How did buying a house from Portugal change the investors’ lives?
Chitra Stern, an Indian descent from Singapore moved to the Algarve, the South of Portugal, in 2001 to look for new business opportunities. She states that: “Portugal is the most open, tolerant and liberal society that I have lived”. One of the other inhabitants of the Algarve is Stern and his Swiss wife. The couple have established a hotel chain and started a life in Portugal. The couple states that they feel at home in Portugal. Portuguese people embrace different religions, beliefs and colors.
Itay Kastel moved to Portugal with his family in 2016 and expanded his real estate business in Angola for 10 years in Portugal. He mentions that moving to Portugal was the best decision he had made. The welcoming atmosphere and the helpful people of Portugal makes him very happy.
Andy Yacoub from London and his Mexican wife are another family that started a new life by making a real estate investment in Portugal. In 2017, the couple decided that they did not want to live in the US any longer and left their job as a pilot in a corporate airline for 10 years and turned to the real estate sector in Portugal.
Eduardo Migliorelli said, when he discovered that he could walk a few hundred meters from the restaurant in Portugal without the fear of being attacked, he decided to settle here with his family. Brazilian businessman, who has been in Sao Paulo for many years and has been robbed and attacked many times, said that he could not imagine finding the atmosphere of trust he found in his own country in Portugal, but he described Lisbon as a city where one does not have to constantly look back to see if someone is following you.
Portugal Golden Visa grants residence permit to individuals who invest in a minimum of €500.000 in real estate. The program is very popular among foreign investors and the residence permit enables the individuals to travel within the Schengen Area without a visa.