OUR SERVICES

Travel Buenos Aires [TBA] does four important things for investors:

1. We will custom make a property portfolio in tune with your needs before you even arrive in the City.
2. We will assist in every phase of the purchasing process.
3. We will provide good contacts for renovations.
4. We will manage your property when you are not in the country.

We will acquaint you with the city's neighborhood and advise you on the investment potential for each area. After you fill out our comprehensive questionnaire and we speak with you directly we will be able to assess your needs and offer you the advice you need before you purchase.

San Telmo is charming and atmospheric as the City's oldest neighborhood. Many of the buildings are over eighty years old and in need of restration. This is quite an opportunity for investors, however, there are potential risks. In spite of San Telmo's charm and popularity with visiting foreigners and Argentines alike, it is still seen as an 'iffy' barrio in terms of safety, cleanliness and investment potential. Property prices are lower than in the northern zones of the city and thus make an attractive option for investors. Because of San Telmo's great potential and current low property values I would classify it as a high risk, high return neighborhood.

Argentina has seen constant political, social and economic upheaval in the last century. Even in the last twenty years. So no one has a good answer to the question: Can real estate values hold up in an unforeseen crisis? However, we can say that as a rule the first property values to get hit are in more questionable parts of town, while the Northern Barrios tend to hold steady, like Recoleta, Retiro and Palermo. Also when the economy begins doing well as it has over the past years, the Northern Barrios are the first to recover the value and continue upward. For these reasons we rate Recoleta , Retiro and Palermo as stable and desirable neighborhoods for investment.

When you arrive in Argentina we will already have a number of hand picked properties waiting for you to visit. These properties will be chosen according to the information we receive about your needs and wants. We will take you on a city tour and visit up to eight properties in a day.

Ok, you have found your perfect property. You are ready to make an offer. Now how do you get from liking a property to owning it?

Well, one of the most common questions the agents will ask you as you get closer to buying a property is, "How are you getting your money into the country?" As you probably have already heard or read this can be quite an important issue. If you don't have a bank account in Argentina then how can you get money here? Well there are several ways. You can carry it directly from your bank abroad into Argentina. This is not recommended. You can use a friend's or family member's bank account. This is not recommended by me, but could work depending on your circumstances. What I recommend to people is that they use a reliable Exchange House. We work with one that charges about 2% after converting money into pesos and back to dollars.

You will also need an escribano. If you do not know of one, we will recommend ours and you can be assured of getting a quality professional who charges Argentine rates.

Now you have your dream apartment. But it’s in a state of disaster.  Every room needs complete renovation.  Who do you call? Well the answer is not to call the big companies that advertise in English.  The last thing you want to do is hire an architect because he speaks English.  You will pay a tremendous premium for this convenience.

In order to get the most value out of your investment you need to recycle the property for the best price by the best people. If you pay $15,000 for a job that could be done for $4500 then you have just destroyed the near and far term value increase of your apartment. Indeed it is vital you choose carefully and well when choosing your renovation crew.

Also, something to consider when renovating is simplicity.  Interesting brick arches, lights embedded in ceilings and shelves built in to walls may all sound like appealing improvements, but when selling time comes they may become costly liabilities when potential buyers see them as something other than beautiful additions to the property.  So simplicity reigns in my opinion.  Make improvements that are universal: quality paint jobs, repaired and replaced tiles, plastification of wood floors, shaky loft staircases replaced and anything else that will improve the over-all quality of your apartment without dramatically effecting the structure and appearance of it. Go with a good architect and you will be grateful.  Ask us and we’ll recommend ours.  He renovated our apartments at a great price and did good and fast work.

***You can see the before-after photos of our apartment as an example. Go to [Introduction] page.

The most common idea investors have is flipping.  They come down to Buenos Aires, find a great old apartment in need of serious work, they buy it, renovate it, sell it and presto they have made a nice turn of profit.

But the other thinking is to buy for renting.  When you buy a nice place in Barrio Norte and equip well with quality amenities: internet connection, TV, DVD, washing machine, comfortable bed, nice furniture, attractive decor and well-equipped kitchen, you will have no trouble whatsoever in renting out your apartment.

This is when location becomes very important for your investment.  A spectacular penthouse in Flores will go vacant for months while a cramped little studio in Recoleta will see 80-90% occupancy rates through the year.  If your plan is to rent your property at a premium to foreigners visiting the City for short periods of time, then definitely think carefully about where you buy.

For the moment Recoleta can’t be beat for location.  Every foreigner who arrives in the city heads directly there.  It is a clean, prosperous, safe and attractive neighborhood.  Still many others head to San Telmo as it is seen as the most charismatic and reasonably priced area of the city.  Whatever you choose always keep in mind: LOCATION!

If you want to buy and then rent your apartment to visiting foreigners then TBA will assist you in managing the property.  This would include meeting customers and bringing them to the apartment as well as handling the myriad problems that can arise when someone rents on a short-term basis: lost keys, broken appliances, internet connection problems and a million other little things that can and do come up.  We will be your liaison to the client while you are out of the country.

We have no arrangements with any contractors nor agents, and thus no vested interests in any of the businesses to whom we make referrals. We are here only to assist you and provide you with any and all needed information. Let us help you navigate the labyrinth of the Buenos Aires real estate market.