Hi guys.

I have already seen the threads regarding Brazil as an investment opportunity, so am really considering buying there.

I am a first time buyer and have been on the lookout for a good investment opportunity, at first I was buying in medditeranea siadia - morocco. However i pulled out due to my financial status. I need somewhere alot cheaper as i a first time buyer. I had intentions to make alot rental income from my purchase. I am now thinking of buying Brazil and purely keeping it forever, for the price you pay it is so cheap and its jsut so beautiful. What are your thoughts on this?

How many of you think it will rent easy by the way? what are your strategies on rental?

Brazil represents outstanding value right now imho,though you have to make the correct investment choice regarding gains ,be they rental income or capital appreciation.I regard the N.E.as principally a capital gains play in the short term with good rental income being a secondary medium term consideration-after all it is only just appearing on the radar and is yet to entrench in mainstream consumer thinking as a first choice destination.This will change over time as its multiple merits become increasingly evident.
Even a few months ago,i would not have recommended Brazil as a potentially suitable destination for a first timer and this really serves to illustrate how rapidly the market is gearing itself and becoming more accessible to all -namely through the emergence of multi national,high profile, well established developers with credible track records allied to the introduction of bank/work conclusion guarantees.(the market was until recently characterised by small local developers who had the habit of absconding with your funds or going into liquidation!)
I have made multiple purchases and have great faith in the location,though take care to do your research and due dilligence and you should be rewarded with an outstanding long term investment currently priced at approx a quarter of the price of an equivalent property in the Caribbean.

I've reserved a unit on the Belmonte resort not far from Salvador and really love the area in NE Brazil. If you are interested in getting a place that won't just be confined to some huge resort/complex...i.e. like the culture and sites, then I think Brazil right now represents excellent value. It is a long haul flight however (although not as bad as Thailand or Malaysia). Thomsons has just started holidays/flights in the Natal area so that's encouraging for rentals. Financing for non-locals is tough to come by I believe though (the developer I'm going with is offering 50% financing and the project wont be completed till 2010 so it's convenient). They're offering guaranteed 6% rental the first 2 yrs but I also think that by that time, Brazil will easily be an established destination for folks who want a bit more than to just hang around on a compound in the middle of a desert. I also plan to use the apartment so it's not a pure investment play for us. I'm also investing in property funds in the S.A. region so I'm pretty bullish on its future.

Magnate - You have hit the very point tht eludes me. Property here is 1/4 the price of the Carribean, yet the carribean is small islands with limited space, in comparison to NE brazil which can and will be developed for many more decades. I dont see the day that property prices match that of the carribean, therefore I starting to think that 10% per annum is the max return, and that will be illiquid until the development of new builds slows, or growth has occured year on year such that people will accept a discount in order to underprice that of new builds!

Any thoughts on this angle ?