Perfect property the many buying process in Portugal

Amount of Beach apartments for sale Algarve directly Algarve directly sold by financial institutions a negative effect In this tough financial climate we continue to find ourselves, many are left with their assets floundering in the wind, so to speak! In a recent survey by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Confidencial Imobiliário (Ci) of the Portuguese housing market, covering the sales and lettings sectors, shows a continued decline in property sales and a sharp rise in property lettings.

Interestingly, until September, existing home prices had been falling faster than new home prices. However, the last two months have shown developers becoming less resilient to the fall in house prices. December's survey actually shows new house prices falling at a faster rate than existing homes.

In the lettings market, demand continued to rise, as did new landlord instructions. Lettings anticipations recorded a sharp rise and remains firmly in a positive stance. Rents remained negative, with a reading consistent with falling rental levels. Rental expectations, whilst still falling, did so at a much slower rate in December. Indeed, outside Lisbon rental expectations are broadly stable (in Porto and Algarve), indicating that it is a regional rather than a national trend. Lettings are also Best golf courses Algarve in Porto and the Algarve. The fall of rent in some areas could be reflecting an excess of rental stock on the market but there is also evidence of a mismatch between the type of property offered, and that in demand.

The regional data tends to be more volatile than the national data, respondents in the Algarve saw the sharpest house price falls while those in Lisbon saw the sharpest falls in rents. Confidencial Imobiliário Spokesman, Ricardo Guimaraes commented: "According to the Memo signed with the Troika, December is the deadline for the Portuguese Government to change the lease law, which should improve the market confidence, especially regarding the default risk from tenants. This is moving agents' expectations. At the same time, the most commented topic remains the financial wrangling between potential buyers and banks, as well as the amount of Beach apartments for sale Algarve directly sold by financial institutions, which is having a negative effect on prices."

RICS Senior Economist, Josh Miller added: "Although sales volumes in the housing market continue to fall, volumes in the lettings market are rising as households who cannot access mortgage finance are opting for rented accommodation instead. Given the deteriorating macro economic backdrop - unemployment now stands at 12.9% while economic sentiment has collapsed - and the tightening in credit conditions already underway, the lettings market is likely to continue experiencing high volumes of activity for the time being."

This sort of trend could be typical for many European countries, so if you are having trouble selling your property, perhaps you could look at the rental market for the next few years to keep your investment level. On the other hand, if you are looking for an investment, it seems it is a buyers' market out there that could be part of your long term investment plan.

The good news is that once you've found the perfect property the buying process in Portugal is relatively simple and straightforward.

If you want to put your property on the rental market, make sure you use a Best golf courses Algarve management company that is local, speaks your language and that listens to your needs.

There are many ways you can use a management company, from just showing the property to a complete background check on potential tenants, rental collection, maintenance for house, pool, garden and so on.

For those considering purchasing property in Portugal, here are the main things to consider: We always recommend you buy through an AMI Licensed Agent and that the agent has a valid license. This license is granted by the governing body INCI (Instituto da Construção e do Imobiliário) formerly known as IMOPPI. This serves as a guarantee that the individual estate agent has complied with numerous regulations to exercise the profession of Beach apartments for sale Algarve.

Licensed estate agents also have insurance cover that may be claimed against if they don't conform to the highest standards. Make sure that your agent not only has a license but that it's actually valid. We recommend that you also seek expert legal advice and use an English speaking local lawyer.

Steve Martin is the author of this article. To know more about Beach apartments for sale Algarvevisit to website.