According to the report of association of realtors (APEMIP), the program providing a residence permit in exchange for the purchase of property in Portugal can bring to the economy €600 million - almost two times more than in 2013, according to ee24.com citing propertyshowrooms.com.
Realtors believe that buying property in Portugal is now more relevant than ever, because in the next few years prices in popular tourist areas will grow. Luis Lima, head of APEMIP, said: "The deputy prime minister and driver of this measure, Dr. Paulo Portas, has said that this year the value of investment in Portugal through "golden visas" should reach €500 million. In my opinion this investment could easily reach €600 million, so long as a sufficient promotion work is done with this programme abroad."
Since October 2012, when the scheme was introduced to provide a residence permit in Portugal in exchange for investment, 542 people have invested €336 million. Recall that property prices in Portugal are very low and amount to about €1,000 per square meter.