Back in 2004, Emma Crabtree (35) and her husband Lawrence (45) swapped their fast-paced lives in London, for a house in a small village near Coimbra. So how are they finding life in Portugal? ....
Q Where did you and your husband live in the UK?
A We lived in Tooting, south west London, and both worked in London, Lawrence in Hampton and myself in the West End.
Q What made you decide to move to Portugal?
A Lawrence had visited Portugal many years ago and thought one day he would like to return permanently. Following our marriage we had a number of holidays in various parts of Portugal and I didn’t need much persuasion. We bought a house in London as part of our plan, which was to sell up and move to Portugal when the property had appreciated in
value sufficiently to give us a financial safety net. Fortunately, this happened sooner than anticipated.
Q Why did you pick central Portugal?
A Following many trips to Portugal we both made a list of our top five favourite towns. Coimbra was the only place that was on both of our lists! We therefore started to look for a house within halfan- our’s drive from Coimbra, which we found in the summer of 2004. The area is very beautiful and our location means we can access both the mountains of the Serra da Estrela to the east, and the Atlantic to the west, within an hour. We moved here permanently in September 2004.
Q Where exactly is your house and what’s it like?
A The house, which cost €76,000, is in a small village in the freguesia (parish) of São Pedro de Alva, between the towns of Penacova and Arganil. We are a 10-minute walk, through pine and eucalyptus forests, to the southern shore of the lake created by the Barragem da Aguieira. The house is a detached, two-storey modern building, with a small south-westerly facing garden which looks out onto the forest. It has three double bedrooms, a lounge, kitchen, bathroom and separate WC. The property also has a garage.
Q Why did you want to leave the UK?
A We both wanted to take a break from working and couldn’t afford to do that in the UK. We had both experienced living abroad in the past and we liked the idea of making a healthier and less stressful life in Portugal together.
Q How old are you both?
A Lawrence is 45, I am 35.
Q Who did you buy the house from, did you renovate it and did you have any problems?
A We bought the house through a Dutch/Portuguese agency I found on the internet. We signed a promessa da compra e venda within four days of seeing the house and completed the purchase within two months. We didn’t need to do any work to it before moving in, but have undertaken some small internal remodelling works since.
Q How is your Portuguese?
A Good. We both took language classes before we eft London and attended intensive classes at the University of Coimbra in the summer of 2005.
Q How do you and your husband earn a living?
A I run a virtual assistant business, called Red Box Virtual Office (www.redboxvirtualoffice.com). It provides off-site administrative and secretarial support to businesses and individuals who may not want to employ someone, but need support for daily administrative tasks. My clients are worldwide. Because of my location, most of my networking is done online through business forums. I also attend business networking meetings in Portugal to meet other business owners and promote Red Box. In addition I manage an online business listings site, Portugal Local (www.portugallocal.co.uk), which promotes businesses, events and competitions throughout Portugal. Lawrence was a property developer for a
housing association in London and is using this experience to find development sites for both ourselves and others. He has developed good working relationships with two local property finding/marketing agencies and assists them when required. He is also in the process of helping a number of friends and acquaintances in the UK to find and buy property locally.
Q What are your plans for the future?
A I am looking for growth with Red Box and Portugal Local. Lawrence is trying to buy a plot of land adjoining our house which will involve a great deal of work extending the house and garden. I would very much like to run a small, boutique guest house, so Lawrence is always looking for the perfect property for this too.
Q What advice do you have for other people wanting to emulate what you did?
A Do your research. Once you have chosen an area, visit it out of season as you may be surprised by how much it rains in Portugal or how cold it can be in the winter. Do try to learn Portuguese as even the most basic interaction with your neighbours will be hugely appreciated. You will need to be extremely patient when dealing with the many layers of Portuguese bureaucracy.
Q What do you like about living in Portugal?
A We live a healthier life. The people are just lovely; very considerate and helpful. The weather can be very cold here, but the summers are long and warm and we spend most of our time outside. Also the cost of living is much lower than in London.
Q What are your most memorable stories about living in Portugal?
A We attended our first Portuguese wedding in September. It started at 10.30am with breakfast beside the river Alva, followed by the ceremony in a nearby village. Then the guests drove in convoy, tooting their horns, back to the river where a marquee was set up for a meal for about 100 people. The bride and groom arrived by punt and, following
the meal, the area was cleared for buffet tables and the biggest bowl of prawns and lobster I have ever seen. Later, the marquee became a dance floor and by midnight it had degenerated into drunken karaoke. We had to leave ‘early’ and when asking the newlyweds what time the festivities would end, were told, “when the last person leaves, probably
tomorrow morning sometime!” .
Q What’s a typical working day like for you both?
A It depends on the weather and the time of year. If it’s during the summer, I get up early and work for a couple of hours, under the fig tree, while it’s still cool. I do some gardening before lunch and then afterwards, work some more, making phone calls and dealing with client requests. Later on in the day, I go swimming in the lake. During the winter, I’m up later and work indoors. Lawrence goes out looking for properties for clients and if there’s a sale going through will liaise with agents and solicitors and keep the client informed of progress. He often sketches ideas for what he believes can be developed on sites, which gives him a better idea of their potential and value.
Q Any big regrets or mistakes made?
A We have moved to a very small village far from a major town or city. It is very different to living and working in London. With hindsight, we may have been better off renting before
buying, as this would have given us time to firmly establish exactly where we wanted to be based. Our biggest mistake was being talked into underdeclaring the true value of the house, which only helped the seller. If we were to sell the house before 2009 we will have to pay more capital gains tax now than would have been the case if we had not underdeclared.
Q What is your favourite restaurant?
A There’s a restaurant by the river Alva, called Vimieiro. It’s in a beautiful spot and the owners, Nuno and Susana, have become great friends. Our favourite food is chanfana, goat cooked in red wine.
Q How would you spend a perfect day in Portugal?
A I’d get up late, take breakfast on the patio and do a little gardening, before walking down to the lake for a swim and a picnic lunch. I’d read for a while before having drinks and
supper with friends. For Lawrence it would need to finish with watching Sporting Lisbon beating Benfica or Porto in the evening!