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    posted by  Sergio Paulo in Azores forum 

    Hello Gabor,

    It's nice to see Eastern Europeans moving to the Azores! It's about time the Azores becomes more cosmopolitan!

    To answer your question about building codes: yes building codes are strict now, but only for new construction. The repair/rehab of existing structures is much less stringent and, in fact, the authorities favor the repair of old structures as a way of keeping older buildings from going derelict.

    And it's still relatively cheap to buy land or repair old cottages....it's done quite often in Pico island. And although it's true that labor costs are rising, for the most part, you could build a small 2-3 bedroom home for approx 100-120k euro. One newer trend that's just starting to take off is the construction of wood built homes which are much cheaper.... 40-60k euro. You can basically live off the grid if you really wanted to; there are solar panels locally available and small wind turbines, etc.

    Take Pico island for example, you can easily find lots of land with old ruins on them (which are still classified as existing structures) and rebuild....other times you'll find older homes that are move-in ready but with a small plot of land for planting, etc.

    Like any place, some islands will be less expensive than others. Sao Miguel and Terceira tend to be the most developed and, thus, have The large Hospitals and universities. In my experience, most foreigners love Pico, Faial and Sao Jorge....I think it has to do with how close each three of these islands are to one another. Pico and Faial are only about a 20-30 minute ferry ride across the bay. And Sao Jorge is about 1 hour ferry ride across the bay from both Pico and Faial. The water can be rough in the winter months and so there can be cancellations. Pico offers great hiking (there's an active volcano....about a 4.5 hour hike) plus great diving, fishing, and great trail trekking. Faial has a large sailing scene; it has a bustling international yachting marina where you can meet sailors from just about every corner of the world...the English have been buying up lots of old cottages here for restoration and renting.

    Religion: Catholicism is the big one throughout most of the islands. You can't drive through any village without passing a church....all of which are kept in great shape. If you're an avid catholic, you'll have no trouble integrating as a lot of the village festivals are relating to some commemoration of some saint, although there are many other summer non-religious type festivals.

    If sailing is you're thing, consider Faial. The scene is big there and growing.

    If you decide to live in the Azores, rest assured, you won't need to lock your doors.....it still is the kind of place where everybody knows your business....and the less you have to hide, the more they'll love you.

    It really is worth at least visiting. With direct flights from Portugal and even other EU nations directly from the islands. If you're planning on being self sufficient or starting a business, you should do fine...this is a place where the entrepreneur can thrive. Crime is almost non-existent. Cost of living is cheap...property taxes even cheaper. Cable and high speed internet easily available. And the pace of life is just SLOW. Depending where you live on the island you may go hours without hearing a single car pass by.

    Growing industries:
    Wine making (land is cheap and fertile)
    Spirits (the locals love good moonshine....but I think the future is in a local Vodka.... Hasn't been done yet)......whiskey (the locals love whiskey) and beer.......there's one beer company in all of the azores and it's not even good beer).
    Cheese making
    Growing and selling organic is a growing trend as well.
    Tourism based outfits: guided treks, sailing/boat rides, hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, diving, etc.
    Real estate rental (although some islands, like Pico) are chalk full,......yet it's still a growing industry.
    Food: restaurants, bars, etc......good really authentic food is hard to find...less than a handful places in Pico to find really good authentic food.

    Check out: www.azoresestates.co.nr
    Www.picohouses.com

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