Paulo Loureiro, CEO of Bondstone, admits that finding labour in the market is "very difficult," which threatens deadlines and execution costs.

In a statement to Jornal Económico, he emphasises that the lack of workers is just one of the barriers faced by developers. "One of the main frustrations of real estate developers in Portugal is the licensing deadlines," he said, pointing to municipal processes that "introduce a degree of uncertainty in terms of timing," which "causes a lot of uncertainty for investors."

The Arcaya project, which occupies 68 hectares and includes 700 units, has already received over 100 million euros in investment. According to Loureiro, in the first phase alone, 70 villas and 34 lots were launched, with approximately 40% of the project sold. Loureiro also highlights the sustainability aspect as a differentiator, explaining that some of the houses are being built with wood, a technique common in northern Europe and the US.

Another obstacle highlighted by the manager is financing. "The Portuguese banking system is very slow in supporting developers. Applying for financing and receiving a response can take months. And we often don't have months to make decisions," he said, in the publication.