A Couple "Musts" and "MustNots" When Investing In Brazil

JMBroad · #**202** 05-06-2008, 11:10 AM

Whatever one buys, the criteria used to decide (our personal references) are always going to be different for the next person who buys that same property. However having said that, there are some standard references which are more common than others. For example, white façades are generally more acceptable than some of the "Tomas Taveira" developments in Portugal which although are very popular - I personally wouldn't live in because they are far too colourful.

However generally speaking, without going to extremes, I would chose a property which you like, which is not too bold or "out of the ordinary" yet in which you would be happy to live. That will give you a better chance of selling it at a later date or you may even decide to keep it for personal use.

But as I mentioned earlier, the challenge with Brazil is that everything is in extremes. For a European buyer to own a property which they would enjoy using for holidays or a second residence, a two bed apartment would have to be at least 80-90 m2 and even then it may feel a little small. For Brazilians, 55 m2 is more than enough for a two bedroom apartment.

The fixtures and fittings would have to be a certain quality, they would probably want air conditioning as they may not be used to the heat of Brazil, they may want mosquito nets on the windows, a washing machine, oven, dish washer, fridge, freezer, microwave, etc.

However a Brazilian who may consider buying that same property may not want most of the above and would certainly not be willing to pay the money required to have all of those installed. Air conditioning?

Don't forget that for many Northern Europeans, the home is a place where they spend a great deal of time, especially in the winter when the weather isn't great. For the population of countries like Brazil, the home is somewhere which meets your basic requirements - most of the day and night you are in the great outdoors.