Real Estate in Santa Cruz

by debbie
(CH)

Where can I find good real estate sites if I'd like to buy either a house or land? Can you give me some good advice? Is there a problem if one doesn't live in Bolivia or do I need to be a Bolivian citizen?

Thanks and Cheers
Debbie

Comments for
Real Estate in Santa Cruz

Click here to add your own comments

Aug 20, 2011
 House on double lot for sale
by: Sharon

I don't know if anyone is checking this site. The question was posted some time ago.
I am selling a house on a double lot in Santa Cruz in Radial 27 which is near the zoo for my mother. If anyone is interested feel free to email me at bodyandsoulfit@gmail.com
It is an absolutely gorgeous hideaway that is within walking distance to shopping, rx, restaurants, etc.
Apr 07, 2010
 Real Estated
by: debbie

Thank you guys for your answers. I never thought that they would be over-rated. - Interesting to read this. And yes, i'd probably pay cash, what makes sense to me. It would be intersting to have an update once-in-a-while concerning land-prices. Is there a good site where i can see that?

Have a great day.
cheers!
Mar 08, 2010
 Property in Santa Cruz
by: Gregg

It was with interest that I read your article.I have a great website here at www.propertyinsantacruz.com. It is in Santa Cruz, CA. So my google alert is set for Santa Cruz, and this blog came up. Never would have thought of Bolivia. I too, thought it was a funny comment of Santa Cruz being over priced compared to Miami.

It used to be the norm back when I started real estate 20+ years ago to have 20% down. The 7% rate is not extremely high, historically speaking for Santa Cruz,California.Right now as of March 2010 a home under $400K has an interest rate of about 5%.In this community, you can't really get a home for that, just a condo mostly.

Given the rise of properties,you probably would be better to pay all cash or a high down payment.I don't think foreign owners have the same liquidity capability as the natives. Better in my mind to be lightly leveraged as opposed to highly leveraged. Inflation is often much more out of control there than in the US.
Mar 06, 2010
 Hi Debbie
by: BoliviaBella

From what I understand, you don't have to be a resident to purchase land. You would either have to pay it in cash or take a loan out here in Bolivia and interest rates are pretty high (upwards of 7%).

For a foreigner to get a loan here can be difficult. You need to have had your bank account for at least a year or so before they'll take you seriously for a loan. Also, you have to provide all the usually documents (such as where you work, how long you've worked there, how much you earn, etc.) to qualify. What I've run up against as a foreigner is that instead of asking me for one co-signer, they'll ask me for 2 or 3.

And here in Bolivia, when you want to finance a purchase you have to put a minimum of 20% down. Banks will finance a max of 80%.

Some developers (for example those who build several similar houses in a single area) will finance the homes themselves but these are becoming increasingly fewer.

If you have the ability to gather the money to pay for your full purchase and not take out a loan here, it's better.

Property values are severely over-valued right now in Santa Cruz, I should let you know several real estate agents (two of whom are certified real estate agents in the US) have told me they consider properties over-valued here at this time. (And they both work in Bolivia and sell properties in Miami, so can you imagine them thinking Bolivia is expensive?)

Still, if you look hard enough you can find some good deals. I'm not trying to discourage you from buying. I actually think right now with rentals also overvalued that buying is better. If you can find a way to get the money and not have to go through the hassle of trying to get a loan in Bolivia.
Feb 28, 2010
 Land in SC
by: Anonymous

Hi Charis

To read your story was a blast! Worth it and scary at the same time :) Anyway, thank you so much for the infos. yes, there are many things I didn't think of. What if I only would like to buy land? Is that possible as a foreign person? Some land that would be interesting is in the northern part, like near Hamacas, Av.Radial 26 av. cuarto anillo. some part over there. What do I have to think about?

Saludos de la Suiza
debbie
Feb 26, 2010
 real estate websites for bolivia
by: BoliviaBella

Hi Debbie. Unfortunately, Bolivia doesn't have one unified real estate listing. There are many real estate agents and each might (or might not) have a website. Usually they list only the homes they have for sale, and some list only the most expensive. You'll find that most of these sites have very, very few homes and apartments listed.

Google "casas en santa cruz bolivia" "propiedades en santa cruz bolivia" or "apartamentos en santa cruz bolivia" and you'll see what I mean.

This is because the Real Estate industry isn't regulated much in Bolivia. In addition, there is no training or test on real estate laws or any such thing administered for someone to become a real estate agent. Read this page about my own house hunting experiences in Santa Cruz just a little while ago. It has a full description about how working with real estate agents works here in Bolivia. It's a highly unfortunate situation.

It's one of the primary reasons we established our Expat Services Unit in Santa Cruz. We are not real estate agents. We work with local real estate agents to connect you with them and help you find a home. For foreigners who've arrived in Santa Cruz we even offer our completely unique House Hunter's Tour so they can actually see and learn about the various neighborhoods of our city before deciding on a location they might want to concentrate their search on.

If you're interested in more information, send a message through the contact form on this page and include your email address so we can give you details.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Santa Cruz Bolivia