Real Estate Meetup attendees seated at IDEA Spaces in front of the presentation screen

Real Estate Meetup.
A conversation that mattered.

We met in Lisbon to discuss property in Portugal: from choosing a development and arranging a mortgage to construction and licensing. Explore the photos and recording.

See how it went Watch the recording

LisbonIDEA Spaces

The meetup has taken place

PROPERTY THROUGH PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

Different experts.
One shared conversation.

The first ARR Real Estate Meetup brought specialists and attendees together at IDEA Spaces. We explored practical questions about buying and building, heard from experts and made new connections.

Buying and financing

New developments, project selection and mortgages for residents and non-residents.

From land to a home

Construction, renovation, budgets, architectural projects and approvals.

The market and investment

Changes in 2024, taxes, investment projects and expectations for the market.

MOMENTS FROM THE MEETUP

How it went

Presentations, questions from the audience and conversations in between. Select an image to see it in full.

Together at IDEA Spaces

A red-haired speaker holding a microphone explains an architectural project topic

Architecture and projects

An attendee in a dark suit smiling during a conversation with the audience

Questions from the audience

A speaker in a dark jacket and blue shirt presenting with a microphone beside the screen

Construction in practice

A presentation on design stages with a speaker beside the screen and attendees at IDEA Spaces

Discussing licensing

Rows of meetup attendees watching a presentation attentively

Listening and discussing

A speaker in a suit and white trainers presenting beside a tall table with a laptop

Talking about mortgages

A speaker holding a microphone points to a table on the large presentation screen

Figures on the screen

The host in a dark suit standing between the presentation screen and the IDEA Spaces wall

The meetup host

Two meetup attendees sitting side by side and talking

Conversations between presentations

Attendees in several rows listening to a presentation in the venue

Attention to detail

Two attendees discussing a meetup topic while seated in the venue

Sharing experience

Attendees chatting beside the counter and glass lift at IDEA Spaces

New connections

Meetup attendees seated on steps along the venue wall

A meetup in Lisbon

Several attendees chatting in a seated group beside a wooden partition

A shared conversation

A wide view of a presentation with speakers beside the screen and the audience facing them

Projects in detail

Between presentations

A speaker in a dark suit presenting with a microphone beside a screen showing a table

An expert presentation

THE CONVERSATION, RECORDED

The meetup recording

Revisit the presentations or watch them for the first time. Most of the meetup is in Russian; the mortgage presentation is in English with interpretation. The topics and figures reflect the situation at the time of the meetup.

Watch the recording on YouTube

What we discussed

Six themes from the presentations, with a short overview and links back to the relevant parts of the recording.

Property prices: the difference between listings, bank valuations and completed transactions.
Development economics: land, own capital, banks, investors and sales.
Land and projects: PDM checks and the approval process.
Construction and ruins: what shapes budgets, schedules and unexpected costs.
Simplex and changes of use: the changes discussed and the questions each project still raises.
Mortgages: how banks assess income, risk and construction finance.

Read the detailed summary

A summary of the meetup recording. Statistics, project terms and bank offers reflect the time of the presentations.

Reading property market statistics

Oleg Zharov compared three sources of market data: asking prices, bank valuations and registered transactions. They describe different aspects of the market, so figures need to be understood in context before they are compared. The discussion also covered rental models, tourist accommodation, student housing and care homes as segments with different demand and economics.

Watch this part

How a development project works

Igor Coada discussed development projects and their sources of finance: own capital, bank loans, funds and private investors. He highlighted land selection, project checks and matching the product to its local market. The discussion also covered when sales begin, the role of a show apartment, working with agencies and investor participation. The terms of an individual project in the recording do not represent a general guarantee of returns.

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Land, architecture and approvals

Dina Bag explained the difference between an architectural submission for approval and detailed construction documentation, together with the role of engineering designs and site supervision. Through examples of land and renovation projects, she showed the importance of the municipal PDM plan, permitted land use and confirming conditions with the municipality. Approval schedules and possible extensions were discussed in relation to individual plots and projects.

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Construction budgets and renovation risks

Serghei Litvinenco compared traditional construction, light steel framing (LSF) and timber homes through his own experience. He described how finishes, building services, material deliveries and site conditions affect cost and timing. The discussion of ruins focused on uncertainty about structural condition and the work required: a low purchase price alone does not establish the final restoration budget.

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The discussion of Simplex

Oleg Zharov addressed changes to property purchase, use and approval procedures under Simplex. Later, Dina Bag discussed converting non-residential premises into housing, including daylight, windows, the depth of the premises and the suitability of the layout. The discussion of simpler procedures did not suggest that any premises automatically become suitable for living in.

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How banks assess an application

Bruno Oliveira explained property finance through risk assessment: the source and regularity of income, the applicant’s commitments and collateral. The discussion covered the deposit, financing share, and fixed and variable rates. For construction, he described funds being released in stages alongside checks on completed work; for companies, the role of business history and possible guarantees. He also distinguished a preliminary bank calculation from a loan approval.

Watch this part

SPEAKERS AND ORGANISER

Who shared their experience

Development, construction, architecture, mortgages and the property market — different perspectives, brought together in one meetup.

Igor Coada

Global Prime Imóveis

Development and investment projects

Serghei Litvinenco

Seregal Construções

Construction and renovation

Dina Bag

BAG Architecture

Architecture and licensing

Bruno Oliveira

Beyond Banking Portugal

Mortgages and bank financing

Oleg Zharov

ARR.pt Imobiliária

Organiser · the property market

FUTURE MEETUPS

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+351 911 755 010 · ola@arr.pt

Real Estate Meetup.
A conversation that mattered.