An article on a couple that bought an "estate" 30 miles from Rio for $30k US. The article claims the couple's monthly expenses are $500 US.

Off the beaten path certainly, but amazingly affordable.

http://www.escapeartist.com/efam/58/Brazil_Travel.html

I always take everything I read in escapeartist.com with a huge grain of salt - especially anything regarding real estate, since real estate is what escapeartist is selling. Specifically in the case of this article, Teresopolis is actually about 2 hours outside of Rio (with good traffic) not 30 miles. As it is one of the imperial cities, it' sno real estate bargain. Beleieve it or not, the surviving imperial family gets paid a tax on each and every real estate transaction, and has final say on zoning, so they limit the city's growth to keep prices sky-high. A US$30,000 developed "estate" is unheard of, you can't even get an empty lot for that kind of cash. And keeping that pool running ALONE will eat up a good chunk of their $500/month budget. Anyway, Teresopolis is one of the carioca's main tourist getaways, so you can imagine the prices.

So, whereas you certainly can live quite cheaply in Brazil, don't believe this particular fairytale, OK? Just move the whole cute little story to some OTHER town that's not as over-run with tourists... Bananal, Cachoeira do Macacu, Penhedo, Caxambu... there are dozens of them in Rio, Minas, and Esprito Santo states.

BS

I'll second Badseed's opinion concerning escapeartist.com being nothing more than a shill for real estate interests. I subscribed to their hard copy years ago before there even was an Internet presence. At one time they were an honest outfit with lots of valuable and interesting information about living overseas. Over a short period they "discovered" real estate and suddenly all of the articles were about what a fantastic place Belize, Nicaragua, and finally, Panama were to "invest in the property of a life time". They were working in combination with developers to market some desolate place, make their killing, and then more on. For a certain time period all of the comments and ads and articles would be about how John & Mary Smith got out of the US rat race, bought a beach front property for $10,000 and how in only 2 years it is now worth $7,000,000. Then you would never see another ad for Belize or where ever as they moved on to the next spot.

There's three kinds of people who you can never trust to tell the truth. Politicians, lawyers, and real estate brokers.

On a serious note; BS and TF are right on with their comments. EA has become nothing more than a RE shill. I visited some of the places they touted (panama, CR and Br.)and was sorely disappointed at the availability, price and high pressure to buy.

Also, their information on escaping the US is sadly outdated post 9/11. I deleted their web site from my favorites months ago. They are all smoke and mirrors with very old articles and information that is just not accurate.

sandman

Thanks for the reset guys. That's what's good about the board, people on the ground who can separate the bs from the truth.

Ix

If anyone is looking for real estate in Rio de Janeiro, and expect to find something for US$30K comparable to US, forget it. You will need US$100 and up unless you just want a place to hangouut.

For something spectacular on the beach on Ipanema or Barra da Tijuca expect to pay US$300K and up. You can go to Foraleza and off the beaten path places and pay for comparable properties for about half that, but you really have to accept the fact you will not have access to very good hospital and medical, theatres, shopping and so forth. But, if you can live without it, more power to you.

If you have to be near a great city like Rio de Janeiro the prices will be higher. Here are a couple of realty places that I used on my last trip. Barra da Tijuca is as close as you will get to the USA in terms of amenities, restaurants, shopping, etc, but some of the rooms, kitchens and baths are not up to par with US. You could remodel of course.

Here are a couple of links for those who are seriously considering moving to Brasil.

http://www.mercadoimoveis.com <<-Primarily for Barra da Tijuca

http://www.bannimoveis.com.br <<--primarily highend properties

http://www.judicearaujo.com.br <<--Check out the homes in Petopolis and Angra dos Reis. Really spectacular homes, more like estates. Prices are worth looking into.

If you know of any other realtors I left out let me know. I am always looking for properties.

Sorry Turk, but you're way low on the oceanfront prices in Ipanema. I've done some looking (decided against it for the time being) but saw nothing I would live in that was 2+ bedrooms and nicely appointed for under $500K, with the ones I liked along the beach on Arpoador being substantially higher. Barra da Tijuca is more affordable.

I said US$300K and up. You can pay as much as a $2 million if you want. They are there in Ipanema and in Leblon. There are also a lot in that same range in Barra da Tijuca. Now is a good time to buy because of the attractive Real to Dollar exchange range.

Turk, I would like to remind you that Bwana Dik is not the sort of person you or any other self respecting person would want to associate with. I think by responding to him, you only encourage him. He really is a low life degenerate.

sha ching! sha ching!

Aw, GCL, why'd you go and say that? I was trying to get on Turk's good side so I could sell him some real estate and fuck Gilda and Turks' wife.

Bwana dick, you are a self professed comedian I will grant you that much. I have enjoyed your expose's of frequent trips to RJ and other parts, but please do not insult my girlfriend. I have done nothing to deserve this.

I think I made that point very clear with some of the hombres. There should be honor among hombres, and insulting their girlfriends crosses a line that I would not cross. I may have dropped a few choice comments from time to time, strictly joking, but no reason for you to lay it on me like this.

Some of those houses are awesome.

I dont think doing a Bukakke video with Turks employee (he pays her after all) is attacking her if she WANTS to do the Bukakke.

GCL: I am not sure Turk5555 understands the term "Bukakke." In another thread he somehow thought this meant you were going to "JO" (??) on or to her picture. Perhaps you need to explain using terminology that Turk will understand exactly what it is you are intending to do. That might clear up the misunderstanding.

(Message edited by LAguy on May 31, 2004)

Turk:

Aww, dammit you've done it again! You're encouraging GCL to go ahead and spread his loutish views, rude manners, and general idiocy throughout the board... like the sign says at the zoo: "Please don't feed the Jackasses" (they're right next to the Bison exhibit).

Patiently,

BS

I will ignore the comments of Badseed as they are clearly beneath me. I think we need to have some standards of decency here.

Thank you LAGuy for your insightful suggestion. I would like to explain the term Bukakke and will do so in technical terms.

Bukakke is a term popularized in Japan. It is an event--a festival if you will where men celebrate the beauty of a woman with gifts. Typically 10 or more men will surround a woman for this celebration. She will aternatively service them orally and manually while at the same time they provide manual stimulation to themselves. This simulation if done properly will result in the men ejaculating a considerable amount of their semen onto the head and face of the lucky female. Done properly she will be coated similar to a KrispyKreme glazed donut.

There. I said it. "Rick" please contact me so we can invite Gilda and Cristiane to a Bukakke celebration.

GCL - Can I CUMMMMMMMMMM I always enjoy a good celebration. Hemp

>>>Thank you LAGuy for your insightful suggestion.<<<<

No problem. I aim to please. When you do your Bukakke with Gilda and Cristiane you aim too, please.

Turk,
You've got it all wrong. While there may be honor among hombres, poking fun at "girlfriends" is fair game here, and always has been. The fact is, guys don't actually post about their "girlfriends" because these women aren't really our girlfriends. They're service providers and we're clients.

If I had a Brasilian girlfriend, this is the last place on earth I would post about her! This site is populated with degenerates and reprobates like myself.

So, GCL, when is the Rio Bukakke Festa? There are few things I haven't done, but participating in a bukakke festa is one of them.

The Bukakke party will be a momentous occasion, in that it will mark the first time GCL has jacked off in Brazil (purportedly).

Somehow, I think I'll make a point of missing that celebration.

Count me in for that Bukakke Festa.

I'm getting a custom made raincoat with a front portal. Plus I'll be wearing galoshes. Oh... and a ski mask with a visor. Unlike some members of this board, I cannot tolerate the thought of getting hit by a random shot of 'gentlemans relish'.

If I am unable to attend the Bukakke, could I send a squeezable bottle of my relish?

Bwana Dik I have never met you but from that post it sounds like you are a seasoned vet who knows how to have fun and give great advice as well. I will participate in the Gokken fest as well as long as I am not the reciever

DeeG, no proxies allowed; you have to deliver your own relish. I don't think any of us relish the thought of being on the recipient end of anyone's precious bodily fluids, so participants will have to meet stringent marksmanship requirements.

This is repulsive.

(Message edited by DonGringo on June 01, 2004)

Someone will have to evaluate the entrants? Let's see... who do we know that is qualified... he must be well versed on this topic... hmmm...

this guy recently wrote

" when I would jerk off I would explode when I came. I could send my gentleman’s relish a foot or two into the air. Hell, I think I may have even hit the ceiling fan once." (ClubHombre.com: -TripReports-: GCL's South Dakota Adventure: Touchdown (Day 1) By Gcl on Tuesday, May 18, 2004 - 03:38 am)

Perhaps he could interview the Bukkake candidates?

I cannot for the life of me understand his fascination with a good "money shot". His contemptable obsession with international auto-erotica is troubling at best. Yet none other on this board has the despicable credentials to host this competition.

More questions remain:

How will the auditions be 'handled'?

Can entrants practise up on a life-sized inflatable Gilda?

Will GCL ever act on the 2-on-1 midget fantasy that has haunted him these many years?

Actually, Turk forgot to mention that Gilda is a midget, so its 2-for-1 tim for our man GCL.

Actually, her being a midget helped out in Rick's case, since they could shop in the children's section instead of the adults.

Can you get any property for USD $50K?

Looking to purchase a 2 bedroom in Copa in 2005. AFter looking at how much money I have spent over the past 8 years in Hotel and apartment bills, it makes sense to just go ahead a buy a place in Rio. Anyone know a good website or real estate agent that I can use?

I have looked at a lot of websites, and the best one that I know of is http://www.planetaimovel.com/procurarimoveis/procura.asp

I had to register to see the photos. It was a chore (I don't speak Portuguese very well), but worth it -- this site is the most comprehensive that I have found.

I also have these sites bookmarked:
http://www.visit.com.br/
http://www.acesseimoveis-rj.com.br/indexi.htm

You might also check out http://www.netimoveis.com.br/home/default.asp I use this site primarily for Belo Horizonte (where I live), but it may also have some Rio properties.

Good luck. I will be in the market for an apartment next summer if I can resolve my visa issue.

Check this place out. I found it on the internet.

http://www.rioapartments.com/barra-penthouse/

BigLeo, nice lookin place. The only problem is that it is a long ways from all the action.

Valterreekian,

I think the penthouse might be worth check into. Has several bedrooms. I figure you can double up with several hombres sharing the cost. The realtor claims the Penthouse is close to the Hard Rock Cafe, restaurants and that the people living there are entertainers and movie stars. I would not mind running into a few movie personalities. Anyway, it seems like a far more sophisticated place than let's say Copa and the beach is like ten times bigger than either Copa or Ipanema. I kind of like Barra de Tijuca. Appreciate any input on the area.

Bigleo since I lived in Barra da Tijuca for about 6 months below is my take on the area. I'll break it down by POSITIVE / NEGATIVES. Please remember this is my opinion only.

POSITIVE = Nice beautiful area / safer / beautiful beaches / great restaurants / nice shopping center Barra Shopping / Terma P400 good Terma /

NEGATIVE = Far from Copa area (about 30/35R from Copa based on traffic / more expensive / Hard Rock Cafe is on Ave Americas and not on the beach / going home late at night you might encounter Policia stops for ID and possibly shakedown especially if you have been drinking and are with Garotas?

If you are looking for a beautiful apartment you might want to consider Sheraton Barra (Residencial Tower). I believe these are only available for rent by the month? There are rental agents who can help you. Possibly Kenn has some contacts, he is a great and honest source for apartment rentals? If not PM me and I can put you into contact with someone? - I hope my above comments helped. - Thanks Hemp

i agree with all of hemps comments wrt barra. additionally, the movie stars they are talking about are brazilian, not american, and you wouldn~t recognize any of them. several times i have been in the airport or restaurants with garotas when they started going nuts over someone there and i had no clue who they were. between all the shows, novelas and magazines there are just so many actors here. the only americans who are here semi regularly are naomi campbell and lenny kravitz, both i think have a brazilian partner.

Is anyone familar with these condos? Sundeck & Sunshine? The map is really poor, I can't tell where there are.

http://www.yrealestate.net/501sundeck.htm
http://www.yrealestate.net/502sunshine.htm

Are these condo's Sundeck & Sunshine even in Rio? No one has heard of them?

according to this they are both in barra.

http://www.gafisa.com.br/institucional/RJ/index.asp

I need to do a question about the possibility
to buy a a property in Brazil.I don´t are brazilian citizen but I would wish
to buy a apartment,with the idea to move in
the future to this country....
How can a foreign citizen to buy a apartment?.
It´s difficult the procedure?.
Thanks you for the information.
hotthing1492@hotmail.com

A foreign citizen can buy an apartment in Brazil. You may have delays in getting the money into Brazil.

Now is perhaps a bad time because for most countries, the exchange rate vs. the Brazilian Real has worsened in the last couple of years. Also, apartments do not generally seem to appreciate much in value after they have been built.

There is no system of long term mortgages in Brazil for resales of apartments, so be prepared to pay cash.

If you do buy, use a local lawyer who speaks your language. Many foreigners have bought apartments from people who didn't own them, or have had other serious problems. Finally, if the seller learns you are a foreigner, the price will increase, so be wise.

Good luck.

SF Hombre has been known to give the wrong advice, I know from experience.....

Anyways, good Luck is right. I've been told that I am the one of the few that was bought and sold and bought and made a out really well. Without revealing my secrets: good lawyer, honest title agent, knowledgeable banker, reasonable contractor, and a good no bullshit real estate agent (the last one is the hardest, at least for me). :o)

If you know what you are doing and that is a HUGE "IF". You can do well, but not with the dollar at 2.2x. i would not chance it. If you have something here, you may considering turning it and and buying two lesser properties that you can renovate when the real turns around. BUT, know the right people.

That is my hard won advice. The rest I keep to myself.

And what advice would that have been? Unless you'd prefer to keep that to yourself as well.

SF Hombre, this is not new to you. You know me well. Thought I told you my handle on CH. Next time I see you I will remind you. Nothing, earth shattering. Actually my fault for even asking.

If you are at 4x4, L, 65 or any other T let me know. I'll meet you there.

I dont want to start anything here, but why wouldnt you share your info regarding buying real estate in Rio? I thought sharing info is what we do here? and if you didnt want to share it, why bring up the fact (twice I think) that you dont want to share it? weird. AZ

Azguy,

I give advice to my friends and there are many on the board I have offered and my provided advice. I do so freely and never ask anything in return.

Also, some people on the board are not friends. I will not enrich them with what I learned the hard way.

SF hombre is a friend and I was joking with him on something totally unrelated to real estate.

I´ve found a website:
http://www.mansarda.com.br
I believe that this agency is honest and secure.
Anyone have some experience?.
See you soon.

I am not even close to being competent enough to give advice about buying property in Brazil. I had a lot of help from my better half. I will just discuss my own experiences, which could be unique. In the beginning we were looking at re-sales, but quickly turned to new construction.
First, there is no MLS system in Brazil. It is in your best interest to have multiple agents working for you. I worked with agents from Patrimoval (Coldwell Banker of Brazil) for the most part. For example, unless the specific company represents the Developer of a project, he/she will not show you that project. There is no cooperation among real estate agents. They show their listings and their listings only. IF you are using an Agent, they will not be paid a commission by the Developer unless they are the Agents that the Developer contracted to sale the property.

It should be noted that even if an agent is part of the chain of real estate offices that represents the Developer, the representation could in fact be office specific, but not most of the time. This obviously goes for re-sales as well. Frankly, it is so much easier to buy new construction because one agent could show you multiple projects their office represents. For re-sales, agents only show there specific listings or they go thru Globo and contact “For Sale By Owners” and drag you there. On one occasion the owner was present at one showing and the agent told me NOT to ask the owner what was her bottom line price was. Needless to say I terminated the remaining showings.

If you do not have a large amount of cash on hand, buying new construction is the way to go. Depending on what stage you lock in at will determine your payment plan. Obviously earlier is better. Usually you are putting down 5 to 10 percent in the beginning. This is followed by small monthly payments, with bigger payments every three or four months. At the time you are given the key you have already paid about 50 percent of the purchase price. This leaves 50 percent or so to finance up to about 72 months. This was the most time we came across. Again this financing depends on the Developer. There is a small percentage for this option, but fails in comparison to borrowing money from a bank. You are looking at 18% or higher.

******From the beginning I only wanted to stick with the Developers with solid reputations (Sorter, JM, Gafisa.)***** There is a bunch in the middle range that one would be totally safe to invest in. From what I have seen Sorter was the best of the three. (Also the most expensive, but the quality was well worth it) Some Developers may offer extremely attractive payment options, but proceed with caution. There is a risk factor. I stuck with these developers as I knew what the final product would be like and was sure the project would eventually finish.

Basically this is how I did it. My fiancé and I had list of criteria that we were looking for in a Condominium. With that she started to do a search and screen condos. She looked at about twenty places. We considered the pros and cons for each and narrowed our list down to five apartments. She commenced negotiations with the real estate agents, just to get the “best” price. We thought that keeping me out of the picture until the end was in our best interest. Lucky for me my fiancé had recently been thru the process, so she knew exactly how things worked in regards to buying new construction. Moreover, she is an attorney which I guess does not hurt matters.

Again, we were looking for new construction as the financing is extremely attractive. You can find many of these types of projects going up in Barra. I did not buy in Barra, as it appears that the expansion is way to fast for the infrastructure that is in place now to handle the growth. They are just putting up condominiums where ever there is space to do so. With that said, you can find some amazing deals there. If you are looking for a place near the beach, using it only a few times a year, it would be perfect for some.

Yes, for us buying new construction was the way to go. I was in the market for a four bed apartment, in a proper door man building. These apartments are not cheap. I am not in the position to drop down 800,000+ Reals on an apartment, and we were not going to borrow money and pay the huge interest rates.

One final bit of information. If you do buy new construction, keep in mind you only get the basics. No cabinets in the kitchen, no shower doors in the bathroom, no mirrors in the bathrooms and in some cases no closets. (No frig, washing machines) You need hire a contractor to come in and do that work. I was a bit surprised but was told this was normal in Brazil as it relates to new construction.

so what are the price ranges for say a 2- 3 br , I assume youre looking in recreio/barra?

just reread your post and I guess you arent looking in barra

Huge range in prices for new construction in Barra. Starting at about 300 Reals for something decent...

http://www.patrimovel.com.br

These guys market many of the new construction projects....

The more money you give upfront the more of a discount you will get over all.

I figured I'd move this over from chat, just in case anybody wants these sites as reference later.
___________________________
Here are some sites I've found...some appear more useful than others....but this is not an endorsement of any, as I've actually used none of them. Some look like sites for specific developers, some look like independent agents.

The first looks like the closest thing I can find to a multiple listing service. Lots of places in here, and I've seen at least one other site refer back to it.
http://www.etica.com.br/

http://www.terranostraimoveis.com.br/
http://www.sawala.com.br/
http://www.santacecilia.net/institucional/index.aspx
http://www.reisprincipe.com.br/
http://www.podiumimoveis.com.br/
http://www.martinsferreiraimoveis.com.br/
http://www.hrezendeimoveis.com.br/imoveisavenda.htm

http://www.juliobogoricinimoveis.com.br/
http://www.apsario.com.br/
http://www.pioneiraimoveis.com.br/

And Globo has a GREAT search ability in their classifieds..just need to sign up to read the paper.

http://oglobo.globo.com/online/default.asp

Also some listings in Terra and O Dia.

http://odia.terra.com.br/
http://www.terra.com.br/capa/

There are even places available on eBay...(Mercado Livre) http://www.mercadolivre.com.br
http://lista.mercadolivre.com.br/_CategID_1459
...though this looks rather dangerous....lol.