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Buying From Abroad: How We Saved a Client from a "Photo-shopped" Nightmare

Writer: Rebecca Charles
Rebecca Charles
Dec 30, 2025
2 min read

Updated: Oct 28

A couple at home, looking online at a website for homes for sale

We recently viewed a property for a client based in California. On the listing, it looked immaculate: bright white walls, a sparkling blue pool, and a "peaceful location."

The photos were beautiful. They were also misleading.

When we arrived at the property to film a video walk through for our client, here is what the listing photos did not show:

  1. The Smell: There was a distinct, musty smell of rising damp in the lower bedrooms that had been freshly painted over.

  2. The Surroundings: The wide-angle lens conveniently missed the neighbours. The property next door was a full-blown construction site, and on the other side, there were guard dogs barking non-stop.

  3. The "Silence": The listing promised tranquility, but they forgot to mention they were within a 50 m proximity to the busy N125 road.


Photos Lie, but we don't. Buying from Abroad with a Buyers Agent


Estate agents use wide-angle lenses, saturation filters, and careful angles to sell a dream. That is their job.

Our job is different. As your Exclusive Buyer's Agent, our loyalty is to YOU, not the seller. When we visit a property on your behalf, we are looking for reasons not to buy it as much as to buy it.


The "Honest Video" Difference


When we send you a video walk through, it is not a marketing montage set to nice music. It is a forensic inspection. There are perils of buying from abroad, we can help to find if there any issues or discrepancies on your behalf.

  • We zoom in on cracks in the stucco.

  • We stand silent in the garden so you can hear the road noise.

  • We open cupboards to check for damp smells.

  • We show you the "boring" stuff: the boiler, the fuse box, and the access road.

Save your airfare and your time. Stop relying on listing photos that are five years old. Let us be your eyes and ears on the ground in the Algarve.


See how our buying process works HERE

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