Before selling, a report from a real estate agent can reveal how much the house really is worth. Pre-evaluation is not always necessary, nowadays there are many ways to get data online. But a professional's experience is certainly always a way to go. Note that the good real estate agent is usually the one who starts with a conservative rating and not the one with the highest rating. Most of the time, these second mediators are only interested in listing the property, only to later tell the seller with low deals that he can only sell his property at a bargain price. This is, of course, due to the fact that, if the pre-valuation of the property is overvalued, the market also calls for much less interested, since they have already been deterred by the high price of the property in advance. So what else is and should consider when selling your own property when the decision has been made to sell the house or the holiday property. The first question immediately arises, what is the value of my property? Initial indications are provided of comparable sales of nearby homes. But be careful in most cases, the price of the offer is not the actual selling price, because most of the time, both the buyer and the seller will have different views on buying a property. Positions that both parties incorporate in price negotiation. Rate your home here for free: https://pt.casaiberia.com/informacoes/avaliacao-de-imoveis-643 Depending on the target group, use also plays a role for the value of the property, often also the emotional side of both the buyer and the seller. And this is where the work of a good real estate agent that is bringing both sides together stands out for the path of reason so that everything and the whole becomes a successful mission. The value of a property is also measured by its energy efficiency. New windows or modern heating or air conditioning are about appreciation. In the case of a planned timely sale, owners should carefully check whether this is really worth while taking into account a possible expense and additional work and whether they can be safely implemented in the remaining time up to the date of the sale. In most cases a new owner has his own ideas and this added value fills very little influence on the valuation of the property. Unfavorable room layouts or special equipment, on the other hand, can reduce the value of the property. However, a good staging of the house can be helpful see here  https://www.casaiberia.com/blog/casaiberia-home-staging-valorizar-remodelar-decoracao-harmonizar-potencial-646  or a better presentation as here https://www.casaiberia.com/blog/imovel-vender-o-meu-imovel-venda-de-imovel-em-portugal-imobiliario-mercadoimobiliario-venda-particular-casaiberiarealestate-623 can help you in selling your house in the future. Author: Paulo Lopes  

The new factory of flexible photovoltaic solar panels and high temperature lithium batteries that will have its head in Moura in Alentejo, will also be the first in the world to combine these two technologies. This factory group Portuguese Lux Optimeyes Energy will be the first in the world to join solar panel technology with lithium batteries, thus seeking to obtain and create new hybrid products for the domestic and international market. The idea lies in the beginning of the combination of the two technologies and that the productive combination of the two technologies is innovative and that this may be the way of the future. Stressing the company that the solar panel with the battery allows to greatly extend the use of renewables. The unit will produce flexible photovoltaic solar panels and high temperature lithium batteries, in an initial investment of around five million euros, with community contribution. This production will not aim at the production of conventional photovoltaic panels, but rather an assembly line in the area of flexible solar, through adapted and special technologies for this purpose. The flexible panel allows applications in multiple locations, is lighter and more efficient, and can come to have several configurations. In the second production line of this factory will be the production of high temperature lithium batteries of the newest generation adapted to their function and climate in the countries of use. The products that from this factory may derive are of the most varied use possible, such as being used in the coverage of buses and their stops, in campervans, golf carts, highway noise protection panels, among others. Congratulations to this initiative and that many more of these initiatives come to Portugal.   Source: Jornal de Negócios Images: Dinheirovivo

The most “searched-for” regions for property investment in 2020-2021: Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Malta or Montenegro? Investment in real estate conjures up different images for different people, and for good reason. It is fair to say that investors each have their own agenda and their own rationale for entering the real estate sphere. And this is not always based around pure monetary returns. So, in this article from Jamesedition, we’ll look at five European destinations for property investment in 2021: Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Montenegro — and discuss key aspects of buying real estate there. Each of these countries could be classed as being “top” in at least one of the many considerations real estate investors might use. Portugal enjoyed a 10.3% property value growth in the first quarter up to March 2020, which immediately puts it top of the list for capital growth compared to the other destinations. Lisbon, Porto, Lisboa and Estoril all saw strong growth due to low interest and mortgage rates and a high rental demand in more urban areas. But property investment in Portugal is not all about capital returns and higher dividend yields: the real estate market has much more to offer. Golden Visa program in Portugal According to the Henley Passport Index, Portugal has the 6th strongest passport in the World (providing visa-free travel to most countries). The country is a member of the EU and places no restrictions on foreign investment in property. Most importantly, it offers a 5-year residency permit for non-EU citizens with the option to apply for permanent citizenship after that period. This policy also places it in 6th position worldwide in the so-called ‘Golden Visa program’ rankings. Spain, by comparison, offers only a 2-year residency permit, so the age-old ‘Spain or Portugal?’ question seems to be strongly answered in favor of property investment in Portugal. It’s not surprising that there are more than 200 real estate companies working with foreign buyers in Portugal, including bigger corporate players and local agencies. Property taxes in Portugal As for the property tax in Portugal, in 2017 the country introduced a ‘Wealth Tax’ of 1% on property investment in Portugal for real estate valued over €1m. But due to personal allowances afforded to individuals and couples, along with the abolition of domestic Stamp Duty, it has had little effect on the demand for premium property. Best places in Portugal to invest in real estate Considering lifestyle, the Algarve region is famous for its beautiful weather and fantastic golf resorts. This is where luxury meets lifestyle meets investment. But Portugal’s Silver Coast in the North is also a popular destination among real estate buyers. The area stretching from Ericeira (a 1-hour drive from Lisbon) to Nazare is well-known for its unique landscapes and the steady stream of tourists. https://www.jamesedition.com/stories/real-estate/top-european-countries-for-property-investment-portugal-greece-cyprus-malta-montenegro/

Expectations for office real estate: What do companies want right now? Expectations for office properties: What companies want now. The home office trend is increasing demand for more flexible office space, but unfortunately there are few of them in the current real estate market. The pandemic-related shift of everyday work from the office to one's own home has made it generally more difficult to rent office space.  Therefore, one can speak of a so-called pause in the market for office real estate, because let us be honest, the pandemic has led to a clear uncertainty in the company planning. The number of rental requests has decreased significantly due to Corona. It is like many companies have pressed the pause button. The still existing uncertainty among entrepreneurs and health authorities and politicians international and nationally that one is still not sure whether new waves of infection could lead to further lockdowns and thus influence the economic situation again. Opens the discussion about a central question that would be there, how, and how far and to what extent the pandemic will change the office work world in a lasting way, or already has. The translocation of the working environment, as well as the suspension of a large part of the business trips, leads to a new requirement for office buildings. New workplace regulations under COVID-19 could lead to companies having their employees work at a greater distance from each other. This can lead to a future increase in the demand for space by 10 to 15 percent, even if more employees work one or two days a week in the home office. New ideas and modern room solutions with modern surfaces are needed, which can be expanded or reduced whenever necessary.   Flexible usage concepts are required with modern room  solutions with innovatively designed work and conference areas as well as homely designed retreat rooms. Because of the increased use of videoconferencing rather than on-site calls, a fiber optic cable connection is essential and must be standard today. As well as the flexible and high-quality networking within the buildings.   Author: Paulo lopes

Portugal will be part of the "green list" of the United Kingdom, this eliminates all restrictions on the return home of British tourists, so there has been a rush of trips to Portugal this summer. The British Government will reveal today's list of countries to which Britons can make tourist trips from 17 May. The expectation is that Portugal will integrate this restricted batch of countries that will be included in this green list. The trend is being reported by various British media outlets. This reaction of the British customer only reveals the strong demand of these tourists, for the destination Portugal both loved and caressed in recent years by these tourists. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, it is currently forbidden to travel from the UK abroad without valid justification, particularly in leisure, but the British Government will ease the restrictions from 17 May, the third stage of the outlock plan. It is somewhat encouraging for our tourism industry to see this news, which only reaffirms the position that Portugal today has in the world as a destination of preference for a safe and quality holiday. After a dark year, the worst for tourism Portuguese may have already fallen behind. Everyone knows that his majesty's countries are the largest emitter of tourists to the Portuguese market, so if it is confirmed that Portugal will be on the "green list" the summer can be marked by a resumption of tourism by the British. The UK remained the main issuing market for tourists in 2020, accounting for 16.3% of non-resident overnight stays, despite a 78.5% decrease compared to the previous year, according to figures from the National Statistics Institute. In 2019 Portugal was visited by 2.5 million Britons. Source: Business Journal

Since the outbreak of the corona virus, the global economy has been experiencing a crisis unlike anything seen before. The economy and society are in a state of emergency. Investors have difficulty foreseeing where the ride is going! Only on the housing market has the Corona panic been manageable so far. House and flat prices have so far remained stable in Portugal and its largest urban centers such as Lisbon and Porto, according to the latest figures from the Bank Valuation Index of Portuguese banks for property loans, which rose by 6.8% in March compared to the previous month. This is the biggest increase since August last year. A clear sign that the Portuguese property market will continue to be popular with investors after Corona is the huge amount of investment in the Portuguese housing market by debt and large international investors. Last week the Belgian company Krest announced that it will invest another 200 million over the next 4 years, this week Nexity Portugal announced that after investing 120 million last year, it will invest another 250 million over 5 years in housing in Portugal. But also Kronos, which started its activities in Portugal in 2018, continues to focus on a growing and secure real estate market with new projects in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve. Unlike the capital markets, economic crises usually have a delayed impact on the real estate market. So it is possible that the slump is yet to come. Some experts even fear that the corona virus could trigger a chain reaction and warn of the bursting of a real estate bubble. I believe that the pandemic has caused many people to rethink their decisions, and that the quality of life is more important than ever before when deciding where to live. Portugal is one of the European countries with one of the best digital infrastructures, and due to its family-friendly and multilingual inhabitants, it will become more and more a place of relocation for the next generations who will run their business or profession from their home office. There are currently no signs of a speculative bubble developing in the Portuguese property market. However, the Portuguese population is still facing a difficult test, because with a home ownership rate of about 85% and moratoria ending in September this year, there will certainly be some borrowers who will not be able to meet their obligations after the crisis. Nevertheless, I believe that the banks have learned from 2008 and that many borrowers will also make agreements with the banks to maintain these loans or to convert them into rental properties. Since the banks have not granted excessive or high-risk real estate loans and we have observed a moderate construction boom in the past, the question of oversupply does not exist. On the contrary, construction activity has been lagging behind demand for years. Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that private investors may hold back on property purchases for the time being and wait to see how the situation develops. We have already observed this in recent weeks and also last year, but it is manageable. Most interested parties are buying because the Portuguese real estate market, unlike other Southern European real estate markets, is and has been a permanently growing market, which has many reasons for which this article would not suffice. Autor: Paulo lopes

Presented this Friday the 23rd of April by Start Campus. The "Sines 4.0 hyperscale data center" will have an extraordinary capacity of up to 450 megawatts (MW), which will make it one of the largest data centers in Europe and put Portugal on the roadmap of the largest international IT companies. This mega center is intended to respond to demand for streaming technology, data processing and storage, social networking companies and applications. Sines 4.0 will thus bring Portugal to the center of the European data network, with the creation of 1200 highly qualified technological jobs in the areas of networks and information technologies. It is common opinion of investors and other IT entrepreneurs that this mega center and other projects will contribute to place Portugal definitively as a central data hub and the first Transatlantic Connectivity choice for all between the European, American and African continent. Many are unaware that our strategy position at the end of Europe and its direct and primary connection to the submarine cables Ellalink (Portugal South America), Equiano (Portugal South Africa) and 2Africa (Africa and the Middle East - Portugal - Europe), make Portugal the First Gateway and exit of data for all these continents. Portugal also has many more factors that attract investment of this nature, sustainability by the large percentage of energy production through renewable energies. The unoccupied territorial space that can design projects on a large scale and with dimensions that in other countries due to their population density would not be possible today. And "last but not least" our ability to adapt to new scenarios such as digitalization and the necessary ability to train citizens in our excellent universities for this purpose.   Author: Paulo Lopes Images: LUSA

Let's try to answer this question by reflecting a little bit on what it is, and how the real estate market Portuguese. The truth that is told there are more houses for sale on the market, but as absurd as it may seem, they are still not enough to satisfy demand. This demand is fuelled by existing liquidity, negative rates and the savings of households. And while 2020 was a recession, national real estate grew in value, sold less, but with higher prices. Data released by the National Institute of Statistics confirm that there was a significant recovery in the summer. And as a result of this recovery in the summer of 2020, the price of real estate grew again to 8.4%, even taking into account the reduction in the amount of transactions by 5.3%. However, in response to this phenomenon the average value of the properties transacted was €151,000, which meant an average increase of 8.4% for each transaction. As a whole, €26.2 billion was recorded in real estate transactions, 2.4% more than in the previous year. Several national economists and fund managers explain this situation by continuing a financial environment favourable to real estate investment, with ample liquidity provided by financial institutions and households and also derived interest rates at minimum levels, which are reflected in a loss of capital of households rather than the growth of savings. Summing up the context that led to this somewhat surreal evolution, it remains that the national supply does not correspond in any way to demand, both nationally and internationally, for the property in Portuguese lands. Author: Paulo Lopes

As promised, I'm back with a very fashionable topic in recent years, Home Staging.    In a nutshell, Home Staging will not only help your property stand out, but it will also be a great tool to conquer a wider range of potential buyers.  It consists of refurbishing a property prior to sale using a limited and reduced budget with the aim of selling faster and at the highest price.    Normally, the amount invested in Home Staging should not exceed 1% of the sale value, but may vary between 0.5% and 4%.  There is no fixed value for this type of intervention because it can vary according to the type of property. Initially I strongly advise you to enlist the help of a Decorator, Home Stager or Interior Architect to prepare a budget for you. In addition to advising you, they will accompany you throughout the process and can also give you some innovative and fun DIY (Do It Yourself) ideas. This way, you will be able to enhance the different areas of your property in a "Low Cost" way.   Some of the tasks can be done by you or even with the help of friends or family (always under the supervision of the professional you have chosen to accompany you in this project). If you prefer to leave everything in the hands of the professionals remember that any expenses not foreseen in the initial Budget should be previously discussed.      Attention, Home Staging should not be used to hide defects or imperfections of the property. Its goal is to enhance and standardize, in other words, depersonalize the space so that each visitor can imagine himself living in it.    We can do this as follows:    removing some of the furniture and rethinking its arrangement;    highlighting room areas;    harmonising colours and materials;    working on the luminosity of the different spaces;   implementing a more appealing and less personal decoration (which may appeal to a wider range of people).   One of the key points of this type of work is renovation that focuses more on the kitchen and bathrooms. These are the rooms with the greatest impact on visitors and which may decide a sale. They are also the rooms that require the most attention and imply greater expense. The aim should be to modernise and get rid off any signs of mold or water damage.      What are the advantages?    Home Staging has been gaining followers internationally, not only because it makes the sale happen faster and at the best price, but also by offsetting the investment by generating more visitors and more potential buyers, avoiding a negotiation far below the value.   I believe that in Portugal it will only be a matter of time for Home Staging to be sufficiently valued and understood so that it can finally become as popular here, as it is in the rest of the world.        In the next article I would like to give you some tips on how small changes can give a new look to your home.       Autor: Dalila Silva 

In our business we regularly use the expression "from people to people". We do not know its origin or authorship, but we recognise it as a motto for our profession. We bring this truth to life in the various branches of our work, whether it's a simple phone call, during a property visit, or simply the moment when a potential client first crosses our agency's door. When a client seeks our help in finding their new home, there is a whole range of information that we need to obtain. We must leave the client at ease and not invade him with our questions, being aware and knowing how to conduct this task, so often misunderstood by our interlocutor. Some of the most important aspects of the client profile are related to financial, personal and other more intimate information, such as dreams and emotional needs. Establishing an empathic and close relationship with the client is essential in this action, but it is also extremely necessary that the client understands that the more information he provides us with, the better we will do our job. There is no point in going on visits without first understanding what the person is looking for, how we can effectively help them, and even if there is financial capacity for that, avoiding disappointment. It is also our job to balance the dream and the need. They are not always compatible, but we can always offer alternatives. It is in this exchange of information and unique details that we, as real estate consultants, can make a difference in the market: we are more effective. We will certainly be one step closer to the final goal of those involved, while at the same time exponentially increasing the degree of customer satisfaction. In short, it is important to be the first to be aware of this need in order to know how to convey it. In an activity that is "from people to people", helping is only possible if we put into practice this ability to question, understand and guide, always focusing on the common goal: finding the perfect property. Good work and happy sales!   Text: Lurdes Duarte Pictures: John Schnobrich; Kraken Images; Cytonn Photography (Unsplash)