One in five homes is bought by a foreigner

<p class&equals;"p1"><span class&equals;"s1">D&amp;rsquo&amp;semi;selon le bilan de l&amp;rsquo&amp;semi;association des agents immobiliers du Portugal&amp;comma; un logement sur cinq a été vendu à un étranger en 2014&amp;period; Si la clientèle chinoise est en baisse&amp;comma; le nombre de Français à s&amp;rsquo&amp;semi;y installer a explosé&amp;period;<&sol;span><&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;<p class&equals;"p2"><span class&equals;"s1">The real estate market <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;vivreauportugalconsulting&period;com&sol;contact&sol;"><span class&equals;"s2">Portuguese<&sol;span><&sol;a> is as attractive as ever to foreigners&amp;period; More than one in five homes sold in 2014&amp;comma; or 23,000 houses and apartments&amp;comma; were sold to foreigners&amp;period; British buyers were the most numerous&amp;comma; followed by Chinese and French buyers, according to a provisional balance sheet provided by the&amp;rsquo&amp;semi;Association of Estate Agents of Portugal&amp;period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;<p class&equals;"p2"><span class&equals;"s1">"Real estate market growth reached between 9 and 15&amp;percnt; in 2014&amp;period; S&amp;rsquo&amp;semi;there hadn&amp;rsquo&amp;semi;t been the Banco Espirito Santo debacle and the &amp;lsquo&amp;semi;gold&amp;rsquo&amp;semi;&amp;comma; visa affair; we would have reached 25&amp;percnt;"&amp;comma; estimates its president Luis Lima&amp;period;  <&sol;span><&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;<p class&equals;"p2"><span class&equals;"s1">Since the end of 2012&amp;comma; Portugal has been offering applicants from outside the European Union willing to pay 500&amp;period;000 euros for a home a "gold"&amp;comma; visa, which opens the doors to Europe&amp;period; To qualify&amp;comma; one can also invest one million&amp;semi;euros or create ten jobs&amp;period; Up to the end of 2014&amp;comma; a total of 2&amp;period;022 residence permits&amp;comma; representing an investment of 1&amp;comma;2 billion&amp;semi;euros&amp;comma; were granted&amp;period;  <&sol;span><&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;<p class&equals;"p2"><span class&equals;"s1">These visas for wealthy foreigners took a serious blow, however, after eleven people were arrested in November, including high-ranking officials, in an investigation into corruption and money laundering, leading to a drop in customers from the Middle Kingdom; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;<p class&equals;"p2"><span class&equals;"s1">Conversely, the number of French people moving to Portugal has "exploded"&amp;period; Portugal has even dethroned Morocco as the preferred destination for French retirees&amp;comma; 3&amp;period;680 bought property there last year&amp;period; <&sol;span><&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;<blockquote>&amp;NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"p2" style&equals;"text-align&colon; center&semi;"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;vivreauportugalconsulting&period;com&sol;contact&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">Do you know the next &amp;quest; <&sol;a><&sol;h2>&amp;NewLine;<&sol;blockquote>&amp;NewLine;<p><a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;lexpansion&period;lexpress&period;fr&sol;actualite-economique&sol;une-maison-sur-cinq-au-portugal-est-achetee-par-un-etranger&lowbar;1646236&period;html" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">Source<&sol;a><&sol;p>&amp;NewLine;