The buying process for off plan property investors in Brazil is a surprisingly simple one – the only step that needs to be taken before property can be bought is for the buyer to obtain a CPF number, which is the Brazilian equivalent of a social security number. Once this has been obtained, the purchase can go ahead as normal. First of all though, a local trusted lawyer should be employed to help with all deals, as is the case with any country.

Once a property has been decided upon and price negotiated, a deposit is paid and a sales contract is drawn up, which acts as receipt for the deposit. Once all necessary checks have been completed by the lawyer and everything is verified as above-board – and as long as the buyer has a CPF number – the contract can be signed and all outstanding fees paid to the seller. The documentation is then sent to the local land registry where it is signed over officially to the new owner, this process takes around two weeks normally.

Taxes and fees are payable on top of the property costs, with prices varying depending on services used. Taxes usually come in at around five to seven percent of the total costs.