Another great time in CVO

[Bristle Si]

Left CVO yday eve, after 11 days holiday.

We had a great time, as usual. Thanks must go to
- all at Round Up Saloon - Big Will with his customary big welcome to me and my wife. Antonio - a CVO legend, Babs and the gang behind the bar, and to Alan and Adie who do the karoake 4 times/week. The other 3 nights is a live singer and guitarist, Joal - he gets the crowd going as well, both the non-portuguese guests and the portuguese.
- To Jenny and co at the Havana Bar for serving up so many cocktails during their busy 2 hours of 6 til 8 every eve - 2 for 1 on cocktails during this period.
- To Libbre and Harry for the most madcap of eves at Happy's and outside Round Up in the early hours.
- Easygo for v.prompt and efficient pick up at Faro airport and yday, for the return back to the airport.
A full restaurant review is posted in the Restaurants threads.

Great weather - we love September.
However, it's noticeable how prices have increased this year - and i'm not referring to the exchange rates issue. Shame really, because this could put off 1st time visitors from coming again to CVO. Visited Sullys on way home to Monte CVO on 1st night and was charged 10 euros for a vodka+coke and bacardi+coke - told the guy we wouldn't visit again for rest of the holiday....and we didn't!

For any prospective property buyers - take care! - window prices in CVO estate agents are false and out of date. One expat told us they're the prices 1st marketed as long as 18 months ago - drive a hard bargain and make your 1st offer about 40% below the 'window' price.
My advice is to try and find out as much as you can about the 'sellers' - are they 'distressed sellers? i.e. desperately need to sell - if so, capitalise on it.
Strange that the agents do this, because if you look in any shop window at home for goods you really wanted but you had a price maximum you'd pay, would you even walk into that shop to enquire, if the window prices were too high? Probably not.
Loads of prospective buyers in CVO must just walk past, after seeing the advertised prices.

Be back next year

[shanagarry]

window prices in CVO estate agents are false and out of date

You will find in the vast majority of cases that some of the properties being displayed have been sold as the sellers now appoint multiple agents and never tell the others when they have sold. I know of three such examples - ours being one (despite me telling the agent so - on 4 occasions).

Another scenario is the absence of any proactivity on the agent's part - in that they do not go the extra mile to help prospective buyers find a way to buy - they sit and wait and move the photos around every few weeks/months. There is also the passive seller, who believes the bullshit that his/her property is worth some inflated and unrealistic amount and won't entertain any other price as they feel they are being ripped-off. I have met a lot of the latter - naive in the extreme - putting it mildly.

As I see it agents fees are so great that they don't need to make too many sales to have a comfortable living - thus depriving sellers of the opportunity to sell. That's an industry that needs a good shake-out

[Gary/Gaynor]

Always remember Gary and I thinking of the idea of selling the apartment and buying a villa up at ADM about 12 months ago. (until we were quotes taxes for this and taxes for that) One particular estate agent, when we seemed interested in one particular property, said that there was no point making any offers as the property market is so good that it won't be accepted...silly man....said market was very buoyant (hmm yep right) and when we were discussing the financial state of Europe and the world to-date said that property in the Algarve rise above those sorts of problems….remind me never to sell through an agent, I’ll do it myself as they are obviously way behind the times.
Gaynor

[e-richard]

You will find in the vast majority of cases that some of the properties being displayed have been sold ..

One often wonders if this isn't actually done on purpose. After all, without these photos some agents may actually have precious little else to showcase

[shanagarry]

some agents may actually have precious little else to showcase

There' a considerable amount of reality in that - I encountered it twice - after which one of the agents shut up shop. I met him at Faro recently and he told me the easiest thing was getting properties on his books (which had a small cost) but with nobody buying - it was a waste of money.

[EMM]

I have no doubt that this has been discussed at great length before and elsewhere but I have always failed to understand why " sellers " often ignore the " market price ".

If a property is worth E200k why do sellers insist on adding their costs and charges to that often making it un attractive to buyers.

[shanagarry]

It's called 'greed-naivety'