The central coast of Northeast Brazil takes up just 400 miles of Brazil’s 4,000-plus miles of tropical coastline. Yet it’s the best example of Brazil’s diversity that you’re likely to find, from the rich Caribbean-style culture of São Luiz to the modern highrises and dazzling beaches of Fortaleza.

Getting there

Airlines are continuing to add flights to this region. Delta (www.delta.com) now offers a one-stop flight from Atlanta, with a nonstop flight on the return. The round-trip price is $1,103 at this time.

There are frequent flights between Fortaleza and São Luiz, and the one-and-a-half-hour flight is usually less than $100.

See last month’s issue for visa requirements for entering Brazil.

Residency requirements

You can obtain a retiree’s visa in Brazil by showing an income of $2,000 per month, which covers the applicant and two dependents. You must transfer the $2,000 into Brazil monthly.

An investor’s visa requires an investment of $50,000 in a Brazilian company, which can be a company that you’ve set up for this purpose, if you structure it properly.

New residents can import their household possessions duty-free.

Once granted, you must come to Brazil once every two years to maintain permanent residency.

Remember, most part-year residents do not need a resident’s visa. Your tourist visa is good for 90 days, after which they’ll usually grant you an additional 90 days.

Buying property

Brazil imposes no restrictions on foreign buyers, who have the same rights as Brazilians with respect to taxes and real estate.

Down payment is normally 10% in a private sale, but you can negotiate this amount. If you’re buying from a developer, it may be less…I’ve seen down payments as low as 1%.

Here are the steps you’ll go through to buy your property:

• Get your CPF number, which is a tax ID number used to track financial transactions.
• Execute a Promesa de compraventa, which is a sales contract. This is not a mandatory step, but you’ll need it if you must document conditions of the sale or payment terms. You are not required to have it publicly recorded.
• Create the escritura, which is the final transfer document and deed.
• Register the escritura with the property registry, using a specially-authorized property notary

Title insurance is available in Brazil through First American Title Insurance. Contact: Turalu Brady-Murdock; e-mail: TMurdock@firstam.com.

Legal support

Whether for property purchase, residency or taxes, these two English-speaking attorneys will serve you well:

Flavio Pinto, Goncalves ledo, 1.170, Fortaleza; tel. +55(85)9117-4477 or +55(85)8802-8139 (cell); e-mail: flaviopinto@gmail.com.

Rui Farias, Av. Dom Luiz, # 500, suite 1501, Fortaleza; tel. +55(85)3458-1755, or +55(85) 8802-1176 (cell); e-mail ruifarias@secrel.com.br.

São Luiz real estate contacts
Adalberto Leite Imoveis; Rua São Pantaleão, 350 São Luiz, MA; tel. +55(98)4009-6462; e-mail: adalb@elo.com.br.

Imobiliaria Ilha Nova (Francisco Dias); Rua Perdizes, Sao Luiz, MA; tel. +55(98)8138-8605; e-mail: fcodias@gmail.com; website: www.ilhanova.com.br.

And that diversity includes properties. From a 3,766-square-foot waterfront historic home for just $64,900 to a 1,076-square-foot beachfront condo on one of the country’s best beaches for only $77,900, there will be something here for everyone.

In São Luiz, Brazil’s historic treasure, I look down on the tiny plaza from the balcony of our colonial-era hotel. Bordered on two sides by old cobblestoned streets with stone curbs, its other two sides are hemmed in by historic 18th century colonial buildings, with their wrought-iron balconies looking down on the simple stone surface.

When we arrived, the plaza was empty. But now a dozen or so white plastic tables have appeared. They’re occupied by a small crowd of festive patrons who are passing the warm evening chatting and drinking cold beer. A nearby entrepreneurial bartender has opened up what appears to be an abandoned building, and is shuttling the icy beverages out to the tables. Hidden around the corner, a young lady sets up her own impromptu bar, consisting of four bottles of rum, a bucket of ice, a few mixers, and plastic cups…on an up-ended wooden crate.

I hear the unmistakable pop of someone tapping a microphone to see if it’s turned on, and I know a band must be setting up. When the reggae rhythm and sounds of a popular Bob Marley hit begin—in Portuguese—I realize that my experience here in São Luiz is going to make my next stop in Fortaleza feel as if it’s on another planet.

São Luiz is located on a large tropical island, and is the capital of the state of Maranhão. It was founded by a French naval officer in 1612, and named in honor of Louis XIII. The Portuguese captured it in 1615 and—except for three years of Dutch occupation—remained through independence. São Luiz is warm all year, with temperatures in the 80s or occasionally more. Its 89 inches of annual rainfall occur mostly January through June, while July through December are relatively dry.

Built on rolling hills, São Luiz’s historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a remarkable 3,500 colonial buildings still standing. Some of its narrow, cobblestoned streets are pedestrians-only, while many others are barely wide enough to permit passage of one car. The most popular section of the historic center (and most restored) is the section between Rua do Giz and the river, with Rua da Estrela being the best for strolling and exploring. But throughout the historic center, you’ll find a wealth of restaurants, cafés, and shops, catering to all tastes.

São Luiz is a fascinating cultural blend of French, Dutch, African, and Portuguese influences. The best example of this is the food. You’ll find everything from rich and hearty seafood stews to fresh fish, to huge pots simmering with black beans, beef, pork, and sausage…a Brazilian signature dish known as feijoada. And the aroma of fresh-baked bread and delectable pastries coming from the French bakeries will remind you that the French were the first ones here.

If you like the lifestyle in a colonial city by the sea, you should have a look at the property market. There are a number of colonials for sale in the best part of the historic district.

The downsides to Fortaleza

There are a few disadvantages to living here. These are:

1. You’ll need to remain on guard against petty crime and thievery.

2. While flight service is improving, Northeast Brazil is still a long travel-day from the U.S.

3. Portuguese is not a technically difficult language, but there are fewer resources and tools for studying it than you’ll find for Spanish. Also, North Americans have a lot of cultural exposure to Spanish, and little to Portuguese.

4. North American expats—and consequently expat communities—are scarce, compared to the strong European influence.

One example is a house on a nice section of Rua da Estrela among other nicely-restored homes. It has 2,150 square feet of living space, a small interior courtyard, three bedrooms, and four baths. The asking price is $108,200. Tel. +55(98)3248-5433.

Another home is right on the water, and would make a good business or a residence. The living space is 3,766 square feet and the asking price is $64,900. Contact: Ricardo Duailibe; tel. +55(98)3235-3500.

This area is sorely lacking good hotel space, and fixing up one of these colonials as a boutique hotel would be a great business opportunity.

There are plenty of cities in Brazil that are more modern, upscale, or glamorous. But there’s no place more fun than historic São Luiz. It feels like a real version of Brazil—one not focused on foreign investors or beachfront condos.

Investors—sit up and take notice

If you cross the bridge, you’ll find a new, modern São Luiz. This side of town is naturally beautiful. It is developed around a large inland lake, and bordered by miles of sandy beaches…my favorite being the wide, sandy Praia de Ponta Areia.

But the development here looks recent and unplanned. It doesn’t really have a city center per se. In fact, it looks as if someone threw a handful of highrises up in the air, and they just took root where they landed up and down the peninsula.

The government has pumped more than $12 billion dollars into a new refinery here, and people are coming from all over Brazil to work and do business. There has been an explosion of real estate development, and almost all of it has taken place over the last three years.

Most of the housing market is geared towards families and full-time residents rather than vacation or second-home buyers. We saw apartments as large as 9,700 square feet (for $1.3 million), with their own yard, pool, and BBQ area right in their unit. Prices for this new, high-end construction average about $1,550 per square meter (about $143 per square foot), which is inexpensive for this high-end housing.

Repeatedly, I heard that the best investment here is the yet-undeveloped areas on the fringes of São Luiz. Araçagy for example, lies right in the path of development. In the local newspaper, we found a large 3.7-acre parcel of land on the beach in Araçagy selling for $73,600. One developer has a pre-designed project available for this land, of one- and two-bedroom condos of 753 square feet. Contact: Francisco Dias; e-mail: fcodias@gmail.com.

We spent our last day in São Luiz back in the historic center, exploring some of the winding alleys and talking to the friendly shop-owners. If you’d like to restore an old colonial home, start up a small hotel or B&B, or just relax in one of Brazil’s most enjoyable cities, then São Luiz will be for you.

Fortaleza: the top-end in city beachfront living

Ease of traveling within Brazil
When traveling between São Luiz and Fortaleza, you’ll be amazed at how relaxing air travel can be in this country. You leave your laptop in its case, keep your shoes on, and even bring along your shampoo…just like the old days.

At the other end of the 400-mile flight to Fortaleza, you arrive at the opposite end of the spectrum of Brazilian cities. The tiny cobblestoned streets of São Luiz are replaced by Fortaleza’s clean, wide boulevards, with modern stores and exclusive shopping malls. Instead of 18th century historic buildings, you’ll look up at the clean lines of modern Brazilian architecture. Gone is the Caribbean flair, replaced by “contemporary Brazil.”

I often refer to Fortaleza as the “gleaming centerpiece” of Brazil’s Northeast coast, and this trip did nothing to dim that image. Looking at the skyline from across the bay, its glistening buildings stand in sharp relief against the deep blue skies, fine sandy beaches, and turquoise waters. The city’s palm-lined beaches are open to the public and well maintained. The mouthwatering seafood restaurants vary in character from rustic tables and umbrellas in the sand, to fine dining overlooking the water.

The weather is always tropical, with high temperatures in the 80s and lows in the 70s all year. The ocean here is warm and calm, with water temperatures a constant 80° F. Fortaleza normally has an onshore breeze that keeps things comfortable, and tourists and locals alike can enjoy the sand and surf without leaving the city.

The seaside boardwalk is cheerful and bustling day and night, with joggers, strollers, and swimmers. It hosts one of the region’s best artisan handicraft markets, with hundreds of artisans showing their wares. (Oddly, they disassemble this entire market every night, and re-assemble it each morning at around 11.)

But there’s a lot more on offer in Fortaleza than the beaches. Just a few blocks inland, you’ll find attractive, tree-lined streets, parks, and homey neighborhoods, with fine dining, sidewalk cafés, and modern shopping malls. Here—in neighborhoods like Aldeota—you also have a wide range of residential choices, from tasteful houses to bright condo towers with their clean, modern lines. I talked to one local resident who was in the process of moving from a beachfront location to Aldeota, in order to enjoy the quieter ambience and community feel…although he still has an ocean view.

The cost of real estate in Fortaleza was a pleasant surprise. With its good weather, warm turquoise waters, and First World feel, I’d expected to pay top dollar…but that wasn’t the case.

The new, high-end condos on the best section of beach are not a bad deal. With a direct ocean view at the boardwalk’s best address, IL readers paid $2,850 per square meter in November. That would be $213,750 for a 75-meter, two-bedroom condo. Additionally, they put only 1% down, with developer financing. By comparison, a pre-construction waterfront condo on Panama City’s Balboa Avenue would likely cost between $3,500 and $5,000 per meter.

But if you look to the private resale market—especially in buildings more than 10 years old—the numbers get even better.

For example, a 1,076-square-foot, front-line apartment in such a building, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, is selling for $78,000. (Antonio Maria Imóveis; tel. +55(85) 3257-2328.) I also found a one-bedroom beachfront “flat” that would be perfect for short-term stays and a good rental. (In Brazil, a “flat” is a small apartment or suite that’s administered as a rental…like an Apart-hotel.) The asking price is $36,800. For more information, tel. +55(85) 9982-6424.

Moving upscale, I saw a nice unit on the ninth floor of a new ocean-view building with all the amenities. It had almost 2,000 square feet of living space and a large, wrap-around balcony. With three bedrooms and three bathrooms, the asking price is $225,000. Contact: tel. +55(85)9982-6424.

For a good real estate resource in Fortaleza, contact John Unneberg of SEA Real Estate, e-mail: John@seabrasil.com; website: www.seabrasil.com. John has worked with IL readers in the past, and he comes recommended.

Another longtime friend and contact in Fortaleza is Fabricio Santos of Brazil Real Estate Beaches. E-mail: brazilrealestatebeaches@hotmail.com; website: www.brazilrealestatebeaches.com

Whether you’re looking for a beachfront condo on one of the world’s top beaches, or a place in a quieter, residential area, I think you’ll find Fortaleza just about impossible to beat.

The central coast of Northeast Brazil is anchored at each end by two opposites. At one end you’ll enjoy the Caribbean flair and rich culture of historic São Luiz, while at the other end Fortaleza represents the best of Brazil’s modern beachfront cities. Regardless which lifestyle you prefer, be sure to allow time for both when you visit.