Building a home 2,000 km away: Vic Dée's journey to the Silver Coast

Sometimes the most life-changing decisions happen in the span of just three weeks. For Vic Dée from Belgium, a borrowed holiday home on Portugal's Silver Coast became the unexpected beginning of his own homeownership story. One that would challenge everything he thought he knew about building property in a foreign country.

What first drew him to the Silver Coast

Vic's introduction to Portugal came through a client's recommendation in 2017. Despite traveling extensively throughout Europe with his family, Portugal was the one country they'd never visited. When his client offered them his newly built home in Salir do Porto for a two-week stay, Vic was curious. The plan was simple: enjoy a two-week holiday and return home to Belgium.

Salir do Porto Beach

 
What Vic discovered went beyond beautiful beaches and scenic landscapes. It was an immediate shift in the way he felt.

“We came here to the Silver Coast and, for us, it was quiet. After a few hours, it was totally different. All the stress was gone,” he recalls. And it wasn't just him, he noticed other Belgian visitors saying exactly the same thing.

The diversity of the landscape also helped to seal the deal. “In a small region you have very different landscapes,” Vic explains. For someone who values staying active and exploring, the Silver Coast offered endless possibilities within a compact, accessible area.

After two weeks, Vic extended his stay another week. That’s when they decided to visit our office and look into opportunities available to buy a home here. By the end of those three weeks, he and his wife had purchased their plot in Bairro Senhora da Luz.

Living next to a castle

Location was paramount in Vic's decision. “The most important thing here is that we are near to a highway. We are near to the beaches. We are near to the castle,” he says. The proximity to Óbidos Castle has become one of the unexpected joys of their life on the Silver Coast.

Obidos Castle

“When we go there, we always go very early in the morning. So, there are no tourists. Then we drink a coffee and when the coffee is finished, well, the tourists are coming. So, then we come back home,” Vic shares with a smile. The four or five-kilometer walk to the castle has become a regular ritual, offering exercise and stunning landscapes without the crowds.

This location also provides the perfect balance for their lifestyle, close to the A8 highway for easy travel.

Building a home from 2,000 kilometers away

Building a home in a foreign country, in a different language, 2,000 kilometers from where you live... it sounds daunting. For Vic, the key was the transparent process and the people guiding him through it.

“If we build a house in Belgium, it can be a real disaster,” Vic admits. “So I said: 'Okay, you build a house 2,000 kilometers away from Belgium. How are you going to do it?'“ The answer was Immo Portugal.

Hearing his customer's positive experience with Immo Portugal, and how smoothly the entire building process had gone, gave Vic that initial spark of confidence.

The payment structure also gave him peace of mind: “We did not have to pay in advance a lot of money because, if that had been the case, we never would have done it.” Instead, payments followed a clear schedule tied to completed work, with photo documentation at every stage. “There's a schedule, you receive pictures, and then you pay. That was attractive for us.”

Working with Ana Osório from Immo Portugal's Silver Coast office, located right in front of São Martinho do Porto bay, made the process personal and reassuring. Ana took them to view different properties, answered their questions, and helped them navigate each decision with patience and expertise.

The construction itself, completed by Presprop - Portugal Construction, exceeded Vic's expectations. “We agreed on an amount, and at the end we paid the amount that was agreed. We also agreed on a certain period of time... and it was finished on time,” he says, adding that “all contacts went very fluently with Immo Portugal”.

Standing in their finished home for the first time was overwhelming. “It was emotional,” Vic says simply. “You see that the house is finished and it was fantastic.”

Life between two homes

Since 2017, Vic and his wife have spent approximately five months each year at their Portuguese home, visiting in periods of five to six weeks at a time. They've discovered hiking trails, hidden villages, and authentic Portuguese experiences beyond the typical tourist path.

The microclimate of the Silver Coast has also proven ideal. “In the summer period it's about 25 degrees. There's a lot of sun but not too hot. And in the winter, when we are here during Christmas time, it's always around 17°”, Vic describes. It's not Mediterranean heat, but rather a temperate climate perfect for year-round visiting.

Obidos Lagoon

 

For someone who values both the ability to lock up and leave, and the space to enjoy peace and quiet when present, their modern villa has been ideal. 

His advice to others who are buying a holiday home in Portugal? Keep maintenance simple. “Sometimes I see younger people who still work, who cannot come for longer periods, and they put a lot of trees and plants and other things. I always say: don't do it, because you have to maintain it.”

A feeling called “home”

Perhaps the most powerful testament to Vic's experience comes when he describes returning to Portugal. “When we leave Belgium, we say that we are going back to our home. So, yeah. Portugal became our home.”

It's a sentiment he's heard echoed by others, though he can't quite explain it. “If you ask me: why? I don't know, it's a feeling. It's simply a feeling”.

That feeling, Vic believes, is enhanced by the rhythm of leaving and returning: “When we can come home again to Portugal, well, it creates that feeling of we are going ‘'home’. And we discover again the calm and the region. It's always new.”

Street inside the medieval walls of Obidos Castle

 

From a three-week holiday to a place that feels like home, Vic's journey shows that sometimes the biggest decisions are the ones we never saw coming.

Want to hear more of Vic's story?

Watch the complete interview in Season 4, Episode 9 of the Portugal The Simple Life Podcast.

Is Vic's story inspiring you?

If you're considering buying a property on Portugal's Silver Coast, we'd love to help you explore the possibilities.

Book a call with our team to start your own Portuguese adventure—we'll guide you through every step, just like we did for Vic!

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