The French were the foreigners who most invested in the Portuguese real estate in the first quarter of 2016, surpassing the British and the Chinese, according to estimates of the Association of Professionals and Real Estate Companies in Portugal (APEMIP). It found that foreign investment represents 20 percent of all real estate transactions. Between January and March 2016, the French surpassed the British and the Chinese in the total number of properties acquired in Portugal, racking up around 27 percent of all deals concluded by foreigners. APEMIP president Luis Lima said the influx of foreign capital “is the result of promotion work for Portuguese real estate that has been done since 2013, when the APEMIP signed a partnership agreement with the Syndicat National des Professionnels de l’immobilier”.
