Homes for sale in Brazil

Brazil, the largest country in South America, is one of the few markets in the world where you can still buy a beachfront at the price of an apartment in a European city. It is also a market where foreigners who buy without noticing the paperwork pay a lot for it. This page does both things: show where we have properties and say what no one says before the deed.

Where do we have properties?

Our Brazilian portfolio is not spread across the entire country. It focuses on six fronts, each with a different purchasing logic.

• Bahia — Praia do Forte, Açu da Torre, Trancoso.North and south coast, summer house and seasonal rental. This is where we have the most supply of homes with gardens and pools, and where European buyers tend to arrive first.
• Bahia — Maraú Peninsula, Barra Grande, Taipu de Fora, Itacaré, Uruçuca, Cairu and Ilhéus.The south coast is currently where we have the most supply: houses, flats, land and rural areas with a seafront. He lives on a seasonal rental and is someone who seeks nature instead of density. Barra Grande and the Maraú Peninsula can be reached by dirt road or by boat — it's part of the charm and part of the problem.
• Espírito Santo — Guarapari and Vila Velha.Beach apartment for the domestic market, with prices that do not exist on the coast of Santa Catarina or in tourist Bahia. City that lives off summer.
• Santa Catarina — Balneário Camboriú and Itajaí.The most expensive square meter in the country. Tall towers, sea views, high-income Brazilian public. Those who buy here buy liquidity, not haggle.
• Rio de Janeiro — Angra dos Reis.House and land facing the bay, nautical, access via mountain road.
• São Paulo, Recife, Pinhais and Campo Grande.Urban property, for those who buy with permanent rental in mind and not vacations.

How much does a house cost in Brazil

The range is huge and depends almost entirely on the beach. A two-bedroom apartment in Guarapari does not play in the same league as a floor in Balneário Camboriú with the same size. Between one thing and another there is a factor of several times, in the same country and in the same type of property.

What is repeated throughout the portfolio:the price per square meter drops quickly as you move away from the coast. Two streets inwards change the value more than one more room. It's worth looking at the map of each listing before comparing prices.

How a foreigner buys in Brazil

There is no restriction on purchasing propertyurbanby foreigner. No residency, visa or Brazilian partner is required. What is needed is:

• CPF, the Brazilian taxpayer number. It can be obtained at a consulate in Brazil or already in the country, and without it nothing can be signed.
• Public deeddrawn up in a notary's office. The private contract, which in Brazil is called a drawer contract,does not transfer ownership. Whoever just keeps it doesn't own it.
• Registrationof the deed at the district's property registry office. Only upon registration does the property change hands.
• Certificatesof the property and the seller. This is where condominium debts, legal proceedings and seizures that are not in the advertisement appear.

There are still two exceptions that you should know about before falling in love with a piece of land: the purchase ofrural propertyby foreigner is subject to area limits and authorization, and in a150 km strip along land bordersthere are additional restrictions. Neither of them affect the tourist coast, which is where almost everything you are looking for is.

The process is carried out in Portuguese and before a Brazilian notary. Anyone who doesn't speak the language needs a sworn translator on the spot.

Costs that do not appear in the advertisement

• ITBI, the municipal transmission tax, typically between 2% and 3% of the value, paid by the buyer.
• Feesnotary and registration services, which vary by state.
• IPTU, the annual property tax.
• Condominium, which in a beach tower with swimming pool, security and service can be a serious monthly fee, charged throughout the year even if you use the apartment for two weeks.

What should weigh against

These are the real objections. None of them prevent purchases, but they have all caught buyers off guard.

Marine and laudémium land

A strip of Brazilian coastline is owned by the Union. The property built on it is not fully owned by the owner: an annual fee is paid and, in each transfer, alaudémioto the Union. This affects exactly the type of property that foreigners are looking for, a house facing the sea, and it is rarely written in the advertisement. Always ask if the land is marine land before making an offer.

Rural land has its own rules

The freedom to buy applies to urban property. The acquisition ofrural propertyper foreigner is limited by law, with area ceilings and authorizations. Anyone looking for a farm, farm or large plot of land outside the urban perimeter must deal with this before, not after.

The beach is never yours

In Brazil, the beach is very public. There is no private beach, no matter how isolated the condominium is and no matter how much the photography suggests otherwise. You buy the view and the access, not the sand.

Credit practically closed

Non-resident foreign buyers cannot, in practice, obtain housing credit from a Brazilian bank. Almost all of these purchases are cash or financed outside Brazil. Anyone who was counting on a local benefit must redo the accounts.

Exchange in both directions

Buying in reais with euros or dollars can be a huge advantage or a loss. The same exchange rate that makes the property look cheap today can return less than what was invested on the day of sale. A property in Brazil is, for those who live abroad, also an exchange position.

Seasonality and distance

Beach towns live off the summer. Out of season, businesses close, rent drops and maintenance continues to be carried out. And maintenance at a distance, in a tropical climate, is costly: salt, humidity and sun eat away at the structure, and someone has to be there to see it.

Security changes from street to street

Generalizing about security in Brazil doesn't help anyone. What is true is that the difference between two neighborhoods in the same city can be greater than the difference between two countries. This is assessed locally, or with those who are there, and never through national statistics.

Rent and income

There are two distinct markets and they do not mix. THEvacation rental, in beach cities, concentrates revenue in a few months and requires management, cleaning and presence. THEpermanent lease, in cities, it earns less per night but it earns money all year round and is much less work for those who live on another continent. Choosing the property without first choosing which of these two you want is the most common way of ending up with the worst of the two.