APEMIP

In 2018, 19,912 homes were sold to non-residents in Portugal, 14.5% more than last year. In global terms, sales to foreigners represent 8.2% of the total purchases made last year (242,091 properties).

House prices have gone up enormously in Portugal recently, but this doesn’t mean that properties are on the market longer before being sold.

Buying a home is getting more and more expensive, but property sales keep going up year after year; in 2018, the number of transactions grew between 15% and 20%, which means that about 180,000 properties were sold, 25,000 more than the previous year and an average of 500 per day.

There is a new trend of foreign investment in the Portuguese real estate market that is beginning to gain ground. It comes from across the Atlantic, specifically from the United States of America. Portugal's improved image and reputation is attracting more and more tourists and investors.

The level of investment that comes to Portugal thanks to the Golden Visas it gives out to people from overseas is decreasing, though real estate continues to be the main driver of the programme.

The French are still top of the list for the nationality which invests the most in the Portuguese property market, making up 29% of the total. Even so, Brazilian investment keeps growing and already accounts for 19% of property purchases by non-Portuguese.

More houses and cheaper. In the end, though, where are these houses? Nowhere. The Portuguese real estate market is in the middle of a drama: there is a lot of demand and little supply at affordable prices.