Winkworths were very helpful (they have offices in Lagos and Carvoeiro and a bit further west I think).
http://www.winkworth-portugal.com/

The solicitor I used was based in Carvoeiro and she was excellent. Many english people have used her over the past few years. Maria Alves, LSA,
lsa.adv@sapo.pt

Thanks for the speedy reply, I shall send Maria an email before I go in August.

Could you tell me, did you buy your property through Winkworth and did you find buying a property in Portugal relatively simple.

Is it a good idea to get a solicitor on board early and would this help reduce the amount of visits required to Portugal when initially purchasing the property.

Sorry if these are rather basic questions but I do genuinely value advice from people who have already done what I am hoping to do in the future.

I looked at properties with Winkworth, but in the end purchased one through Vernon (who are based in Carvoeiro which is where I purchased my property). I dealt with 5 agents altogether as I was looking all over the Algarve before I decided on the town and property that I wanted. Went to Lagos, Tavira, Albufeira, Vilamoura and a few other places before settling on Carvoeiro.

The property I purchased was previously owned by an Englishman, so I had none of the problems converting into Euros and worrying about the exchange rates - we agreed a price in sterling (through the agents) and that was the price that we completed at. It still went through the solicitors in Portugal, but did not have the problems of the varying exchange rates.

Although I did not buy through Winkworths, they introduced me to the lawyer. The things you need to do relatively quickly once you have decided on a property are

1. Get a Fiscal number - this is part of the service that LSA offered
2. Give them Power of Attorney.

This involved having to go to the local Town Hall and sign some documents. Maria is also sorting out my will and looking after the electric and water bills until I can sort out the bank standing orders.

I made 2 visits before deciding on which property and appointing a solicitor. You have to have your fiscal number before you can buy, so you may as well go ahead with that part of things as soon as possible.

The whole process was extremely painless and took about 8 weeks from the day of my offer being accepted to the day that we "moved in".

It may be easier to take on a solicitor before you decide on the property as the estate agents are more likely to take you seriously. They get a lot of people who like looking at houses and apartments and are never likely to purchase.

Thank you for your advice, I am sure it is going to come in very handy over the next few months.

Glad to hear that everything went so smoothly for you and that you were lucky to decide on a property that was owned by an Englishman.

Previously I hadn't considered Carvoeiro, I know it is nearer to the airport than Lagos / Alvor, is this what influenced your decision to buy there, or was it purely because you liked the look and feel of the place.

As I really would like a 2 bed apartment as opposed to a 1 bed the decision of where I buy may have to be down to where I can afford, that is why I am having to look a little further West as properties do appear to be a little cheaper there.

We intend to spend a full day including the evening in the resorts I mentioned ( and now maybe also Carvoeiro ) to get a good feel of the place and to ensure that there is a nice atmosphere in the evening without it being too noisey.

You checked out many other resorts, was there any that were particuarly bad and you could never have brought there, and was it a close decision between a couple of them as to where you would buy.

Thank you for your replies.

I looked in Lagos, but preferred Carvoeiro - I would say it is definitely worth a look if you get the chance. The distance from the airport was probably the least influential point when making my decision. I wanted something that was close to shops and restaurants and the beach without having to drive. I wanted a village or town with a nice atmosphere and people and excellent restaurants. I wanted views of the sea. I wanted two bedrooms and two bathrooms and I wanted a roof terrace and pool. And I wanted it at a price I could afford!!!!