Real Estate in Brazil

Brazil is a very large country. The country has plenty of land, occupied and unoccupied (in large States like Amazonas and Pará, most of the land still belongs to the State, which do not prevent people from invading them).

Brazilian do not see and do not follow laws as other more developed countries do. Developed countries see a Law as a restrictive measure necessary to improve the living in society; Brazil, as other under developed countries, seem to see the Law as something to stopt them from living a better life.
However, the real estate laws in Brazil are very well regulated, and very tightly enforced. Foreign residents will probably have troubles in enforcing Consumer rights, elderly rights, etc but should have no troubles enforcing real estate laws.

Those who study the History of Brazil will notice that, back in Colonial times, like most other countries, wealthiness and power were based on real estate possession and property.
In the beginning, all land belonged to the King. The King could allow possession of land to other people; as there was plenty of land and few people willing to undertake the task of making it productive, the King was very generous in granting possession of land.

Naturally, lands were given to people who were close to the Power (and not to people who, for example, were more willing or more capable to make it productive).
As a book called Roots of Brazil explains very well, people in Brazil who held the Power always knew how to keep it (despite all the changes of Regime, there was never a true Revolution in Brazil).

As a consequence, the Laws (made by people in Power) in Brazil were always made so as to enforce land and real estate property in Brazil; people may have troubles to enforce Consumers rights, educatio rights, health righs and others, but real estate rights are respected (by citizens and, if necessary, by Courts, in Brazil).

Brazilian laws define very well who is the owner of a real estate in Brazil, how ownership is changed (and acquired), the roles of Goverment, etc.

The pages below will bring more information about this topic.


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