Living in Portugal roadshow demonstrates continued growth from the US market
The ever-growing Living in Portugal seminars, organised by Open Media Group, publishers of Inside Carvoeiro and Inside Lagos, were this time held in Austin, Atlanta and Boston and revealed that interest in Portugal is stronger than ever amongst Americans, both for investment and relocation, with over 500 people attending the events.
Over 50% of those attending completed an online survey conducted by the event organisers beforehand, and once asked about their plans for property in Portugal, 28% replied that they intend to buy, with 25% looking to rent and 49% still unsure.
Interest from a pure investment perspective was also significant, with more than 10% specifically looking to invest in an investment fund eligible for Golden Visa .
Asked when they planned to move to Portugal, 28% replied that they would relocate within two years or less, with 11% planning to move within the next 12 months.
The most popular visa option for Portugal was clearly the D7 passive income regime, chosen by 35%, followed by the D8 so-called digital nomad visa selected by 19%.
The survey goes on to reveal data such as age groups, with 52% aged between 45 and 60, 26% over 60 and 20% between 30 and 45.
Nearly 40% of those queried are planning to retire to Portugal, followed by 24% who plan to work, and 9% who plan to invest.
As for the most popular regions of Portugal, Lisbon led the way with 27% showing interest, followed by the Algarve with 10%, whilst over 45% were not sure of which part of Portugal they would choose.
“The question of location in Portugal is often a grey area for American buyers,” said organiser Bruce Hawker. “This was our third US roadshow and I have had the chance to interact with hundreds of the people who attend our events.
“The fact is that they see Portugal as a tiny country. Many of them have been to Lisbon from where they rent a car and strike to other areas, and they think nothing of the two-and-a-half hours it takes to drive from Lisbon to the Algarve, for instance.”
At last week’s seminars, two discussion panels were held at each session, mediated by Bruce Hawker who was joined on stage by property professionals from the Algarve and Lisbon respectively.
For the Algarve session, Bruce was joined by Alda Filipe of Kronos Homes, Jaan-Claire Rodrigues of Quinta do Lago and João Richard Costa of Ombria Resort. Meanwhile, for the Lisbon session he was joined by Sara Allen of the Martinhal Group, representing the Martinhal Residences in Lisbon and the United International School, along with Pascal Gonçalves of Lisbon-based property development company Libertas.
“These panel sessions covered lifestyle aspects of each area, along with information on real estate, and I have no doubt that we whetted the appetite of many people who had not yet considered the Algarve,” said Bruce.
In total, 13 companies from Portugal participated in Open Media’s roadshow, offering real estate opportunities, legal advice, Golden Visa-eligible investments, relocation services, forex solutions, and health insurance.
Upcoming international events
The dates have now been announced for Open Media’s next Living in Portugal stateside roadshow taking place in New York, Chicago and Toronto on June 15, 19 and 22, respectively. Plans are also in place for a west coast roadshow taking place in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle in September.
The company’s international events schedule for this year also includes returning to South Africa in November, following last year’s successful events in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and an investment event planned for Hong Kong in early December.
Here in Portugal, Open Media’s next Living in the Algarve events will be taking place in Carvoeiro, Tavira and Lagos in April, May and June, respectively, with further events scheduled for the Autumn.
Living in Portugal US roadshow participating companies:
- Fine & Country International Realty (Portugal)
- OptylonKrea / Ando Living
- Libertas
- Global International Relocations
- Martínez Echevarría & Ferreira law firm
- Vida Fund
- BlueCrow Capital
- Kronos Homes
- Quinta do Lago
- Ombria Resort
- Elegant Group
- Currencies Direct
- Medal Insurance
- Dengun
Article originally published by the Portugal Resident.
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