# [[Buying a house in Portugal]] On this page, I document my experiences in buying a house in [[Portugal]], mostly in case I want to do it again. ## Find a house ## Place an offer ## Find a bank to lend you money ## Go through the mortgage approval process ## Show up for settlement Called *escritura* in Portuguese, and usually mistranslated to *scripture* in English, this process is the settlement of the contract. ## Formalizing change of ownership The change of ownership of the house is not automatically done for you in Portugal. You will need to do this yourself at Finanças. ## Connecting utilities Consider getting a mobile plan before proceeding, because installation and setup of utilities requires one or more technical visits, so you need to make sure the provider can call you to let you know when they're coming. ### Electricity ### Gas ### Water