Thanks for the blog post… We got sort of lucky at first. Found a place, sight unseen, willing to take a dog. Ugly, but functional furniture and older appliances. A worn apartment in a high-end building in the perfect location for us. We thought this would be a lease we’d renew. Until the faucet started leaking and the landlord labeled it as “damage”, saying we’d have to pay to replace the aged faucet. Now my worry is that when a bigger, more expensive item breaks, we’ll be on the hook for replacing it. We’ve sadly started looking for another place, hoping for a reasonable landlord.
Thanks for this perspective. I'm going to put one foot in front of the other and have faith our move to Portugal will work out. Your blog is very helpful. I feel like I have eyes on the ground!
Progress Nancy. Wish Juliana & I were there to help with the new move. There are so many nice people in this world looking out for you and Denise especially on your housing situation. Getting costs from the builder is the next leap forward. You have to be excited. Can hardly wait to see both of your soon.
Wow! I totally loved the post, but what hassles! I love your attitude and the "can do" approach that you have, Nancy. I've decided that I'm going to adopt that same attitude. I just did a FaceTime walk through this morning, of a lovely apartment on the 4th floor in Olhao. I pray that I won't need a car or that Uber is there, so I can get to the market a few times a week.
Thanks, Nancy. I saw an amazing apartment in Olhão via FaceTime this morning. However, I've since dinner my research and found that the town's main industry is canning and it has a history of a stench, due to sewage. The struggle is real with this hunt for amnappropriate dwelling that you can make into a home.
It is unlikely you will find an apartment you will LOVE in any town on your first try. If you are coming from the States you must be aware of a few things: building may not have elevators, heating is less common (particularly in Algarve), washers/dryers are not a given, refrigerators are likely much smaller...etc, etc. You can choose to look for an American apartment in Portugal or adapt to living in Portugal. We hang our our clothes. We get exercise on the stairs, we shop for fresh food several days a week. Next week will be our fourth move in just over one year. You need to be flexible and realize you can live just about anywhere for a few months. It is part of the adventure and future stories you can tell relatives back home.
Well, your experience is smooth compared to mine….I am moving over in late March and have been looking for a long term rental, for me & my dog, between Pedras del Rei and VRSA. Either the realtors don’t return calls/messages, or get back to me telling me the unit has just rented. I am coming over this weekend for 5 days, and the 2 units I was coming to see have both rented in the last 3 days! I have sent so many messages that I can no longer remember which realtor goes with each listing! And realtors who came via recommendations have completely failed. It is truly the Wild West when it comes to the RE market.🥴😬🥴
I find that texts and emails typically go unanswered. Calling or physically being there is best though that may also prove frustrating. I didn't include this in the post, but one agent we had spoken to extensively about our needs did nothing until we were in front of him. Then he pulled up listings and started to look. Most frustrating.
Toby, if you want to talk to the property manager we dealt with, send me an email. Also keep in mind, most realtors do not work on Saturday and definitely not Sunday. This is not the States where realtors arrange their personal life around selling/renting properties. Assume they show properties AFTER they have taken care of their families.
Make sure you can extend the contract because in Portugal works are normally delayed and if they say the house will be ready in January, it may not be….
There is always an excuse for everything.
When I built my house I used to go and check everyday.
It took three years to get approved by the town hall and 18 months to build from scratch.
Maria, when I spoke with the owner last week he said he wanted us to stay for 3-4 years. I reiterated our situation and that I truly hoped to be out in one year. His response, "Yes that is what the people said upstairs. They have now been my tenant for 18 months...but they hope to move soon." Oye! (Yiddish...not Portuguese) Anyway, we are now at the point where we can get estimates from the builder...fingers crossed.
Hi Nancy and Denise was a pleasure help you with the apartament rental! Im available for everything you need here in Vila Real de Santo Antonio!
I was not sure how to contact you Moises and if you may be able to help us in the Tavira area. Is there a way to get in touch with you? Please
If you email me ncwhiteman@gmail.com I can provide you his contact information.
Nancy, you make the challenges easy to navigate. Thanks for the positive attitude. BTW, how can I get in touch with Moisés Souza? please
Thank You I wish you all the best. Moving to Portugal as a Solo with my dog 🐕 , your blog is very enlightening and reassuring, I can do this 👍
Thanks for the blog post… We got sort of lucky at first. Found a place, sight unseen, willing to take a dog. Ugly, but functional furniture and older appliances. A worn apartment in a high-end building in the perfect location for us. We thought this would be a lease we’d renew. Until the faucet started leaking and the landlord labeled it as “damage”, saying we’d have to pay to replace the aged faucet. Now my worry is that when a bigger, more expensive item breaks, we’ll be on the hook for replacing it. We’ve sadly started looking for another place, hoping for a reasonable landlord.
Thanks for this perspective. I'm going to put one foot in front of the other and have faith our move to Portugal will work out. Your blog is very helpful. I feel like I have eyes on the ground!
Progress Nancy. Wish Juliana & I were there to help with the new move. There are so many nice people in this world looking out for you and Denise especially on your housing situation. Getting costs from the builder is the next leap forward. You have to be excited. Can hardly wait to see both of your soon.
Congrats exciting news, will visit for lunch on our next trip to Sevilla;)
Wow! I totally loved the post, but what hassles! I love your attitude and the "can do" approach that you have, Nancy. I've decided that I'm going to adopt that same attitude. I just did a FaceTime walk through this morning, of a lovely apartment on the 4th floor in Olhao. I pray that I won't need a car or that Uber is there, so I can get to the market a few times a week.
Public transit is your friend...I don't know about Uber/Bolt in the Algarve. But taxis which are not expensive are always available.
Thanks, Nancy. I saw an amazing apartment in Olhão via FaceTime this morning. However, I've since dinner my research and found that the town's main industry is canning and it has a history of a stench, due to sewage. The struggle is real with this hunt for amnappropriate dwelling that you can make into a home.
It is unlikely you will find an apartment you will LOVE in any town on your first try. If you are coming from the States you must be aware of a few things: building may not have elevators, heating is less common (particularly in Algarve), washers/dryers are not a given, refrigerators are likely much smaller...etc, etc. You can choose to look for an American apartment in Portugal or adapt to living in Portugal. We hang our our clothes. We get exercise on the stairs, we shop for fresh food several days a week. Next week will be our fourth move in just over one year. You need to be flexible and realize you can live just about anywhere for a few months. It is part of the adventure and future stories you can tell relatives back home.
Well, your experience is smooth compared to mine….I am moving over in late March and have been looking for a long term rental, for me & my dog, between Pedras del Rei and VRSA. Either the realtors don’t return calls/messages, or get back to me telling me the unit has just rented. I am coming over this weekend for 5 days, and the 2 units I was coming to see have both rented in the last 3 days! I have sent so many messages that I can no longer remember which realtor goes with each listing! And realtors who came via recommendations have completely failed. It is truly the Wild West when it comes to the RE market.🥴😬🥴
I find that texts and emails typically go unanswered. Calling or physically being there is best though that may also prove frustrating. I didn't include this in the post, but one agent we had spoken to extensively about our needs did nothing until we were in front of him. Then he pulled up listings and started to look. Most frustrating.
Toby, if you want to talk to the property manager we dealt with, send me an email. Also keep in mind, most realtors do not work on Saturday and definitely not Sunday. This is not the States where realtors arrange their personal life around selling/renting properties. Assume they show properties AFTER they have taken care of their families.
A typical Algarve apartment.
Make sure you can extend the contract because in Portugal works are normally delayed and if they say the house will be ready in January, it may not be….
There is always an excuse for everything.
When I built my house I used to go and check everyday.
It took three years to get approved by the town hall and 18 months to build from scratch.
It is a big house because we wee a big family.
Maria, when I spoke with the owner last week he said he wanted us to stay for 3-4 years. I reiterated our situation and that I truly hoped to be out in one year. His response, "Yes that is what the people said upstairs. They have now been my tenant for 18 months...but they hope to move soon." Oye! (Yiddish...not Portuguese) Anyway, we are now at the point where we can get estimates from the builder...fingers crossed.
This is Portugal. Almost everybody takes it easy…