Infinito Real : What type of company to use to buy property in the Algarve?

With the way the overseas property market works now a days you would be forgiven for not quite knowing who you are dealing with. The simplest way to look at it is too split up companies into types of agents :

1) Full broker agents : Infinito Real work as a full broker agent here in the Algarve. What does this mean? Well basically we work with our own portfolio of properties, without being tied to just one area, as well as working with the top traditional real estate agents in each area across the Algarve. The benefit to this is you instantly have access to all the properties available in each area, you have an independent advisor who has knowledge of each different area you are considering and as such can point out the benefits and pit falls of each area without having to worry about losing the sale as we can of course work in any area.  For us this method is much more efficient for client’s which is why we do it, it gives us a greater chance of being able to find our client’s the property they want wherever they are looking and it gives the client the chance to see all the area’s a full range of property without having to to see 5,6,7 or more different agent’s.

2) Traditional real estate agents : Your traditionally agent’s generally cover the area where they are based and only that area, they have their own listing’s and only sell their own listings. A great option if you know exactly where you want to buy a property and want expert knowledge and advice from a company that works and covers that area only. The downside to this is there is no comparisons to other area’s the agents who chose an area and work like this too so as it’s an area they prefer so there is a bias towards it.

3) Overseas Property Agents : A lot of companies (or website nowadays) advertise and offer services in huge numbers of countries. Now on the face of it this looks great offering impartial advice in such a large range of countries is great, however most of the information is taken from other companies who advertise on these sites and, in the majority of cases, aren’t the actual company you’ll be dealing with when you make the appointment. For most buyer’s this is not a sensible way to buy and/or look for property, firstly to cover such a variety of countries without offices in them is impossible. A local agent, or broker agent in the country or area you are looking in would be a most better option than this, you’ll get up to the date information and much more information than dealing via, what’s effectively a property portal service.

For us the best and most efficient way to view property is with a Full broker agent especially if you haven’t been to the country very often and are still open to different area’s, you can be guided through different locations different price brackets and filter down your search that way. Of course even if you know the area you want it can be beneficial to work with a broker agent as they will be able to line up a larger range of properties for you with all the main agents of that area rather than having to go find them yourself and arrange different appointments with each one, starting from scratch in terms of requirements and personal taste.

One of the key benefits of a larger broker agent is the option of subsidised viewing trips which are a great way to find a property with the minimal of fuss and hassle.  You can read about Infinito Real inspection trips here if you’re interested.

To see a full range of properties for sale in the Algarve take a look at our website, which is constantly updated with new listings and information on buying property in the Algarve.