I’ve spent over two decades helping Denver families find the right home. I know what it looks like when people make a big housing decision for the right reasons. I just never expected to be sitting on the other side of that conversation with my own son.
He and his wife came to me before they were even married, and they didn’t ease into it. They wanted to start a family. And they didn’t want to raise children in a place where you send your kids to school in the morning and spend the day hoping they come home.
I wanted to argue with that. I couldn’t.
The list
Here’s the thing about my kids: they had never left the country. Not once. I’ve loved Europe my whole adult life and visited every chance I got, but for them, this was a leap into the complete unknown. I still think they’re incredibly brave for it.
We did what I’d tell any client to do with a big decision. We got methodical. We pulled up lists of the best places for Americans to relocate and worked through them honestly, the same way I’d walk a buyer through neighborhoods.
Costa Rica was number one on nearly every list. Beautiful, affordable, welcoming. It lasted about a day in our house. I don’t do bugs, and I was not going to live in a jungle, no matter how good the rankings said it was. Anyone who’s ever bought a house knows this moment: the listing looks perfect on paper and your gut says absolutely not. Trust the gut.
Portugal was number two. Safe, warm, affordable, kind to newcomers, and on the coast. The more we read, the fewer objections we had. That’s usually the sign.
Landing in Carcavelos
We chose Carcavelos, a beach town in Cascais just outside Lisbon. We landed this past June. I can walk to the ocean — it’s a mile from our door. My family is together, in one place, building a life we chose on purpose.
I won’t pretend it’s been effortless. Moving countries means paperwork you’ve never heard of, offices with their own rhythms, and a long stretch where you’re a beginner at everything, including the grocery store. After two decades of being the person with the answers, being the person with the questions is humbling. It’s also kind of wonderful.
And I’m learning it all firsthand, in real time. Not from a guidebook. From standing in the lines myself.
What happens to Denver?
People ask me this constantly, so let me be clear: Redhead Luxury Properties is still very much in business in Denver. I work with a trusted partner on the ground there, and together we’re still helping people buy and sell, the same way we always have. Denver built this company. I’m not walking away from it.
What’s changed is that I now have a second story to tell, and I’m going to tell it here. The visas, the timelines, the costs, the surprises, the things I wish someone had written down before we did this.
And one more thing, because I believe in saying things straight: I’m not a licensed real estate agent in Portugal yet. I’m working on it — it’s a process, like everything here. But if your family has ever had a version of the conversation my son started with me, I can help you right now: I’ll tell you what the road actually looks like, point you in the right direction, and when you’re ready to buy or rent, connect you with a licensed local agent while I stay in your corner. When my Portuguese license comes through, you’ll hear it here first.
More soon. There’s a lot to tell.
— Cindy