Property · Our pick in Rio
Buying in Rio: the seafront, the lagoon and the deed
The back story
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © acediscovery · CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout Buying in Rio: the seafront, the lagoon and the deed
Rio’s most sought-after homes face the sea or the lagoon. In Ipanema and Leblon, the seafront avenues and the streets just behind them are the city’s most prized addresses; around the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, apartments look up at the Corcovado. Jardim Botânico and Gávea have houses and low buildings among the trees, Santa Teresa its old mansions, and Barra da Tijuca the large gated condominiums by the beach to the west.
Where people buy
Ipanema and Leblon, along the sea and in the streets behind it; the Lagoa; Jardim Botânico and Gávea; Santa Teresa for character; and Barra da Tijuca and São Conrado for space and condominium living.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Halley Pacheco de Oliveira · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsHow a sale works
Every buyer needs a CPF, the Brazilian taxpayer number, from the Receita Federal. A sale is made by a public deed (escritura pública) drawn up at a notary’s office and becomes final only once it is registered at the property registry (Registro de Imóveis). The city charges a transfer tax, the ITBI, and an annual property tax, the IPTU.
We never publish prices; ask an agent and your lawyer.
Our advice: use your own lawyer to check the property’s registration certificate (matrícula) before you sign anything.
Why it's on our list
- Where people buy
- How a sale works
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Buying in Rio: the seafront, the lagoon and the deed before you go.