Buying a New Build or Off Plan Property in Portugal

A new house can be very appealing: a layout that suits you, modern finishes and fewer decisions about somebody else's renovation. Buying off plan can also mean committing before you can walk through the finished rooms. I would give the drawings and paperwork at least as much attention as the lovely image of the future terrace.

Buying a completed new build and buying a property still under construction are different decisions. Start by establishing exactly what exists today, what remains to be done and what the seller is promising to deliver. Then ask your independent lawyer and a suitable technical professional to help you understand that particular project.

Considering a new build or comparing it with a resale? Browse ACPS property listings or tell me your preferred area, budget and timescale. I can confirm current availability and help you put together a viewing shortlist.

Visit the location before choosing the finishes

The kitchen colour can usually wait. The position of the plot cannot. Visit the site and look at access, neighbouring buildings, road noise and the journeys to the places you will use. Return at another time of day if possible, especially if the first visit was unusually quiet.

Ask what is planned within the development and around it. A view across an empty neighbouring plot may be different once that plot is developed. Have your advisers check the relevant planning information rather than relying on an artist's impression to describe the future surroundings.

For a larger development, find out whether other phases may still be under construction when you move in. Ask about shared facilities, access routes and any continuing works. It is better to understand the sequence than imagine that the whole neighbourhood will be finished when your own keys are ready.

Read the floorplan as if you already lived there

I would put ordinary furniture on the plan and work through an ordinary day. Where do you put coats, shopping and cleaning equipment? Can you open the bedroom cupboards with the bed in place? Is there enough useful storage, rather than just a generous total area?

Check room dimensions, ceiling heights where relevant, door openings and the route from parking to the house. Ask how the quoted areas are measured and what is included. A terrace, garage and living room are all useful spaces, but they do different jobs.

Look at orientation, neighbouring shade, windows and the outdoor areas you expect to use. Ask the technical professional to help you understand daylight and likely summer shade. A large expanse of glass may look wonderful; it still needs to work with privacy, heating and cooling.

Make the specification specific

Ask for a written schedule of what is included in the price. That should be clear enough to compare with the completed home. “High quality finishes” is a description, not the same thing as knowing which windows, kitchen equipment or floor finish you are buying.

Useful questions include:

• Which appliances, fitted cupboards and bathroom fittings are included?
• Are the garden, boundaries, gates, pool and outside lighting included, and to what finish?
• Which heating, cooling, hot water and ventilation systems will actually be installed?
• How are substitutions, upgrades and changes agreed and priced?

Distinguish installed equipment from preparation for equipment. Pre-installation for air conditioning, for example, needs explaining; ask what additional work and cost would remain before you could use a system. Keep approved changes in writing, with their price and effect on timing. Memory is a rather poor filing system for a building project.

Have the project and contract checked independently

Your lawyer should establish who owns the land, who is selling, what you are buying and what legal checks are needed at the current stage. An appropriate architect or engineer should review the relevant project information and technical matters. Ask them to confirm the applicable permissions, procedures and documents for this development.

Portuguese planning procedures change, and requirements depend on the project. I would avoid treating a brochure's “approved” wording as an answer to every question about construction, use or completion. Get the specific position checked before signing or paying a commitment.

Ask about the developer, contractor and previous completed work. Your advisers can help with the appropriate company and contractor checks, including relevant IMPIC information. A registration check is useful, but it is only one part of assessing the project and the obligations being offered.

Our property purchase process guide explains the wider steps. For an unfinished home, your lawyer should consider the contract, specification and project status together.

Understand payments and the completion timetable

Ask your lawyer to explain each proposed payment: when it falls due, what triggers it, what evidence is required and what protections you have. Check how delays, changes, failure to complete and any agreed conditions are handled. Do not assume that every project's stage payments follow the same pattern.

If you need a mortgage, discuss the particular property and payment schedule with a qualified adviser or lender early. Your ability to fund one stage is not the same thing as having the whole purchase arranged. ACPS's international buyer mortgage page explains how to seek separate advice.

Plan for the practical consequences of timing too: accommodation, storage, travel and selling your existing home. An estimated completion date should be understood alongside the contract, rather than treated as an unconditional moving date. Ask before booking arrangements that would be difficult to change.

Stay involved and inspect before handover

Agree how progress will be communicated and whether appropriate independent inspections can take place during construction. Photographs help you follow a project, but they do not replace an inspection where a technical assessment is needed.

Near completion, arrange a careful inspection against the agreed plans and specification. Ask a suitable professional to check workmanship and systems, and record any unfinished items or defects in writing. Agree with your lawyer how those matters should be handled within the contract before completion or handover.

Ask what documents, equipment instructions, energy information and warranty details you should receive. Find out who to contact about a problem after moving in and what procedure applies. A snagging list is useful, but understanding how it will be dealt with is more useful still.

Compare new build with a home you can see today

A new build may suit you if its location and layout work and you are comfortable with the project and timetable. A resale may suit you better if you want to inspect the finished house, understand its established surroundings and move within a different timescale. Both deserve proper legal and technical checks.

Use our Algarve viewing checklist when comparing completed homes, and browse current Algarve properties to see the alternatives. If you are weighing up a new project, tell me your plans and timing. I can help you compare the choices, while your independent advisers deal with the legal, financial and technical decisions.

Best wishes,
Calvin

Calvin Gibson
ACPS Real Estate | Property by Calvin