Comparing service proposals for a R$6.72m São Paulo duplex

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I’m comparing proposals for a São Paulo duplex priced around R$6,720,000, and the cheapest leaves several tasks outside its fee. Different firms are using “property management” for very different services: some handle negotiation and document coordination, while others effectively stop at the introduction.

What should be included in writing for a buyer or owner at this level? I want clear response times, transparent extras, evidence of relevant local experience, and one person accountable from offer through closing. Practical Brazilian examples would help more than a broad sales pitch.

 

[plantsAndRidge]

Make each firm separate acquisition support from ongoing property management. For the purchase phase, I would expect a written task list, named contact, response and escalation times, responsibility for coordinating documents, and a clear explanation of every excluded or third-party cost. Otherwise the low fee is not genuinely comparable—the omitted work may simply return later as extras.

 

[ZaneGray]

Are you buying it to occupy, or do you also need letting and maintenance after closing? That changes the answer. I’d be wary of paying a continuing management fee for work that is really transaction coordination.

Also, “local expertise” needs evidence. Ask for anonymised examples of how they handled similar São Paulo transactions, exactly which parts they performed, and references you can verify independently. A polished list of contacts alone does not show who takes responsibility when a deadline is missed.

 

[drawTheSparrow]

I’d send every bidder the same one-page table and require “included,” “extra cost,” or “not offered” beside each task: negotiation, document coordination, deadline tracking, specialist liaison, progress updates, closing handover and any post-closing management. Add the promised reply time and the fallback if the named contact is unavailable.

Then compare the likely total cost, not the headline fee. Before signing, an independent Brazilian property lawyer can clarify which transaction responsibilities should remain outside the service agreement and whether the accountability wording actually protects you.