Real Estate in Uruguay

Hi!

Congratulations on your move. I am sure you will do well.
How do you like living there?

Is the economy pretty stable?

Apparently life might be pretty tolerable there
since you chose to move there.

I really am interested in moving there,
I just would like to know if it is a reasonable
place to move to. I read that property taxes are
about .8 and that it is expensive to have a car
there.   

Thanks and best of luck to you.

Hola Houstin,

Ive lived in Montevideo since 06. If you want to import a car it has to be new and the taxes are 84% of the tag price of the car.

Cars are very overpriced here and of poor quality. Most people walk, take a taxi, or bus.

What economy?

Jobs are scarce, most college grad students move to Spain or other countries where they can find real work.

Its a very calm country a bit slow and a bit conservative in culture. Its a socialist country.

Ciao,
O

Hi. We plan to move to Uruguay next Spring and will be looking for a house to rent for the first year before we buy. We have a small dog and two cats and will need to live somewhere appropriate. Fred's a psychologist and I am a writer. Looking forward to our move. Susan (I speak some Spanish but am not fluent.)

I am sure that at some point Re-Max will become a player in Uruguay, but for the time being I am not aware of their actual presence in the market.

Like everywhere, the purchase of real-estate in Uruguay has its own rules and features. Number one to distinguish it from the U.S. is that thereŽs no buyers or sellers agency, but rather, realtors work for both parties, meaning you have to be vigilant for your own interests.

Number two is that few realtors will respond to email enquiries in a timely manner, or in any manner  , at least until youŽve established personal contact. That doesnŽt mean that they canŽt find you the best property or deal, so not a good reason to rule them out if priority is getting the best property.

Number three, maybe should be number one, is that you never ever ever sign or pay anything without your escribano having approved it. Escribanos are transactional attorneys here, the ones who draw up the contracts for any purchase or sale, from cars to real-estate property. Also, you never accept a recommendation for an escribano from a realtor. If they insist on pushing an escribano on you, you ran as fast as you can...

Real estate taxes are indeed negligible when compared with the U.S. and other jurisdictions.

Cars are indeed expensive, about double what they would cost in the U.S., but if you compare the "savings" of buying and keeping real-estate, that car price difference may become irrelevant in the whole package. It depends on your overall budget for setting up.

Jobs, no, not a place to come looking for jobs.

We haven't bought yet, but one thing that I've found interesting with real estate here is that there is no MLS like in the US. So, you may have a realtor, but they may not know about all of the places that are available. Because of this, we had a total of 4 realtors working for us! But, we did end up finding an apartment that would work for us.

Hi

My wife and I will be coming to Montevideo in February or March of 2010 with our 8lb Yorkshire terrier. I was an independent R.E. appraiser for 35 years in San Francisco. We are thinking of moving to Montevideo so this will be an exploratory trip. I would like to meet with you as we are interested in buying a condo in the city. In addition could you tell us if dogs are welcome in public places like restaurants? When we were in Switzerland we were happy to see there was no problem taking them in to restaurants, and we have been told that it is the same in France.

                   Roy

hi everyone.

my husband and i are in UR now looking for a place to call home. this is our exploratory trip (we've also traveled in AR).  But UR seems just right. 

we're in punte del este right now.  this area is too touristy for us but the suburbs surrounding are beautiful. We stayed in Piriapolis and loved the valleys behind it on ruta 37.  optimally we'd like 5 hectares to grow some greens and have some goats and chickens but we're open to other possibilities.  this is a home we toured with the idea of renting it during off season for a remarkably amazingly stunningly good price. $550 for a two story fully furnished house one home up from the beach.  it's modern and fresh, a lovely home.  link to pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36096650@N … 624252525/

antlantida was also very pretty.  we're heading back to Montevideo and on to Colonia, heading home the 14th. 

we're from LA and rents/sale prices are sky high there.  my hubs speaks some spanish, i've just started a spanish class at my local jc. 

my only big challenge is my 'anipals' i have in LA.  3 house rabbits i have to get down here 'in cabin'.  no cargo holds. 

any advice or realtor referrals out there would be greatly appreciated. 

Chau.

Am moving to Mondevideo within the next few weeks.  Have been in contact with a few real estate offices regarding renting.  So far, the apartments seem very small.
Does anyone know "how much" a large furnished house or apartment would cost per month.
Cheers Joan

You would not find anything for less than US$1,000 in a decent area and if you find an apartment you have to add the cost of what they call "gastos comunes" which is something like "administration fees" and property taxes that you have to pay every 2 months.
Rents are not cheap that is for sure and salaries are low the best is to have your own business

We are in Bs As and are planning to visit Punta del este in the next couple of days and would appreciate info about Real Estate agents in the area who could show us properties in the nearby areas. We are interested in purchasing an apartment near where other expats are located.

Welcome on Expat-blog Dansgems!

Hope other members will be able to help you.

Thank you Christine,

We are hopeful that someone will share information regarding real estate, particularly, Condos on or near the beach. This is our first excursion into Uruguay b/c we've heard good things about living there.

Best Regards,
Dan

There is no training or testing requirement to become a real estate agent in Uruguay. Real estate agents in Punta del Este are registered with the department of tourism. Because someone has a business license or is registered with the Department of Tourism, does not in itself mean they have any training. There are also of people who have no business license or registration who pass themselves off as real estate agents.

Also, many agents do not understand agency or fiduciary duty, some putting their own interests above their clients.

Uruguay is one of the world's top places to own real estate, and there are good real estate agents in Uruguay.

The ideal real estate agent will be licensed, bilingual, bi-cultural, competent, and have a network of supporting services in place. He or she will also serve their clients best interest.

The best way to select an agent may be to choose one that comes recommended by other expats who have have good experiences. The Paradise Uruguay Real Estate Network has been matching English speaking clients with the best available real estate for their individual needs in Montevideo and Punta del Este since 2006 (at no additional cost to the client).

For more information on paradiseuruguayblog.com/2010/12/choosing-uruguay-real-estate-agent.html

I've been living in Montevideo for six years now. I grew up in the US and was a successful Real Estate agent in Maryland. I worked for Long & Foster and for Realtech Enterprises as well. A small but fruitful Real Estate company. I'd like very much to reunite with the branch of the business here in Uruguay. I've looked into Re/Max but I'm not sure how to go about it. Perhaps you can give me a few pointers. If you're interested in speaking with me I'd very much like the opportunity to do so. My cell is 095356166 and my email is [email protected]. I would also be very interested in  getting some insight in the business here and I think I could be asset to your company. Thank you much!