Frequently asked
questions.

Buyer representation means having someone formally appointed to act on your side of the purchase.

Your buyer’s agent helps you search, assess properties, question information, negotiate and navigate the purchase with one clear responsibility: your interests, not the sale of a particular property.

Unlike an estate agent, a buyer’s agent shouldn’t have a portfolio of properties they’re trying to sell you. They search the wider market on your behalf.

Property knowledge matters. But buying well, especially in another country, takes more than knowing the market.

Portugal is the seventh country Maya has called home. She knows first-hand what it’s like to arrive somewhere new, learn how things really work and make important decisions without all the familiar reference points you had at home.

Her international business background also shapes how we work. We look at the whole picture, ask the questions others may not be asking and recognise when something doesn’t quite add up.

We bring both perspectives to every search.

We don’t just ask whether a property is a good property. We ask whether it’s the right property for you, your life and what you’re trying to build here.

Not yet, although it is growing.

Portugal is still largely a seller-led market, where estate agents are appointed to bring properties to market and complete sales.

For many international buyers, appointing someone specifically to represent their side of the transaction isn’t something they realise they can do.

That’s beginning to change, and we think that’s a good thing.

A traditional estate agent is appointed by the seller to sell a property. A buyer’s agent is appointed by you to represent your interests.

Both may be helpful, knowledgeable and professional. The fundamental difference is who they work for.

A buyer’s agent should also be free to search across the market rather than having a portfolio of properties they need to sell.

There are different risks at different stages of a purchase.

Sometimes the first risk is an assumption: about an area, a lifestyle or what your budget should buy. We help test those expectations against what Portugal actually offers.

Then there is the property itself. An unregistered pool or extension, unexpected renovation costs, planning issues or build quality may not be obvious at first sight. When specialist advice is needed, we make sure the right professionals are involved.

And finally, there’s the decision itself. Excitement, fatigue and the desire to make a property work can all influence judgement. We’ve all been there.

Our role is to provide a steady second view so you can make the decision with your eyes open.

Yes.

Most buyers arrive with a preferred location, and sometimes that instinct is right.

Our role is not to push you elsewhere. It is to help you confirm that the area genuinely works for the way you want to live, use or invest in the property.

Where useful, we may also compare nearby alternatives so you can make the choice with a clearer sense of what else is available.

Yes.

If you’ve already found the property you want to buy, you may not need our Full Buyer Representation service.

We can step in before you make an offer to review the property and pricing context, help shape the negotiation strategy, negotiate on your behalf and support you through the purchase process.

Where appropriate, we can also help coordinate the professionals involved so that the offer, legal checks and transaction move forward in the right order.

Yes, in some cases.

For an investment or clearly defined purchase, a remote process can work well if the right checks are in place.

For a relocation or lifestyle purchase, we usually recommend spending time on the ground first.

A property can be assessed remotely much more easily than a life can.

Location, pace, access, surroundings and day-to-day fit are difficult to judge from a screen.

We can do much of the preparation in advance so your time in Portugal is focused on the areas and properties genuinely worth seeing.

We work mainly with international buyers purchasing a home, second home or investment property in Portugal, including buyers interested in properties with renovation or development potential.

Some know exactly what they want and where they want to be. Others are still working that out. You do not need to arrive with a perfect brief or a fixed idea of the property.

What matters is that you are genuinely considering a purchase and want independent advice from someone on your side, whether the decision is primarily about lifestyle, investment or a combination of both.

Buyer representation probably isn’t necessary if you simply want property alerts, occasional viewing assistance or access to listings you can already find yourself.

It is most useful when you want someone to represent your interests, help you compare options, challenge information when necessary and stay alongside you as the purchase progresses.

We’ll tell you.

We’re not here to make every property work.

If we see something that concerns us, we’ll explain what we’re seeing and why it matters. Sometimes the answer will be to investigate further or renegotiate. Sometimes it will be to walk away.

Our job is to help you make the right decision, not to make a transaction happen.

Our fees are agreed clearly before we begin.

For full buyer representation, we work with an engagement fee and a success fee.

For Negotiation & Purchase Support, the fee structure depends on the scope of work.

Everything is explained before any agreement is signed.

Most importantly, you appoint us and you are our client.

Because our work starts long before a property is bought.

From the beginning, we spend time getting to know you, refining the brief, researching the market and working out what a good purchase looks like for you.

The engagement fee also helps protect our independence.

If we were paid only when you completed a purchase, we would earn nothing unless a sale went through. Our fee structure allows us to tell you to walk away, change direction or decide not to buy at all.

We keep the number of active clients manageable so we can stay properly involved in every search and purchase.

If a buyer service is presented as free, it’s worth asking two simple questions:

Who is paying them, and when do they get paid?

If they are only paid when a transaction completes, their commercial incentive may ultimately depend on getting a sale over the line.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with a different business model. What matters is understanding how the person advising you is paid and whether that could influence the advice you receive.

“Free” doesn’t necessarily mean impartial, just as charging a fee doesn’t automatically guarantee it. Understanding the relationship is what matters.

Not really.

Portugal has major property portals such as Idealista, Imovirtual and Green-Acres, but they primarily show properties currently being advertised.

There isn’t one nationwide source where buyers can reliably see the whole market together with a property’s consolidated sales, listing and transaction history.

The portals are a useful starting point. They are not the whole market or the whole story of a property.

Yes.

We do not replace legal, tax, technical or financial professionals.

Those specialists have their own areas of expertise and responsibility.

Our role is to recognise when you need them, help you work with the right people at the right stage and keep the different parts of the purchase coordinated.

Yes.

We’re discreet about the work we do for clients, so most of it remains private.

Where appropriate and with their permission, we’re happy to introduce you to a past client so you can hear about their experience directly.

You can also read our Client Stories on the website.

We talk. That’s really it.

The first conversation is free and informal. We want to understand what you’re considering, where you are in the process and what you might need from us.

There’s no obligation and no sales pitch.

If we think we can genuinely help, we’ll explain which service makes sense, how it works and what it costs.

Then you decide.

You don’t need to have everything figured out before you speak to us.