6 Chalets in Superb Forest Setting

The houses were built in 1984 and were extremely well constructed.  I have never had any problems at all with subsidence, roof leaks, drainage or anything of that nature.  The water comes direct from the gods, via a spring at the tope of the hill, and is perfectly drinkable, and the drains run into a sceptic tank that was constructed following council specifications so as not to pollute the river.  Although located on the edge of the river, the land slopes gently towards it and there is no danger whatsoever of flooding.  The electricity is 220 volts, which means that appliances from England can be used here.  Amazingly, throughout this 20-year period I have paid NO council rates, as the local council has never asked me for any!!  After several attempts to find out why not, I discovered that they could only back charge 5 years, so I have been sitting quiet ever since waiting to be charged.  They are perfectly aware that I exist, I have a permission called an ‘Alvara de Funcionamento’ and they periodically send round inspectors to see that I’m not destroying the river, etc.  So it is a bit of a mystery.  I daresay that they will decide to charge at the moment of sale, in which case I will obviously be responsible for any payments before the date of exchange.  But, you never know, it may carry on being free forever.  This is Brazil, after all!

I originally bought the 1300 sq metres that contains the six houses  (which is more than sufficient for a business) and, later on, I bought the 1700 sq metres next door where I built my own house.  Ideally, I would like to sell the land with the 6 houses on it and carry on living in my house, which I think would even be helpful for a foreign buyer, as I would be able to oversee anything for you, help with bureaucracy and documentation, advice, etc.  I have lived in Brazil since 1978, so have considerable local knowledge and speak Portuguese fluently.

On the business side, I now rent out the houses on a monthly basis (R$ 350 per house per month x 6 = 2100).  This may not sound like much, but, in Brazilian reality, it is actually a decent monthly income, as the cost of living in Brazil is about 5 times cheaper than in England.  To give you an idea, a lot of middle class families survive on a salary of R$ 1500 per month.  We must also bear in mind that this is the MINIMUM that I earn without, basically, lifting a finger.  A lot more can be made, with dedication and imagination.  Renting out monthly brings in less money than holiday lets, but is less work for me and I need the time to do translations and teach English, which is what I do best.  It’s really for this reason that I would like to sell, as I do not use the space to its full potential any more, which is a pity. There is plenty of room for expansion, room to put in a pool, etc, and the foundations were originally laid strong enough to withstand a second floor being built. 

In 1984, Boissucanga was a small fishing village, with one supermarket, no bank, a few bars, and that was about it.  Now, there are two banks, a post office, a shopping centre (very tastefully done, I might add), several bars and restaurants to cater for all tastes, but the surroundings are still the Atlantic rainforest and the green hills coming down to meet the sea.  It really is a magnificent setting. (I trust Property Bond has already shown you all the photos).  Nearby is Sao Sebastiao, which is a slightly bigger town, where you can get everything that you may not be able to get yet in Boissucanga (In fact, nowadays, I rarely need to go there).  Off the coast of Sao Sebastiao is the beautiful island of Ilha Bela, which has won numerous accolades for preserving its fauna and flora, and is a haven for eco-tourism, radical sports, diving, sailing, etc.  It takes about 1 hour by car, along the stunning coastline, to get there  

Commercially, one of the advantages of Boissucanga is that it is located in the backyard of the teaming city of Sao Paulo (only 2 and a half/3 hours away by car.  By Brazilian standards, very close!)  So there are plenty of visitors to the area, without taking into consideration any foreigners that may be tempted to venture there).  And Rio de Janeiro is only 6 hours away along the same stunning coastline.

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