Salon Inmobiliario Punta del Este

Over 100 brokers and developers participated in SIPE 2011 at the Conrad in Punta del Este.

Of all the takeaways gleaned at the 2011 Salon Inmobiliario last week in Punta del Este, we were most impressed by the 2010 summary confirming our long-held belief the smart money is moving north of Punta along the Tango Coast of Uruguay from Maldonado and increasingly into Rocha. One of the highlights of the four-day Real Estate Expo held at the Conrad was the presentation made by Tourism Director Horacio Di­az confirming the northern migration of deals, developers and dollars.

In 2010, the value of all real estate sold in Maldonado reached US$1.279 billion, a 53% increase over 2009. Of that US$1.279 billion, just over US$580 million were transactions taking place in Punta del Este, another 53% increase over 2009. The “Rural Zone” north of Punta encompassing oceanfront destinations like Manantiales, La Barra, Garzon and the beaches surrounding Jose Ignacio ranked number two with sales of US$263 million in 2010, a record-setting 158% increase over 2009 for a two-year total of US$365 million.

The other highlight of the event was the pro-Uruguay, pro-development speech by Vice President Danilo Astori. InvestBA has chronicled the positive outreach of the Mujica administration to the developer community, and Astori’s comments were further validation of their shared foreign investment policy goals. “The national project for Uruguay is a project of openness to the world,” Astori said. “It’s a bet on the promotion of the real estate sector, whose numbers we are celebrating today as proof of its formidable growth and expansion.”

For more information about investing in Uruguay, download the new issue of InvestBA Privada.

Rock Em Sock Em Robots

Stay in BA or follow the Path to Punta? Argentines and foreign buyers alike are asking the question.

More Argentines are crossing the river to invest in Uruguay real estate. While this headline from Mirador Nacional (MN) highlights the obvious, it also digs deeper with a cost per square foot comparison of Uruguay destinations with some of Buenos Aires’ most expensive neighborhoods.

But first, MN points to the oft-cited $1.5 billion in Uruguay closings over the past 18 months number and breaks it down by region: $700 million in Punta del Este, $120 million in Jose Ignacio & Garzon and $40 million in La Barra. And while an estimated 60% of Punta del Este buyers are from Argentina, the remaining 40% is a rich cultural mix from Brazil, Canada, Chile, the E.U. and increasingly the United States.

Financial, legal and political stability are three factors in Uruguay’s favor as are competitive real estate prices. The average new construction cost in Punta del Este is $288/SF which compares favorably with $250/SF in Las Canitas$278/SF in Palermo Soho, $325/SF in Recoleta and $342/SF in Puerto Madero, according to Reporte Inmobiliario.

Recent sales in Punta del Este include a 2/2 apartment in La Mansa for $341,000, a 3/2 in La Brava for $286,000 and a furnished 2/2 on Roosevelt Avenue for $245,000. Still, the comments section of the article reveals Punta del Este isn’t for everyone. “Why invest in a place that is only active one month each year?,” writes Lucia, and Carolina opines,“It’s too small and stressful in summertime.” For these ladies, emerging destinos uruguayos like Punta Colorada, San Francisco or Playa Verde might be a better fit. (Full article in Spanish)

For more news and information on local real estate markets, search our archives and download the new edition of InvestBA Privada.

U.S. Investors Buying Land in Punta del Este Uruguay

U.S. investors are assembling large parcels in beautiful areas of Uruguay like Jose Ignacio (above) & Garzon.

Today’s headlines in Uruguay tell a familiar story: large, undeveloped parcels changing hands for record prices. The twist these days is who’s doing the buying.

For fifteen years, Argentine investors held the record for the most expensive parcel acquisition in Uruguay: over $9 million for a 10-acre beachfront parcel in Punta del Este in 1990, the current site of Hilton’s Conrad Resort & Casino. Now an American can lay claim to the title of Uruguay’s priciest land deal and, speaking of Punta casinos, it seems he doubled down.

The U.S. investor in question just bought a prime, 37-acre parcel in the beachside oasis of Jose Ignacio for $15 million, or approximately $400,000 per acre. That deal comes on the heels of the $12 million paid for a similar sized, adjacent parcel in Jose Ignacio.

Now do the math and put it in historical perspective. Almost 75 prime coastal acres for $27 million or $360,000 per acre or roughly 70% less than the Argentines paid for the Conrad parcel 15 years ago. The deals are even sweeter when you realize the smart money in Uruguay is moving north of Punta del Este up the Uruguayan coast and further inland where population densities are lower and exclusivity reigns.

After some glowing reviews and photo essays by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, U.S. investors are now buying in La Paloma, Punta del Diablo and Garzon. The Journal sums up the rural chic attraction of Uruguay’s interior perfectly: “El Garzon has a dirt road, stray dogs and a $48 ravioli.”

For more information about investment opportunities in Uruguay including several estancias, download the new issue of InvestBA Privada and watch video tours of InvestBA listings:

Canelones Estancia – US$1,500,000

Punta del Este Citrus Estancia – US$2,500,000

La Paloma Waterfront – US$3,500,000

 

Bariloche

Mendoza

Uruguay

© 2011 InvestBA.com