{"id":1643,"date":"2026-07-03T16:54:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T16:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/realestatebrothers.pt\/?p=1643"},"modified":"2026-07-29T17:50:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T17:50:07","slug":"como-encontrar-negocios-imobiliarios","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/realestatebrothers.pt\/en\/como-encontrar-negocios-imobiliarios\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the secret to finding good deals?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Anyone wanting to invest in real estate almost always asks the same question: where do you find the good deals? What is the secret? The answer is simple: there are no secrets. There are several channels, and what makes the difference is working them every day, with method and without giving up at the third \u201cno\u201d.<\/p>\n

In this guide we show the 6 channels we use daily to find real estate investment opportunities in Portugal. It is also the work at the foundation of our method<\/a>: finding value before any renovation.<\/p>\n

The 6 channels<\/h2>\n

No single channel is enough. The strength is in having several feeding the search at the same time: when one dries up, the others make up for it.<\/p>\n

1. Off-market: what no one sees<\/h3>\n

The best deals are often off the market: properties that never reach the portals because the owner has not yet decided to sell. With no competition and no bidding war, there is time to analyse calmly. It is also the most labour-intensive channel; you have to go after it. On one of the ways to do so, we wrote a whole guide: how to find the owner of any property<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Those who come to us<\/h3>\n

Some people prefer to sell directly to the buyer, without putting the property in a shop window for months, especially when there is a house that is complicated to resolve: an inheritance to be divided, debts, an urgent sale. Over time, part of the opportunities start to come this way, without going looking; it is the side of those who want to sell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. The portals, every day<\/h3>\n

Some say that good deals no longer reach the portals. It is not true: in our experience, we have closed good deals precisely on the traditional portals. The most obvious channel (idealista<\/a>, Imovirtual<\/a>, Supercasa<\/a>, Casa Sapo<\/a>, OLX<\/a>, Custo Justo<\/a>, among many others) also counts, but only with discipline. Alerts fine-tuned by area and typology, a trained eye for the poorly listed ad (weak photos, poor text, a price inviting a conversation) and a fast response. On a good property at a good price, whoever gets there first is the one who negotiates.<\/p>\n

4. Auctions<\/h3>\n

Insolvencies and liens bring properties below market price, on platforms such as Citius (courts), E-leil\u00f5es, the tax authority portal (seized assets) and private auction houses. It requires consistency (following the lists every week) and extra care: visit whenever possible, expect the house to be occupied and to have condominium debts, and understand the deposit required (generally 5% to 20% of the base value). Here, at times, you have to deal with more complex documentation; hence why we are advised by a good legal team.<\/p>\n

5. The street and proximity<\/h3>\n

The oldest method still works. Noticing the vacant properties in an area, leaving flyers, handing out cards in caf\u00e9s and local shops, talking to doormen and neighbours. It is not sophisticated: it is proximity. And often this is where the deal no one else saw turns up.<\/p>\n

6. The network of contacts<\/h3>\n

Estate agents, lawyers, legal agents and other investors. When the right people know exactly what you are looking for, they start working for us: they remember when the right property comes up. A good network is the channel that takes longest to build and the one that pays off most over time.<\/p>\n

\"Infogr\u00e1fico:<\/p>\n

Finding is only half of it. Then, analyse.<\/h2>\n

Finding many properties is worthless if you go into all of them. The other half of the work is saying \u201cno\u201d quickly and with judgement. Before moving forward, there are three things to always validate:<\/p>\n