Hi,

I'm completely new here - I was sent here by somebody on a MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) forum.

I currently live in North Carolina, USA and am possibly looking into buying some land in Tocantins, Brazil. A friend of mine has a line on large tracts of land (farm land, I think) that is very cheap, and can (supposedly) get custom homes built very cheap as well (as little as $12/sq. ft.).

I'm trying to find out as much as I can about Brazil, specifically Tocantins. I have gotten a little feedback from others on Tocantins and it (the feedback) wasn't that good.

Can I get any feedback here?

Also, could somebody point me in the right direction (I realize that isn't the purpose of the site, I'm just looking for pointers) on how to possibly find large tracts of land that could be built on in other parts of Brazil? If I were to move to Brazil (which is my interest), then I might be interested in trying to make a living in the martial arts community. I know there is a heavy presence of martial arts in Rio, Sao Paulo, Currituba, and a few other places, but I'd prefer to live more in a "country" setting...

Any help anybody could give would be great!

Thanks in advance.

Matt,

Investing in real estate in Brazil is as safe and easy as in any modern country like the US or Europe. All property sales are titled and foreign investors receive the same investment and possession rights as Brazilians.

First thing a foreigner needs to do, is to apply for a CPF number. CPF stands for “Cadastro de Pessoa Fisica”, which is, in rough terms, the Brazilian version of the American Social Security. Only with this document you will be able to purchase real estate, open a bank account (visa restrictions apply), etc. That can be done by an attorney or personally throughout the Brazilian Embassies and Consulates spread all around the word.

The second step is to procure reliable professionals to assist you. The word reliable I mean, experienced, and most importantly, licensed real estate agents and attorneys. It is never recommended to purchase real estate without the assistance of an experienced professional. In Brazil specifically, due to the innumerable searches and “certidões” in various courthouses and “cartórios” one must have in order to verify the authenticity and security of the deal, along with the legal analysis of all these documents it is literally impossible and rarely seem a do-it-yourselfer be able to fulfill all of these obligations and procedures properly.

Should you need further information, please feel free to contact me.

Jose C. Santiago
Multinvest International Realty, São Paulo - Brazil
Affiliated - Licensed Attorney
Phone: (11)9348-5729