High-end investors flock to the algarve

You don’t need to love golf to hanker for a home in the Algarve. Under three hours’ flying time from Britain, it offers an envious lifestyle, with a wide range of year-round activities and attractions. But it is the region’s world-class golf facilities that act as a major attraction for holiday homebuyers.

‘Although only around 40 per cent of homebuyers play golf, it’s still considered essential to be in an attractive, well-maintained golfing area, which will yield good rental prices,’ says Charles Weston Baker, of Savills International.

Inquiries for homes in the Algarve, which has more than six hours of sunshine a day in December and January, and temperatures often above 15c, are improving significantly. Figures supplied by primelocation.com reveal a 55 per cent year-on-year increase in the volume of website searches for homes in Portugal.

Santander Totta — which provides many mortgages to people buying properties in the country — has also seen increased activity, according to Simon Perks, the bank’s general manager. ‘In the past three to four months we have seen more interest from those looking to buy at the top end of the market.’ 

Source: The Daily Mail