Since the economic slowdown and crises in 2014 and 2015, house price rises have been noticeably weaker over the years. The real estate sector has been one of the hardest hit by the slowdown. This reduces housing costs for foreign buyers, since investment in Peruvian property does not require government approval, except if such property is close to Perú's frontiers.
Despite this, house prices in Lima are expected to rise by around 7% according to the Peruvian Chamber of Construction's (Capeco), as a result of reactivation of demand in middle segment districts such as Jesús María, Pueblo Libre, Lince and Magdalena.
The National Association of Real Estate Companies of Perú (ASEI) and the Association of Real State Developers of Perú (ADI Peru) reveal the most expensive homes in Lima are in:
Most of the properties in Lima are found online. The best websites for starting a search are:
Printed versions of local and national newspapers are a good source for searching property ads and real estate, both in small cities and the country capital, Lima. The following ones are Perú and Lima main publications:
When looking for a rental property, hiring a real estate agent will save you a lot of time and worry. The agent will consult you on your search, accompany you to visit each of the properties you are interested in, help with drawing up the documents for signing the contract legally and, if necessary, also consult on options for receiving a loan. The rental agent's services price may vary from agent to agent; therefore, it is necessary to discuss it beforehand and sign a contract. The agent is paid only when the contract with the landlord has been signed.
Keep in mind: If the real estate agent is hired by the landlord in whose property you are interested in, the costs of the agent should be covered by the landlord.
In this case, the price for the real estate agent's service is negotiated between the landlord and the agent and it is paid once the deal has been closed and the payment of the property has been completed. Also notice that, the more expensive the property, the smaller percentage goes to the real estate agent.
Buying and Owning Property in Perú
When buying a house in Perú is important to work closely with your solicitor and to keep him/her informed of any new changes or decisions you may take.
When looking for a property to buy you should follow the steps described below:
Nevertheless, it is important to evaluate all costs involved in buying a property, for example, mortgage costs, legal fees, registration of deeds and stamp duty, etc. You should calculate the amount of money that you can get as a mortgage loan. If after that you can afford to buy a property, then you are ready to buy.
Your solicitor should also conduct a search to find out where the property title is held to ensure that there is nothing adverse attaching the property, for example, an outstanding mortgage. Once the seller's solicitor approves the Deed of Conveyance, your solicitor will contact your mortgage provider to request the issue of the approved loan cheque.
Once a sale is completed, your deeds, showing the new ownership details and mortgage details, if relevant, must be registered with either the Registry of Deeds or the Land Registry.
Property auctions are regulated by the "Directiva N° 001-2016/SBN: "Procedimientos para la venta mediante subasta pública de predios de dominio privado del Estado de libre disponibilidad" (Law 29151: "Ley General del Sistema Nacional de Bienes Estatales").
There are two kinds of property auctions:
A private treaty sale is where the property is not put into an auction. You can contact the seller or the seller's agent, usually an estate agent, to agree a purchase price.
If there is an estate agent involved, once you have agreed to buy the property you may be required to pay a booking deposit to the estate agent. The legal process to buy the property may only start when the estate agent receives your booking deposit. This deposit is refundable up to the signing of the contract for sale.
Public auctions announcement are published once in the official newspaper "El Peruano" and another newspaper of greater circulation in the region where the auctioned property is located. Additionally, it is published on the entity's website around 20 days before the event.
The seller or the auctioneer set a reserve figure for the property before the auction. This amount is the value that the property must achieve; if it is below this, the property will be withdrawn from the market.
However, the vendor (seller) can withdraw the property, even if it has achieved the reserve figure, anytime during the auction. The vendor can also reserve the right to sell the property before the auction.
Before the auction takes place, your solicitor should check the property contract for sale (issued by the seller's solicitor) and all title documents that are referred to in that contract.
"The committee", a Public Notary and a representative of the Institutional Control Body – OCI, as the observer of the process, always direct the Public Auction.
Once the seller and the buyer agree on price during the public auction, the successful bidder immediately pays a deposit and signs the contract for sale.
Find out more about Public Auctions and its complete regulation on "Subasta púlica de predios Nº 001-2015-MPI" (in Spanish).
Update 7/05/2019
If you want to move money abroad, from Peru or to Peru for example, Fexco provides efficient and secure global bank to bank transfers and bespoke payment solutions for both business and personal clients.
Fexco provides a secure international money transfer service online or by telephone with bank beating fx rates and low fees. Specialises in high-value transfers.
Fexco will help you to keep your overseas money transfer costs to a minimum.
Margin | 0.6% |
---|---|
Regulator | FCA |
Fee | £10 < £5K or Free > £5k |
Mini | £1K |
Ccy | All (130 currencies, incl ‘exotics’) |
Services | Repatriation of funds, Property, Regular payments, High Value payments, spot, online, telephone. |
When you are ready to make your transfer, John and his team will be available to help you with better rates and an unrivalled service to make sure your funds are delivered securely and speedily.