Brazzil

Same thing happens in the state.

is not with the land but with the amount of Rooms in the house.

People build extra room without telling the county

When I bought an apartment, I pretty much disregarded the measurements in looking at places. The eyes don't lie. Anywhere you buy a home, whatever country, you've got to look at the place. Don't get sucked in by square meters. If you really want to go around with your tape measure and take down the measurements of every home you look at, you are nuts. You are not going to be using any sort of standard measurements, just your own goofy idea of what's right. Find out, what are the property boundaries/measurements? maybe measure main rooms. But, your eyes know the difference between the large place that says on paper it's small and the small place that says on paper it's large.

Well, I don´t think it would be practical to measure every property you see, but it would be prudent to measure every property you might be considering. Aside from the direct effect on the final negotiated price of the property, the actual zise and dimensions of the property might save you some major headaches later on when things, such as condominium share and IPTU tax start coming out of the woods. I am not even going to go into the potential problems of buying a property that violates local zoning laws or encroaches on enviromentally protected area. A gringo buying a property in Brazil is a sitting duck. An uninformed and unprepared gringo buying a property in Brazil is a cooked duck served on a platter.

Boris

ame thing happens in America

is not with the land but with the amount of Rooms in the house.

People build extra room without telling the count

"A gringo buying a property in Brazil is a sitting duck. An uninformed and unprepared gringo buying a property in Brazil is a cooked duck served on a platter." I'll go along with that.

>Another, "oh, those crazy Brazilians" story. Realtors and homeowners play >the same games everywhere. You can't be very experienced in real estate if >you are not aware of that. Go lease a commercial building in the US, for >example, and you'll see.

When you lease a commercial space, there are all sorts of crazy ways to measure what is included in the square footage of leased space, just as is described in this article about Brazil. You need to find out what is in and what is out of the measurements being used to determine the price per square foot. It varies substantially from landlord to landlord, depending on how they measure. You cannot rely on the what they say the price per square foot is.

The square footage listed in parcel maps and property tax documents in the US are also not accurate. Also, there are plenty of times when someone does an add-on and they don't get permits for it. I would say that any time you rely upon someone else's measurement of a property, you are probably relying on a biased number. I don't care where you are, that's the way it is.

A good leasing broker or lawyer earns his or her fee on these measurement issues, by the way.

What's goin' on with the brazilian real estate market huh???

A lot.... it is expanding fast and capturing many a foreigner fleeing Mexico, DR, Costa Rica, Spain, Portugal, etc.

While it is true that these same things happen in the US such has the inaccurate reporting of square footage, illegal add ons ect., due to the difference in the justice system, the risk is not the same in regards to buying a property in Brazil as in the US. In the US if you are wronged in a real estate tranaction, it is much easier to seek legal recourse and restitution than in Brazil. As far as being a gringo buying property in Brazil, I know plenty of Brazilians who have also gotten screwed in real estate deals. I think that the person selling might think they can cheat you more because you are a niave gringo, but I'm not so certain some people don't just go into it thinking they can screw anybody brazilian or not. The difference is a Brazilian is going to possibly be a little more weary and going to know the justice system doesn't work, so they will make every attempt to make sure things are right before buying the property. But even then things can happen. Especially if old titles on the property are not researched. I have heard of people selling the same property to three different people. Perhaps the best idea, if you can afford it, is to hire a rep**able property lawyer before buying any property.

There's a lot of interesting info on buying real estate in Brazil in this book:

How to buy real estate in Brazil

I hope to see more of your articles. 5 years ago I bought a place near Salvador and had spent 2-3 weeks trying to educate myself, going over classifieds with a dictionary trying to learn terms, trying to find books, no luck. Tested the waters with a couple of agents. My brazilian companions were a great help, I would have been toast without then if in fact I could have even completed a transaction. A real estate broker showed us 27 places in 3 days and I bought the last place she showed us, a for sale by owner. It went well with no regrets due to the 3 components: preparation, support and luck! My advice to any foreigner is don't think for a minute that the rules are the same, study, get connected with someone that has done it, find help you can trust, but rely also on your instincts. marken_ssa

Hey bring the tape but watch your 6 o'clock, do no place any money in your back pocket. You might get surprised how miraculous things happen with your wallet..

I warn ya..

HI there ,
I was wondering if any of you have any experience with buying property with timber in brazil...also wondering about logging rights and permits...
thanks

Be careful. Lot´s of fraud there:

http://www.lifestylesbrazil.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=427&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

Rio de Janeiro - Campaign Director for Amazônia do Greenpeace, Paulo Adário, presented today a public complaint at a meeting at the War College about illegal sale of public land in Amazon Basin.

Recent investigations conducted by Greenpeace exposed illegal exploration of environmentally protected areas for pirate-logging operations and fraudulent sale of public land to private individuals and companies.

Two companies: Timberland (www.resourcesbrazil.com ) and Imóveis Virtuais (www.imoveisvirtuais.com.br ), have been sighted as prime channels of illegal Real Estate operations targeting primarily foreign buyers.

Find a rep**able builder and build a new home on your own lot. This way you know if the title is truly clear, how it was constructed (quality) and your blueprints will always provide you with true sizes. Back taxes can be charged if you cheat the town on the size and they come to inspect. I had one house where the town wanted to "back tax" for 10 years. BUYER BEWARE !!

I considered writing a book on building terms, tools, supplies with translations as the abverage Brazilian does NOT know the names for many items. It took me a while, but once you have the proper names, things move along more easily. Some items I had to get from the states as I could not find them there (GFI outlets, e.g.)

How can you find a rep**able builder?

It Buys already its particular natural reserve!

Our company's full support for investments in Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Balneario Camboriu and Itapema.

Thank's

Sou Nilton Rondon, Corretor de Imóveis na Cidade de Itapema, litoral de Santa Catarina, Brasil, Creci nº 11205/SC, Vendo e Alugo imóveis no litoral de Itapema e Balneario Camboriu.
OBS: Itapema hoje é a cidade que mais cresce em Santa Catarina.
http://www.amoitapema.com.br
Grande abraço, Nilton Rondon.