Can I work with Rhamos and still look at properties on my own?

Yes. The advisory work does not stop you viewing properties on your own initiative or contacting the agents advertising them. We ask only that you tell us what you have seen before making any offer, so that document preparation and verification happen before a figure is on the table. Our work is the same whichever property is chosen, so we have no interest in the choice falling on one property rather than another.

What if the property I want is with an agency that does not know you?

You can buy through any agency without losing the advisory support. That agency keeps its relationship with the seller; on your side, you keep the document preparation and verification, the analysis of the property against the agreed criteria, and our presence with you at viewings and through to the deed. Any intermediation the case requires is carried out by the licensed brokerage, identified to the client before any brokerage activity.

What is the minimum value you work on?

We publish no minimum value, because the test is not the price of the property: it is whether the advisory work adds something to the case at hand. A straightforward purchase in an area the buyer already knows well may not need it. A purchase involving works, an undivided inheritance or a corporate structure may need it, even at a lower value. We say which case yours is at the criteria session, before any commitment.

How long does buying in Portugal actually take?

The timescale depends mainly on the search-and-analysis phase. Typically that phase takes between two and six weeks to produce a shortlist, and documentary verification takes five to ten days per property. Once an offer is accepted, the period through to the deed is set by the parties in the preliminary contract and lengthens where bank financing is involved. The nine phases and their typical timeframes are in the table on this page.

Do I need to be in Portugal to buy?

You do not need to be present at every stage. The deed can be executed by an attorney holding sufficient powers, which allows a purchase to be completed remotely. A Portuguese tax identification number (NIF) is required and, for non-residents from outside the European Union, a fiscal representative; both requirements are covered, with a verification date, in the guide to buying in Portugal. We nonetheless recommend attending at least one viewing before an offer is made.

Services · Acquisition advisory

Buyer advisory

Buyer advisory is professional support on the buying side: we define the criteria with you, analyse the market, prepare and verify the documentation, and accompany you at each viewing and through to the deed. Terms, including remuneration, are presented in writing before any commitment.

Real-estate intermediation is carried out by a licensed real-estate brokerage, identified to the client before any brokerage activity. The active search for properties on the market, the negotiation and the brokerage itself sit with that firm; our work is the advice and the support at your side, and it is the same in Lisbon, in Madrid and in Dubai.

Why the agent showing you the house does not work for you

A property transaction has two sides with opposing interests. Whoever brings the property to market has a contract with the seller and a duty to obtain the best price for the seller. That is proper, and it is their obligation. What is not proper is for the buyer to assume that the same person is also acting for them.

In Portugal and in Spain, in most residential transactions, the buyer enters that negotiation alone: with nobody on their side of the table and with considerably less information than the other party. The answer is not to distrust everyone — it is to have professional support on your side.

Who works for whom in an ordinary residential transaction.
Role	Who engages them	Where their duty lies
The agent advertising the property	The seller	The seller — the highest price obtainable
The agent who also ‘assists’ the buyer	The seller	The seller, even while showing the house to the buyer
An acquisition adviser	The buyer	The buyer — criteria, verification and the candour to say when you should not buy

What we do, in order

Nine fixed phases. Each has a typical timeframe and ends in a document you keep.

The nine phases of an accompanied purchase, with the typical timeframe for each.
Phase	What happens	Typical timeframe
01 · Criteria	A requirements session: use, holding horizon, total budget — not the price alone — and the tax and family constraints.	One session
02 · Terms	The terms of the advisory work, including remuneration, are presented in writing and accepted before any commitment and before the first viewing.	48 hours
03 · Search and analysis	The active search for properties on the market is carried out by the licensed brokerage. On our side, we analyse each property identified against the agreed criteria and maintain a reasoned shortlist.	2–6 weeks
04 · Verification	Permanent land registry certificate, tax register entry, occupancy licence, energy certificate, registered charges, service-charge debts and the municipal plan.	5–10 days per property
05 · Opinion of value	An opinion of value framed within the licensed brokerage: comparables from completed transactions rather than asking prices. An independent contractor's estimate for works where applicable.	5 days
06 · Offer	The negotiation is conducted by the licensed brokerage. We prepare with you the offer structure, the conditions precedent and the timetable through to the deed; every counter-offer is recorded and dated.	Depends on the counterparty
07 · Preliminary contract	Reviewed with the client's own lawyer. The seller's draft never goes to signature unreviewed.	Agreed between the parties
08 · Deed	At your side on the day, checking of figures and means of payment, and handover of keys.	The date set in the preliminary contract
09 · Afterwards	Registration, transfer of contracts, municipal property tax and the first review of the property at twelve months.	Ongoing, with a review at twelve months

See each phase in detail, and what you receive at the end of it

Terms and commitments

Terms, including remuneration, are presented in writing before any commitment. Four commitments hold in every case.

The commitments of the advisory work, in writing.
Commitment	What it means
Everything in writing before any commitment	Nothing proceeds until the terms, including remuneration, have been presented in writing and accepted by you — before the first viewing.
Intermediation by a licensed brokerage	Real-estate intermediation is carried out by a licensed real-estate brokerage, identified to the client before any brokerage activity.
The same rigour on every property	Documentary verification follows the same order and the same standard whichever property is under review — which removes any interest in steering the choice.
Includes the recommendation not to buy	The analysis and verification work is the same whether it concludes in proceeding or in stopping.

If, in the course of the work, we conclude that you should not buy, we say so — and that is what this service is for.

Frequently asked questions

The five questions we are asked before any commitment.

Can I work with Rhamos and still look at properties on my own?: Yes. The advisory work does not stop you viewing properties on your own initiative or contacting the agents advertising them. We ask only that you tell us what you have seen before making any offer, so that document preparation and verification happen before a figure is on the table. Our work is the same whichever property is chosen, so we have no interest in the choice falling on one property rather than another.
What if the property I want is with an agency that does not know you?: You can buy through any agency without losing the advisory support. That agency keeps its relationship with the seller; on your side, you keep the document preparation and verification, the analysis of the property against the agreed criteria, and our presence with you at viewings and through to the deed. Any intermediation the case requires is carried out by the licensed brokerage, identified to the client before any brokerage activity.
What is the minimum value you work on?: We publish no minimum value, because the test is not the price of the property: it is whether the advisory work adds something to the case at hand. A straightforward purchase in an area the buyer already knows well may not need it. A purchase involving works, an undivided inheritance or a corporate structure may need it, even at a lower value. We say which case yours is at the criteria session, before any commitment.
How long does buying in Portugal actually take?: The timescale depends mainly on the search-and-analysis phase. Typically that phase takes between two and six weeks to produce a shortlist, and documentary verification takes five to ten days per property. Once an offer is accepted, the period through to the deed is set by the parties in the preliminary contract and lengthens where bank financing is involved. The nine phases and their typical timeframes are in the table on this page.
Do I need to be in Portugal to buy?: You do not need to be present at every stage. The deed can be executed by an attorney holding sufficient powers, which allows a purchase to be completed remotely. A Portuguese tax identification number (NIF) is required and, for non-residents from outside the European Union, a fiscal representative; both requirements are covered, with a verification date, in the guide to buying in Portugal. We nonetheless recommend attending at least one viewing before an offer is made.

Start with the criteria

The buying brief is the first phase, in writing. It takes a few minutes and lets us say plainly whether we are the right people for what you are looking for.

Send a buying brief Read the guide to buying in Portugal