Demand for homes for sale in our country from abroad remains high, particularly on the island of Madeira, in Faro, and on the isle of São Miguel, which accounted for 34% of searches from outside Portugal in the buying and selling market in the second quarter of 2025, according to data from idealista/data.

Madeira (42%) and the district of Faro (36%) alone are attracting the most interest from foreigners considering buying a home in our country, as these are the Portuguese districts and islands with the most visits to listings of homes for sale from abroad. Lisbon, Évora, Setúbal, and Porto are the least desirable locations, appearing at the bottom of the list of international searches for homes to buy in Portugal, representing less than 15% of total demand by district, according to the same data.

The study reveals that demand for homes for sale in Portugal from abroad remains significant in several areas of the country in the second quarter of 2025, despite an overall reduction, which can be explained in part by the end of golden visas, as well as the end of the regime for non-habitual residents and the still undefined future law on foreigners. As a result, at the start of 2025, foreigners purchased 2,098 homes in our country, about 5.1% of the total number of transactions, the lowest volume since the second quarter of 2021.

Americans with their eyes on São Miguel.

This analysis of the real estate market also shows that many visits to listings of homes for sale in the country originate in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain. In addition to these, demand from the United States of America also stands out, ranking in the top 3 in several areas of the country, such as São Miguel. In fact, on the island of São Miguel, the US stands out with the highest percentage of visits to homes for sale (34%), followed by Canada (25%) and Germany (9%). On the island of Madeira, the territory with the highest demand for homes for sale from abroad, visits from Germany (18%), the United Kingdom (17%), and the US (10%) stand out. In Faro, the countries with the highest foreign demand are the United Kingdom (17%), France (12%), and Germany (12%). The greatest curiosity or desire to buy a house in Lisbon comes from those searching from the US (14%), followed by the UK (13%) and Spain (8%). In Porto, international visits originate mainly from France (15%), the US (12%), and Brazil (9%), according to data from Idealista Real Estate Company.

In Diário dos Açores-Paulo Viveiros, director

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.