New Home Construction Costs

[MCSE]

I agree with you Moore.

In addition, Buenos Aires Provincia it's pretty dangerous and controlled by the corrupt Policia Bonaerense. You only have to read the newspapers daily and you'll see lots of crimes commited in the province.

Suburbs are generally sorounded by "villas miseria", and safety it's a big issue in the provincia. You should add to the cost of construction, all the panaphernalia of security systems and armored car (I'm not kidding) While in some neigborhoods of BA you can buy an entire floor for the same amount. Also, principal attractions of Buenos Aires are placed in the capital (bars, restaurants, boliches, girl boliches, etc.

Finally, if you want to see (many has commented in this forum about working girls buying real estate in the "provincia") what kind of houses you can buy with USD 10k to 20k take a look here http://www.ciarpella.com.ar/Ventas-Casashasta50.htm

[Moore]

That's maybe 1/10th the cost to build such a house in a such a neighborhood just outside of many other world class cities.

Relatively speaking, materials and especially labor are so cheap in Argentina that they might as well be free. When you visit a new US$240k suburban house in Argentina, it is built like a US$10 million house in the USA, albeit not as big. The craftsmanship/materials are outstanding and the solid construction is similar to what you see in old Europe. A hurricane wouldn't take one of these houses down.

However, I don't understand why someone would want to live in the suburbs in BsAs regardless of how nice the house is. It's not like the USA where you have everything you need/want out in the suburbs and maybe only go downtown a few times per year. In BsAs its seems that just about everything is in the city as I suppose it was in USA before WW2.

If you are an American that has spent some time in BsAs and are looking for something a bit closer to your US suburban house/lifestyle, I would suggest looking in one of the large provincial cities like Cordoba, Rosario, or even Mar del Plata. There you can have a good sized house/lot with a pool and you're still only a few miles/minutes out of downtown. These are great places and the real estate is much cheaper than BsAs. When I buy a place in Argentina I will seriously consider these cities.

[Chascomus]

I have lots of people asking me, here's my answer:

To build a home in a gated community near Buenos Aires would cost the following:

Building Lot

If you are looking for a lot, you can find them every so often in the areas from Olivos to San Isidro, otherwise you can choose one in one of the MANY gated communities all along the Panamericans Highway. There must be over 500 gated communities in all each offering different services, but all having in common security guards with private entrances. I talk more about gated communities on my website: www.hereicomeargentina.com

Prices vary, but you can find good lots for: USD $90k

Construction Costs

This cost varies greatly depending on the quality construction you use. If you want to build a good quality home expect to pay around U$650 per sq.meter. If you are thinking of a 3 bedroom home you will need at least 200 sq. meters.

A 200 sq.meter home (2152 sq. ft.) at U$650 per sq.meter would cost USD $130k

Construction Plans

To draw the plans an architect will need to provide over 50 plans of detailed information, (that’s how they work here, very detailed). The cost of a project runs at 5% of the construction costs. For a 200 sq. meter home, the project would cost: USD $6,500

General Contractor “Dirreccion de obra”

You would need to hire a General to direct the construction and NEVER hire anyone related to the construction company. You need someone to supervise and inspect the construction that is on YOUR SIDE and will represent YOUR INTERESTS. The cost of General contracting is 7% of the cost of construction. Your cost: USD $9,100

Total Cost: $235,600 USD

Any questions, just ask: www.hereicomeargentina.com

askpaul@hereicomeargentina. Com