We understand the system you are navigating.
Because we have spent our careers learning how complex systems actually work.
Built from the buyer's perspective. Because no one else was.
The Buyer's Agent Portugal was founded after witnessing first-hand how structurally disadvantaged international buyers can be in the Portuguese property market. Our role is to correct that imbalance through independent guidance, full buyer representation, and a structured approach to buying property in Portugal.
Maya de Filippo
Before founding The Buyer's Agent Portugal, Maya spent fifteen years working inside complex systems across four continents — in roles where the ability to read what was really happening beneath the surface was not a skill but a requirement.
The pattern she observed in Portuguese real estate was familiar: buyers making some of the most significant financial decisions of their lives, in an unfamiliar market, guided by professionals whose obligations ran entirely to the seller. What was missing was not information — it was someone to interpret it, independently, on the buyer's behalf.
The Buyer's Agent Portugal was built around a clear conviction: that buyers deserve dedicated, professional representation during one of the most important and expensive decisions they will ever make. Not as a courtesy, but as a professional standard.
Her background spans senior roles with the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, International SOS, the Olympic Committee in Switzerland, and the mining sector in Morocco — disciplines in which clarity, risk management, and protection of the people on the wrong side of a system are core to the work.
A successful life is as much about the mistakes you avoid as the smart decisions you make.
- Based in
- Algarve, Portugal
- Languages
- French · English · Portuguese
- Licence
- AMI No. 23932
Joe Pyke
Joe brings an investor-led perspective and on-the-ground knowledge of the Portuguese property market. After building his own property portfolio across multiple European markets and working inside one of Portugal's largest real estate agencies, he developed a clear understanding of how the sell-side operates and where buyers can be disadvantaged.
He supports clients with search, market analysis, negotiation, viewings, and on-the-ground due diligence across the Algarve and wider Portugal.
Not agents. A different kind of professional entirely.
The skills that matter most in property acquisition are rarely taught in real estate. They are built through years of operating in complex, opaque environments — reading systems, managing risk, and protecting the people on the wrong side of an information gap.
Systems Literacy
We understand how markets like Portugal's actually function — not how they present themselves.
Independence of Judgment
We have no listings, no seller mandates, and no incentive to push a transaction forward for its own sake.
Operational Discipline
We manage property acquisition with the rigor of people who have run complex operations, not the urgency of people who need a sale to happen.
The risk is not always the property. Sometimes it is the process itself.
One of the most common patterns we see is gradual compromise. Buyers begin with clear standards and reasonable expectations. Over time, those standards shift — often subtly, often under pressure, and often in ways that only become visible once a commitment has already been made.
Our role is to hold the line. To bring clients back to the brief they set before urgency, enthusiasm, or social pressure started to erode it. That is not always a comfortable role. It is also one of the most valuable things independent representation provides.
The professionals behind every acquisition.
Buying property in Portugal is not a standalone transaction. It requires coordination across legal, fiscal, financial, and technical disciplines — each of which carries risk if handled without independence. Most buyers do not realise that many professionals introduced during a transaction are connected, directly or indirectly, to the selling side.
Our network is not.
Independent Legal Counsel
Portuguese lawyers specialising in property acquisition for non-residents — due diligence, contract review, title verification, and full legal oversight. Independence from the seller is essential.
Tax Lawyers
Specialists in cross-border taxation and Portuguese fiscal law — acquisition structure, residency implications, capital gains exposure, and applicable fiscal frameworks.
Currency Risk Specialists
Foreign exchange professionals who manage exposure between offer, contract, and completion — protecting overall purchase value for buyers moving capital into euros.
Mortgage Brokers
Independent specialists with access to multiple Portuguese lenders — non-resident applications, financing structuring, and lender selection based on profile, not exclusivity agreements.
Surveyors
Technical inspectors evaluating structural condition, construction quality, and potential defects — providing objective assessment of physical risk and future maintenance exposure.
Architects & Planning Consultants
Professionals who help assess renovation potential, planning constraints, project feasibility, and technical risk before a buyer commits.
We recommend professionals based on suitability, expertise, and alignment with your case — never on commercial incentives.
We work with a limited number of clients at any one time.
Each acquisition receives the depth of analysis, attention, and execution it requires. If you are looking for independent representation in Portugal, the first step is a direct conversation.