5 Reasons to buy a holiday home out in Portugal

One of the common responses to a holiday abroad is ‘wouldn’t it be lovely to live here’. For most of us, upping sticks and moving to our dream location is not an option, we have careers, children in school and social networks to consider, but buying a holiday home is a great half-way choice. A holiday home gives you a permanent base and the option of long or short stays whenever you are able. You can take advantage of cheap flights, without the worry of not being able to find accommodation, and you can stay in peak season without paying peak season prices. A holiday home is somewhere that you can shape and develop over the years and if you dream of a permanent relocation, a holiday home will enable you to make the transition gradually. As a bonus, a well-chosen holiday home can also provide an income throughout the year.

In recent years, increasing numbers of people have been buying a holiday home in Portugal. For UK investors, Portugal is just a short, budget airline flight away and yet the country that they find at the end of that short journey is a world away from British grey skies. Here are five good reasons why you should consider buying a holiday home in Portugal.

Opportunities for residency

During the last decade, the Portuguese government has worked hard to encourage foreign investment through its generous Golden Visa scheme. Originally, the scheme allowed foreign investors, buying property in excess of 350,000 euros, to acquire instant residency status, leading to a full Portuguese passport in just five years. The scheme was so successful that both Lisbon and Porto were regenerated by foreign investment and property prices rose year on year to the point where locals were finding themselves priced out of their own capital. In response the government has now raised the threshold to 500,000 euros and restricted the scheme to the interior of the country, however, there are still plenty of excellent investment opportunities in Portugal’s magnificent ancient cities.

Strong expat community

The Portuguese economy is dependent on tourism and the country has gone out of its way to welcome visitors. As a result, you’ll find a well-established ex-pat community with a good infra-structure of helpful groups to get you settled in.

Cost of living

Portugal enjoys one of the lowest costs of living in Europe, in excess of 30% lower than that of the U.K. You might imagine that this also means that the quality of public services is poor, but Portugal has excellent public transport, high quality education and a very successful health service.

The weather

The south of Portugal luxuriates in 300 days of sunshine a year and winters are short and mild, meaning that you can enjoy an outdoor lifestyle all year round and you won’t have to worry about winter heating bills.

The pace of life

Portugal can seem ‘old fashioned’ in some ways and one of the most attractive features of this is a culture in which people take time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. It’s a frame of mind which visitors find very seductive and of course, the glorious weather is a great incentive to take things a little slower.