Portugal offers a whole host of attractions to holiday home owners. It is less than three hours' flight from the UK, the popular Algarve region has more than 300 days of sunshine per year and property is excellent value, particularly given the current exchange rate.
It also offers a wide range of choice to second home owners, from modern, new build apartments and villas to vast, cut price plots of land covered with orange and olive trees and tumbledown cottages just crying out for sympathetic renovation.
But what is it that today's second home purchasers are looking for? Has the restoration dream given way to the convenience of new build luxury?
Not entirely, asserts Chris White, Founding Director of boutique real estate agency Ideal Homes Portugal,
"Although new build developments are very popular, we do still have clients who want more of a challenge and are looking for a rustic Portuguese home to make their own. And Portugal certainly has plenty of properties that fit the bill - the landscape is dotted with buildings in need of repair, with fantastically generous land plots around them."
Buying a rustic property and doing it up can be a great personal project, but it can also have business potential. This beautifully renovated farmhouse near Silves, for example, is packed full of character and would make an excellent bed and breakfast for the Algarve's rural tourism market. On the market for €595,000, it embodies the opportunities available for those with vision, coming complete with rental apartments, an owners' cottage and a ruin that is ripe for restoration.
Only 10% of customers are looking for rustic homes though, according to Ideal Homes Portugal's 2014 figures. The remaining 90% are seeking the conveniences of modern properties, with 30% looking to purchase villas and 60% apartments. Chris White comments,
"Around 65% of our buyers are holiday home owners and the majority want something fairly new rather than a more traditional property. They want a property that is easy to maintain, so that they don't have to spend their holidays repairing ancient roof tiles or pruning an orchard full of carob trees. A modern apartment with a communal pool, located close to the beach and shops is a very popular option for our second home buyers."
A two bedroom apartment on the popular Clube Albufeira resort can be purchased for as little as €158,000 and is precisely the kind of property that holiday home owners are looking for. A spacious living area, south facing balcony and fully fitted kitchen ensure the owners feel at home the moment they arrive and the resort is 
packed with features that mean the property also has great rental potential when not in use, including four swimming pools, snack bars, restaurants, crazy golf, a mini supermarket, a bakery, tennis courts, a cash point and internet facilities. It even benefits from a free shuttle bus to Albufeira Old Town and local beaches - clearly convenience is top of the list with such a property.
New build villas are also a popular choice, offering more privacy than resort properties. This luxury three bedroom villa in Galé is available for €390,000 and comprises accommodation split across three levels, plus large barbecue area with pizza oven, terrace, swimming pool and fountain outside.
In terms of those buying in Portugal, the holiday home market is still all about the Brits, according to the Ideal Homes Portugal data. 2014 saw 80% of the properties they sold snapped up by British buyers, with Irish, French and Chinese buyers making up the remaining 20%. As well as those looking to buy holiday homes, 20% of buyers specifically require golf properties, while 15% are looking to relocate to Portugal on a longer term basis.
For further details call Ideal Homes Portugal on 0800 133 7644 or +351 289 513 434, email enquiries@idealhomesportugal.com or visit www.idealhomesportugal.com.
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