The high quality of the Alentejo beaches is the main motivational factor for buying a second home in this Portuguese region.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) October 2, 2009 -- The research analysis Alentejo Mini Monitor carried out by ILM Advisory in order to develop a profile of the consumer likely to buy holiday property in the coastal and inland areas of the Alentejo region, Portugal also concluded that that 82.5% of potential buyers are aged between 25 and 54 years old, of which 30% are in the 35 to 44 age bracket and 29% are between 45 and 54. Regarding families, 75% of them stated that they have a family, of which approximately 32% had one child and 38% had two.

On the subject of price 66% of the potencial demand for the coastal area and 72% of the inland stated that they intended to spend as much as 295,000 euros on a holiday home. This is in line with the so-called pyramid positioning of price against market-share ration that is a general feature of the international real estate market.

It was found that potential buyers with between 735,000 and 1,500,000 euros to spend were more inclined to opt for property inland rather than in the coastal areas, suggesting that this type of purchase is generally of a much larger size.

Regarding the size and type of property being considered by potential buyers, the study concluded that in both areas there's a preference for detached three- and four-bedroom houses and apartments, particularly two-bedroom apartments on the coast.

44% of potential buyers stated that they wanted to use the property at weekends, while 15% of those surveyed said that they intended to rent it out, with another 11.5% looking to live in it permanently.

The intended amount of annual use varied between 2 and 13 weeks, according to more than 65% of those surveyed, of which 36.5% said they would use the property for as little as 2 to 6 weeks, with a further 32% stating that they would be staying there for anything between 7 and 13 weeks.

Bearing in mind the future increase in the number of resorts in the Alentejo, ILM Advisory used the survey as a way of validating which types of service potential buyers would be most looking for in a resort, with a view to establishing what differences, if any, exist between the coastal and inland regions of the Alentejo. As a result, safety, maintenance and cleanliness were found to be the three most important factors, representing a response rate of between 11 and 13%.

When asked about the resort's rental services, potential buyers revealed less interest for this in the coastal areas (6%), compared with 10% of those looking to buy a property inland. This was in contrast to the high level of sales expertise expected in a resort, which was found to be of much higher concern on the coast than inland (12% compared with 7%, respectively).

In both areas, the Algarve was shown to be the preferred destination for a holiday home, while the Oeste region and inlands areas of Northern Portugal and the Douro were cited as popular alternative locations amongst potential buyers on the Alentejo coast, all of which are appealing for their enchanting scenery and peaceful envir