Nine stages, from our first conversation to the day the keys change hands.
Every purchase has its own rhythm, but the shape is remarkably consistent. This is how it usually unfolds for my international clients, including the ones who never set foot in Portugal until the very end.
Week 0
We start with how you want to live, not with listings. Schools, work, seasons, the feel of the street. The brief we build together becomes the filter for everything that follows, and it saves us from the most common mistake: falling for a house before knowing it fits your life.
Days 3 to 7
A NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal) is your Portuguese tax number. You need it for nearly every formal step in Portugal, from the purchase itself to utility contracts. Non-residents apply through a fiscal representative, usually a lawyer or accountant, and with documents in order it typically takes a few days. In parallel, we start the bank account, because funds for completion will need a clear route into Portugal.
Weeks 2 to 6
This is where I earn my keep. I look across the whole market, on market and off market, and I tell you what I would tell a friend: what is overpriced, what is quietly right, what to walk away from. The shortlist is short on purpose. You are not here to tour fifty houses.
During the search
If you can come, I recommend one focused viewing trip. If you cannot, I do the viewings for you on live video, slowly, honestly, with the camera where photos never go: the street in February light, the neighbours' wall, the boiler cupboard. Distance does not have to mean blindness.
Measured in days
When we find the one, I prepare the offer: price, conditions, timing, and what we know about the seller's position. Offers in Portugal are usually made in writing through your lawyer or adviser. Negotiation here is calm and direct. Bluster does not work; good information does.
Soon after acceptance
The CPCV, the Contrato de Promessa de Compra e Venda, is the promissory contract that fixes the price, the completion date and the conditions of the sale. This is a binding contract, and at signing you typically pay a deposit of around 10 percent. It matters what it says: if the buyer withdraws, the deposit is usually forfeited; if the seller withdraws, the seller typically has to return double the deposit. Your lawyer drafts or reviews it. Never skip that.
7 to 14 days
Between the CPCV and the final deed, your independent lawyer verifies everything: the title at the land registry, any mortgages or charges, the licences, and the plans at the câmara. This is the quiet, unglamorous stage that protects you from the expensive surprises. Problems found here are problems solved cheaply.
The day it becomes yours
The escritura is the final deed, signed before a notary. The balance is paid, usually by banker's draft, the deed is registered in your name, and ownership transfers. If you are buying remotely, your lawyer signs for you under the power of attorney, and you watch the keys photo arrive on your phone. It is a good day.
The first weeks
Utilities in your name, registration with the tax office, the practical inventory of a new home: locks, cleaners, the internet installer who only comes on Tuesdays. I stay in the picture for this part. Buying the house is the transaction; settling in is the point.
Most of my clients buy from outside Portugal. Here is how it works when you cannot be here.
I walk the property live on video, slowly and honestly, at the time of day that matters. You ask questions in real time. Nothing is staged; you see the same version I see.
A procuração, a power of attorney granted to your lawyer, lets them sign the CPCV and the escritura on your behalf. It is a standard instrument, drafted for this purpose, and it means you never have to fly in for a signature.
Your fiscal representative obtains the NIF without you travelling. The bank account is opened with your documents, sometimes remotely depending on the bank, and funds are wired in ahead of completion. Money needs a clear, documented route; your lawyer makes sure of it.
No. Many of my clients buy from abroad. A fiscal representative obtains your NIF, I do viewings by video call, and a power of attorney lets your lawyer sign the contracts and the escritura on your behalf. You can travel for a viewing week if you wish, but it is not required.
A NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal) is your Portuguese tax number. You need it for virtually every formal step in Portugal, including buying property. Non-residents apply through a fiscal representative, who can be a lawyer or accountant; with documents in order it usually takes a few days.
The CPCV (Contrato de Promessa de Compra e Venda) is the promissory contract that fixes the price, the completion date and the conditions of the sale. It is a binding contract. The buyer typically pays a deposit of around 10 percent at signing; if the buyer withdraws, the deposit is usually forfeited, and if the seller withdraws, the seller typically must return double the deposit.
From accepted offer to escritura, a cash purchase typically takes 4 to 8 weeks and a purchase with a mortgage typically takes 8 to 12 weeks. These are normal ranges, not guarantees: title issues, mortgage approvals and sellers all move at their own pace.
Yes. The NIF is not needed to look, shortlist or even make an offer. You do need it before signing the CPCV, so I suggest starting the application early. In practice the NIF and the search run in parallel.
Tell me how you want to live, and we will take it from there, step by step.