Titles and Ownership Documentation

Until the 1970s, most of Brazil's cerrado region was worthless, unproductive, empty space. The land had little or no economic value and consequently ownership was not a concern. Ownership became important only when new technologies made the cerrados potentially productive.

To say that clear title is fundamental to cerrado land investment is to state the obvious. The reality, however, is that the titles to millions of hectares of cerrado land are cloudy. Titles can be cleared, but clearing land titles in Brazil is a highly frustrating, time-consuming, and expensive endeavor. Moreover, from the perspective of non-citizens, the Brazilian justice system may sometimes appear less than transparent.

Ownership and title documentation in the cerrados may be deliberately fraudulent. BUYER BEWARE! We urge great caution when buying cerrado land.

Be wary of people who speak your language--including North Americans and Europeans and others you "accidentally" meet in hotels, bars or restaurants who just happen to have land for sale--always very cheap! These guys are looking for another sucker and they have completely credible lines. Land can be and is misrepresented in endless ways and come-ons can be extremely clever. Believe little or nothing you hear. YOU CANNOT BE TOO CAREFUL: investors have lost millions! Brazil's frontier is not for amateurs

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