[damok]

So I'm looking for some opinions of people about Fortaleza. Basically I'm seriously looking at an investment property up there in a new development (happy to send details if anyone's interested).

I'm interested in here as firstly it seems to be a solid investment as far as value for money, future growth, rental yields etc. I'm also keen to get some investments into Brazil which seems to be going from strength to strength as well as having somewhere to hang out for a few months a year.

I've visited Colombia, Argentina and Uruguay before (and fricken loved them all) - but this will be my first trip to Brazil. I've put it off only to avoid getting my toddler spanish all confused, and I hate having to get visas for places (as an Aussie we are spoilt in this regard typically). So I'm booking a two week trip where I will hit Fortaleza for a week and Rio (because I couldn't miss it!!) for a week.

So here are my queries I suppose:

1 - has anyone looked into similar investments? I like this one because it's right in the centre of the action, and not stuck out on some resort.

2 - would you choose this place for 2-3 month mini-retirements? I know it's primarily a beach town, which only gets me excited when thinking about string bikinis, but I'm also big into diving and am super keen to do more paragliding which seems to be available there. I'm also a big fan of places with a thumping nightlife, which Fortaleza apparently has...

3 - women... to keep the gaming theme - whilst Roosh said the women there weren't much chop, what about the tourist market? Fortaleza is apparently the no. 1 (or something) tourist destinations for Brazilians. From experience people tend to have less inhibitions when on vacation, so could you rack up the notches on holidaying brazilians. The negative to this is the reputation of sex tourists, but as a young guy (same age as Roosh) and keen to throw myself into the language - could you alleviate this setback?

Love to hear your thoughts... and I will let you know mine in about 6 weeks or so.

[Vacancier Permanent]

Damok,
Fortaleza is a cool city, with some of the finest beaches in the world outside of Fortaleza. People are nice and friendly and all. However, I would strongly advise you against investing in Fortaleza/Brasil or anywhere in South America without first doing the following:

Say you want to invest in Fortaleza, that's great but before you do, spend 4-5 months there seeing how it is to live there on a daily basis as opposed to be being a 1-2 week tourist just passing by. Get to know the areas/bairros and all, get to know locals and ask them about their bairros and how it is like to live there. Better yet, live there yourself for a few months, make some solid contacts and the most crucial thing of all, learn the language, that is Brasilian Portuguese.

Fortaleza has seen a lot of real estate investment projects popping up like crazy in the past 2-3 years. Yes, it's growing with big # of Brasileiros going there to vacation but also a lot of Brasilians now being able to afford to buy their own condo thanks to the awesome work of President Lula in his 7 years tenure so far as the president of the country. He's taken a country which was a 3rd world country in every aspect to getting closer and closer to becoming a 1st world country and its economy has been one of the most robust in the world in the last few years. Brasil is on the verge of becoming one of the 5 economical super powers in the next decade or so. They already have the 2 biggest sporting events in the world that will be held there: the Olympics in Rio and the FIFA World Cup, the biggest sporting event in the planet in 2014. Plus, they recently found one of the biggest oil reserves in its shores. Not to mention its mind blowing natural resources and all, Brasil is truly in all aspect, a true giant in the making.

What does this mean to the adventurous, sophisticated, daring and informed investor like you, me and others is that investing in real estate in Brasil is a very good move indeed. I'm a firm believer that anyone investing in real estate in any of the cities which will host games of the 2014 World Cup will see his investment at the very least, doulble; realistically speaking, to triple, and optimistically, to multiply by a factor of 8 to 10 in the next few years. HOWEVER, do your homework, surround yourself with a team of professionals who know what they're doing and above all, who you trust. One more reason to learn and master portuguese so you get to move away from the gringo chasers "agents, lawyers" and other scammers looking for gullibile gringos and get to know honest, hardworking and trust worthy locals.

Now, women wise in Fortaleza, yes there are some stunners like in most places in Brasil, however, the quantity is not anywhere near what can be found in other Brasilian capitals. One major bad aspect of Fortaleza is that it's a sex tourism heaven for Euro middle aged men, specially Scandinivians and Italians. It's near impossible to get a nice girl from a good family if you don't speak the lingo and are staying there just for a few days as you'll be thought to be a sex tourist. Stay in Fortaleza for 3-4 months, take some Portuguese courses there and you can meet some awesome girls and have a blast there. Overall, cost of living is a lot cheaper than in Rio or SP or Brasilia.

You're right that Fortaleza is very high as a tourist destination for Brasilians specially couples and newly weds as it's a gorgeous region. The Ceara region is truly to die for: hundreds of miles of unspoilt tropical beaches, huge sand dunes, crystal clear natural water swimming pools between those sand dunes and a whole lot of fun, specially renting a buggy and exploring those beaches on a buggy, one of the most fun thing you can do in your life. People are down to earth, friendly and fun, but again, lingo is a must as in those smaller towns were all the above mentioned natural wonders are located, English is non-existant.

Would I use Fortaleza as a venue for a mini retirement for 2-3 months? ABSOLUTELY! I'm actually planning doing that very same thing, starting this coming fall.

All in all, Fortaleza and Brasil are a terrific place to vacation, relax, party, have fun and invest, but learn the lingo, spend some real time there, not 1-2 weeks and you will have the time of your life. Anything short of that and you're setting up yourself for the biggest financial mistake of your life (if you were to invest in Fortaleza based on a 1 week vacation there; or anywhere in Brasil/world for that matter).

Hope this helps.

[damok]

Thanks Vacancier, very sage advice!

When you look at it rationally, living and getting to know the destination before investing in it is just plain old common sense. It’s very easy, as I’ve found, to get caught up in the excitement of what’s on offer.

To answer a question from another forum – why Fortaleza? There are two reasons I guess.

Firstly reasons of the head – as Vacancier has described, Brazil does look like a great investment at the moment with fantastic potential. There is certainly an element of ‘striking whilst the iron is hot’, ie. while it is still an affordable option. So speak about Fortaleza specifically, there are major infrastructure developments going on including upgrading the airport and regional highway. With them being a World Cup host city, I guess this will continue. There is also a lot of housing projects going on there, I cannot say that this will be necessarily a good thing as the market might get flooded…

The second reason is from the heart – there is something that appeals greatly to me about having a small unit, in a beautiful location that you will happily return to year after year and spend as long or short a time as you like. As conceited as it might sound, I think I would love to talk about ‘my pad in brazil’….

Fortaleza sounds quite nice, although I’ve heard that it can seem a little deserted at times, the city is quite dirty outside of the main tourist areas, it’s light on for charm and culture, and you always have the sex tourist stigma to work past….

Vacancier, if you had to pick your South American destination meeting the mini-retirement criteria, with good gaming opportunities, as well as being a sound investment (big ask?), where would you choose? (I promise I wont run out and buy a place tomorrow!)

[chochemonger1]

I am amazed how loyal young women in Fortaleza are.
I wont recommend, until I go back again in a week. But my heart is there right now and it has beautiful city beaches.
If it weren't for all the chubby women walking around. Close to perfect.

[Designate]

(11-20-2015 09:48 PM)chochemonger1 Wrote:  

I am amazed how loyal young women in Fortaleza are.
I wont recommend, until I go back again in a week. But my heart is there right now and it has beautiful city beaches.
If it weren't for all the chubby women walking around. Close to perfect.

Looking to hit up Fortaleza in 2016. Would love some updated data on the city.

[crawb]

I was in Fortaleza this last May and had a great time. I stayed on Av. Beira Mar which I felt safe the majority of the time. However, if you stroll a block or two off the strip at night, you may become a target. I would be careful with where you go in the city as it does tend to be dangerous (see 7) -> http://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-...14-11?op=1

The biggest difficulty we had however was the language barrier. Not as many people spoke English as we had originally thought. To my surprise, knowing Spanish only helped us minimally. Unless you know Brazilian Portuguese, I would suggest speaking Spanish over English if you're fluent. I found that a lot more woman on Tinder spoke English that what I was actually encountering on a daily basis. It was fairly obvious we would get taken advantage of once they knew we were Americans. With that being said, everything is so cheap there that we didn't really care.

The stereotype that Fortaleza woman are a little chubby, is true but there are still PLENTY of hot Brazilian women. We were many of the locals first American's they'd ever met so lots of women would give us all there attention. It also helped being the tallest people in the bar. I'm only 5'11 but felt like a giant at the bar, something I'm not accustomed to. I don't really have time to write up a whole data sheet and I was only there for 8 days. If you want any specifics, feel free PM me.