Congratulations! You've completed the purchase of your property. You walk out of the Notary Office amidst a group of smiling people - the agent, your lawyer, the seller - and why not, you're smiling too, after all you've just bought your place in the sun!
You have the keys to your property and are now itching to start converting it into your dream home away from home. You've every reason to believe that the difficult part is over. What can be more difficult than handing over that cheque with endless zeros, which probably represents a huge portion of your life savings?
The last things you've ever worried about are the little things, like connection water, electricity and gas. How complicated can that be? How complicated can it be to get the place furnished, equipped, light fittings connected, etc.
The answer is simple. t isn't complicated for someone who is going to be here, and have the time to do all these things. The same would apply back home. With one slight difference - you live there, are not on limited time, and besides knowing every step from experience, you speak the language.
So now we've done a great job of convincing you to forget about buying anything on the Island. Well, that is not our objective. We hope to convince you of the exact opposite, because whether you knew about these little tasks or not, they were sure to come up, and we have just the solution for you.
From long experience, we are very familiar with foreign buyer's need for hassle free property transactions. Your time is scarce, and the time you do have is much better spent enjoying your new home, rather than running around worrying about all the details.
Utilities
We can arrange for and supervise the connection of electricity, water, gas, cable TV and telephone. Besides filling in all the necessary contracts with the various utility companies, we liaise with them to arrange the physical connection in your home.
Furniture & equipment
Where do you find a refrigerator, washing machine, lounge suite or any of the numerous things you may need to purchase to complete your apartment or home? More importantly, how do you arrange for them to be delivered in three days' time when you're actually leaving tomorrow?
We can help you by directing you to various stores for the things you need. All you have to do is choose what you want and we will do the rest. We will not only arrange for the delivery, but also the installation to ensure that nothing gets left half way.
When you're away
When you're not on the island, you may want to have someone here look after the property. This is especially important if you have a villa, which will need regular gardening.
We have contacts with various people who do just that. They can make regular visits to the property to ensure that everything is in order, or provide a more complete service including gardening, etc.
paying your bills can also be included in this list of services, to ensure that you water, electricity and gas bills are up to date in your absence.
Simple jobs can be a problem if you do not have the tools, the time or the inclination to do them. We can get a handyman to assist you in when you are decorating or just getting ready to move in.
The obvious small tasks include hanging up pictures, curtains, connecting light fittings, connecting water heaters and washing machines, adding shelves to closets, etc.
Shipping a container
While we do not actually handle the shipping of containers, we have a fair experience in managing the transportation and unloading once the container arrives in Madeira. We arrange for the labour to do this work, and oversee the entire procedure, ensuring that the goods are delivered to your home, even in your absence.
Insurance
A good insurance package is a must to ensure peace of mind. Depending on your specific needs, we can handle this aspect on your behalf. In the case of apartments, insurance is a must to safeguard any liability to your neighbours as well as yourself, so our experience in these matters will facilitate the procedure for you.
Renovation work
In some cases you may wish to do more than the basic decoration of the property. Full or part renovation may be your goal, and here our contacts become even more valuable. We have had experience with various teams of professionals providing this type of service. We will arrange for quotes to be prepared for your approval. You can limit yourself to deciding what is to be done, and we will see that all aspects of the work get carried out by the work team. Be it carpentry, cement work, painting or any other job, we can supervise in your absence to ensure that what you pay for is what you get.
What will this cost?
The cost of this service will vary depending on the scope of our involvement. This probably sounds ominous, but we can assure you that it will be a lot less than you may imagine. You will also have a clear estimate of our charges before getting into any expenditure, so relax - we're here to help, not to create another headache for you.
We also refer a great volume of business to the companies that have provided services based on our recommendations, so we are able to ensure that you get a good and fair price for everything you purchase. These savings alone will often more than cover what you will pay us.
