About This Series: From Austin to Anywhere
At Austin Board of REALTORS® Global, our cornerstone is simple: think globally, thrive locally. From Austin to Anywhere spotlights ABoR members who are putting that into practice.
For most agents, global business starts inbound, with helping clients relocate to the U.S. The next step is outbound: building a referral network of trusted, in-country professionals who can serve clients on the other side of the border.
One caution: local expertise doesn't travel. Property law, tax treatment, licensing, and negotiation norms change from country to country, and a Texas license carries no standing abroad. Partnering with credentialed, in-market professionals is the responsible way to serve clients whose needs cross borders. The ABoR Global Business Alliance is a great place to start.
A smaller group goes further. They earn work visas, obtain foreign licensure, form businesses, and build in-country practices of their own.
This new blog series features ABoR members who are a part of this unique group, highlighting their experiences in working in Austin and abroad.
First up: Dr. Sherry Harrison.
Dr. Sherry Harrison Builds a Bridge to Portugal's Silver Coast
Two o'clock came and went, and the office was still locked.
Sherry Harrison and her husband stood outside on Portugal's Silver Coast, waiting to close on a home of their own, when the seller's lawyer walked up to wait beside them. It was 2:15 p.m. before anyone appeared — the entire staff had gone to lunch together, as offices across Portugal do, without exception. The lawyer turned to the Harrisons, expecting frustration, and thanked them for understanding. They weren't annoyed. They'd already learned that in Portugal the workday bends around the table, not the other way around.
"It's one of my favorite things about Portugal, honestly, once you get used to it," Harrison said. "But there is one thing that holds true in both countries, pace of life aside: relationships matter."
That's the thread running through everything she’s built. A REALTOR® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Texas Realty, ABoR's Global Ambassador to Portugal, and a Real Estate Advisor with James West Real Estate on the Silver Coast, Harrison’s story is less a leap into international business than a slow accumulation of relationships, one lunch, one referral, and one region at a time — and it holds important lessons for any ABoR member wondering where their own global journey should start.
An Agent Long Before the License
Sherry was leasing houses years before she earned her real estate license. Every time she and her husband moved, they kept the old house and leased it out — a pattern that repeated for more than 25 years. Somewhere along the way, family members started asking her for help finding good agents to sell their own homes, and she realized she had been doing the work all along without the credential to match. She got licensed five years ago.
By then, she and her husband were already deeply interwined with Portugal — having spent more than half a decade there, first as travelers, then as prospective buyers. Sherry says Portugal is attracting people from the U.S. because it combines a milder climate, lower cost of living, strong safety, quality healthcare, and accessible residency options. Sherry and her husband eventually bought a home on the Silver Coast, close enough to the Lisbon airport to make the back-and-forth to Austin easy. Somewhere between the travel and the property search, Sherry added the Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) designation to her résumé, not as a career pivot but to formalize something she was already doing.
The dual credential — REALTOR® in Texas, Real Estate Advisor in Portugal — didn't happen overnight either. It came from showing up in region after region, meeting agents, lawyers, and advisors as she traveled, and asking the same question of each new city: who's good here? Years of those small conversations turned into a network she now leans on to help agents and their clients across the country.
The Networking Lesson, Before the Passport
Sherry's international business didn't start with a visa application or a foreign license. It started with relationships: agents she met region by region near her new home in Portugal, and ABoR Global members and CIPS-designated colleagues in Austin who sent clients her way.
That's the real first step for any REALTOR® curious about going global. Not booking a flight but finding the globally-minded agents already in your association. A Texas license has no standing outside Texas, so once a client needs to cross a border, an ABoR member needs someone like Sherry on the other end. Build that relationship before a client asks, and "Let me look into it" becomes "I know exactly who to call."
Sherry's advice to U.S. clients shows why. Americans owe U.S. taxes wherever they live, and Portuguese tax residents file in Portugal too, which surprises more people than she'd like. Visa timelines catch newcomers off guard, especially the Schengen Zone's 90/180-day rule, which counts time across the whole zone, not just Portugal. And while Portugal doesn't require a course or exam to become a Real Estate Advisor, an agency still must register its agents with Instituto dos Mercados Públicos, do Imobiliário e da Construção (IMPIC), hold a license, and carry liability insurance. A client's lawyer relies on those protections to verify permits and confirm no back taxes are owed before closing.
"I would not recommend that anyone buy or sell property in Portugal without a good real estate advisor and lawyer," Harrison said.
What a Referral Actually Looks Like
Sherry has sat on both sides of a Portugal closing, so when a client calls, she knows the question to ask before they do: "Why do you want to buy in Portugal?" From there, she starts connecting the dots — English-speaking lawyers, accountants, doctors, banks — while the client works out whether the dream is really the right fit.
The best referrals, Sherry says, are clients who've already thought through their budget, their target area, and, most importantly, how they plan to use the property, whether it’s as a full-time residence, a vacation home, or a rental. These details help determine whether a relocation is realistic.
The Invitation
Sherry wants to be the first person an ABoR member thinks of when a client mentions Portugal, whether it's an offhand comment about a vacation home or a serious plan to relocate. Like her own network, that starts with a conversation now, not a scramble later.
"If the tax advice from accountants and visa timelines don't win you over," she adds, "the pastéis de nata (Portuguese egg custard tarts) will — I promise to have one waiting when you visit."
Dr. Sherry Harrison, GRI, CIPS, PSA, ABR, is a REALTOR® with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Texas Realty, ABoR's Global Ambassador to Portugal, and a Real Estate Advisor with James West Real Estate on the Silver Coast of Portugal. She can be reached at SHarrison@bhhstx.com.
Are you an ABoR member with an international story to share? Email Christine Wren to learn more about this series.
To learn more about Global real state and building your own global real estate referral network, visit the ABoR Global webpage.