{"id":4856,"date":"2025-09-10T10:09:23","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T10:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inspectone.pt\/5-mistakes-to-avoid-when-buying-a-used-house-in-portugal\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T09:44:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T09:44:51","slug":"5-mistakes-to-avoid-when-buying-a-used-house-in-portugal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inspectone.pt\/en\/5-mistakes-to-avoid-when-buying-a-used-house-in-portugal\/","title":{"rendered":"Complete Guide: What to Check and Essential Cautions Before Buying a Property (House, Apartment or Building)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>Buying a second-hand house can be an excellent decision &#8211; both because of the more affordable price and because of the charm and location that you often don&#8217;t find in new builds. However, it is also where the greatest risks lie for those investing in a property, especially without the proper preparation. <br\/><br\/>In this article, we show you the 5 most common mistakes made by buyers in Portugal &#8211; and how to avoid them with the help of a professional technical inspection.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Mistake 1: Relying only on visual appearance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>Many buyers evaluate a property on the basis of a quick visit and the real estate agent&#8217;s photos. This doesn&#8217;t reveal damp, structural cracks, at-risk roofs or electrical faults. <br\/><br\/><strong>How to avoid it:<\/strong><br\/>Request an independent technical inspection by a specialist using equipment such as thermal cameras, drones for hard-to-reach areas and humidity meters.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Mistake 2: Not doing an inspection before the CPCV<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>The Promissory Contract of Purchase and Sale (CPCV) is an important legal step and often involves a down payment of thousands of euros.<br\/><br\/>If you then discover that the house has serious problems, you will have already made legal and financial commitments. It is important to diagnose anomalies or deficiencies before making major commitments.<\/p>\n\n<p><br\/><strong>How to avoid it:<\/strong><br\/>Schedule the technical inspection before signing the CPCV. This gives you negotiating power and protects your investment. <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Mistake 3: Assuming that the bank valuation is enough<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>The bank&#8217;s appraisal only serves to define the value of the loan and is no substitute for a technical inspection. Many appraisers don&#8217;t even go into the attic, they don&#8217;t check for leaks or structural problems.  They don&#8217;t have the know-how or equipment to detect hidden damp or leaks, or structural deficiencies in the building<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Result:<\/strong> <br\/>You can buy a house with hidden defects that you only find out about later.<br\/><br\/><strong>How to avoid this:<\/strong><br\/>Hire a specialized company like InspectOne, which carries out a complete, impartial technical analysis tailored to the buyer.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Mistake 4: Downplaying signs of &#8220;small&#8221; problems<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>Cracks, damp spots or water pressure failures are often overlooked as &#8220;normal&#8221;. However, they can hide bigger and more expensive problems. <br\/><br\/><strong>How to avoid it:<\/strong><br\/>Ask for a detailed technical assessment, identifying risks by area, estimating severity and suggestions for repair.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Mistake 5: Not asking for technical help in old or renovated properties<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>Many old properties have &#8220;cosmetic&#8221; renovations that hide obsolete plumbing, dilapidated roofs or dangerous electrical installations. Even recent work may have been done without technical supervision. <br\/><br\/><strong>How to avoid it:<\/strong><br\/>InspectOne analyzes the quality of the work and the materials, as well as checking for signs of poorly executed interventions or legal risks.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Conclusion: Buy with confidence, not doubt<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>For many people, buying a property is the biggest investment of their lives. Avoiding these mistakes is essential to protect your money, your security and your future. <br\/><br\/>InspectOne helps you make an informed decision, with:<br\/><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Complete and impartial technical reports<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fast delivery of reports after a technical building inspection (72 working hours).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Teams of specialized engineers and technicians<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Operating throughout the country<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Full support for Portuguese and foreign buyers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Information sessions for lawyers and solicitors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a89b3969 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\"\/>\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Test something Wordpress editor designe  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4300,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buy-a-house-in-portugal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspectone.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspectone.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspectone.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspectone.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspectone.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4856"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/inspectone.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5595,"href":"https:\/\/inspectone.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4856\/revisions\/5595"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspectone.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inspectone.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspectone.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inspectone.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}