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Business guide to Brazil - Please send feedback, join us for advice, tips, discussions and post articles/comments.
Welcome to the Invest in Brazil Club with over 1100+ loyal members like you. Please join us at:
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This is a free, consultative business guide to Brazil, live and frequently updated. New developments, current news and investment opportunities are our strong point and the principle topics.
Its focus is the real estate market as well as alternative energy and foreign trade (import/export) in the Northeast Brazil, State of Ceara, City of Fortaleza but we cover other parts of Brazil and other sectors of the market as well.
http://www.slideshare.net/InvestinBrazil/BRAZIL3PPTCOMPATIBLE-MODE-97-2003
Examples of properties / investments:
http://www.escapeartist.com/International_Real_Estate/Brazil/Ceara.html
We are here to build a bridge between culture, language, mentality and legal barriers so you could have a hassle free and painless experience. Our “on the ground experience”, strong local connections / relationships, market secrets knowledge & off-market properties / investments are your / our key to success.
Here are the types of properties and the services we offer;
Properties:
a.) Investment Excursions, Field Trips with professional photography and filming of your experience.
1. Front beach villas, vacation, retirement, rental and residential.
2. Front beach land for residential or development as investments.
3. Front beach resort and hotels.
4. Front beach Water Park and pousadas.
5. Pre-approved projects ready to execute with land.
6. Land for alternative energy (wind hydro and solar) and biodiesel plantations.
7. Homes, hotels, pousadas (inns) and apartments condos in the large coastal cities.
8. Luxury properties.
9. Farm land.
10. Land for sustainable forestation.
11. Commercial space, land for commercial buildings, commercial buildings, shopping malls.
12. Wind power projects with land or land for wind power stations.
13. Biodiesel farm plantation and/or land for such to implement.
14. Mineral ore mines.
15. Sugar Refinery Mills.
16. Ethanol Refinery.
17. Private Islands
We also provide full A-Z accessory services for investors, and buyers such as:
A.) Personal Investment & Sightseeing Excursions with professional photography and filming.
1.) Land acquisition, architectural development and approvals.
2.) Complete construction cost calculations and analysis, construction, engineering, and building permit.
3.) Sales & Marketing Strategy.
4.) Resale
5.) CPF cards and Permanent Residence Program.
6.) Tax consulting, accounting, and lawyers & attorneys.
7.) Governmental Contacts & Elite Society local contacts.
8.) Pre- Launch to investors & strategy.
9.) Exit Strategy.
10.) Relocation Services.
11.) Due Diligence, complete analysis of legal documents such as titles and deeds.
12.) Title Insurance, Escrow Accounts and Mortgage Financing for Foreigners purchasing Brazilian property.
13.) Opportunities for joint ventures with other investors.
14.) Financial transactions and strategy.
15.) Off Market Opportunities.
16.) Market Research, Due Diligence, Feasibility Studies
17.) Product Sourcing for Export
18.) Wealth Management
19.) Asset Protection
20.) Full Tax-Haven Services
21.) New – Auditing of companies, corporations or any otherwise business entities anywhere in The North East region of Brazil.
Enough talking...see for yourself:
Examples:
http://www.orkut.com.
2. “ Taking the Plunge” sounds like a bad ending. We would like to call
this more of an educated decision making process while being fully
informed.
We are going to tell you “ How it really is” and not how it might
be…
PROs & CONs
There some aspects you will have to consider first before making a final well-informed decision.
Relocating “Offshore” or “Overseas”, if you are actually switching continents, is not for everyone.
Differences such as climate, products & services, language & cultural differences, cost of living, distance
to friends & family, ability to have freedom of mobility, cuisine, infrastructure & access health care, etc…
3. The changes of food are not for the skirmish but you should get used to it within 2-3 weeks. As a matter
of fact today Brazilian Barbecue is famous in most large urban cities in developed countries. There are
1000s of restaurants in Fortaleza City area and 100s of different plates. Many establishments carry
international menus and full array of gourmet choices if you opt-out of the native items. Some persons
do not like coconut water and I love it. You say tomato I say tomato.
The climate usually is 300 sunny days annually but this year it has rained for near 6 months. My
hometown, Chicago, has been having a very cool summer, 75F – 85F, which should be more in the 85F –
100F ranges. Low humidity levels 30% -40% with a cooling inland breeze of up to 10km and temps within
25C – 35C from my personal experience. Right about now you must be asking yourself: Is this constant
precipitation over long periods of time normal? Well, it certainly is the first time in over 6 years of
visiting and living in this region that I have experienced such a prolonged whim of nature. Some of the
natives have actually stated that it is the first time in their entire lifetime that they have experienced
anything like it. Everyone must be thinking: Will it happen again? Nobody really knows but we are sure
enjoying the sunny summer weather now!
4. As far as having your favorite products within your hands reach might be complicated in most parts of
Brazil except mega-cities like São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, etc…But, even if you find them in let us say a
specialty shop, you can expect the cost to be quite elevated. It is always nice to have many friends or
family members that travel quite often as well as making frequent trips back & forth. E.G. – One of my
friends is coming from France next week and he is bringing me a few bottles of Bordeaux. This is what
brings me to the next subject. Regular flights ( NO OVERLAYS TO RECIFE – CONFIRMED ) are only
available from the USA through the Atlanta location and Miami has some access flights as well but you
really have to watch the reliability of them and how many different connecting flights they might put
you trough few overlays.
Services can be a drag. This part of the world is much more laid-back and relaxed and it goes for
everything. When scheduling an appointment for services performed at your house and setting it for
7am you can expect people to show up at 8am or even 9am. When planning a dinner with friends or for
5. business at 7pm, once again, do not leave until 7:30pm. This is cultural and partially because of the
hotter climate where there is more night life somewhat comparable to Miami but on a smaller scale,
people leave work later and they do not show up until 9am – 10am (most business owners, managers,
directors etc…) However frustrating this might sound there are still plenty of professionals that are more
punctual than the British or Germans. Do not try to schedule anything serious between 12 Noon and
2pm, bad idea, just like it would be in Spain during the Siesta Hours. Trying to obtain refunds for certain
services or making complaints can become irritable. Even though this sounds cumbersome after living
here for a 6-12 months you will get the hang of what to watch out for, how to negotiate and demand in
the local manner. As they say “When in Rome do as the Romans do”!
Then there are the language issues. Thinking Central or South America, are we? I hope you speak one of
the Latin rooted languages if you are over forty otherwise prepare to be spending 4-6 months straight in
the country if you have chosen it to be your semi-retirement place. Unless, this is a full time relocation,
retirement move, then you will be speaking well in approximately 12 months time. Twenty-Four months
are required to work and do business full time speaking only Portuguese (or rather Brazilian Portuguese)
if you are beginning from ground zero. Portuguese and French are of the more difficult languages of the
Romance era. After four full years I was writing, fluently I must add, complex business contracts. A type
of person that is patient, dedicated, persistent and not timid to make errors which is of utmost
importance in the learning process is needed in this situation. Speak incorrectly, but speak is what I say!
This will help you along quite a bit and for your sake stay away from facilitating obstacles such as making
lots of English speaking friends in the area! You will enjoy yourself much more in the long run and have a
fuller understanding of the language and culture.
6. Speaking of culture, which will take the most attention; it is the more complex issue. Starting with
business to religion to politics (being mostly democratic and stable but still somewhat precarious
execution and enforcement), which are some of the most controversial subjects; to sports such as
soccer or as it is called football in Europe. I simply avoided these until I had good control of the language
and a better understanding. The punctuality and nocturnal lifestyle was explained earlier. The list goes
on but the basics have been mentioned. Also, even though you do not speak Portuguese well try to pick
up short expressions and local hand gestures. Pick up the body language. This way they will not take you
for a fresh tourist.
Cost of living is not extremely lower how everyone is claiming it to be and this is even more so true
today with the U$ Dollar drastically decreasing in value around the World. All products, as mentioned
earlier, that you are accustomed to and are imported you will be paying a premium for. Electronics are
horrendously more expensive than any other parts of the World. Quality vehicles are in the same
7. category right along with the forth. Fortunately, you are allowed by law to import one vehicle per
person in you are relocating to this location or retiring thus avoiding the over-protective tax duties
imposed for this item by the government. Telephone bills are double of what you are paying now.
Savings are on the service sector, construction, home repairs, land, property, food, especially seafood
like lobster, shrimp, fish and oysters ( I mean we have found some places where for U$D150 you may
eat lunch and dinner all month long of superb quality ), light & water bills, private education ( there is a
grammar / high school available today in Fortaleza City which teaches full time all subjects in
English. ) is considerably lower, labor period, clothes & shoes, beauty treatments, plastic surgery, health
insurance ( R$700 or approx. today U$D375.00 per month for a couple over 55yrs of age ), as a matter
of fact all insurance of all types is very affordable.
Infrastructure is one of the best in the North – East of Brazil, where it makes the most sense to retire or
relocate to with lower property prices and gorgeous scenery, good climate and more savings than any
other parts of the country. The Federal Government has already sent U$D4,7 Billion to upgrade it, new
projects and roads in order to prepare for the World Cup 2014. There is the expansion of International
Airports namely the new Aracati International Airport is in full construction progress located between
Canoa Quebrada and Fortim areas which we highly recommend for high investment grade options.
