How I Was Convinced To Invest In The Lisbon Real Estate Market
by Abdul Aziz Mondal Real Estate 28 October 2022
Real estate investing in Lisbon has been one of the most popular investments right now.
Lisbon, the capital of Portugal offers a variety of investment opportunities for foreigners that is quite appealing. Whether you’re interested in residential property, commercial space, or industrial properties, you’ll find plenty of options here.
After connecting with one Lisbon real estate market expert, there were four main reasons that ended up convincing me to invest in real estate there and I think ended up being a smart choice looking into how things are right now.
But first, let me give you the background story.
Why I’ve moved to Lisbon
My name is John Smith and I am from the United States. I’m currently living in Portugal because I got married here last year. My wife is British, so we’re used to being surrounded by people who speak our language.
However, this doesn’t mean that we don’t get homesick sometimes. Sometimes, we miss home so much that we cry ourselves to sleep. It’s not easy to live abroad, especially when your family is back home.
The thing is, though, I think that moving to another country is a good idea. If you move somewhere new, you’ll learn lots of new things, meet new friends, and experience different cultures. You might even find yourself falling in love!
| So why did I decide to move to Lisbon, Portugal? Well, there are two main reasons. One reason is that I found myself getting bored with life back home. I’d been working in the same job for over 10 years now, and I was starting to feel like I needed a change. So I decided to take a chance on a new adventure. Another reason is that I fell in love with someone special while I was living in London. Her name is Maria and she was born in London but decided to move to Lisbon to chase her career dream. We’ve known each other from our work, and since then we’ve always been close. When I told her that I was going to move to Portugal with her, she was really excited. She thought that it was a big sign of trust and commitment. |
I guess what I’m trying to say is that my marriage ended up encouraging me to do something that I never thought possible: become a homeowner in a foreign country!
And that’s how I became a homeowner in Lisbon, after just 6 months of living there.
But now to the reasons why I liked investing in Lisbon real estate and think you should too
Reasons for Investing in the Lisbon Real Estate market right now
There are several reasons why investors are choosing Portugal as an alternative real estate option, especially it’s capital Lisbon.
1. High demand for housing
According to data from the Portuguese National Statistics Institute, the number of households in the country has been increasing steadily and has topped double digits just last year. Also, the average household size has decreased significantly over the past few decades. This means that more and more people are looking for places to call their own.
2. Easy Accessibility to European Union (Visa option)
You can access the entire European Union market. This means that you won’t have any problems accessing the Schengen area, especially if your investment qualifies for the golden visa scheme. After 5 years, you will get permanent residency status, and during that period you won’t need to worry about visas and borders.
Especially for Americans and Brits, this must be one of the top reasons to consider an investment in Lisbon.
3. Good Investment Opportunities
Lisbon has plenty of real estate investment opportunities, from apartments to office buildings, warehouses, and industrial properties. There are also many residential projects being built, which means that you could end up buying a property at a very low price.
Also, the vibrant start-up scene has been attracting entrepreneurs who want to establish themselves in the global market. All these factors make Lisbon a great place to invest in real estate.
4. Low Cost of Living
The cost of living in Lisbon is much lower than in most major cities around Europe. Even though things are changing in recent years, it’s still one of the cheapest capitals in Europe. As a result, you can buy pretty much anything including food, clothing, and transportation, and still, have money for other activities and hobbies.
5. Good Investment Returns
In recent years, the real estate market in Portugal has shown consistent growth. And a lot of experts expect it to continue growing. So far, the return on investments in Portugal has been higher than most countries in Europe.
Am I going to continue investing in Lisbon real estate?
There are two main reasons I think to get me motivated to invest in real estate. First, I want to build wealth. Second, I want to live somewhere nice. And Lisbon does check both boxes.
Is it enough for continuing to invest in the coming years? It really will depend on my family plans, because if it’s only related to the market itself, I think I will continue.
However, uncertainty over the future of the worldwide economy makes it difficult to predict what the real estate market will look like in the coming years, and that also includes Lisbon and Portugal.
On the other hand, there are plenty of reasons why you might want to continue investing in Lisbon.
- Foreign investment in Portugal keeps growing. More and more companies are opening offices here.
- There are more opportunities appearing.
- The government policy encourages foreign investors to come to Portugal.
So, while it’s true that the Portuguese economy might start to contract, there are plenty of positive signs that suggest it might be in a later phase.
However, it’s hard to say whether if I were you, I would keep investing in Portugal. This all depends on a personal level. If you’re looking for a safe haven, then yes, you should definitely consider investing in Portugal. However, if you’re looking for something with better returns, then perhaps in the coming years there might be other places in the globe that might offer that.
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