Mortgage brokers in Lagos and the western Algarve
An office in Lagos, working in English, for buyers financing property along the western Algarve coast and across Portugal.
One application, several banks, no fee to you
You send your information once. We take it to the lenders on our panel, bring back what each will offer, and set the terms out side by side in English.
No fee from us
We are paid by the bank that funds your mortgage. You are never invoiced and nothing is deducted from your loan.
No worse rate
Our commission comes out of the lender’s side. Using us does not make the mortgage more expensive than going to that bank directly.
One contact throughout
The same person from first question to deed, working in English across whatever time zone you are in.
The western Algarve is an international market with local rules
Lagos, Luz, Burgau and the coast out to Sagres sell overwhelmingly to buyers from outside Portugal. The estate agents work in English, the lawyers work in English, and then the mortgage arrives in Portuguese with a Portuguese underwriter behind it.
That is the gap we sit in. We are close enough to know which properties in this stretch of coast have licensing histories that complicate a valuation, and which lenders are comfortable with rural land, older village houses and properties that have been extended over the years.
Across the Algarve, and the rest of Portugal
Our office is in Lagos. Our clients are not only here.
Western Algarve
Lagos, Praia da Luz, Burgau, Salema, Sagres, Vila do Bispo, Aljezur and Monchique — the coast and the hills behind it.
Central Algarve
Portimão, Alvor, Lagoa, Carvoeiro, Ferragudo, Silves and Albufeira, where the market is deeper and the property types more varied.
The rest of Portugal
Lisbon and the surrounding districts, the Silver Coast, Porto and the north, and the islands. Most of that work happens remotely, and it works perfectly well.
Buying in the western Algarve
The property types that need care
A lot of the housing stock along this coast is older than the paperwork suggests. Village houses that have been extended, rural properties on land with a mixed classification, and villas where a pool or an annexe went in before anyone thought about the licence. None of these are unmortgageable, but they need identifying before a valuer finds them.
Second homes and holiday properties
A large share of buying here is second-home buying, which lenders treat differently from a permanent residence — different loan-to-value, and a different IMT rate on purchase. If you are planning to move here eventually but not yet, say so early. The sequencing affects the numbers.
Letting the property
Short-term letting in the Algarve is licensed and the rules vary by council. If part of your plan is to rent the property when you are not using it, that needs to be visible to the lender and to your insurer from the start rather than arranged quietly afterwards.
Seasonality
Valuers, notaries and lawyers all get busier through the summer, and the deed timetable stretches. If you are aiming to complete between June and September, build the extra weeks into your promissory contract rather than discovering them.
Lagos and Algarve mortgage FAQs
Do I need to visit Lagos to arrange a mortgage?
No. Everything up to the deed can be handled remotely, and the deed itself can be signed by a representative under power of attorney if you cannot travel. Plenty of our clients do the whole thing from another country.
Can you help if I am buying in the Algarve but living abroad?
That is the majority of what we do. Buying from abroad changes the logistics and the document requirements, not the availability of finance.
Do you only cover the Algarve?
No. The office is in Lagos because that is where we are, but we work with buyers across Portugal, including Lisbon, the Silver Coast, Porto and the islands.
Can you help with a rural property or land?
Often yes, though rural land and properties with agricultural classification are treated more cautiously by lenders and some will not consider them at all. It is worth checking before you commit, not after.
What if the property has unlicensed work?
It needs resolving, and it is better found early. A valuer will pick it up, and a lender will not advance against work that is not on the licence. Sometimes it is a straightforward legalisation; sometimes it changes whether the purchase makes sense at all.
The Lagos office
Address
Rua Gomes Vinagre 14, Unit 4B
8600-315 Lagos
Algarve, Portugal
Telephone
Opening hours
Monday to Friday
10:00 to 17:00
Appointments outside these hours by arrangement, including across time zones.
Buying on this coast?
Tell us about the property and how you are paid, and we will tell you what is realistic before you make an offer.