all listings, including off-market and pre-listed properties that never reach the portals.
Market-informed offers based on comparable sales, the property's condition and current dynamics — we handle the conversation directly with the seller or their agent.
Common questions
Next step
Book your free, no-obligation discovery call. We'll talk through what you're looking for and how we can help.
Book a free call