Answered plainly.

All SotoAlgarve fees are agreed upfront, in writing, before engagement. Every client’s situation is different — the scope of the search, the markets involved, the support needed — so the fee is agreed individually to reflect it, and there are no additional SotoAlgarve costs or unexpected charges afterwards. In many cases the fee can be structured within the selling agent’s existing commission, meaning representation often costs little or nothing beyond the purchase itself. Independent third-party professionals — your lawyer, surveyor, tax adviser — are engaged separately and bill separately, with their costs set out in a full schedule before any offer is made.

An estate agent is engaged and paid by the seller. However helpful they are, their professional obligation is to achieve the highest possible price for their client — the vendor. A buy-side representative works only for the buyer. Ashley is engaged by, and answers to, the buyer alone — so his sole obligation is to the person who has engaged him.

In many transactions, yes. Selling agents budget a commission on every sale; where that commission can be shared, Ashley’s fee is drawn from it rather than added to your purchase price. Where that is not possible, a fee is agreed with you directly before engagement begins. Either way, the position is confirmed clearly, in writing, before you commit to anything.

The portals show you what the market chooses to show you. The most significant properties in both markets are offered quietly — to trusted contacts, before any public listing, and often never listed at all. Even clients who ultimately buy a listed property will have seen the strongest opportunities early, and negotiated from a position of complete information.

It means the search starts before the portals, not after. Through relationships built over more than two decades with private sellers, local agents, architects and landowners, Ashley sees inventory that never reaches Rightmove, Idealista or any public listing.

Yes — and this is central to how the practice works. Every recommendation is preceded by independent structural, legal and financial analysis. Telling a client not to buy is treated as seriously as telling them to proceed.

Most of our clients are individuals and families buying a home — a permanent move, a second home, or a place the family will use for decades. Some are buying from abroad and cannot be here for viewings; others live locally but want someone on their side of the table. Alongside them we act for a smaller number of developers and investors acquiring land or larger-scale opportunities. The common thread is not budget: it is wanting one person accountable for the outcome.

Yes. SotoAlgarve operates exclusively across these two markets, with genuine, sustained presence in each. The two are roughly four hours apart, which allows Ashley to work across both from a single base while maintaining real depth in each.

The initial consultation is a confidential conversation to understand your objectives, timescale and acquisition criteria. There is no fee and no obligation at this stage. If Ashley is not the right person for your situation, he will tell you.

A deliberately small number. The client list is kept short so that every client receives Ashley’s direct involvement throughout — which means SotoAlgarve welcomes a limited number of new clients each year.

Entirely. Confidentiality applies at every stage, from the first conversation onwards.