Homes for sale in Mem Martins

Mem Martins is the more urban half of the parish of Algueirão-Mem Martins, in the municipality of Sintra, the most populous parish in Portugal, with 68,649 inhabitants in the 2021 Census. It sits on the railway line between Lisbon and Sintra, with two stations, supermarkets from every chain, schools at every level and, since 2025, the Hospital de Sintra in Cavaleira.

For buyers, Mem Martins is where the Lisbon area still offers space at suburban prices: large apartments near the station, houses with gardens in Casais de Mem Martins, and the Sintra hills ten minutes away. The trade-off is the same as along the whole Sintra line: traffic on the IC19, packed trains at rush hour, older buildings without lifts and an urban fabric that grew quickly. This page explains the area, what is for sale and what is worth checking before you buy.

Where it is and how to get there

Mem Martins lies north-west of Lisbon, between Algueirão to the north and Rio de Mouro to the south, with the Sintra hills to the west. The historic centre of Sintra is about ten minutes away by car, Cascais about a quarter of an hour via the A16, and the beaches of the Sintra coast just over twenty minutes, outside summer traffic.

Trains on the Sintra line stop at two stations serving Mem Martins: Algueirão-Mem Martins, near the centre, and Mercês, next to Tapada das Mercês. From here to Rossio, in central Lisbon, takes about forty minutes. By car, the IC19 heads to Lisbon and the A16 connects to the A5 and the CREL, and Carris Metropolitana buses link the neighbourhoods to the stations. The choice of street matters: some buildings are a one-minute walk from the station, while from some neighbourhoods it can only be reached by car.

A little history

Until the mid-20th century, Mem Martins was a rural place within the Sintra district, with farms, smallholdings and dirt roads, in the rural hinterland known as saloio, a landscape of vegetable plots and orchards that supplied Lisbon. Street and neighbourhood names, such as Casais de Mem Martins or Rua da Eirinha, preserve that memory.

Change came with the demand for housing in the Lisbon area in the second half of the century. The railway line already ran through here, and the land around the stations filled with residential buildings, first low-rise and then taller. In the 1980s and 1990s entire developments were built, such as Tapada das Mercês, and the old smallholdings turned into neighbourhoods of houses. Today Mem Martins has shops, schools, industrial and warehouse zones, and neighbourhoods of very different eras and scales side by side.

Mem Martins, area by area

The centre and Algueirão-Mem Martins station

Around the station and the Estrada de Mem Martins are the services, the post office, pharmacies, supermarkets and most of the apartment buildings. There are buildings from the 1970s and 1980s, many without lifts, and others from the 1990s with lifts and garages. This is the area for those who want to do everything on foot and catch the train without a car.

Casais de Mem Martins

To the west and north lies Casais de Mem Martins, the area of houses: detached, semi-detached and in small gated communities, with outdoor space, a garage and, in the newer ones, a pool. The streets are quiet and residential, and the hills are visible from here. This is where the most expensive homes in Mem Martins are found.

Tapada das Mercês

To the south, Tapada das Mercês is a large, dense development with tall buildings, schools, a family health unit, supermarkets and Mercês station. The apartments are among the most affordable in the parish, many of them two- and three-bedroom units with balconies, some without lifts. It is a practical area for people who work in Lisbon and use the train.

Ouressa and Cavaleira

Ouressa is a residential neighbourhood with a primary school, a nursery and an urban park, and mid-rise buildings. Cavaleira has gained new importance with the opening of the Hospital de Sintra in 2025, which brought activity, services and demand for shops to the area.

Health, schools and services

The Hospital de Sintra, opened in July 2025 in Cavaleira, has inpatient wards, operating theatres, outpatient consultations and a basic emergency service open every day, at any hour. For more serious cases, the reference remains the Hospital Amadora-Sintra. There are family health units in the neighbourhoods, pharmacies and private clinics.

Mem Martins has nurseries, primary schools and the Escola Secundária de Mem Martins, as well as private schools nearby and international schools in the municipality of Sintra, such as CAISL and TASIS Portugal. Everyday shopping is plentiful: supermarkets from all the major chains, traditional shops and, next to the A16, the Sintra Retail Park.

What is for sale

In Mem Martins you will find apartments, houses, plots and shops. In our selection, prices range from about € 95 thousand to € 950 thousand, with apartments at the lower end and houses at the upper end.

Apartments. They range from about € 275 thousand, for a two-bedroom flat in a building without a lift, to about € 569 thousand, for a renovated four-bedroom unit of 192 m² a one-minute walk from the station. In between are two- and three-bedroom flats in Tapada das Mercês and Ouressa, some renovated, and an unfinished top-floor five-bedroom duplex sold without a habitation licence — a property apart, for buyers who know what they are purchasing.

Houses. They range from about € 500 thousand to € 950 thousand. At the lower end are four- and five-bedroom family houses with an attic and garage; in the middle, semi-detached houses in small gated communities in Casais de Mem Martins; at the top, a contemporary house with a pool and a 121 m² basement, and a 1993 house with a heated indoor pool on an 870 m² plot.

Plots and shops. Urban plots for development appear — one with a subdivision earmarked for social facilities, another with a prior planning information request (PIP) for houses that has already expired — and shops, from a small unit with a shopfront for about € 95 thousand to a working café next to the hospital.

What drives the price for apartments is the walking distance to the station, the lift, the garage and the condition of the building; for houses, the plot, the pool, the construction date and the view of the hills. A three-bedroom flat in Tapada das Mercês and a house in Casais de Mem Martins belong to different markets, with different buyers.

The market moves. Well-priced properties get reserved quickly and some prices are revised over the weeks. A listing seen a month ago may now be at a different price or no longer available: always confirm the current status and price before going ahead.

Investment analysis

Appreciation

Mem Martins benefits from the housing shortage in Lisbon and the more expensive municipalities, which pushes families towards the Sintra line, and from the new hospital, which adds a service that was missing. Prices have risen over the last decade, but from a lower base than on the Cascais line. The limit is supply: there are many older apartments in the parish, and that holds prices down in the entry-level segment.

Rental

Long-term rental has steady demand, from families and from people who work in Lisbon, in the municipality or at the hospital itself. A two- or three-bedroom flat near one of the stations rents easily. Alojamento Local (short-term rental) is another matter: Sintra Council has suspended new registrations in parishes under heavy tourist pressure, and municipalities with many registrations have until the end of 2026 to approve their own rules. Before the deed, confirm whether registration is possible at that address and in that building.

Exit

Apartments near the stations sell easily, because the pool of buyers is large. Houses at the top of the price range have a smaller audience, who compare them with Sintra and the Cascais line. Plots and shops depend on licences and on someone wanting to use them. Buyers should think from the outset about who would buy the property from them next.

Points to consider

The IC19 and the Sintra line

The IC19 fills up every working day, and Sintra line trains are packed at rush hour. Make the commute to work, by car and by train, at the time you would make it every day, before deciding.

Habitation licence

Some properties are for sale without a habitation licence, especially unfinished units or ones altered over the years. Without it, the bank may refuse the mortgage and the next sale becomes harder. Always ask for the licence and, if it is missing, ask why and how much it costs and how long it takes to obtain.

Buildings without lifts and the condominium

Many buildings from the 1970s and 1980s have no lift, and a fourth floor on foot weighs on daily life and on resale. Ask for the minutes of the latest meetings, the amount of the fees and of the common reserve fund, any debts to the condominium and planned works — façades, roofs, plumbing.

Energy certificate

Some apartments have an E energy rating, with old window frames and little insulation. Proximity to the hills brings fog and damp in winter. Ask about insulation and any history of leaks, visit the property on a rainy day and factor the cost of windows and insulation into the budget.

Annexes, attics and house licences

In houses it is common to find converted attics, annexes with a kitchen and bathroom, converted garages or enclosed balconies that do not appear in the licences. Confirm that each of these areas is licensed and appears in the property tax record and the land registry. A discrepancy between the house and the paperwork delays the deed and can block the mortgage.

Building plots

An approved prior planning information request (PIP) has a deadline, and when it expires you have to go back to the Council. Before buying a plot to develop, confirm what the municipal master plan and the subdivision permit allow today, what infrastructure works are still missing and how long licensing takes in Sintra.

Shops with a business and changes of use

A shop sold with a working business comes with turnover figures that should be confirmed through the accounts, contracts and business licences. And converting a shop into housing depends on Council licensing, which is not automatic.

Mortgage and bank valuation

The bank valuation may come in below the agreed price, and the mortgage is calculated on the lower of the two figures. Buyers using financing should have approval under way before making an offer and should provide in the promissory contract for what happens if the valuation falls short.

Legal and tax checklist in Portugal

Before buying: permanent land registry certificate and property tax record; habitation licence; energy certificate; technical housing file for newer buildings; statement of no debt to the condominium and the building regulations; for houses, licences for all constructions, including annexes and attics; for plots, information from the Council on what can be built; if the aim is Alojamento Local, the municipal rules in force.

At purchase: buyers from abroad need a Portuguese tax number and, as a rule, a tax representative or attorney. IMT and stamp duty are paid before the deed, which is signed at a notary or at a Casa Pronta office, followed by registration. It is advisable for a lawyer to check the documentation before the promissory contract, when the deposit is normally paid.

While owning: IMI — in Sintra, for 2026, the rate is the legal minimum of 0.3%, with a reduction for properties with good energy efficiency and an increase for vacant or derelict buildings — condominium fees, insurance and maintenance. Rental income is declared in Portugal, even by non-residents.

On sale: capital gains tax, with different rules for residents and non-residents. Since 2023, the residence permit for investment can no longer be obtained by buying residential property.

Who it makes sense for — and who it doesn't

It makes sense for families who want space, schools and a hospital nearby, with a train to Lisbon; for those looking for a two- or three-bedroom flat near a station to live in or rent out long term; and for those who want a house with a garden without paying Sintra or Cascais prices.

It makes less sense for those who need to drive to Lisbon every day at rush hour, for those seeking the historic atmosphere of Sintra or a beach within walking distance, and for those buying with Alojamento Local in mind without confirming the Council's rules.

Final thoughts

Mem Martins is the Sintra line at its most practical: stations, schools, supermarkets and a hospital next door, with the hills in the background. The supply is large and varied, and the difference between a good and a bad purchase lies in the paperwork, the building and the street.

The path is simple to state: confirm that the property is still available and at what price, request the documentation for the property and the condominium, and visit the home at rush hour and on a rainy day before deciding.

When you contact us through a property page, we forward your details to our partner broker, who has the complete information on that specific property — the Alojamento Local licence where one exists, condominium charges, land registry status and negotiation terms.