&lt;p&gt;Americans Joe and Terri Eley are loving life in their new home in the Algarve, which they bought through Ideal Homes when they decided to head across the Atlantic for their retirement. The couple got the keys and moved into their brand-new apartment in central Lagos in August 2021, having arrived in Portugal from Seattle a month earlier.&#160;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Ideal Homes had introduced them to their property remotely a year earlier. Liking what they saw, they agreed to the purchase price of €450,000, paid a deposit and waited for the development to be completed before swapping the north-west coast of the US for the sunny Algarve.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;em&gt;“When we came over in July 2021 it was actually our first time in Portugal,”&lt;/em&gt; said 64-year-old Joe, who worked in the wholesale grocery industry. &lt;em&gt;“The complex wasn’t quite ready, but the developer let us move into our apartment anyway, making us the first new residents there. We had barely any furniture at the time so had to make do with deckchairs for a bit, but it was kind of fun!”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Fast forward a year and the Eleys, who moved to Portugal on a D7 visa, have no regrets they chose Lagos for their retirement years. And it wasn’t by chance they settled on the historic port city in the western Algarve, having done plenty of research from their home in the US.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;em&gt;“We had originally planned to go to Italy and had a couple of trips there in 2018 and 2019,”&lt;/em&gt; continued 61-year-old Terri, a former school librarian. “&lt;em&gt;But we read that Portugal was one of the world’s top international retirement destinations and thought it might be better for our needs. We spent literally hundreds of hours on-line browsing properties.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Joe and Terri started their research in the northern city of Porto, then focused their attention further south on the Silver Coast, followed by Lisbon and finally the Algarve, first looking at Tavira and the eastern section. In the process, they spoke to at least half a dozen different property agents. It was after contacting Ideal Homes though that things began to happen.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;“Sasha at Ideal Homes was incredible at communicating and staying in touch, including via Zoom”&lt;/em&gt; said Joe. &lt;em&gt;“He did a great job guiding us and matching our requirements with the western Algarve and our chosen property. Without his help, for sure we wouldn’t be where we are today.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Eleys’ home is a 141-square-metre apartment on the fourth floor of the 60-unit Adega complex, which overlooks Lagos’s famous marina.&#160;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;View from the terrace...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They have three bedrooms, two bathrooms - one en-suite and one family, and an open-plan living area and kitchen. The two terraces, one with views across to the marina, are a real highlight. Communal facilities include a lift, roof terrace, indoor and outdoor pools and gym and there is individual parking.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;em&gt;“The location ticks all the boxes,”&lt;/em&gt; continued Joe, who checked the development on Google Earth before buying. &lt;em&gt;“Our apartment is just 12-15 minutes’ walk from the old town, five minutes from the marina and restaurants and even less from the medical clinic. Lagos itself is not too big and is a perfect mix of old and new. It has every amenity you could need in a modern city. The climate is just right too, warm but not humid.”&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/em&gt;The couple, who have a car, enjoy exploring outside the city and already have visited the wider Algarve, Lisbon and Silver Coast. They’ve met lots of other expats too, mainly American and British, and say it’s years since they had such a busy social life. Equally, they say the local Portuguese are wonderful and the friendliest people they have met anywhere.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Is there anything they miss about the US? &lt;em&gt;“Well, since leaving both our son, who lives in Seattle, and our daughter, who is in New Jersey, have started families and each now has a baby daughter!”&lt;/em&gt; At least Joe and Terri now have visits from their grandchildren to look forward to and meanwhile FaceTime and Zoom should help them stay in touch.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;em&gt;Welcome to Portugal, Joe and Terri!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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We left the USA to live our Algarve retirement dream!

Americans Joe and Terri Eley swapped Seattle for Lagos in August 2021, after a property search conducted remotely. They're loving their new home, and new life, in the Algarve.