The search for houses to buy in each area of the country continues to be dominated by the Portuguese, representing more than half of the interactions, according to data from idealista during the quarter ending in October 2024. But there is one exception: on the island of Santa Maria, in the Azores, international demand for houses for sale (58.8%) even exceeded national interest.

Analysing the origin of the demand for houses for sale in each area, it appears that foreigners have a significant weight on all Portuguese islands. In the case of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, in addition to foreigners dominating the interest in buying a house on the island of Santa Maria, they also account for almost half of the demand for housing on the islands of Pico, Flores, Corvo and Graciosa. And on the islands of São Jorge, Faial, São Miguel and Terceira, the weight of international demand represents more than a third of the total. It is from the USA, Germany and Canada that most searches for houses to buy on the Azorean islands appear.

In the Autonomous Region of Madeira, the international demand for houses for sale is significant, but not as intense as in the Azores. Around three in every 10 people who look for a house on the island of Porto Santo do so from abroad. And on the island of Madeira, international interest represented 42.5% of the total registered in the last three months until October. On these islands, research is carried out mainly from Germany and the United Kingdom, according to data from idealista.

Alongside the Portuguese islands, the demand for houses for sale from abroad is also significant in the district of Faro, representing 35.8% of total interest. Lisbon and Porto are at the bottom of the table, as international interest represents only 12.1% and 13.7% of the total demand for houses in each district, respectively.