Americans Joe and Terri Eley wasted no time realising their dream of moving to Portugal, so within a few months of retiring in
2021 they had crossed the Atlantic to start a new life in the Algarve.
A year after stepping foot in Portugal for the first time and settling into their new apartment in the charming port city of Lagos, the couple have become friends with lots of expats, primarily fellow Americans and Britons, and say their social life hasn’t been so busy for years! Equally, they find the local Portuguese wonderful, praising them as the “friendliest people they’ve ever met, anywhere”!
The couple, who come from Seattle and both retired in 2021, live in a three-bedroom apartment in a new complex with views over Lagos’s famous marina. The style of property, which they moved into in August 2021, and its location were key
to them achieving their ideal retirement lifestyle.
“Lagos is not too big and is a perfect mix of old and new,” 64-year-old Joe, who worked in the wholesale grocery industry, told BricksAbroad
in August 2022. “It has every amenity you could need in a modern city and the climate is just right – warm but not humid.
“Our modern apartment is just 12-15 minutes’ walk from the old town, five minutes from the marina and restaurants and even less from the local medical clinic. We can walk everywhere,
but also own a car for when we want to get out exploring.”
The Eleys’ search for their perfect retirement home began in 2020, but it wasn’t Portugal that they first considered. “We had originally planned to go to Italy and had a couple of trips there in 2018 and 2019,” continued 61-year-old Terri, a former school librarian. “Then we read that Portugal was one of the world’s top international retirement destinations and thought it might be better for our needs. We spent literally hundreds of hours on the internet browsing properties.”
Joe and Terri started their on-line research in the northern city of Porto, then focused their attention further south on the Silver Coast, followed by Lisbon and finally the Algarve, first looking at Tavira and the eastern section. In the process, they spoke to at least half a dozen different property agents before finding one that came up with the goods and introduced them to the western Algarve.
The agent worked hard to communicate remotely with the couple, including via Zoom, and was able to match their needs with the new Adega complex in Lagos, which was still being built at the time. They liked what they saw and in August 2020 they decided to purchase their apartment there, paying a deposit to secure it for a purchase price of €450,000.
“When we came over in July 2021, the complex wasn’t quite ready,” continued Joe. “But the developer let us move into our apartment anyway, making us the first new residents there. We had barely any furniture at the time so had
to make do with deckchairs for a bit, but it was kind of fun!”
So, home for the Eleys is a 141-square-metre apartment on the fourth floor of the 60-unit Adega complex, next to Lagos’s world-class marina. They have three bedrooms, two bathrooms – one en-suite and one family, and an open-plan living area and kitchen. The two balcony areas, one with views across to the marina, are a real highlight. Communal facilities include a lift, roof terrace, indoor and outdoor pools and gym and there is individual parking.
The couple, who have a car and enjoy exploring the wider Algarve, Lisbon and Silver Coast, moved to Portugal on a D7 visa, which is especially popular with non-European retirees. Also called the Retirement Visa or Passive Income Visa, a holder of a D7 may not be employed in Portugal and must prove receipt of foreign-sourced income (such as pension(s), rental income, investments or even working remotely for a foreign company) that is equal to or more than the Portuguese minimum wage. Add a further 50 per cent of the minimum wage for
an accompanying spouse or adult dependent.
Applicants must also have an approved level
of private medical insurance valid for a year. Application is made through the Portuguese Consulate in your country of origin and once the D7 has been granted, the applicant can travel to Portugal where they
must apply for their residency permit. Residency through a D7 visa is renewable and after five consecutive years holders can apply for permanent residency.
So, is there anything the Joe and Terri miss about the US? “Well, since leaving both our son, who lives in Seattle, and our daughter, who is in New Jersey, have started families and each now has a baby daughter!” At least Joe and Terri now have visits from their grandchildren to look forward to and meanwhile FaceTime and Zoom should help them stay in touch.
