When embarking on a new life in the sun, it’s easy to get swept up in the dream. The amazing weather, the fabulous food (and affordable wine), the white sand beaches and all the property with large amounts of land for quite reasonable prices. But sometimes the reality and the dreams don’t quite line up – particularly when buying a farm in central Portugal.
In this first video of a four part series we’ll share a bit of our property viewing experience and to show some of the contrast between what we hoped to find and what we actually found; it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for sure!
There’s TONS of property for sale in Portugal – some at very affordable prices, depending on what you’re looking for and where you’re looking for it. To be honest, we didn’t really know what we were looking for to begin with but this process of viewing multiple properties in a fairly short space of time definitely helped narrow things down.
Here we take a look at 5 properties across central Portugal – in Fundão, Castelo Branco, Oleiros, Sertã and near Avaiázere and Tomar. These are places that didn’t make the cut but all had something that we liked about them.
Dreams vs Reality: CHECK LIST
Self suficiency = Keep receipts of everything you buy in a month and check how many of the things you bought can you grow yourself in your land. You may soon understand that self-suficency means eating the same foods… 7 days a week. My grandparents lived off the land and during winter they had this saying in the village: "After eating cabbage with potatoes 18 times you knew it was sunday" 3 meals X 6 days.
Living off the land = Check how much you spend on things you cannot grow yourself and how much you'd need to earn from the land to buy them. If you aim to get an income of 700 Euros a month (the portuguese minimum wage) you'd need to sell over 1.5 ton of olives every month. However… olive trees only produce one harvest a year, so you'd go without an income for the other 11 months. What about grapes? Same. Potatoes? Same. Fruit? Same. And often harvests are ruined by freak weather. Or nobody wants to buy them when there's a surplus. So… even that little income is not a sure thing.
AirB&Bs, Yurts, Cabins: Regulations, Income & Tax
If you are considering renting out accommodation to visitors, you need to research all the current regulations. You cannot list your accommodation without being registered with the local Camara, and while it's relatively easy to register traditional accommodation, it is less easy when it comes to Yurts, Tents & Cabins because they fall into "camping business" which has different rules to AL (Alojamento Local).
So… research, research, research. And get all necessary licenses before you start. Be aware of the taxes and do your maths. It may not pay in the end if you are in a rural area that does not attract many visitors.
Living in Rural Portugal = It'll be a success if you can bring in an income from elsewhere. Hoping to make a living from the land won't work. I tell you so because… I know.
I bought property over internet, without seeing, ive seen youtube videos… all worked out 😁
I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.
so far no good.
Like your list a lot, pretty much close to exactly what I would put on my list.
Really interesting and helpful video – thank you for sharing this information. Looking forward to watching the rest of the series👏
Did the same all over Tenerife! Very disheartening. We bought new in the end…….lost the will to live the dream. We are happy…..
absolutely loved this!! is it possible for you to add in the price of each property you looked at? Just helps me build my knowledge and develop a "feel" of the markets in Portugal. Thanks for all the great info, truly appreciate it
Dream v. Reality couldn't be a better title. Too many foreigners going to buy property in Portugal with no clue what they're doing, expecting to get things for almost free! People saying their budget is €20,000, yet they expect a 5bed mansion in excellent condition.
Plus, you have to work out how you'll survive financially. Too many arriving without a plan, then resorting to scrounging via their YouTube account, starting dubious Patreon accounts or selling tacky merchandise at super-inflated prices – Cindy 'Whine' comes to mind there. If you can't survive financially in Portugal, don't go there in the first place! I'm also hearing of Brits turning up in Thailand and then quickly running out of money and having to ask the Consulate for money to buy a plane ticket home.
Do your research, make sensible plans, be realistic and don't get carried away by unachievable dreams.
ALWAYS ignore color and other easily changed stuff when watching places… focus on the stuff that isn't easily changed or expensive to change.
Is it allowed to knock down an old house and rebuild from scratch in Portugal or where were looking?
👍🌟🍀💐
It was very nice of you to post this video. As I scan the You Tube channels I came across your posting. Taking the viewer thru your thought process is a good thing. Both of you seem to be very down to earth and have the desire to draw back on your energies to accommodate the outside reality of the what is out there on the market and your inside reality of what your values are. A true balancing act for sure. There are millions of people who do not identify their goals and aspirations to create the stepping stones so important to planning a process that in the end can be beneficial. Using caution in every deliberation is a sound step in the planning stage and can help save you disappointment in the decisions you make. I will be interested to follow you on your journey. God Bless!
Very interesting video, definitely a reality check.
It would have been nice if you mentioned the prices.
I visited dozens (hundrees maybe) of rural places, many bought by expats, because of my work (landscapping) and the best taken care palces were almost all relativitly small (under a hectar, most under a acre) , not off grid (water and power connection to the grid), not isolated, and owned by older couples…
Many of those places are kind of similar to what you bought, even smaller, and with less house building needs, the amount of renovation you are doing isnt for everybody hability and money (you are rebuilding by yourselfs , and its been amaizing to watch).
Small is usually better. Less time and money to take care. A acre of land is enough for house, garden, veggies and forest.
Buying off grid, (water is even more i.portant then power) and too big land and renovations in many cases is cause to…give up, and go away after a few years.
Being a couple, specially if its a family, usually also helps, because unity and stability over time is needed…
It's interesting the thought process and fine tuning of what you wanted is very similar to our own journey. Viewing property to start with you quickly realise how to interpret the adverts and rule out even going to view most. Fine tune what is important and finally get to find closer to what you want. You found a gem and it is amazing for you two. Loving the vids guys 👍👍
Very interesting and informative
No straight walls!!!😂😂
Hi there!! I was wondering; while looking for property on line, did you also search the Portugeese sites? Does one of you speak Portugeese or do you use a translator?
Good vid – cheers from NZ 🙂
Roll on Part 2. Very interesting.✅
Great video for your viewers. Your list was helpful and I am glad you decided on flat land for your home. Being close to a town is one of the things I really liked about the property you purchased. From my perspective, you have the best of all worlds. Utilities if you want them. Enough land and fruit trees to support you. Space for chickens and cats. And outbuildings for future storage, workshops, etc. This is going to be a great series to teach other people what to think about when buying property in Portugal. Thanks!
thanks
Kylie & Guy, This is a very important video for anyone, wanting to buy land in Portugal… what to expect and what to look out for.
That was a fun video seeing the different types of housing available at that time
But, would you say you have a 'slower' pace of life? I'm guessing it would technically be slower, just busier in a different way
It is so appealing to slow. down the pace of life. 🙂
So many of us refugees from the UK could relate a similar story if we loved video.
Sarah and I always had a definitive plan for our requirements and it took many years, visits and wasted appointments to find what we wanted and in the end we found it by accident. Perhaps it found us. .
I remember all your videos. I'm glad you are replacing them, here. Kyllie is almost in the same shape, slimmer, but you look so different…today you look like a cowboy 😁😁😀😀
So very interesting. The buying process is a fascinating journey. I really love the property that you ended up purchasing and making into your place and space.
This is really interesting and informative, thank you. I would be really interested if you could also talk about the bureaucracy processes procedures and difficulties/complications, or not, in getting permission to renovate and add on AND build new on land in general, and how the authorities would view and deal with the illegal add-ons you mentioned?
Zippers??? Let me know if you still need 2 large zippers for the foot stools. We will bring them to Portugal mid September.
Do you need to be fully vaccinated to buy property in Portugal ? My wife isn't so I wondered if this would be an issue ATM ?
I just learned of another English couple, who came just this year to central Portugal for the same reasons, the husband passed away and they will no longer be doing videos. From Penzance to Portugal was their channel. Not sure if y’all,knew them or were acquainted but just thought I would pass along the information just in case you didn’t know. Zach was so funny in making their videos. Not sure what Ginny will be doing going forward. Thank you for sharing your experience, it really brings it to reality. Definitely for the younger folks and not my age to do this so I will be living vicariously through y’all experience! Lol hugs and love from Texas!
Nice to have a lot of choices.
Thanks. This was really helpful. I love watching the videos of people making major renovations, but the reality is that my husband and I are getting older. We need something that's move in ready with just enough land for a garden and a few fruit trees. Thanks again.
Nice of you to show this vid – I had an idea that this is a lot of what one would find there – Thanks for sharing….
Lovely update ☺️
Great hearing the thought process
and the examples
I laughed hard 🤣 when you said you left London to SLOW DOWN. You pair haven't stopped since you went !!!! lol
We have just finished renovating our house we bought in the Algarve 4 years ago and just sold it ……now we are going through all this again ….we too have started our own YouTube Chanel showing what you can buy down here for €250,000or less and it’s not a lot ….we have seen so many properties that just need knocking down 🙄 we have put an offer in for a farm but waiting to see if it gets approved or rejected ….so many people are wanting the Portuguese dream …live off grid and grow your own …..we are counting our blessings that we did what we did 4 years ago and got out of the rat race of the uk ….I can’t imagine paying £400 plus for electricity a month ….any way guys I love your channel 🌞
This video just came out at the perfect timing! I recently sent "your way" two young couples (one american, one british and they both have YT channels) who are looking to buy a plot of land in Portugal and they're both going through the same journey you two went and facing some of the same dilemmas and doubts. They're both van life enthusiasts and for now they're living in their camper vans while they search for the right place to settle in. I hope they took my suggestion because your videos will definitely be a great help and inspiration for them, either in terms of a potential house renovation or in terms of how to live off of the land. 🙂
Excellent video showing the surprises. I think that 20 visits is the norm. It allows you to set your mind up for when you find the right house. My list is much more demanding than yours, unfortunately. It starts with having school and some type of work very nearby.
This is an excellent episode! Thank you for sharing this information😊👏👏👏
Why did you pick a house with so few windows, lots of the downstairs rooms look like prison cells?
You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your princely home. 😉
Great video.The problem with the wooded areas is the fire risk, that is, unfortunately always extreme in Portugal, and can't be underestimated.
A great starter for your series. Along with your other series, you're compiling a valuable video handbook for anyone who is thinking about moving to Portugal – or many other foreign countries – for a less hectic and more healthy lifestyle. There's a lot of planning and preparation to do if it's going to be a successful and satisfying move!