Brazil

Long known for its music, beaches and the Rio Carnival, Brazil is becoming an increasingly popular place for foreigners to buy property either for holidays and retirement or investment. For most outsiders, Brazil means Rio de Janeiro, a bustling city of more than 6 million people dominated by the statue of Christ with open arms above Guanabara Bay. One of the most attractive parts of the cidade maravilhosa (wonderful city), as the Brazilians call it, is the Zona Sul (southern zone). Taking in Ipanema, Leblon, Gavea and Copacabana beaches, it is the most exclusive part of the city and the place where the upper middle class, luxury shops and a good part of the nightlife converge. Prices are relatively high by Brazilian standards and are continuing to rise. Also worth looking at are Bahia and the other smaller states on the north-eastern coast, which offer a winning combination of stunning beaches and a tropical climate. Property prices there, too, have risen rapidly since the beginning of the decade, but remain below those in the south of the country and are still only a third or so of those in comparable locations in Europe.

If you want to know more, you’ve got to buy the book…