Our Future Village Ribeira de Alcalamouque
We take the weekend to explore our new property and the surrounding area. The small village, Ribeira de Alcalamouque, is situated just 2-3 km from the better-known village of Rabacal. During our two-day hike in the area, we coincidentally encounter a car and discover it belongs to a neighbor visiting his property. Eager to learn more, we strike up a conversation with him. HIs name is Henryk and he explains that our house is located in an area with a large, currently vacant farm. He mentions he’s the cousin of the owner, who resides in Switzerland and has entrusted him with overseeing the property.
Sunday morning brings another visitor—a neighbor with a shed adjoining “our” house and a garden adjacent to ours. He’s an 80-year-old man who resides elsewhere with his wife but tends to his crops here once or twice a week. He graciously shows us his shed and a 3000 m² property, which could potentially become our future holiday rental. He informs us that he’s looking to sell his property and almost succeeded in finding buyers, though they were put off by his asking price, which is more than ten times the usual rate for the area. It’s an intriguing insight into local dealings. We decide to adopt the Portuguese approach: be patient and wait for a reasonable offer or just forget about it.
Piece of Land
We ask Clara about nearby land, and she informs us that the owners also possess a 3000 m² fruit garden just 200 meters away. Adriano, who holds the keys to our house, accompanies us to see the property again. On our drive home, we make a decision: let’s pursue acquiring this ruin and the land.
I inquire with Clara about the timeline for finalizing our house purchase. She confidently replies, “If you let me know tomorrow, we can arrange everything the day after.” Excitedly, I calculate that we could potentially begin renovation work as early as June.
However, before diving in, we recognize the importance of understanding Portuguese property regulations and thoroughly reviewing the house documents. A series of visits to Finanças, the Camara, and the notary teaches us that obtaining accurate documentation detailing the property’s borders and size is crucial.
Clara, a saleswoman, assures us, “Of course, no problem.” Yet, as expected, the process proves to be more time-consuming than her initial promise of just one day.
