BUYING A PROPERTY

We saw the guy from ERA this morning and he is lining up some properties for us to view. We have taken on board all the advice we've been given, both here on this site and from other sources. High on our list of priorities is to check for barking dogs...although, if there aren't any where we're looking at present..there could be in the future. Andre from ERA says there are barking dogs and clucking hens nearby to his home but he has learned to zone them out when he sleeps! We know we want a place with.....

No barking dogs or 'very-quietly' barking dogs (Is there such a dog?)
No community charges
South facing
Not too far from shops/bars etc so we don't have to drive everywhere. We enjoy walking, though.
Some neighbours not too far away. I need people to talk to. I'll have to learn Portuguese.
Inland is OK but not so far inland or so high on the hills that the lovely winter temperatures are lower than on the coast
2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms
At least a small garden for growing something....although Andre tells us he has given up growing tomatoes etc in his small plot as the birds kept eating them. Now he just has snails....lol
We don't mind a bit of work


I suspect we're asking for too much for our budget...but we know there is room for negotiation and hubby tells me the Portuguese always put a much higher price on their property than they expect to get.

Good luck Maggie and do keep us in the picture. Everything helps for future advice.

We use Ibex - http://www.ibexinsure.com/

Same as Dicey, we use Ibex, Almancil office. Tell David we said hello!

I bank with Millennium, so I'll give them a try - thanks!