Appartment in Natal

[davehc1966]

Im currently looking for an 2/3 bedroom apartment in Natal, with the prefered area being Ponta Negra. Im planning on moving out there from the UK full time with my Brazilian wife in July/August of this year and have 3 questions about the market there that im hoping someone with a knowledge of the area might be able to help me with.

1. I have been told this is a very nice area to live and is gringo friendly (lol)? Also are there other areas of the city with similar status that we could be looking at. Some of the internet property listings are not very up to date and I dont feel im getting a true feel for market from here. Any suggestions from experience would be welcome.

2. We will need a small rental apartment for a short term when we arrive to view property and was hoping to get some advice on the possibility of this?

3. Any suggestion of any real estate outlets who are efficient and good with keeping appointments (or as good as it gets brazilian style lol).

4. Finally, we have a long term plan to establish a business when we get settled hopefully tapping into the tourist market. We have been told that 70% of the tourists there are Brazilian? Would that be a fair assesment presently?

Thanks in advance for any info, it will be greatly appreciated.

 

[paomio]

Dave, Brasil is gringo friendly no worries ;-) hehe
Brazilians are very nice people, and quite open to foreign culture due to the fact that many people of different colors and live quite very well togheter. Racism like it exists in north america doesn't exist in Brasil. It is definitely an example for many countries!
I know Natal is growing a lot with many new constructions and new buildings for investment and now has about 1M inhabitants. it's a quite modern city and maybe one of the city for the next Soccer World Cup.

 

[Kevin777]

apt in Natal

Hello Dave,

Good areas of Natal are Ponta Negra, Capim Macio by the beach and Petropolis in the city. Just depends what you want on your doorstep. N/E and Natal have always been a poorer area of Brazil and hence is where the development is going but also where the mentality has to change most also. It has only 1 mil people so doesnt have the crime and traffic issues of other Brazilian cities and with the dunes seperating the city from the ocean, its a nice change, view wise. Pros and cons.

Regarding tourism, I think 70% may even be on the conservative side, there are not so many foreign tourists here with also means very few people speak English and the mentality is not very international either.....yet. This will change but not for a while. Not sure if Paomio is right saying its gringo friendly as it´s quite difficult to mix (from their side),however, most people I´ve have met have been great. I work with Brazilians and have Brazilian friends but in general its different from the bigger cities in Brazil, where they accept the international community easier.

Real estate agents are diabolical. I have dealt with most of them and they are all as bad as each other. There are a couple of individuals but still not great

 

[Coqueiro]

Dave, Brasil is gringo friendly no worries ;-) hehe
Brazilians are very nice people, and quite open to foreign culture due to the fact that many people of different colors and live quite very well togheter. Racism like it exists in north america doesn't exist in Brasil. It is definitely an example for many countries!
I know Natal is growing a lot with many new constructions and new buildings for investment and now has about 1M inhabitants. it's a quite modern city and maybe one of the city for the next Soccer World Cup.

Mate take off the rose tinted. Racism exists in Brazil in all its ugly forms including against foreigners. And unless you are a full time brown nose, with poor hearing, who never stands up for himself, it does not take too long to manifest its vile head. You can experience it in the Mayors office whilst arguing for a basic services, like rubbish collection or street lighting, in the local justice system, or at a BBQ with friends of friends or on the street etc - without too much effort, just listen.

All this is not to say that Brazil has not got lots to offer and is full of wonderful people, because it is, but lets keep it real ffs.

 

[davehc1966]

Hello Dave,

Good areas of Natal are Ponta Negra, Capim Macio by the beach and Petropolis in the city. Just depends what you want on your doorstep. N/E and Natal have always been a poorer area of Brazil and hence is where the development is going but also where the mentality has to change most also. It has only 1 mil people so doesnt have the crime and traffic issues of other Brazilian cities and with the dunes seperating the city from the ocean, its a nice change, view wise. Pros and cons.

Regarding tourism, I think 70% may even be on the conservative side, there are not so many foreign tourists here with also means very few people speak English and the mentality is not very international either.....yet. This will change but not for a while. Not sure if Paomio is right saying its gringo friendly as it´s quite difficult to mix (from their side),however, most people I´ve have met have been great. I work with Brazilians and have Brazilian friends but in general its different from the bigger cities in Brazil, where they accept the international community easier.

Real estate agents are diabolical. I have dealt with most of them and they are all as bad as each other. There are a couple of individuals but still not great

Thanks for the responses guys...Some interesting points to ponder?

The purpose of my post was more to do with the areas where we can live in peace and quiet within a brazilian community. My wife has been in Natal a few times and favours Ponte Negra. Our preference would be somewhere that can offer a good beach location with nice bars and restaraunts within walking distance and a neighbourhood that is not totally full of "second home" investors who are there to party.
As regards racism, name me a country that you will not find an element of discrimination to outsiders? Here in the UK its rife. To me its all part of the adventure. I take people as I find them and hope they do the same, if they dont its their problem not mine! Im fortunate that i will not have to deal with local authorites as my brazilian wife is more than capable of dealing with such matters in her firey latin way (god help the mayor lol). And all of the Brazilains I have met through my wife have never been anything other than perfect company, even with a language barrier.

We are still projected to arrive in Natal in July and are really struggling to find any worthwhile leads in the property market. If anyone could point us in any direction it would be of great help, even with the realistic expectation that they will be diabolical lol.(the wife thinks they are a mafia rather than real estate? make of that what u will lol)

 

[JMBroad]

Hi Dave

Having used real estate agents to find rental properties for myself three times in the past two years and three times over the same period of time for friends who were looking for long term rentals I agree that 99% of the agents here in Natal who deal with rentals provide terrible service.

And this is in my opinion and all of my Brazilian friends who get to hear the horror stories after each of my viewing trips:

The most common faults I have come across:
1) The agent shows you something which does not fit your budget, desired location, number of rooms and features (ie you specifically say "only interested in a furnished three bed house with a garden and a pool for R$ 2000 a month" and they show you an unfurnished one bedroom apartment with no leisure area and no pool for R$ 3000 a month). (50% of agents here blatantly do this)
2) The vast majority of rental agents aren't mobile so you need to pick them up and drive them around to see the houses (80% of agents)
3) They don't know where the property they are showing you is located, just the general area so you drive around in circles for ages looking for the house (because 2) they don't have a car so they are in yours (75%)
4) Obviously (see 3) they have never been to the house so don't know what it is they are going to show you or if it fits what you are looking for. (75%)
5) Lack of interest. Last month a friend of mine went to 15 rental agencies in Natal and said he wanted to rent a house - his budget was anywhere between R$ 2.000 to R$ 10.000 per month. 5 agents called him back - the others he never heard from again (keep in mind that those are mansions here in Natal and still the interest was next to none and he is fluent in Portuguese so wasn't a language barrier).

Having said that, I know two individuals who are pretty good. One suffers from 2) but the other ticks all the boxes and I can explain to you how to find them once you get here. In the meantime I'll send you an email via pm who you can contact regarding short term rental while you are looking for your own place.

Cheers

John

P.S. While I'm serious about the bad service keep in mind that "75.3% of statistical quotes found on the net are invented on the spot to lend credibility to an argument" - Winston Churchill

 

[JMBroad]

And...... oh no I won't because you need a minimum of 5 valid forum posts before you can send and receive private messages.

 

[davehc1966]

thanks for that JM

 

[davehc1966]

will post 3 more times

 

[davehc1966]

hopefully now you can PM me...i am really greatful for the info, i wont hold out much expectation on the service aspect, but a start is a start! Many thanks!

 

[debzor]

Dave - I am not based in Natal, but a little further down the coast. If you do not find what you want there, contact me - we have no such problems here with suitable properties nor agents.

(John - I had no idea the net was invented in Churchill's time!)

 

[JMBroad]

(John - I had no idea the net was invented in Churchill's time!)

That's the whole point

 

[penelopy]

Ponta Negra`s a pretty place to stay. My favourite place if I remember the name correctly was Robert Feriere.It had a few tall buildings there and a busy road along it . Beaches v ery,very nice.

Thanks for the responses guys...Some interesting points to ponder?

The purpose of my post was more to do with the areas where we can live in peace and quiet within a brazilian community. My wife has been in Natal a few times and favours Ponte Negra. Our preference would be somewhere that can offer a good beach location with nice bars and restaraunts within walking distance and a neighbourhood that is not totally full of "second home" investors who are there to party.
As regards racism, name me a country that you will not find an element of discrimination to outsiders? Here in the UK its rife. To me its all part of the adventure. I take people as I find them and hope they do the same, if they dont its their problem not mine! Im fortunate that i will not have to deal with local authorites as my brazilian wife is more than capable of dealing with such matters in her firey latin way (god help the mayor lol). And all of the Brazilains I have met through my wife have never been anything other than perfect company, even with a language barrier.

We are still projected to arrive in Natal in July and are really struggling to find any worthwhile leads in the property market. If anyone could point us in any direction it would be of great help, even with the realistic expectation that they will be diabolical lol.(the wife thinks they are a mafia rather than real estate? make of that what u will lol)