Brasil

About Brasil:

Brasil is district number six of Santa Ana canton, created together with the canton in 1907. It borders Pozos to the northeast, Piedades to the south and east and the canton of Mora to the west, while the Virilla separates it from Alajuela to the north. Route 27, the toll highway from San José to the Pacific port of Caldera, crosses the district, and the Radial Colón (Route 22) carries local traffic through it on the way to Ciudad Colón. Buses leave from a terminal in Brasil on two lines to San José, one by the highway and one by the old road through Piedades and Santa Ana centre.

The centre is small and practical. The school, opened in the early 1960s, stands next to the Corazón de Jesús church and its parish hall. Daily shopping happens at Del Río Plaza, and anything bigger means a short drive to Santa Ana centre, Lindora or Escazú, where the office parks and corporate centres of the western Central Valley are. Addresses are given by barrio and landmark in the usual Costa Rican way, and the barrios have names you will see on listings: Copey, Cajetas, Los Ángeles, Las Mesas, Las Promesas and Canjel.

The land drops north toward the Virilla, which runs in a deep canyon along the Alajuela line, and climbs south toward the hills between Santa Ana and Ciudad Colón. The district centre sits at about 880 metres. The canyon slopes are where the risk lies: after a spell of heavy rain, saturated ground on a farm beside the Virilla near Route 27 gave way in a slide covering some five hectares, and the national emergency commission sent geologists to inspect it. Keep that in mind when a lot with a canyon view comes up.

For most of the twentieth century Brasil was a rural hamlet; the 1950 count found 203 people. Growth came with the roads. The population roughly doubled between 1984 and 2000 and kept rising after Route 27 opened in 2010. Buyers now are mostly Central Valley families who want the west-side location without paying Lindora or Escazú prices, renters tend to be professionals working in those office parks, and a smaller group buys hillside homes with generous land.

Houses in Brasil:

Most houses on the market are inside gated condominiums. Parques del Sol has a single controlled entrance, several pools and house models of up to four levels; its homes run to three storeys and around 200 m² built on lots of about 225 m². Families buy there for the security and shared amenities and pay a monthly maintenance fee for them. Beyond the condominiums, the houses for sale in Brasil de Santa Ana include older homes on family lots along the main road and in the barrios, some with an upstairs apartment built to rent out. On the hills, a few large properties pair a big house with gardens and views.

Apartments and Rentals in Brasil:

Here an apartment is mainly something you rent. Condominiums such as LUA Living and Parques del Sol let two-bedroom, two-bathroom units with parking, a pool, a clubhouse and round-the-clock security, with rents set in US dollars. Independent apartments, often an upper floor over the owner’s house behind an electric gate, come in cheaper and simpler. Condominium houses are also offered to let, usually unfurnished, with three bedrooms and a private garden. Demand comes from people who work in Santa Ana, Lindora and Escazú and would rather not drive in from San José.

Land and Lots in Brasil:

The clearest land offer is in small residential condominiums. Altana, close to Del Río Plaza, is a gated project of just 36 flat lots of roughly 160 to 195 m², each with its own water meter, a shared wastewater treatment plant and a bus stop at the gate. You design and build your own house, within the condominium’s rules as well as the municipal ones. Larger fincas and hillside parcels appear less often, and on those the slope, the access road and the distance from the Virilla’s protected bank count for more than the view. Lots for sale in Brasil are priced in colones or dollars, so compare them in a single currency.

Commercial Space in Brasil:

Del Río Plaza, the district’s shopping centre, leases retail units with ample parking and 24-hour security. Its tenants, a convenience supermarket, a pharmacy, a bank, a laboratory, a pizzeria and beauty services, show what works here: everyday services for the condominiums around it. Expect a neighbourhood market built on residents rather than passing trade.

FAQ:

• Is Brasil de Mora part of Mora or of Santa Ana?

  Santa Ana. The district is often called Brasil de Mora because it runs right up to Ciudad Colón, and some condominium addresses even give Ciudad Colón as the town, but it belongs to Santa Ana canton. That decides where you deal with land-use certificates, building permits and property tax, so check that the plano catastrado places the property in Brasil, Santa Ana before you sign.

• What should I look out for on a lot near the Virilla canyon?

  Start with the slope. The canyon walls get waterlogged in a hard rainy season, and a slide on the Virilla bank here has already carried away about five hectares of a farm. Find out how much of the lot falls inside the river protection strip where you cannot build, get the uso de suelo certificate, and pull the title and plan from the Registro Nacional (Registro Inmobiliario) to confirm the area and boundaries you are being shown.

• Can I get to San José by bus?

  Yes. Two lines start from the terminal in Brasil: one goes by the highway and the other by the old road through Piedades and Santa Ana centre. Allow extra time at rush hour.

• What currency are rents and sale prices in?

  Condominium rents are quoted in US dollars. Sale prices for houses and lots appear in either colones or dollars, sometimes both, so convert before you compare two properties.

• Can I build my own house on a condominium lot?

  Yes. Projects like Altana sell flat lots ready to build on, and you choose the design. Plans have to meet the condominium’s internal rules and get a permit from the Municipality of Santa Ana, and it pays to confirm the monthly fee and whether water and sewage hook-ups are already in place for your lot.