Portugal Expat Forum

Charliegirl7
Joined 2014
Posts: 28

9 years ago

Scouting trip to Portugal...help please?

9 years ago

Hello to everyone!

My husband and I are going to visit the Algarve region of Portugal next month. We are young (early 50's), very active, retired and will be bringing our 2 dogs. My questions are numerous, but I'll start with just a few now and hopefully, as I continue to read through the forum topics here, I'll discover more answers to my many others.
We are currently living in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. My husband likes to play golf and we both enjoy playing tennis, hiking, biking, and swimming. We thought the Algarve region was a good choice because of the golf and beaches. We've also heard (translated-read) that we could possibly get a home there (in Silves or Lagoas I believe) with some land (for our dogs) and for gardening. And we really want a place with privacy. That is a must. We are very social people and I know we'll enjoy the hospitality of the Portuguese people, and we'll make many new friends, but we like to have our own space and time when we get home. Is that possible in those areas? Are there other areas that we should look at when we arrive? We are looking to spend about $1500-2000 a month (USD). Should we reach out to a realtor (or two!) before our trip to arrange looking at a few places while we're there next month? If so, do you know of any good recommendations? Also, has anyone moved with their dogs from the US? How hard was that?
Our scouting trip (this October) is about a year out from when we'd actually like to relocate. Our thoughts were to come visit, spend our 'vacation' time acting a little like we live there already, and just try to get as much of a 'real' experience as possible. Then sell our house here and start REALLY living there! I'd appreciate any suggestions, comments and of course, answers to these questions that you can provide. Thank you in advance for all of your help with us!!
And I'm so glad I found your forum. Everyone here genuinely seems to want to help others and that's a great feeling when all you've got is a keyboard and a dream! :)

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Contribute
Help others in Portugal by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Portugal.