People often ask me, “Why Portugal?” Like many of my clients, my family's move abroad began with a dream, a lot of research and more than a few debates.
Two different maps
I am originally from California, but in 2016 my family was living in Port Townsend, Washington, a small town outside Seattle where my husband grew up. After twelve years there, we knew we wanted a new adventure. We decided it was time to try life abroad.
The only problem was that we could not agree on where. My husband had his heart set on Amsterdam. After the gray Pacific Northwest weather, I was hoping for a little more sunshine. Southern France had captured my imagination, but not his.
Eventually, we did what many couples do when faced with two very different visions: we compromised.
Portugal was the compromise
Our plan was simple. We would spend a year here, experience life in a new country and then decide what came next.
That was ten years ago. We never left.
Why this matters when I work with you
I know the exhilaration of imagining a life elsewhere. I also know the less photogenic parts: uncertainty, cultural differences, paperwork and the weight of choosing not just a property, but a place where your real life will unfold.
My U.S. real estate background helps me translate expectations. Ten years here help me add the local context a listing cannot. My job is not to sell you a fantasy of Portugal. It is to help you decide whether a particular version of life here is right for you.