Demand for property spreads across brazil
Investors in Brazilian real estate are still rushing to Rio Grande do Norte, according to the report. The North East state is responsible for 37.06 per cent of enquiries for property in the country between October 2013 and September 2014. This is significantly lower than the 74.88 per cent of enquiries made up by Rio Grande do Norte in 2012.
The second most popular state in Brazil is Piaui. While this is also located in the North East region, it has seen its profile soar in the past two years, attracting almost one in four (23.91 per cent) enquiries for Brazilian property, significantly higher than the 0.04 per recorded in October 2012.
Neighbouring Bahia has enjoyed a similar rise in interest, attracting 5.21 per cent of enquiries, up significantly from the 0.47 per cent recorded in 2012.
Ceara has fallen from second place to third place in the chart, but has increased its share of activity too, accounting for 13.77 per cent of enquiries, up from 12.32 per cent.
The North East continues to dominate activity. Demand is shifting around between states - Paraiba and Alagoas have both seen their share of enquiries fall from 4.02 per cent to 1.54 per cent and from 2.19 per cenet to 0.08 respectively, while Pernambuco's share has climbed from 0.83 per cent to 2.35 per cent - but together, the North East states account for almost 8 in 10 enquiries (78.71 per cent).
Compared to the 12 months to October 2012, though, the Brazilian property market is less reliant on the region. Two years ago, the North East's combination of stunning beaches and existing tourist appeal generated 94.24 per cent of activity. Now, investors are increasingly willing to purchase elsewhere.
Indeed, the most searched-for destinations in Brazil have changed radically over the past two years, with six of the top 10 replaced by previously overlooked locations.
This spread of interest follows the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which drove enquiries for Brazilian real estate on TheMoveChannel.com up by more than 80 per cent year-on-year in the run-up to the tournament.
Natal, capital of Rio Grande do Norte and a World Cup host city, remains the most searched-for location, featuring in almost a quarter (23.37 per cent) of all searches, closely followed by beach hotspot Pipa (17.77 per cent). Both locations, though, have again seen their shares decrease, as demand becomes increasingly diverse.
While Rio de Janeiro is surprisingly absent from the top 10 searched-for cities, searches have surged for Barra da Tijuca in the state of Rio. Indeed, in real terms, searches for the state overall have multiplied almost seven times since Octoebr 2012. Searches have also soared for Pantano do Sul, located in the southern state of Santa Cataraino: the city was the ninth most searched-for location in the 12 months to October 2014. Two years ago, it received no searches at all.
The At a Glance infographic also charts buyer behaviour on Google between Octoebr 2013 and September 2014. Searches for general terms such as "property in Brazil" and "property for sale in Brazil" have all declined compared to the same period two years. At the same time, though, more specific keywords such as "land for sale in Brazil" have all become commonly used terms, with many of them not being searched for at all previously. In the third quarter of 2014, for example, "houses for sale in Brazil" appeared in three times as many Google searches as in the same period in 2012.
TheMoveChannel.com Editor Ivan Radford comments: "Brazil has been one of the most popular countries on TheMoveChannel.com in the past year. Tourism continues to fuel activity, with Rio Grande do Norte remaining the star player, supported by the appeal of Pipa's beaches. But activity is spreading across the country, as the real estate sector evolves from an emerging market to an established destination. Overall, there are now 16 states in Brazil receiving enquiries on TheMoveChannel.com, up from 13 in 2012, a trend that has been encouraged by the spotlight shone by the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Two years ago, we asked how much of the At a Glance map would be coloured in following this year's sporting tournament. Now, the question is: how much more will be filled in after the 2016 Olympics?"