Helping expatriates come to Portugal

Sandra: Love to travel. I came with my sister in 2019 to host an investment seminar, and we just fell in love with Portugal. The quality of life seemed pretty good, the people were friendly and the weather was great, so I decided to move.

Thematic program network: Ariana, how did you meet?

Ariana: Sandra needed to know what to buy in Portugal, and someone we knew gave her my contact information in the US. Sandra called me and from then on, she would always call me and ask me to check out anything she wanted to buy and ask me to stop by to make sure it was a good deal or not. I was the one checking things to see if the put option was a good one or not.

Thematic program network: Sandra, how do you feel about getting help from Ariana?

Sandra: It was great because I've lived in many countries and one thing that helped me a lot was having someone who spoke the language, someone who was helpful. She helped me with a lot of things, and if she had not been there it would have been difficult for me to live in Portugal because Portuguese is a very difficult language.

Network of trading points: How did you decide to start your business?

Sandra: Since we work so well together, we decided that there were a lot of people coming to the United States from Portugal, so we decided to work together to help others, just like Ariana did to help me.

Thematic program network: What exactly will you do?

Sandra: We have a prospecting tour company, which is very unique because there is no one else in Lisbon who does it the same way we do, we bring people mainly from the United States but also from other countries seeking to settle in Portugal. We offer a 5 nights 6 days, all-inclusive package, with hotels, good restaurants and properties for sale or rent that we show them, so that every day we have something planned for them so they can get a real idea of ​​what life is like in Portugal. We have Ariana who can tell about her experience as a Portuguese and my experience as an expat living in Portugal. We show them different things in Portugal that interest them, like going to the supermarket, opening a bank account, going to see a Fado show, or anything that can help them decide and settle in Portugal.

Thematic program network: What is the feedback from your customers?

Ariana: For now, it's very good, they appreciate the help they receive and say they “get more out of the family environment than just working.” We make people feel at home, and the feedback has been very good so far.

Credits: Image provided; Author: Client;

Thematic program network: Is there anything you would like to say to our readers?

Sandra: I want readers to know that a lot of people think they can come to Portugal, and do their own exploratory visits, but that won't really help you because you need someone in Portugal who will really help you, and that's what we do. It is better to have someone with experience to help you than to come alone, most people do not know how to speak the language, so you need someone here in Portugal to help you with your search.

Ariana: The only thing that makes us different is that if a foreigner comes alone on a scouting trip, he will initially spend a lot more money than he thinks, because he does not take into account the money spent on eating, sleeping and transportation, it all adds up and you find yourself spending a lot. We control everything, so you only spend once and you can count on everything. Another thing, if you hire a real estate agent to go with you on a scouting trip, what will happen is that you will buy the house, and that's it, no one will help you adjust.

Alarsa not only offers survey visits, but also provides home maintenance while people are away, to ensure that everything remains clean and safe, once the owners return. For more information, please visit the website www.alarsalda.comOr send an email to [email protected] or call 00351 211 374 024.