Florianópolis experiences a boom in luxury developments

The high-end real estate market in Florianópolis is among the most valued in the country, with the potential for returns above inflation. The city is buzzing with the launch of developments that are increasingly distinctive in terms of luxury, comfort, technology and sustainability.
Its thriving, diversified economy and European-standard HDI (0.847) make the Santa Catarina capital attractive to foreigners and to Brazilians from other regions. The surge in demand, combined with the island’s geographical limitations, was the main driver of the nearly 11% appreciation recorded between February 2022 and the same month in 2023, according to the FipeZap+ Index. With low stock and high liquidity, the Florianópolis real estate market is made up basically of the high-end (above R$ 1 million), luxury (from R$ 1.5 million to R$ 3 million) and super-luxury (above R$ 3 million) segments. The assessment comes from Guilherme Werner, consulting partner at Brain Inteligência Estratégica. “The city has a master plan aimed at preservation and sustainability that limits densification, disorderly speculation and verticalisation. That makes the island a place with little supply and low replacement of new properties, generating scarcity”, he says.

The result, Werner adds, is the shift of new developments towards the seafront. These are developments offering exclusive services and complete leisure infrastructure. The mansion condominiums lining the Florianópolis coast command prices equivalent to those of Rio’s fashionable Zona Sul or São Paulo’s Itaim Bibi: around R$ 50,000 per square metre.
That is the case of the launches by the Habitasul group in partnership with Unique MCA, which are part of the expansion of the planned neighbourhood of Jurerê Internacional. One of them is Puro Brasil Design Living, already under construction and 100% sold, which brings together commercial and residential buildings.
There will be 67 units with two and three suites of 105 to 155 square metres, and penthouses of up to 300 square metres, costing from R$ 25,000 per square metre. The estimated sales value is R$ 300 million, with completion set for 2025. The architectural design is by Arq7, with landscaping by the Burle Marx firm. “Jurerê is recognised worldwide for its beach clubs, hotels and beaches. Puro represents the meeting of architectural sophistication with exuberant nature”,
analyses André Araújo, CEO of Unique.

In the second phase, the expansion of Puro provides for the occupation of 15,000 square metres where a residential condominium and a boutique hotel will be built. There will be suspended mansions of up to 700 square metres, costing from R$ 50,000 per square metre. The sales value is estimated at between R$ 700 million and R$ 800 million.

The developments are part of the plan to expand the planned neighbourhood of Jurerê Internacional over the next two decades. “This new stage will have sustainable buildings and should be implemented by 2035. But occupation will cover only around 11% of the 310-hectare area. The rest will be preserved,” reports Roberto José Mateus, Business Director of the Habitasul group. According to him, the projects call for the use of “eco-friendly” technologies, with rainwater harvesting, solar energy and home automation systems, meeting the public’s demands.

Moradas do Canto, by CFL Participações, for example, is located on a hillside in the Lagoa da Conceição area and will have only three floors with 20 units. According to CEO Luciano Corrêa, it is precisely the commitment to sustainability and environmental preservation that attracts foreign investors and investors from all over the country to Florianópolis. “Property appreciation, quality of life and distinctive projects attract to the city a public with greater investment capacity, interested in both second and primary homes”, says Corrêa.