Brazilian Investment Property | Brazil Buzz!

Brazilian Currency Investor Advice

 Currency is a vital component of our investment total return.  We are very strongly bullish on Brazil, for example, and have been for a long time for a variety of reasons we will not go into here or now. 

Suffice it to say we expect highly favorable economic trends to continue, if not accelerate, on into Brazil’s foreseeable future. It goes way beyond World Cup Football Championships, to be held here in 2014, and the Olympics in 2016.  That´s all nice and well.  But There is also the fact that Brazil has quietly slipped into tenth place ranking of Gross Domestic Product, now nipping at the heels of Uk, France, Germany, and the like, with an output more than USD$ 2,025 Trillion. Not trifling, not very third world.

Brazil is self sufficient in EVERYTHING.  Food, Water, and Energy. Brazil has surpassed, since 2006, the United States, as “Breadbasket to the World.”  This according to then-secretary of State Colin Powell who said that on an official visit here.

Brazil is self sufficient in petroleum, not counting the enormous new offshore fields  called “Pre-Sal” to be brought online shortly.  So if you want any of these products, you will have to sell your “home” currency in amounts sufficient to finance the purchase of Brazilian Real in the proper amount.  In other words, there continues to be buying interest in Brazilian Real for this reason, among others. 

  

Properties in Brazil, naturally, are transacted, bought, sold, paid for, etc., in Brazilian money, the Real, symbol BRL.  In August 2005 the forex rate was BRL$ 4,3915.  That is, we could exchange one pound Sterling, symbol GBP, for R$ 4,39 Real. Today the rate is R$ 2,7413 GBP.  That is a difference of 60% in five years from August 2005 to today, August 2010. 

Suppose that I purchased a property for BRL$ 100,000 on August 19 2005, with the exchange then at BRL $ 4,3915 to the pound. My outlay in Sterling would have been £ 22,771,26. 

And now, five years later, to the day, with the exchange rate now at BRL $ 2,7413 my property is worth only the same BRL $100,000. In disgust, I call my estate agent, let’s suppose, and order him to sell this albatross TODAY!  Luckily, a buyer just happens to walk in that very moment and pays cash.

I gather up my BRL $ 100,000 back and fly off to UK in a huff, only to find on my arrival that the nice young lady at the forex booth pays me £ 36,479 for my BRL $ 100,000. 

I went in with £ 22, 771.26 and came away with £ 36,479- and four cents- in this example. So I come away clean with a profit of £ 13, 709.   And that because my investment did not work out!

You get the point. Please excuse the heavy-handedness, but we want to drive home the importance of this aspect of buying real property in emerging markets. You are acquiring assets denominated in another currency.

We feel that the economic outlook for Brazil is brighter and more favorable than any other, and will continue to be far into the foreseeable future. As these economic trends continue into the foreseeable future and you may have to suffer though more silly stories with surprise “happy” endings.

Of course it gets much more serious and studious.  The historical exchange rates are exactly those quoted.  And a transparent, visible transaction is a high-profile publicly reported purchase, then and now. 

In August, 2005, a launch of new-build front line luxury apartments on Fortaleza’s Beira Mar beach front sold off-plan at R$ 4,500 per square meter. Fortaleza is a tourist destination in the Northeast of Brazil, very popular with Brazilians and a smattering of Europeans.

Today a comparable project is being offered at R$ 8,000 per square meter, and selling well.  So there is our transaction:  Buy August 19, 2005 and sell August 19, 2010.  Buy at BRL $ 4,500 and Sell at BRL $ 8,000. The transaction would have produced a profit of BRL $ 3,500 in the five years, before expense. 

That would give the hypothetical investor a profit of BRL $3,500 on an investment of BRL $ $4,500, or 78%, roughly 15% per annum.  Not too shabby, but that´s not the whole story.

Had this investor been British, and some certainly were, his or her cost would have been Sterling £ 1,024.70.  Five years later our hero would have sold, yielding sales proceeds of £ 2,918.32 and a gross profit of £1,893.61 or 185%. Obviously, that is far better than the return on the real property alone.

Of course, this can work against the investor as well, but we are comfortable that Brazil has nothing on the horizon but blue skies and clear sailing ahead and one of the worlds fastest growing economies-if not The fastest. 

Source: Steve Glazer 

Brazlian Investment Property Needs More Flights

 

It seems to me that Brazilian real estate ticks all the right boxes for investors seeking medium to long term investment. Gone now it appears are the quick buck merchants who can threaten an economy so all we need now is the cherry on the top of the cake more flights from UK and Europe.

Flying to major cities such as Fortaleza in the North East is still a pain with holiday flights available only a few months of the year. The rest are flights via Lisbon , unless i have been mistaken getting to see your Brazilian Property Investment as a UK investor is relatively difficult.

Cheap travel to Brazil is difficult. TAP flies via Lisbon and is worth checking the website as the price occasionally drops by 10%-20%. Thomson has a charter to Natal from Gatwick, but it doesn't show up on its website; if you persevere on the phone, you'll probably get the best price you are going to get.

Here is a video where you can see that the Brazilian government are trying to address the problem with Delta Airlines

Let me know if I am wrong on this front  

Why Brazilian weather is prime for investors

Buying property in Brazil

Re: 'I have seen some beachfront properties for sale in Brazil Do you know the history of hurricanes and tsunami in this area?

Hi Steven thanks for the question,

I have an answer written by Steven Glazer a property agent based in Brazil Fortaleza his web site is at Port of the Sun.com he states:

“Yes, we DO know the history and we have memorized ALL the data: There is NO history of this kind.  There has never been any meteorological or seismic activity of this kind.  There never has been a hurricane reported in all the time that records have been kept, much less a tsunami.  There are no extreme weather conditions of any kind, unless you want to include relentlessly, oppressively, beautiful weather year ‘round. 

About the biggest concern for extreme weather conditions at 3°47” South of the Equator-that would be roughly 200 miles-is the very high ultraviolet index, at 13, on a scale of 1 to 16.  Fair-skinned Caucasians can tolerate no more than 5 minutes of unprotected exposure.  A sun block with a Sun Protection Factor of 50 will therefore allow 250 minutes of exposure that would otherwise result in a painful sunburn after just 5 minutes.  So stock up. Better yet, keep your shirt on.  It’s no joke-this is the equator.

Apart from that, extreme natural phenomenon of any kind are unheard of.  There has never been a report of a shark attack, for example.  There may have been unreported attacks, but it seems unlikely as all the beach activities are concentrated in a few popular places and those are heavily frequented by foreign tourists, such as Cumbuco.  It seems unlikely that an incident would go unnoticed and unreported. 

In fact, and you may find it hard to believe, but there are no flies or mosquitoes the vast majority of the time on the beach front in and around Fortaleza.  Best of all, there are virtually NO BAD HAIR DAYS!

 

The fact is that a climate that gives 365 days of sunshine has got to be  a good thing not only as an investor seeking to maximise income from holiday rental property but as a visitor you cant beat guaranteed sunshine!"  

 

Video of Brazilin Beach to wet your appetite

 

 

RE:Can you tell me where you think the best place to invest in Brazil is?

Bob-In our opinion, you heard right!!

In simplest terms, the Northeast of Brazil is cheaper and offers in my view better prospects for growth than other parts of Brazil

Brazil is divided into 6 regionals officially designated by the Federal Government of Brazil.  In the Northeast region there are nine states of which Ceara is without doubt the Jewel in the Crown. 

Fortaleza is a booming city of 2.5 M at about the center of the state, with 576 kilometers of pristine beaches. 

Fortaleza lies about 200 miles South of the equator meaning the climate is ideal summer beach weather year round-it hardly varies through the year.  Some call it endless summer.  Never hot,  but always about 87-88 Farenheit, and with ocean water temperatures of 80-82 degrees farenheit year round.  Humidity seldom rises above 60% and there is always a breeze from the sea.  There are about 30 days per year of rainfall meaning you have ideal weather on holiday 90% of the time, regardless what time of year you take your vacation.  In short, the climate is ideal.

• The people are friendly, warm and welcoming. 
• The food is out of this world-not to mention absurdly cheap.
• The quality of life is wonderful-no stress. 
• The cost of living is not more than 20% of what you deal with in UK.
• Crime is disproportionately low. 

Though the fifth largest city in Brazil  Fortaleza lags the rest by far, ranking 23rd amongst all major Brazilian cities in the incidence of serious crime, according to the Ministry of Justice.  You are probably more at risk where you are right now. 

Add to this that the price of property is still cheaper than anyplace else in Brazil , also according to Brazilian government statistics.

We visited recently and found all of the things that we heard to be at least as good, if not better, than we hoped.  A good start would to you get in touch with Steve Glazer at www.portofthesun.com. 

You can learn more about our trip at Marr International visit Fortaleza Brazil.

Can I get my money out of Brazil?

Jason thanks for your question. This is a concern for many investors and like you I always consider my exit strategy when buying property abroad. I have given this question to one of our agents based in Brazil. Here is your answer:

A.Absolutely.  But you must do it properly and that is not difficult at all.  You must first apply for and get a Brazilian tax identification number (CPF) and that takes about a half an hour at an actual cost of R$ 4.5 or a little over £ 1.  Be sure to use a reputable broker or you could wind up paying hundreds if not thousands of dollars for this “service” The money, assuming that you are applying it to the purchase of property, may be sent to the Bank of Brazil in your name against a properly executed contract of purchase and sale. 

B.The Euros, pounds, dollars, or what have you will converted to Real at the prevailing official rate of exchange on the day of execution of the currency exchange.  You will be credited with having “registered” that  much money with the central bank and therefore be entitled to remit it and any associated capital gains, if any, resulting from a future sale.  There are exemptions to the capital gains tax particularly as applies to foreigners.  But that’s another story for another time.

C.There are any number of variations on this most basic scheme.  You may wish to establish a Brazilian holding/operating company to hold you property, or a Brazilian subsidiary of your own company.  But in the end it comes down to this: as long as the money enters Brazil through the central bank and is exchanged there at the official rate on the day of exchange, it is deemed “registered,” it is eligible for repatriation, no questions asked.

Answer source: Steven Glazer from Port of the Sun you can email Steven here

Buying Brazilian property advice

Overseas property buyers are heading for Brazil and the trend is set to continue.  Nicholas Marr CEO of Marr International Ltd the company that is responsible for Homesgofast.com aims to assist buyers who are researching Brazilian property. Nicholas states ' we have many contacts in Brazil and I aim to assist buyers in my blogs at Brazil Buzz!' . I am happy to acknowledge any agent and developer who assists me answer the questions set by my audience.

Ask me a question. To ask a question select comments below and post a comment. I will publish an answer to your question as soon as possible. I am happy to publish comments and experiences that may help others who are thinking about buying a property in Brazil.

Finding your dream home in Brazil. Visit Homesgofast.com or for serious buyers who are about to make that final step we offer a finding service learn more here

Buying property safely. Overseas property buyers should take advice from qualified solicitors or other independent professionals and ensure that sales documents, title of property, building permits and registrations are correct and translated into the language of the purchaser. Rules and procedures change regularly and buyers should seek further advice before acting upon information in this blogg.