Argentina Real Estate Information Mendoza Informacion Inmobiliaria

Our Mission: To provide the most reliable and comprehensive advice and services for individuals, families, or companies searching for that ideal property that will meet their investment, retirement, or lifestyle needs....and then our team is on-site to develop and manage their chosen project.

1) You tell us your specific interests and goals. We provide you with details of properties we have listed, or properties we have in development, that meets your needs. If we do not have properties in our inventory that are suitable, we have property scouting services available. We will discuss your specific interests with you, and then look for properties that meet your requirements. At times, there is a charge for this service. If charges apply, a detailed costing Excel will be provided in advance. Reports will be sent to you on our progress, and will include details of properties and property photos.

2) Once a client has narrowed down the search, and is interested in a particular property, we will provide additional detailed information that can include site map and plan, soil and water sample studies, water rights information, title information, access information, recommendation for best use of property, etc.

3) Once a property is chosen, and we negotiate a final price, and initiate the legal paperwork. The client has the right to choose the escribano/notary that will be responsible for the legal and title paperwork throughout the purchasing process. SCL can provide their escribano for this process, or recommend others, and the client can choose one.

4) When price and terms are agreed, the chosen escribano prepares a Contrato de Compraventa, which is the contract to buy a property. An escribano is a notary/lawyer who specializes in real estate transactions. During this phase SCL can also assist clients with other preliminary, but very important paperwork, that includes obtaining a CDI, executing an administrative Power of Attorney, opening a bank account, beginning the formation of an Argentine corporation, etc. A closing cost worksheet is also prepared and presented to the buyer during this process.

5) The SCL client/buyer signs the Contrato de Compraventa. Upon signing the buyer normally pays 50% of the full purchase price, and the buyer receives possession of the property. Different terms can be negotiated in any deal, but this is standard practice. A sena, a down payment of 10% is another customary option. The buyer signs the Compraventa, pays 10%, then in 30 days, the next 40% which delivers possession, and then in another 30 to 45 days, the final 50%. It is also customary to pay the real estate commission at the time of paying the down payment. In Argentina, the buyer pays a 3% commission on the total purchase price, and the seller pays a 3% commission. (Different than in the States where the seller pays the entire commission.)

6) After signing the Contrato de Compraventa, it takes between 30 and 45 days to complete the preliminary paperwork in the government offices.....also, during this time the AFIP (Argentina's IRS) sets the legal (taxable) value of the property in conjunction with the escribano in charge of the sale.

7) When the AFIP value and government paperwork is complete, the buyer signs the escritura (this is the title in the name of the buyer), and pays the final 50% of the purchase price along with their share of the legal and closing fees. (Note: A foreign buyer needs a CDI number and clave fiscal (a tax ID number), to own property in Argentina. Property can be in the name of the buyer once the CDI is obtained. SCL can facilitate a client’s CDI number in one day).

8) When the escritura is signed, the escribano sends the completed paperwork to the Office of Registro. It takes about 60 days for the Registro to complete all paperwork and give final title to the owner. This is called perfect title. (Note: In the areas of Zona Fronterra, titles can be imperfect or provisional, until the Zona Fronterra process is complete. More information is available separately on the subject of Zona Fronterra.)

More information reading our FAQs page.

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic (Spanish: República Argentina, IPA: [reˈpuβlika aɾxenˈtina], Nación Argentina (Argentine Nation) for many legal purposes), is a South American country, second in size in the continent to Brazil and eighth in the world. Argentina occupies a continental surface area of 2,766,890 km² (1,078,000 sq mi) between the Andes mountain range in the west and the southern Atlantic Ocean in the east and south. It is bordered by Paraguay and Bolivia in the north, Brazil and Uruguay in the northeast, and Chile in the west and south. The country claims the British controlled territories of the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Under the name of Argentine Antarctica, it claims 969,464 km² (374,312 sq mi) of Antarctica, overlapping other claims made by Chile and the United Kingdom.

Mendoza City: The capital of Mendoza Province. As per the 2001 census [INDEC] it has about 111,000 inhabitants, plus 848.660 in its metropolitan area, making it the fourth-largest urban area in Argentina. On a major highway between Argentina and Chile, it is a frequent stopover for climbers heading up Aconcagua (the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere) or for other mountaineering, hiking, horseback riding, rafting, and outdoor activities. In the winter, skiers come to the city for its easy access to the Andes. One of the main industries of the Mendoza area is wine making. Another large industry is olive oil production. Mendoza has very dry summers with wetter winters. Average temperatures for January (summer) are 35 °C (95 °F) during daytime, and 23 °C (73 °F) at night. For July (winter), the average temperatures are 12 °C (53 °F) and 3 °C (38 °F), respectively.

The grape harvest is marked each year by the Vendimia festival, taking place in early March, in which 17 beauty queens (one for each provincial department) are nominated, and one winner is selected by a panel of about 50 judges. The queen from Mendoza City cannot be chosen because she acts as host for all other queens. Mendoza City proper does not have vineyards. Mendoza has an intense cultural activity, and the city is a main center for professional congresses and meetings. There are several museums, the main ones being the Museo Cornelio Moyano (a natural history museum) and the Museo del Área Fundacional (Foundation Area Museum, historical). In Maipú, 15 km southeast from Mendoza, there is the Museo Nacional del Vino (National Wine Museum), which focuses on the history of winemaking in the area. In Mayor Drummond, 14 km south from Mendoza, there is the Emiliano Guiñazú - Casa de Fader art museum, hosted in an 1890 mansion where many walls have paintings by the artist Fernando Fader.

Argentine wine, as with some aspects of Argentine cuisine, has its roots in Spain. During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, Juan Cedrón (or Cidrón) brought the first vine cuttings to Santiago del Estero in 1557, and the cultivation of the grape and wine production stretched first to neighboring regions, and then to other parts of the country. Argentine winemakers have traditionally been more interested in quantity than quality and the country consumes 90% of the wine it produces (45 liters a year per capita according to 2006 figures). However, the desire to increase exports fueled significant advances in quality. Argentine wines started being exported during the 1990s, and are currently growing in popularity. The devaluation of the Argentine peso in 2002, following the economic collapse, further fueled the industry as production costs decreased and tourism significantly increased, giving way to a whole new concept of wine tourism in Argentina. The past years have seen the birth of numerous tourist-friendly wineries with free tours and tastings. Some wineries even provide accommodations (such as is the case of Salentein or Tapiz) for tourists interested in staying in boutique hotels specifically oriented towards wine-tourism. The Mendoza Province is now one of Argentina's top tourist destinations and the one which has grown the most in the past years. Argentina is the largest wine producer in South America and the 5th largest in the world, with over 1,200 million liters (2003), and the 13th largest exporter in the world (431 million USD in 2005). Argentina probably produces the best Malbec. Ironically, in the 1980s, Argentina almost gave up on the grape through government vine pull schemes. Due to the high altitude and low humidity of the main wine producing regions, Argentine vineyards rarely face the problems of insects, fungi, moulds and other diseases that affect grapes in other countries. This permits cultivating with little or no pesticides, allowing even organic wines to be easily produced.

There are many different varieties of grapes cultivated in Argentina, reflecting her many immigrant groups. The French brought Auxerrois, which became known as Malbec, which makes most of Argentina's best known wines. The Italians brought vines that they called Bonarda, although Argentine Bonarda appears to be the Corbeau of Savoie, also known as Charbono in California, which may be related to Dolcetto. It has nothing in common with the light fruity wines made from Bonarda Piemontese in Piedmont.Torrontés is another typically Argentine grape and is mostly found in the provinces of La Rioja, San Juan, and Salta. It is a member of the Malvasia group that makes aromatic white wines. It has recently been grown in Spain. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay and other international favorites are becoming more widely planted, but some varieties are cultivated characteristically in certain areas.

Politics: Argentina's political framework is a federal presidential representative democratic republic, in which the President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government, complemented by a pluriform multi-party system. The current president (2007) is Néstor Kirchner, with Daniel Scioli as vice president. The Argentine Constitution of 1853 mandates a separation of powers into executive, legislative, and judicial branches at the national and provincial level. Executive power resides in the President and his cabinet. The President and Vice President are directly elected to four-year terms, limited to two consecutive terms, and the cabinet ministers are appointed by the president. Legislative power is vested in the bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Nación, consisting of a Senate (Senado) of seventy-two seats, and a Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) of 257 members. Senators serve six-year terms, with one-third standing for reelection every two years. Members of the Chamber of Deputies are directly elected to four-year term via a system of proportional representation, with half of the members of the lower house being elected every two years. A third of the candidates presented by the parties must be women. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The Argentine Supreme Court of Justice has seven members who are appointed by the President in consultation with the Senate. The rest of the judges are appointed by the Council of Magistrates of the Nation, a secretariat composed of representatives of judges, lawyers, the Congress, and the executive (see Law of Argentina).

Foreign Relations: Argentina is a member of Mercosur, an international bloc which has some legislative supranational functions. Mercosur is composed of five full members: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela. It has five associate members without full voting rights: Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Argentina was the only country from Latin America to participate in the 1991 Gulf War under mandate of the United Nations. It was also the only Latin American country involved in every phase of the Haiti operation. Argentina has contributed worldwide to peacekeeping operations, including in El Salvador-Honduras-Nicaragua, Guatemala, Ecuador-Peru, Western Sahara, Angola, Kuwait, Cyprus, Croatia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Timor Leste. In recognition of its contributions to international security, U.S. President Bill Clinton designated Argentina as a major non-NATO ally in January 1998. In 2005, it was elected as a temporary member of the UN Security Council. In 1993, Argentina launched the United Nations White Helmets indicative of humanitarian aid. On November 4-November 5, 2005, the Argentine city of Mar del Plata hosted the Fourth Summit of the Americas. This summit was marked by a number of anti-U.S. protests. As of 2006, Argentina has been emphasizing Mercosur as its first international priority; by contrast, during the 1990s, it relied more heavily on its relationship with the United States. Argentina has long claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), the South Shetland Islands, the South Sandwich Islands and almost 1 million km² in Antarctica, between the 25°W and the 74°W meridians and the 60°S parallel. For more than a century, there has been an Argentine presence at the Orcadas Base. Argentina is a founding signatory and permanent consulting member of the Antarctic Treaty System and the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat is established in Buenos Aires. [5]

Economy: Argentina benefits from abundant natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. The country once had a large middle class compared to other Latin American countries, but this segment of the population has been decimated by a succession of economic crises. Today, while a significant segment of the population is still financially well-off, they stand in sharp contrast with the millions who have seen their purchasing power drastically reduced. Since 2002, there has been an improvement in the situation of the poorer sectors and a strong rebound of the middle class. From the late 1970s the country piled up public debt and was plagued by bouts of high inflation. In 1991, the government pegged the peso to the U.S. dollar and limited the growth in the money supply. It then embarked on a path of trade liberalization, deregulation and privatization. Inflation dropped and gross domestic product grew, but external economic shocks and failures of the system diluted benefits, causing the economy to crumble slowly from 1995 until the collapse in 2001. By 2002, Argentina had defaulted on its debt, its GDP had shrunk, unemployment was more than 25%, and the peso had depreciated 75% after being devalued and floated. However, careful spending control and heavy taxes on then-soaring exports allowed the state to regain resources and conduct monetary policy. In 2003, import substitution policies and soaring exports, coupled with lower inflation and expansive economic measures, triggered a surge in the GDP. This was repeated in 2004 and 2005, creating millions of jobs and encouraging internal consumption. Capital flight decreased, and foreign investment slowly returned. An influx of foreign currency from exports created a huge trade surplus. The Central Bank was forced to buy dollars from the market, and continues to do so from time to time to prevent the Argentine peso from appreciating significantly and cutting competitiveness. The situation by 2006 was further improved. The economy grew 8.8% in 2003, 9.0% in 2004, 9.2% in 2005 and 2006 was on the same track (predictions are between 8.5% and 9.0%), though inflation, estimated at around 12 to 15% (official numbers are 9.8% for 2006), has become an issue again, and income distribution is still considerably unequal.[22][23]

Climate: Because of longitudinal and elevation amplitudes, Argentina is subject to a variety of climates. As a rule, the climate is predominantly temperate with extremes ranging from subtropical in the north to subpolar in the far south. The north of the country is characterized by very hot, humid summers with mild drier winters, and is subject to periodic droughts. Central Argentina has hot summers with thunderstorms (in western Argentina producing some of the world's largest hail), and cool winters. The southern regions have warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall, especially in mountainous zones. Higher elevations at all latitudes experience cooler conditions. The hottest and coldest temperature extremes recorded in South America have occurred in Argentina. A record high temperature of 49.1°C (120.4 °F), was recorded at Villa de María, Córdoba on January 2, 1920. The lowest temperature recorded was −39.0 °C (−38.2 °F) at Valle de los Patos Superior, San Juan, July 17, 1972. Major winds in Argentina include the cool Pampero blowing on the flat plains of Patagonia and the Pampas after a cold front; the Viento Norte, a warm wind that can blow from the north in mid and late winter creating mild conditions; and the Zonda, a hot and dry wind (see also Föhn wind), affecting west-central Argentina. Squeezed of all moisture during the 6,000 meter descent from the Andes, Zonda winds can blow for hours with gusts up to 120 km/h, fueling wildfires and causing damage. When the Zonda blows (June-November), snowstorms and blizzard (viento blanco) conditions usually affect the higher elevations. The Sudestada (literally “southeastern”) could be considered similar to the Noreaster, though snowfall is rarely involved (but is not unprecedented). Both are associated with a deep winter low pressure system. The sudestada usually moderates cold temperatures but brings very heavy rains, rough seas, and coastal flooding. It is most common in late autumn and winter along the coasts of central Argentina and in the Río de la Plata estuary. The southern regions, particularly the far south, experience long periods of daylight from November to February (up to nineteen hours), and extended nights from May to August. All of Argentina uses UTC-3 time zone. The country does not observe daylight saving time.

Language and Religion: The official language of Argentina is Spanish, usually called "Castellano" (Castilian) by Argentines. Argentines are predominantly religious. Around 93% declare themselves Roman Catholic according to different surveys, though most are not practicing; the Church estimates an affiliation of 70%.[52][53] According to the Constitution, the Argentine government should support Roman Catholicism. However, this does not imply that it is the official religion of the Argentine Republic, nor does it imply that people working in the government should have this faith.

Education: After independence, Argentina constructed a national public education system in comparison to other nations, placing the country high up in the global rankings of literacy. Today the country has a literacy rate of 97.5%.

Holidays: Public holidays include most of the Catholic holidays, though holidays of other faiths are respected. The main historic holidays include the anniversaries of the May Revolution (May 25), the Independence Day (July 9), National Flag day (June 20), and the death of national hero José de San Martín (August 17). Argentines celebrate religious holidays more festively than national holidays, using the latter for leisure time or to do household repairs. On Christmas Eve, the extended family gathers at 9 p.m. for dinner, music, and often dancing. Candies are served just before midnight, when fireworks displays begin. The evening also includes opening gifts from Papá Noel (Father Christmas). New Year's Day is marked with fireworks as well. Other holidays include Good Friday and Easter; Labor Day (1 May); Anniversary of the May Revolution (25 May); Malvinas Day (2 April); Flag Day (20 June); Independence Day (9 July); Death of General José de San Martín, who is known as “the liberator” of Peru, Chile, and Argentina for his defeat of the Spanish in 1812 (17 August.); Student Day (21 September—first day of spring, marked by students gathering in parks for picnics and soccer); and Columbus Day (12 October). In 2006, Memory Day (24 March) was established to remember the Dirty War.

Interesting Facts: 1) Five different Argentines have won the Nobel Prize (for Chemistry, Medicine and Peace)[71]. 2) The city of La Plata was the first in South America with electric street illumination.[72] 3) The Buenos Aires Subway was the first built in Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere[73] 4) The city of Mendoza is one of the eight wine capitals of the world.[74] 5) Argentines have the highest consumption in the world of red meat.[75]

For information on all things Argentina, we recommend you visit the Wikipedia web site, and browse away.

More information reading our FAQs page.