The biggest one remains using the agent's recommended lawyer. The developer gets a commission on completion, which differs from looking after your interests. Your own legal adviser costs a fraction of what is at stake and houses for sale in funchal is money well spent.

Signing documents you cannot read ranks close behind. An official translation costs little next to the sum being committed. Promises made in conversation carry no weight when the written text differs — the document governs.

Buying off-plan without checking the developer has damaged a great many buyers. Ahead of a deposit, review the developer's completed projects, the planning approvals, cortina d'ampezzo real estate for sale and how deposits are protected. Late deliveries are normal with even the best developers; abandoned sites are the exception but much more damaging.

Thinking only about the purchase is a subtler error. Any property has to be sold or passed on at some point, and the pool of future buyers determines the price. A home with no local demand is harder to move in a weak market.

Lastly, many buyers underestimate the annual paperwork. Annual declarations can be required regardless of whether the property earns anything, and late filings attract penalties nobody warns you about. Arranging a local accountant at the outset prevents most of these problems.