Before You Fall for the View

The photographs show you the pool and the terrace. They rarely tell you what ordinary life in the house will actually feel like.

Featured this week: ACPS10900 in Machados, São Brás de Alportel. €490,000.

There is a moment on almost every property viewing when somebody walks onto a terrace, looks at the view and starts imagining where the wine glasses will go.

And to be fair, that is part of the fun.

Buying a home in the Algarve should be exciting. But after many years of showing people properties here, I can tell you that the things which make you fall in love with a house on viewing day are not always the things that determine whether you will enjoy living there five years later.

The photographs will show you the pool. They rarely tell you where you are going to put the shopping when you arrive home in February rain.

So here are some of the less glamorous, but considerably more useful, things I think buyers should notice.

1. Where does the sun actually go?

South facing is something buyers hear constantly, but do not stop there. Stand outside and look at the property properly. Where will you have breakfast? Where will you sit at six in the evening? Which rooms get the strongest afternoon sun? And perhaps most importantly, where will the sun be in winter?

In August, finding shade can feel considerably more important than chasing sunshine. A good Algarve home normally gives you a choice of both.

2. Think about January as well as August

People understandably visit the Algarve in beautiful weather and imagine their future life based on that particular day. Try to imagine the same house on a cool January morning.

How is it heated? Is it well insulated? Does it have double glazing? What is its energy rating? Are the main living areas naturally bright?

Air conditioning is wonderful in summer, but year round comfort is a bigger question than simply whether a property can be cooled down in August.

3. Ask where the water comes from and where it goes

Especially with countryside properties, do not assume every house works in exactly the same way. You may encounter mains water, boreholes, cisterns, septic tanks, mains drainage, irrigation systems and combinations of several of them.

None of these automatically makes a property good or bad. You simply want to understand what you are buying, how it is maintained and what responsibilities come with it.

4. Test the internet

This would barely have appeared on a buyer's list twenty years ago. Today it can be essential. If you work from Portugal, stream television, have children gaming upstairs or simply expect reliable internet, ask what connection is available rather than assuming.

And yes, standing in the corner of a bedroom waving your phone around looking for another bar of signal is an entirely legitimate part of a viewing.

5. Drive the last five minutes yourself

A pin on Google Maps does not tell you everything. Is the access narrow? Is there an awkward turn? Would you be comfortable driving it after dark? What happens when two cars meet? Is there somewhere sensible for visitors to park?

A spectacular country house can still become frustrating if the final kilometre makes every journey an expedition.

6. Stop talking for a minute

Estate agents are not usually known for encouraging silence, but I recommend it. Stand outside and listen.

Dogs? Road noise? Aircraft? Neighbours? Church bells? Complete silence?

None of those things necessarily matters unless it matters to you. The mistake is only discovering it after you have bought the property. If you are serious about a home, seeing the area at another time of day can also tell you a great deal.

7. Look at the garden as work, not just scenery

A large Algarve garden can be glorious. It can also require rather more attention than the photographs suggest. Look at irrigation, mature trees, pool maintenance, terraces, retaining walls and the amount of land you will realistically want to care for.

Some buyers genuinely want two hectares, an orchard and enough land to disappear into. Others discover that what they really wanted was a pretty terrace, four lemon trees and somewhere to put a barbecue. Both are perfectly good answers.

8. Check that the house on the ground matches the house on paper

Pretty stone annexes, converted garages, extended terraces and old outbuildings are common features of Portuguese property. Before committing to a purchase, your independent lawyer should establish exactly what is registered and properly documented.

Do not be embarrassed to ask questions. Good property buying is not about avoiding every house with history. It is about understanding that history before you buy it.

9. Do not just measure the distance to the beach

This is where buyers sometimes concentrate on the wrong twenty minutes. Yes, knowing how far you are from the beach is lovely. But how far are you from the supermarket, a decent café, your doctor, a pharmacy, your favourite restaurant, the airport, friends and a good loaf of bread?

That last one becomes surprisingly important.

The Algarve home you enjoy most is usually the one that works on an ordinary Tuesday, not just during a two week holiday.

10. Try the coffee test

This is perhaps the least scientific piece of property advice I give. If you think you like an area, stop looking at houses for half an hour.

Go into town. Order a coffee. Sit there. Watch people doing completely normal things.

Would you enjoy having your morning coffee there? Could you imagine popping into that supermarket? Would you like walking around the town? Does it feel comfortable?

Properties can be renovated. Locations are rather harder to move.

ONE WORTH LOOKING AT THIS WEEK ACPS10900 | Machados | €490,000 A good example of practical thinking is this brand new two bedroom villa in Machados, just outside São Brás de Alportel. It offers a new single storey home designed to be straightforward to live in and maintain. It is south facing, Energy A rated and includes underfloor heating, air conditioning, solar hot water, a private terrace with built in barbecue, a large roof terrace prepared for the possible installation of a jacuzzi and off street parking. A bakery, café and traditional Portuguese restaurant are within walking distance, while São Brás de Alportel is under ten minutes away. Because eventually even the best view loses an argument with fresh Portuguese bread. VIEW ACPS10900

Buy the life, not just the listing

Bedrooms, bathrooms, square metres and swimming pools matter. Of course they do. But they are only part of choosing a home.

Sometimes the property that looks least spectacular online turns out to be the one that works beautifully in real life. And occasionally the house with the photograph that made you book a flight is not quite right once you stand inside it.

That is perfectly normal.

My job is not to persuade somebody to buy every property I show them. It is to help them recognise the right one when we eventually find it.

PROPERTY BY CALVIN Calvin Gibson If you are considering buying in the Algarve and are not quite sure which area or type of property would suit you, get in touch. Sometimes a ten minute conversation can save weeks of looking at the wrong houses. +351 912 388 211 calvin@acps-real-estate.com