Lead guide · PDF
Buenos Aires Property Buyer / Reno Guide
The practical file for foreigners buying a home or an investment apartment in the City of Buenos Aires, and for owners about to renovate one.
Who it is for
For foreigners buying or renovating in earnest. Any serious purchase qualifies.
- You live abroad and are serious about an apartment or house in CABA.
- You already own and are about to open a wall, a kitchen, or a damp room.
- You want the Spanish-language process in plain English before you pay a professional.
Who should skip it
- You want someone to choose the apartment and buy it for you.
- You want a legal opinion on your specific deed. Hire an escribano or lawyer for that.
- You are looking for listings, tours, or a mortgage broker.
What’s inside
- 01What you can settle from abroad, and what has to happen in the city
- 02The purchase sequence: reserva, boleto de compraventa, escritura
- 03The escribano’s role, and how buyers actually choose one
- 04Tax ID for foreign buyers (CDI / CUIT), and why a closing waits on it
- 05Reading a listing: expensas, ABL, square metres, a cochera, and what is left out
- 06Title and building checks: dominio, inhibiciones, debts, reglamento
- 07Money: dollar list prices, peso costs, and authorized channels
- 08Closing costs: the categories to budget, and who usually pays which
- 09Older buildings: humidity, installations, and the consorcio
- 10Renovation: scope, sequence, gas and electrical sign-off, timeline
- 11Professionals, and how their fees are usually structured
- 12Red flags and a checklist before money moves
How a purchase actually runs
Listings are usually priced in US dollars. A reservation (reserva) takes the apartment off the market. The boleto is the purchase agreement. The escritura is the deed, signed before an escribano, who is the notary public, not your agent.
Foreign buyers normally need an Argentine tax ID before that deed can be signed. Some steps can start while you are abroad. The deed itself is signed in person or through a power of attorney. The guide walks through both, including powers of attorney that are drafted for the seller’s convenience rather than yours.
Apartments are quoted in dollars. Many taxes, notary costs, and building charges are in pesos. The guide explains the categories. Move funds through authorized channels, and have a local accountant tell you the current path. The file does not suggest the informal market.
Renovation, without the brochure
A “light renovation” in a 1930s building often means humidity in the medianera, tired electrical, and gas work that needs a licensed fitter and a sign-off. Expensas, the monthly building fees, do not pay for the inside of your apartment. The consorcio, the building association, cares about the facade, the roof, and anything that touches a neighbour.
The guide is a scope and sequencing briefing: what to ask an architect, what to budget as categories rather than a fantasy number, and why you should not plan to live in the unit during heavy works.
Not a law firm. Figures, stamp tax, and building rules change. The guide tells you what to re-confirm with your escribano and accountant on the week you instruct them. It is not a substitute for that instruction.
Questions buyers ask
Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Buenos Aires?
In general, yes for urban residential property. Your nationality, marital property regime, and how you will hold title can change the paperwork. The guide explains the usual path and the point at which the escribano has to confirm your case.
Do I have to be in the city to buy?
You can start remotely. The escritura is signed in Argentina, by you or by someone holding a power of attorney that your escribano is willing to work with. The guide covers what people try to sign from abroad, and what usually fails.
Will this tell me which apartment to buy?
No. It tells you how to read a listing and how to check a building. It is not a search service and it does not recommend specific units.
Is the file a PDF?
Yes. After payment you receive a download link by email. Keep the file. It is yours.
Do I need to speak Spanish?
You can buy without being fluent. The escribano and the inmobiliaria will often work in Spanish, and the documents will be in Spanish. This guide is the English map of that process, including the words you will see on paper.