Blindness and stupidity when investing in Brazil

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Dotty

Banned
Have prices increased?We were there in 2006 and were amazed at the value for money , the quality of eating out,hotel accomodation,supermarket food and coach fares from Flori to Sao PAULO.The landscape is so green and Brasilian if that makes sense!?Infact I think we will be returning this year .The lagoons are something else and the properties amazing.Infact I was shocked at the high quality of service and organised structure.I knew I was in Brasil but without the chaos.
Christopher, Dotty is right over here. Florianapolis would be my first choice if I had vacations during the Brazilian Summer. But I get vacations July-August, and then it is cold and quite windy. Around Florianopolis there are several wonderful cities/beaches as well. But it seems to me that prices are higher than the NE of Brazil.
 
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RalphJ

New Member
Just to inform all post readers and members.Florionoplis has the highest standard and quality of living in Brasil . And it is has a very organized city and State(S.C) with proper seasons.QUOTE=Dotty;46868]Well if you are based in SP then not only is it a perfect location you will enjoy it very much.The architecture is very German and quaint in many parts,hilly in the city center and very westernized too.I love it there and it is so much cheaper than the North .If you go to Florinopolis try and visit Antonios Fish restaurant because for that the trip is worth it alone!Quality on the line of Familia Mancini(classic) SP!

The deep south does have some differences than the rest of the country, pricincipally some cities have higher percentages of population with higher education levels. Hence, respect for others, respect for the law, respect in general, exists in some situations whereas it does not, generally speaking, in the rest of the country.

But Dotty, I posted a thread about this a couple weeks ago, Aracaju, Sergipe won "best quality of life" recently and that was a study conducted for the entire country of Brazil.
 
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Christopher Jewell

New Member
I am originally from St. Petersburg, Florida where the latitude is 27 degrees North. Florianopolis is at 27 degrees South. Frost occurs in Florida (maybe) once or twice in the Winter, but sunshine is abundant. Summers are humid & hot June-Sep. (That is one reason I prefer Sao Paulo June-Sep.) Can I expect the same Florida weather in Floripa, Brazil ? I am reluctant to move closer to the equator than a few degrees latitutude from SP. Too hot !
 
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Sao P

New Member
Have prices increased?We were there in 2006 and were amazed at the value for money , the quality of eating out,hotel accomodation,supermarket food and coach fares from Flori to Sao PAULO.The landscape is so green and Brasilian if that makes sense!?Infact I think we will be returning this year .The lagoons are something else and the properties amazing.Infact I was shocked at the high quality of service and organised structure.I knew I was in Brasil but without the chaos.
You are right Dotty, Santa Catarina is class. Please dont publise too much. Wouldnt like that charter flight lot from the EU discover. Keep them gated up in Natal. Should keep this part of Brasil more for the locals and other South Americans.
 
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Dotty

Banned
I think the airline tickets would be too expensive and impractical as the journey takes a good 18 hrs plus with connections in SP from Europe and it would be too much of an adventure for the package holiday maker,so no chance of that!
You are right Dotty, Santa Catarina is class. Please dont publise too much. Wouldnt like that charter flight lot from the EU discover. Keep them gated up in Natal. Should keep this part of Brasil more for the locals and other South Americans.
 
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Raimundo

Guest
Can I expect the same Florida weather in Floripa, Brazil ?
Chris, I know Floripa quite well, and although Mr. Mullins is correct; like him, I also prefer other areas of Brazil. Floripa's real estate has risen dramatically over the last few years, and the people are not as 'Brazilian' as other areas. The weather is about the same as Tampa, Orlando and Daytona. However, I think Florida has the best weather outside southern/central coastal California.

Sau P. - Floripa is already discovered. Sorry to burst your bubble but Floripa ain't all that. Been there, done that and pounded the pavement, etc.
 
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Christopher Jewell

New Member
Interesting that you mention Southern California... I saw that Florianopolis has a "sister city" = San Diego, California. If... If... Floripa is similar to San Diego in weather... that would be nice too. I plan to visit Floripa in August - probably the coldest time, but I will experience that extreme and compare. From what I see advertised (without personal viewing)... Houses and apartment/condo's are very reasonable by U.S. standards. Who knows... I'd have to see them to really compare value. In August I will visit Bahia, Salvador to Florianopolis... probably not so far North as Natal.
 
FCZ

FCZ

New Member
I am originally from St. Petersburg, Florida where the latitude is 27 degrees North. Florianopolis is at 27 degrees South. Frost occurs in Florida (maybe) once or twice in the Winter, but sunshine is abundant. Summers are humid & hot June-Sep. (That is one reason I prefer Sao Paulo June-Sep.) Can I expect the same Florida weather in Floripa, Brazil ? I am reluctant to move closer to the equator than a few degrees latitutude from SP. Too hot !
Chris,
I used to live 70 miles West of Atlanta; weather in South as not all that different. But honestly, I think anywhere in Brazil is better than Sao Paulo. If you are not looking for beaches, and like some cold, or eventually some snow + wonderful wines, you should try Canela, Gramado, Nova Petropolis in RS. If you like beaches, but a crazy weather, Florianapolis is wonderful. But I wouldn't be afraid of the weather in the NE, it is quite nice and not so hot. Some Brazilians friends told me about Aracaju and Joao Pessoa, if you are looking for peaceful places. If you would like to hang around more active places, I would suggest Ceara and especially Natal. Dotty is trying to scare the hell out of everybody regarding Natal; she must have very good reasons to try to keep that place "private". That's why this Summer I'll stay a little longer in Natal, than initially planned. I may buy something there.
 
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Raimundo

Guest
I think Rio is the best, but be prepared to pay the piper. Rio de Janeiro - Amo O Rio e Beleza! :)

Seriously, Rio captured my heart in the summer of 2000. But unfortunately petty theft, assualts and random violence plagues the city...and this is very sad. I'm a victim of all three, but I keep going back. Chris, Floripa in the winter is much colder than Florida, and there is humidy unlike So Cal. I would never live in Sao Paulo, maybe Santos. Floripa's real estate is way overpriced then tack on the Gringo Tax and you'll really get screwed unless you know the lingo and insider trustworthy friends! :eek:

Best weather [IMHO]:
1. South/Central Coastal California
2. Florida [November-April]
3. Medellin/Pereira, Colombia / San Jose, Costa Rica
4. Rio de Janeiro
5. Cartagena, Colombia / NE Brazil / Dominican Republic
6. South Brazil
 
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RalphJ

New Member
One thing I can say about Aracaju.....the weather is unbeatable. Except for a couple months where we have some rain, and there has been years when it hasn't rained much at all during those months, the weather is the best I've ever seen. I don't know why, because Salvador is only 300 km's south, but it rains quite a bit more there than here in Aracaju.

I was with two local estate agents today, as well as the owner of numerous large parcels of beachfront land here in Aracaju, he'll be starting to sell a loteamento within the next 10 days or so, and I (MJR) will have an international exclusivity, and have learned that the beachfront lands here have dramatically increased in price. Even though this increase, one can still purchase large tracts of beachfront land in Aracaju for 60 reais per square meter.
 
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robh

Administrator
Staff member
Premium Member
One thing I can say about Aracaju.....the weather is unbeatable. Except for a couple months where we have some rain, and there has been years when it hasn't rained much at all during those months, the weather is the best I've ever seen. I don't know why, because Salvador is only 300 km's south, but it rains quite a bit more there than here in Aracaju.

I was with two local estate agents today, as well as the owner of numerous large parcels of beachfront land here in Aracaju, he'll be starting to sell a loteamento within the next 10 days or so, and I (MJR) will have an international exclusivity, and have learned that the beachfront lands here have dramatically increased in price. Even though this increase, one can still purchase large tracts of beachfront land in Aracaju for 60 reais per square meter.
What is the story with the river? If you look at Aracaju on google earth there is lots of brown stuff (which I presume is silt) coming out of the river into the sea. Is that all the time or just when it rains heavily?
 
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RalphJ

New Member
What is the story with the river? If you look at Aracaju on google earth there is lots of brown stuff (which I presume is silt) coming out of the river into the sea. Is that all the time or just when it rains heavily?

Normally, but not all the time, the first 100 meters or so of ocean in Aracaju is brown, and the reason is because it's so shallow for a very long way. Many people say that it's because Rio Sergipe that merges with the ocean and causes the water to stir....but it's not, it's because it's so "plano", or shallow. Here in Aracaju you can literally walk out in the ocean, normally, around 80 meters or so, and the water will only be waist or chest high. But it's not always like that, the color. I would say possibly 15% of the time you have a nice blue color in the first 100 meters, but after the first 80-100 meters its always blue, naturally, it's deeper.

But you make a good point rob. If the ocean here in Aracaju, esthectically, was like Maceio, it would be incredible, because here we have a LOT of beach. In Atalaia there are places where you have more than 100 meters of beach before you get to the sea.

Also, speaking of rivers, there is a river around 1 km behind the beach. The best place is where they are in the process currently of building a bridge. The river is very calm there and the most wealthy people in the state have homes there. Also, the bridge they are currently building connects you to a road that goes south and connects you to "linha verde", to Salvador, and also bypasses praia do saco, which is listed in "Grande Voyageurs" as being in the top 100 beaches in the world.
 
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robh

Administrator
Staff member
Premium Member
Never heard of "Grande Voyageurs", have you got a link to the list?

Normally, but not all the time, the first 100 meters or so of ocean in Aracaju is brown, and the reason is because it's so shallow for a very long way. Many people say that it's because Rio Sergipe that merges with the ocean and causes the water to stir....but it's not, it's because it's so "plano", or shallow. Here in Aracaju you can literally walk out in the ocean, normally, around 80 meters or so, and the water will only be waist or chest high. But it's not always like that, the color. I would say possibly 15% of the time you have a nice blue color in the first 100 meters, but after the first 80-100 meters its always blue, naturally, it's deeper.

But you make a good point rob. If the ocean here in Aracaju, esthectically, was like Maceio, it would be incredible, because here we have a LOT of beach. In Atalaia there are places where you have more than 100 meters of beach before you get to the sea.

Also, speaking of rivers, there is a river around 1 km behind the beach. The best place is where they are in the process currently of building a bridge. The river is very calm there and the most wealthy people in the state have homes there. Also, the bridge they are currently building connects you to a road that goes south and connects you to "linha verde", to Salvador, and also bypasses praia do saco, which is listed in "Grande Voyageurs" as being in the top 100 beaches in the world.
 
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RalphJ

New Member
Sobre a Praia do Saco, que fica no município de Estância, o jornal informa: "A Praia do Saco aparece na lista das 100 praias mais bonitas do mundo, de acordo com o Guia Turístico Grands Voyageurs".
It is a tourist guide evidently. I have the link for correio do sergipe which states this.

##### Correio de Sergipe
 
D

Dotty

Banned
[Sao Paulo state is amazing.The city is mad but the beaches stunning the hills incredible and the fazendas and kayaking are second to none.Sao Paulo state is hugh so you cannot just say anywhere is better than SP it depends if you travel out of the city and see other places.Gramado and Canela are very westernised and cute.The NE has great beaches but a hell of a long way if you have a problem and extremely costly too!You get used to the weather and are happy when it rains.Natal is not an active city .You can drive from one end of the city to another in 15 minutes and it does not have a thriving industry as such ,but survives on tourists visiting when they can get here!Forteleza has quadruple the population of Natal and has great cultural stuff going on and a very vibrant night life.Nordeste e nordeste muito differente na Paulistas.They do not understand customer care but think if you walk into a shop they can jump on your back.There is nothing to keep quiet about Natal the downturn in overseas visitors says it all!If you do buy something here you really need to take extra special care ok.QUOTE=FCZ;47083]Chris,
I used to live 70 miles West of Atlanta; weather in South as not all that different. But honestly, I think anywhere in Brazil is better than Sao Paulo. If you are not looking for beaches, and like some cold, or eventually some snow + wonderful wines, you should try Canela, Gramado, Nova Petropolis in RS. If you like beaches, but a crazy weather, Florianapolis is wonderful. But I wouldn't be afraid of the weather in the NE, it is quite nice and not so hot. Some Brazilians friends told me about Aracaju and Joao Pessoa, if you are looking for peaceful places. If you would like to hang around more active places, I would suggest Ceara and especially Natal. Dotty is trying to scare the hell out of everybody regarding Natal; she must have very good reasons to try to keep that place "private". That's why this Summer I'll stay a little longer in Natal, than initially planned. I may buy something there.[/QUOTE]
 
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Raimundo

Guest
Aracaju.... a breath of fresh air

I have no experience in Aracaju but what I do know, from reading information on the Web--there's a lot of potential there and Mr. Mullins is on the right track. Every guy and his brother is raving about how great Joan Pessoa is, or how great Natal is....well, IMHO, I think those places are overrated. I like the fact that Aracaju is new blood, and it's fresh.

Sergipe is a breath of fresh air! :)
 
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Dotty

Banned
I mean Joao Pessoa is 2hrs or so on a coach,so how long is Sergipe?Joao Pessoas lovely but it is really small and very provincial (slightly more than Natal)and these are words form the locals.If you like beaches then Ceara and Maranhao have the best remote beaches in Brasil.If you like a touristy beach then Ponta Negra.If you like a quiet beach where you can walk and barely bump into anyone then go to Maxaranguape not very attractive but you will not see a tourist for now or Maracajau.Very basic amenities and be careful of hygiene standards in this part of the coast.
I have no experience in Aracaju but what I do know, from reading information on the Web--there's a lot of potential there and Mr. Mullins is on the right track. Every guy and his brother is raving about how great Joan Pessoa is, or how great Natal is....well, IMHO, I think those places are overrated. I like the fact that Aracaju is new blood, and it's fresh.

Sergipe is a breath of fresh air! :)
 
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michaelbush

New Member
Much depends on what lifestyle you look for. In my opinion João Pessoa is really a very good place for permanent living. The beaches are really clean, and the beach bars are really wel kept and clean, don't charge the earth like Ponta Negra, and the food is much better. Less tourism but I like that. I still have to visit Ralph and learn about Aracajú. Natal is where the publicity is, but I like to discover the real Brasil without the hype!
 
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Dotty

Banned
I think I wrote in the wrong thread as there are threads that are quite similar.
Quoting :place in the sun article .Off plan purchase:
This gentlemen bought an off plan property (work is still in progress)The purchase price in 2007 was 50,800 stering(170,000 reais)for 56 mtrs in Ponta Negra.He put a 17,000 streling deposit down and additional costs of 3,576 stering and 6,000 sterling for a FURNITURE PACK.hE SAYS THE CURRENT VALUE IS 60,000 sterling and that he is expecting 20% increase in 5 yrs with a projected value of 155,000 (600,000 reais or there about.The property he is talking about is still selling for the same price and there is no way in a million yrs 56 mts will be worth that.Infact if you convert the money today then 1,000s has been wiped off his original purchase as he paid in reais and it is strong plus he did not add up his total expense which amounts to just over 60,000 sterling.Another off plan miss.............and he gave all the usual sales banter.Deary me.
 
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