Property

Investment real estate

Property is where relocation, tax and investment meet. It is also where the most money is quietly lost. We source residential and commercial assets, handle the cross-border mechanics of buying as a non-resident, and tell you plainly when a residency property is worth less than the visa attached to it.

Last verified July 2026

What this covers

  • Source residential and commercial investment property in markets we actually understand, matched to a yield or a use, not a sales target.
  • Handle the mechanics of buying as a non-resident: local entity or personal ownership, financing, notary and title, and the tax on acquisition and on exit.
  • Assess residency-by-property routes honestly. What the property must cost, how long it must be held, and whether the visa is worth the premium.
  • We coordinate the whole transaction with local counsel and notaries. We connect it to the tax and residency plan rather than treating it as a standalone purchase.

Scope & conditions

Ownership as a non-resident
Personal versus corporate ownership, the tax on rental income and on eventual sale, and any restriction on foreign ownership — which varies sharply by country and is easy to get wrong.
Residency-linked property
Where a golden-visa route still exists, the qualifying amount, the mandatory holding period and the first-sale-only rules that force you to buy from developers at developer prices.
The closures
Spain abolished its golden visa in April 2025; Portugal removed the real-estate route in 2023; several EU routes are under pressure. A property bought for a visa that no longer exists is just a property — priced accordingly.

How it works

  • We separate the property decision from the visa decision. Conflating the two is how buyers end up overpaying. A good asset and a good visa are not the same thing.
  • A cross-border purchase carries tax at every stage. On the way in, that means transfer tax and stamp duty. During ownership, it means tax on rental income. On the way out, it means capital gains. We model all three before you sign.
  • Golden-visa property routinely carries a premium and a lock-in. If the visa is the point, we price the visa, not the marketing.
What can go wrong
  • A golden-visa property can be worth materially less than an equivalent home without the visa attached. You are often paying a premium and accepting a five-year sale restriction.
  • Several headline routes have closed. Anyone still selling a Spanish golden visa in 2026 is selling a product that ended in April 2025.
  • Buy the country, not the visa. If the residency rule changes under you, you want to still want the asset.

Frequently asked

Can a foreigner buy property abroad? And how does ownership actually work?

In most countries, yes, but the terms vary widely. Some restrict foreign ownership of land or agricultural property. Some require a local company. And the tax on rental income and on sale differs by jurisdiction, and by whether you own personally or through an entity. The purchase is rarely the hard part. The ownership structure and the exit tax are, and both should be decided before you buy.

Is buying property still a way to get residency or a golden visa?

Less than it was. Spain abolished its golden visa in April 2025, Portugal removed the real-estate route in 2023, and several EU property routes are under sustained pressure. Where a route survives, expect a mandatory qualifying amount, a multi-year holding period, and often a first-sale-only rule. Confirm the programme is currently open from a primary source before you buy anything for the visa.

Should I buy investment property to get a residency permit?

Only if you would want the property anyway. Residency-linked real estate typically carries a premium and a lock-in. So the honest calculation is the asset's value on its own merits, plus or minus the value of the visa. It is not the developer's headline number. If the route changes under you, and EU routes are changing, you want to be left holding something you actually wanted.

Need investment real estate done properly?

One named person on your file, and an honest answer on scope, timeline and cost.