The Miami Association of Realtors is heading to Brazil.

At a Sept. 13-15 Realtor conference and expo in Curitiba, Brazil, MIAMI representatives will be able to network with with 4,000 brokers and investors from around the world, where they can forge stronger connections with a foreign market with which Miami is already closely tied..

Among all foreign countries, Brazilians represent the third-most active buyers in South Florida, according to a survey from the National Association of Realtors. Brazil registered 11 percent of all foreign South Florida deals last year, and as we reported last month, even more significant is the amount they spend.

According to a report from MIAMI: “Brazilians spend the most on South Florida properties among foreign consumers, paying an average of $495,000. On average, Miami’s international buyers paid $444,000 per purchase, compared to $245,000 statewide.”

MIAMI Chief Executive Teresa King Kinney said that what appeals so strongly to Brazil is a combination of the city’s beaches, shopping and restaurants.

“With a growing number of Miami restaurants and retail stores catering to them, Brazilians are increasingly setting up businesses here, developing land and relocating their families.”

A Favored Destination

Miami has long been a favored destination for Brazil’s investor community, but with the reelection of President Dilma Roussef, who’s reputation has been tainted by a stalled economy and allegations of corruption, a number of the country’s biggest spenders are looking to increase their overseas holdings. Of course, Miami is benefiting big.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal earlier this year, Alyce Robertson, executive director of the Miami Downtown Development Authority, affirmed the impact Roussef’s reelection is having on South Florida.

“After the last election, we were talking to a lot of people concerned about getting their capital out of Brazil,” she said, adding that the financial exodus was largely a response to politics.

During the conference, Kinney will be making a presentation on Sept. 15 and, throughout, MIAMI will maintain a 36-square-meter booth, where information and literature about the South Florida market will be available.