I have had the idea of purchasing a small rustic land plot to spend summer time off-grid. Started looking for properties in Spain but after a while, I decided to start looking at Portugal. We've been looking at internet land ads in Portugal for a few months. I check all web pages I have been able to find, Facebook groups, and YouTube channels. Finally, this summer we decided to go to the eastern area of the country and visit some of the properties we had selected.
Besides the price, which of course is probably the key factor to consider, there are plenty of other factors you have to take into account when purchasing rustic land.
Location
We wanted a place outside a small town, not too far away from the center to be able to get groceries walking or cycling, but far enough not to have neighbors' noise close by. For the same reason we were looking for a plot not next to a road, local roads do not have too much traffic at all in this area of the country, but still, we didn't want to suffer the noise of cars and trucks running next door. Finally, although we wanted to be in a small town, we only considered those villages not more than 30 minutes driving distance to a big town with healthcare facilities as well as big supermarkets and building material stores.
Land dimensions and condition
Our initial idea was to search for properties with a minimum of 5000m2 but once you visit the places you start to be quite flexible with the plot dimensions as there are many other factors that are far more important. In Portugal, the land owner has to take care of his/her property to avoid fire, so the bigger the land, the bigger the work you have to do or hire someone to do so. Some owners have sheep to eat the grass and keep it low but we cannot afford to have animals as we plan to spend small periods of time during the year.
You also have to consider the land slope, a flat area is more suitable to deal with a tractor than one which has many terraces.
There are basically two types of rustic land in Portugal; that where the owner has been growing olive trees or that which is basically wild. Our idea was to get some land from a farmer who had been taking care of the plot. You can quickly see if the land has been abandoned for several years or if it has been getting some love. On top of olive trees, some plots have fruit trees, which is a nice way to get some fruit besides harvesting the olives pickling some of them, and getting oil from the rest.
A key point is water. Most of the plots have wells and some have a water mine. It is important to check how deep a well is to try to get an idea of the amount of water you may be able to get out of it. Having a mine is a plus but do not take water supply for granted, dry long summers may get you out of water source.
Most plots have a small agricultural tiny house to keep tools. Some of them are in pretty bad condition, and there are even some of them which are only ruins. You are allowed to have a small building in your plot and you can live in it for up to 9 months per year according to law, but you have to consider how much work you will have to put on it to have it in a livable condition. As we are talking about rustic land, you are not allowed to build any concrete structure, so any additional need may have to be done with removable wood elements.
Finally, do not underestimate fencing. Some plots are not fenced at all and Portugal, like any other country in Europe, has a large amount of wild pigs, so a fence is important to prevent the animals from coming in and destroying your veggie patch.
Also, consider checking if the plot has some shaded areas as summers can be very hot in eastern Portugal.
Access
Many people completely forget about this point. Several rustic properties have a small stone wall around their perimeter, leaving a track with a small width to access them. You have to make sure your property is accessible by a truck if you intend to purchase some construction supplies and have them delivered. Also, you want to be able to access a motorhome in the event you ever purchase one or have friends visiting.
Utilities
We intend to set up solar power but most of the areas in the country have access to electric power. A different story is main water, only those plots around the area of a town or city have access to municipal water, that is a very important point if you are not confident you may have enough water for personal use as well as tree and veggie patch needs.
Another option is to contract an external company and get a borehole. But that is not cheap so getting a plot with different water sources is key.
You can try to treat your water with a filtering system for consumption but if you only have to purchase drinking water is not too much of a problem.
None of the properties have sewerage, so be prepared to pay for a septic tank or put any other alternative in place.
Real estate agencies
As in any other area in the world, they try to sell no matter what. Make sure you contract a lawyer service to warn you about the risks of the property you are purchasing. There are many plots with built houses legalized under rural warehouses or not legalized at all. You can perfectly live there but you will not get a bank mortgage if you plan to get one.
We have decided to purchase the small 7500m2 plot in the photos, working with local lawyers already, and planning to close the deal by October. I will try to post how things go if we finally get the property and start working on it to make it nice to spend summer vacation there.
