The paperwork you gather before listing, not during

In Portugal these are the certidão permanente and the caderneta predial. Together, they show what the property is, who owns it and what is registered against it. Both can be obtained online at relatively low cost.

What often surprises people is that the records do not always agree. The areas shown in one may differ from the other, and neither necessarily matches what has actually been built. That is not automatically a problem, but it is something to understand before publishing an area in a listing. When a buyer discovers a discrepancy halfway through the process, confidence in everything else can quickly drop.

Rather than looking for a single document by its familiar name, the practical task is to establish which title or notice applies to the property, what use is recorded and whether that matches what exists. The Portuguese regime has changed in recent years: proof of an occupancy authorisation is no longer required at the conveyance itself, but that does not remove the need to understand the property's planning status before listing it.

If work has been carried out — an extension, an outbuilding, a pool or an enclosed garage — the practical question is whether what exists is regularised and consistent with the applicable records. It is worth answering before listing. A buyer using mortgage finance may want that assurance, and their bank may request further documents.

For properties covered by Portugal's energy certification system, the energy rating must appear in the listing and the certificate must be valid for the transaction. The law provides exemptions from certification in specific cases, so the first step is to confirm whether the property is covered.

Beyond the legal requirement, the certificate contains information a buyer may want to understand. If the rating is low, it is better to know why and what could improve it before the question arises.

They do not always exist and are not always necessary. When they do exist, they help anyone deciding at a distance and anyone trying to understand whether the layout suits their needs. A legible floor plan can answer questions that photographs cannot.

Minutes of the latest owners' meeting, the condominium fee, approved works and the reserve fund position. These are details an informed buyer may ask for, and they are often the most dispersed because they are held by the condominium manager rather than the owner.

Finding a discrepancy before listing is inconvenient, but useful. It gives you time to understand its significance, seek guidance from someone qualified and decide whether to resolve it first or disclose it clearly.

What does not work is listing and hoping nobody notices. Somebody usually does — often at the stage when everyone has already invested time.