Terms and Conditions
Data Processing
Savvy Cat Realty, under the firm WISDOM WHISPER, LDA, NIPC 515 163 775, stores data from our clients in order to inform them of opportunities to buy or rent a property, to provide administrative support during the process of buying property, to inform our clients of any promotions or marketing campaigns and to comply with legal obligations.
Customer data is obtained based on information received directly or indirectly from our clients and the documentation they provide. This information is collected by employees and representatives of Savvy Cat Realty or during the use of the website https://www.savvycatrealty.com. The data stored of each client can be consulted, exported, altered or eliminated by contacting Savvy Cat Realty employees.
Customer data has the sole purpose of granting deeds, contracts of promise of purchase and sale, and carrying out registration acts related to real estate, notaries, registry offices and similar official entities.
Customer data is kept for a period of 2 years from the last contact made with the client, except in cases where there are legal obligations that impose longer deadlines.
Customer data is processed electronically by our team. reach out to contact@savvycat.reaty.com for any request.
Each client may also, through contacting Savvy Cat Realty employees:
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object to data processing;
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limit such processing;
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withdraw consent at any time, in which case it is not compromised the lawfulness of the treatment previously carried out;
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request rectification, updating or deletion of data;
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exercise the right to receive data concerning you and to transmit it to other data controllers.
Each client has the right to be informed of the occurrence of any breach of its personal data and to submit a complaint about the processing of your data to the competent control authority (CNPD).
Conditions of use of the website
Information made available on the website https://www.savvycatrealty.com may be viewed, copied, printed and distributed solely for non-commercial use, and provided that it contains the legal copyright notice in all copies. This information can also be used for the purpose of making a purchase order. The content of this website cannot be modified or reinterpreted in order to be protected by another copyright, patent, trademark or intellectual property registration that does not belong to Savvy Cat Realty.
The information made available on the website https://www.savvycatrealty.com is liable to sustain some technical inaccuracy or typographic error. Accordingly, Savvy Cat Realty is not responsible, in any way, for any direct, indirect, incidental or collateral damages resulting from visiting its pages, especially the loss of data or loss of income or other income that may exist and the disruption of business processes arising from the use or impossibility of using the information contained in this website. In addition to the aforementioned, Savvy Cat Realty is also not responsible for the contents of third-party websites that contain links to https://www.savvycatrealty.com and/or from https://www.savvycatrealty.com
Copyright
All elements contained in the electronic address (website), specifically photos, texts, illustrations and other data are protected by law, under the Code of Copyright and Related Rights.
It is expressly forbidden to copy, reproduce and disseminate the aforementioned elements appearing on the website without express authorisation from Savvy Cat Realty, regardless of the means used for this purpose, with the exception of the right to quote under the law.
Commercial use of the elements contained on Savvy Cat Realty’s website is expressly prohibited, namely texts, photos, illustrations and other data.
Savvy Cat Realty reserves the right to take legal action against authors of any unauthorized copying, reproduction, dissemination or commercial exploitation of the elements contained on the website, namely texts, photos, illustrations and other data.
Fees/Reimbursements for Purchases and Sales
The fees for the service provided by Savvy Cat Realty can be consulted bellow.
The Client may, at any time of the duration of the contract, upon communication with his respective Savvy Cat Representative, request an “upgrade” of the chosen pack, paying the respective difference in values. Immediately after making the payment, the Client will start enjoying the conditions of the new chosen pack.
Likewise, the Client can request services not included in the chosen pack, being that such services will be billed separately under the Table of fees.
If the Client wishes, they may, under the terms of the aforementioned contract, request a refund of the amount paid for the chosen services/pack. The amounts corresponding to the services already provided during the term of the contract will be deducted to the amount paid.
At the same time, Savvy Cat Realty may terminate the contract when the Client does not fulfil their duties, such as providing the requested and necessary data to provide agreed services, disrespect Savvy Cat Realty’s employees, among others that jeopardize the professional relationship between the Client and Savvy Cat Realty.
Buying Services
The choice of buying services and/or packages to be provided by Savvy Cat Realty initially implies holding a video call with the Investment Managers. In case of proceeding with our buying service packs, it implies the signing of a bilateral contract that encumbers both parties for a certain period of time, on an exclusive basis, under the terms of the mentioned Table.
Savvy Cat Realty undertakes to provide a quality service, under the terms established in the contract and Table of fees, the latter being attached to the first.
Lease Services
Services in the context of the leasing of Real Estate for residential purposes or commercial, only, are purchased directly on the website https://www.savvycatrealty.com. For this purpose, Savvy Cat Realty provides a series of packs in the Table.
Notwithstanding the choice of packs, the Client may request services not included in them, and they will be charged according to the Table.
If the Client wishes, they may request an “upgrade” of the chosen pack.
In these terms, if the same is carried out within the period of 90 days from the conclusion of the contract, such “upgrade” will not be charged. If completed within 180 days from signing of the contract, the value of the “upgrade” will be discounted by 50% of the value of the starter pack.
The provision of data for this purpose is the responsibility of the Client, being that it will be processed in accordance with Savvy Cat Realty’s privacy policy and used only for necessary purposes.
Given the current state of the rental market, Savvy Cat Realty is not responsible for any changes or withdrawals by the owner of the property whose lease is being negotiated. Likewise, neither is responsible for the termination of the business in progress by the landlord by virtue of the Client’s lack of (timely) cooperation with Savvy Cat Realty.
If the Client so wishes, they may request a refund of the amount paid for the chosen services/pack. From the amount paid, it will be deducted the values of the services already provided until the date of the refund request.
This service is provided in accordance with the parameters designated by the Client, being that Savvy Cat Realty cannot guarantee that they will be fully complied with. In other words, Savvy Cat Realty will endeavour to find properties for lease that are closer to the Client’s requirements. In case they are presented with a series of properties (never less than 10) similar to the requirements of the customer, and none of them are accepted, Savvy Cat Realty reserves the right to cease providing the service.
Platinum Pack
This special pack includes all the services mentioned in the Table, including the process of the various visas to enter the country, except for the Golden Visa (ARI). The latter may be processed by our legal team or another Lawyer or solicitor of the Client’s choice. This pack also includes support in obtaining European residence certificates and residence permits.
For the purpose of support in obtaining visas, European certificates and residence included in said pack, Savvy Cat Realty will endeavour to obtain all relevant documentation through its legal team from all competent authorities, including appointments at the respective entities, Tax identification numbers, among others.
Legal Support
The legal issues and the exclusive competence of Lawyers included in the packs of services offered by Savvy Cat Realty are processed by the legal team, constituted by Lawyer(s) with whom Savvy Cat Realty has professional relations, with proper professional training & licence.
Savvy Cat Realty Working Hours
From Mondays to Fridays, from 9 am to 6 pm
Savvy Cat Realty guarantees responses to inquiries and other matters within the aforementioned work schedule.
Exceptionally, and only by agreement between the Representative and the Client, due to the urgency of the matter and when strictly necessary, the Representative may carry out the due diligence outside working hours.
Savvy Cat Realty is not responsible for the lack of response to inquiries or other matters outside working hours, with the caveat of the previous paragraph.
Savvy Cat Realty has a policy of responding to inquiries and other communications up to 2 business days with the exception of confirmation and initial pack processing which must be carried out within 3 working days of dispatch.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you a Buyer Agency?
We are a Buyer & Relocation agency, we give visa, location, rental, purchase, investment, renovation & construction support to future owners and tenants in Portugal
Where do you work?
We cover all of continental Portugal, and will soon be expanding to Madeira. Azores is not yet covered. You can meet our team here.
Do you have a physical office?
We currently don’t have open doors, we meet with clients, partners, technicians and agencies in person but as we have a team spread throughout the country, an office does not work for us. We don’t work with “walk ins” and the team only meets in person with paying clients or in sponsored events. You can reach by email to contact@savvycatrealty.com for any queries
Do you have access to off-market properties?
Yes, We search the whole market, and do in person scouting and off market networking for our clients. But we can not guarantee we will find a match off market for each specific client.
Are Savvy Cat services pre paid?
Yes. Rental packages are pre paid, service is only started after purchase of package on the website. Buying services a 20% downpayment is required to start service and an advisory call must be booked for screening.
Are Real Estate Services usually prepaid?
No, the standard in Portugal is 5% commission paid at the end by the seller. Buyers are often represented by selling agents which leads to a lot of misinformation and inflation of prices. Selling agents usually divide commission with buyer representatives 50-50 but there is no obligation to do so. There are very few buyer agents in Portugal that operate in different ways, most of them individual. We offer a lot more than real estate services, and that’s what our packages cover - a tailored service with verification, location, networking, analysis, project management, among others - and why they are pre paid. The real estate transactions in Savvy Cat are paid after the deal is finalized.
Can I call free of charge you before purchasing your services?
No. We will have discussions with prospect clients free of charge in sponsored events only. We also respond to simple inquiries that don’t require tailored or specialized knowledge via email. For technical and tailored advice an advisory call must be booked with either Ana or an Agent.
Do you offer services individually (outside the package)?
We only offer Resident Tours. Package clients can purchase extras at tabulated price to complement their package if needed.
Is it possible to do an advisory call with Ana for rentals?
Anyone can schedule a discovery call with Ana to clarify doubts regarding relocating, renting, buying, investing, renovating or building in Portugal. However the cost of the call is only discounted if the client purchases a buying package up to 3 months after the call.
Can I purchase a pack when I arrive in Portugal and initiate service right away?
We do not recommend doing this. In Portugal you don’t have open houses and the market is fairly deorganized, scheduling visitations on short notice will depend a lot on sheer luck and of course the availability of the local representative you will be working with. You may be lucky but that is not a likely scenario so we recommend purchasing rental packs at least 7 business days prior to the date you want to start visitations and buying packs at least 3 weeks in advance. We recommend scheduling in person activities with your local representative with as much time ahead as possible as scheduling requests are answered by order of arrival.
Is my local representative working just with me?
No, each representative will be working with multiple clients. We cap the number of clients and delegate tasks among the team when one member is overworked due to client scheduling, but as we have little control over our client’s agenda it is important to warn of in person scheduling needs with as much advance as possible (for example trip dates, the week you will be wanting to do visitation/tours, etc) so we can organize accordingly. Scheduling requests are answered and met by order of arrival. The representative will warn you if it conflicts with a scheduling made previously by another client and offer alternatives.
What do you mean by offering support for my Visa? What kind of services do you provide for this?
We support with obtaining the NIF(s), residence permits, address registries, family reunification bookings, reviewing and checking all documentation if needed, we provide recommendation letters, advice to increase the odds of acceptance, and support in opening the bank account. This does not apply to golden visas as the submission needs to be made by a lawyer, but we have special rates with trustworthy partnered lawyers.
How many NIF’s can you ask for with the packages?
Packages include support with up to 2 NIF’s, except the Investment package that will cover up to 4.
Can you obtain our NIFs for us even if we aren’t in the country? How long does it take?
In person they can be done in 1-2 business days. Online 1 to 3 weeks depending of the offices handling the process.
Are there any additional fees involved with rental packs?
You can check what each package includes on our service tables. If you use the package fully and wish to purchase extra services it can be done. Services that are not included in the package you purchase can not be added as extras, you can only add quantity to the existing services. We don’t charge extra fees in any other scenario.
When should we start the rental process with Savvy Cat?
We recommend starting the rental service 30 to 45 days prior to the desired date to have the contract. Please note sometimes deals fall through due to landlords changing their mind last minute and we do not have control over that. 90% of listings in Portugal are ready to move in and it’s quite unlikely to get a contract more than a few days prior to the start date.
If we purchase a buying pack but want to rent first, how does the time frame work in terms of initiating the buying process, considering the pack has a X validity?
We allow suspension of packages for a period of time for situations like this, or when the clients need to go back to their country for a period of time, you can check the suspension limitation for each package here
Can landlords refuse tenancy because of my pet?
Yes. Dogs, mostly medium and big size, are often refused by landlords, especially in apartments and urban areas.
Can you negotiate a clause in the contract in case the landlord is reluctant in accepting my pets?
We often negotiate a bigger safety deposit, but the landlord is not obliged to accept.
Can you negotiate a termination clause in case our D7 Visa does not come through?
We can request that, and have had cases where it was successfully implemented, but it has to be accepted by the landlord and they have no obligation to accept such a clause.
Can I terminate a lease agreement before 1 year?
Depends on the duration of the contract and type of contract (holiday rental property or long time lease). Long term rent 1 year contracts can usually be terminated after 6 months.
Are your rental packs visits limited ? What happens if we could not find an apartment within those visits?
You can check what each package includes on our service tables. If you use the package fully and wish to purchase extra services it can be done, tabulated prices apply.
We rarely have cases where extra visitations have to be purchased, as we do pre screening and if the clients are conscious of their preferences and don’t visit apartments that they will likely reject, the coverage of the package is sufficient. Clients can also do visitation on their own and those will not count towards the package limits.
Does the rental pack validity start the moment we purchase the pack or the moment
we actually start using the service?
It starts once service is started with a representative.
Is the internet reliable in X city?
That is something you can discuss with your local agent, most medium and big cities have fiber internet, that is very reliable. In more isolated locations it will depend a lot where the lines go by. There is usually always a solution, be it ADSL or satellite.
Can you open a bank account for us even if we aren’t in the country?
There are limitations, as it depends a lot on the person handling the process. Process was also made a lot harder recently. We have some contacts in banks that facilitate cooperation, but no guarantees can be given. In person is the safest way.
When should the purchase process be initiated?
We recommend initiating the purchase process about a month before your trip to Portugal, or a month before your ideal search start date. This is because it is very important to organize and plan with agents, not only in terms of scheduling but because it’s important for us to get to know you a bit in order to better tailor our services to your specific needs. We recommend doing the tours before starting the property visitation service and they also need to be tailored to each client.
Once we purchase the package on the website, what is the next step?
Rental packages you will get a form to fill and once it is complete you will be put in touch with the corresponding agent within 2 business days. Buying packages can only be purchased after an initial advisory call and an agent is assigned up to 2 business days after the initial 20% down payment.
Do you have a real estate portfolio?
No. We will be expanding to representing sellers soon, but it will be a separate service, with different professionals, the buying team will not work with sales, and vice versa.
Can we bring our children to your tours?
We do not advise. Resident tours are full day with a lot of information - they will be boring & tiring for children, and take focus from the parents. Our company cars do not take more than 3 passengers at the time (in Group tours we work with rented mini bus)
Can you help or advise me who to go for to start getting a mortgage amount?
We have trusted mortgage advisors and credit mediators that we work with and our team will support the credit process throughout the buying & relocating service relationship.
What mortgages do I qualify for?
Tailored advice has to be discussed on a paid Advisory Call.
When should I start the mortgage process?
We recommend our clients to start the analysis process right after they sign up with us. Banks have been very slow and request a lot of documentation. Here in Portugal you don’t have pre approvals but you have pre analysis that will give you an installment estimate and a credit limit. The process is only finished once the property is evaluated by the bank, and the final amount will always depend on the result of this evaluation.
Can I upgrade to another (buying/rental) pack if needed?
Yes, depending on the time for that decision you may only get a partial discount. If you upgrade within 90 days from the initial purchase the fill price of the initial package is applied towards the upgrade. Between 31 days and 180 days 50% of the cost of the initial purchase applies towards the upgrade, 181 days up until 270 days only 25% is applied. After this no discount will apply.
How long does it typically take to find an apartment?
Depends a lot on the location you are looking in, generally the market has more demand then offer and the more requirements you have the harder it will be to find a match. Lisbon is particularly bad and we recommend adjusting demands and expectations, especially for rental.
Rentals usually take 30-60days. Can take 2 weeks if you’re lucky, but never count on that.
Buying usually takes an average of 3-4 months, but it can be between a month and 8 months depending on how specific the client requirements are and how the offer available on the desired location is.
If your concern or question is not found in the FAQ, you can contact Savvy Cat Realty through the email address: contact@savvycatrealty.com