Journal
Notes on buying, owning and living in Portugal.
No listings, no cheerleading. What we tell clients on the phone — written down, with the numbers and the caveats left in. Most of our readers are in the United States and thinking about Portugal seriously.
Property management · 16 July 2026
Owning from four thousand miles away: what property management in Portugal really involves
An unoccupied Portuguese house does not sit still. What actually needs doing month to month, what good local management includes, and the questions to ask before signing a management contract.
Read — 7 minLocations · 27 June 2026
Cascais, Comporta, Lisbon, Porto or the Silver Coast: where American buyers actually land
A candid comparison of the five places US clients shortlist most — who each one genuinely suits, what it costs to run, and the mismatch that causes buyer's remorse two winters later.
Read — 9 minBuying · 14 May 2026
What buying a house in Portugal actually costs an American, line by line
Beyond the asking price, a US buyer in Portugal should budget roughly 6–8% of the purchase price in transfer tax, stamp duty, notary, registry and legal fees — plus the recurring costs almost nobody mentions until after the keys change hands.
Read — 8 minInvestment · 22 April 2026
Buying in euros with dollars: the currency conversation most buyers have too late
On a €1m purchase, a percentage point of exchange rate is €10,000. Here is how US buyers structure the currency side of a Portuguese purchase — deposit, deed, and the years of euro costs afterwards.
Read — 6 minRelocation · 11 March 2026
NIF, bank account, fiscal representative: the paperwork order that trips up Americans
You cannot buy Portuguese property without a NIF, and almost everything else — bank account, utilities, deed — queues behind it. Get the sequence right and the admin takes weeks, not a spring.
Read — 7 minRelocation · 19 February 2026
Golden Visa, D7 or D8: how Americans are actually getting residency in Portugal now
Residential property no longer qualifies for the Golden Visa. A plain comparison of the routes American clients use today, and why the property decision should be made separately from the visa decision.
Read — 8 min
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Tell us what you are trying to do in Portugal and we will tell you, plainly, whether and how it works.