Why Portugal? An Insider Conversation with Lisbon Real Estate Broker Malika Nunes and Founder of Miradouro Living.
🔗 Read original essays from Janelle: FROM MONTANA TO PORTUGAL Substack
🔗 Connect with Malika: Miradouro Living
In this episode, Janelle sits down with her new friend Malika Nunes — founder of Miradouro Living, licensed real estate broker, former molecular biologist, and longtime Portugal insider — for a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually takes to land well in Portugal.
Malika’s relationship with Portugal goes back nearly 30 years, and she brings a rare combination of cultural fluency, scientific precision, and warmth to her work helping newcomers find their home here.
Whether you’re seriously considering a move, casually curious, or just love hearing stories about finding aliveness, this one is for you.
🎧 Listen to discover…
…whether Lisbon real estate prices are really going up or down right now — and why Malika says we’re nowhere near a peak (her own apartment has doubled in value in five years).
…the hidden government incentive that lets buyers under 35 purchase a home in Portugal with ZERO down payment — and why this isn’t just for Portuguese citizens.
…what a “scouting trip” actually is (no, it’s not the Boy Scouts) — and the surprising reason Malika says they can be misleading.
…the one mindset shift that separates expats who flourish in Portugal from those who quietly move back — and why “open-mindedness” is only the start of it.
…why moving to Portugal is NOT as inexpensive as the internet keeps telling you — and the simple way to know whether your daily life will cost $100 or $500.
…the lesser-known Portuguese town south of Lisbon with a vibrant arts scene, ocean views, and houses that are still affordable — plus where else Malika sends clients who don’t want city life.
…the contract knowledge that lets you secure your visa appointment WITHOUT actually owning a property yet — and why 99% of these deals close successfully.
…what a 115-year-old French woman who learned to fence at 85 has to do with moving abroad — Malika’s most surprising answer to “why Portugal?”
About Malika
Malika Nunes earned an undergraduate degree in biology, attended teacher’s college, spent nearly a decade teaching middle and high school science, and went on to earn a master’s degree in molecular biology before reinventing herself as a licensed real estate agent and broker in Lisbon. After three transatlantic moves of her own, she founded Miradouru Living to offer newcomers full-concierge support — not just finding a home, but landing well in Portuguese life and culture. She works with clients across Portugal from north to south, with a particular specialty in the Lisbon area.
You can reach Malika through her website, Miradouro Living.
About the Podcast
FROM MONTANA TO PORTUGAL is a top-bestselling Substack in the international category, and this podcast brings those essays — and conversations like this one — to life. If you’re considering a move abroad, or just love a good reinvention story, subscribe on Substack for essays, interviews, and the occasional vocal harmony.
If this episode resonated, share it with a friend who’s been whispering “what if?” to themselves about moving abroad.
And eventually — as my Portuguese friend taught me — they just might.
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