Remax, Datagro launch rural real estate venture in Brazil - Valor International

Brazil’s agricultural land market remains largely informal, with transactions often conducted in soybean sacks and lacking standardized metrics such as price per square meter, common in urban areas. Aiming to bring structure to this vast yet fragmented sector, agribusiness consultancy Datagro and real estate franchise network Remax have launched a joint venture to expand and professionalize their presence in the farmland market—an industry of trillions of reais annually.

The new company, Remax Agro, will provide comprehensive diagnostics of rural properties for sale, offering analyses on agricultural suitability, infrastructure, water resources and usage rights, logistics, as well as environmental and legal aspects.

“Our expertise allows us to assess land from multiple technical and regulatory dimensions,” said Carolina Troster, partner at Datagro Financial. She noted that entering the land market more actively broadens the firm’s consulting scope. “We’ve participated in farm transactions through M&A deals, but lacked the sales force we’ll now have through the joint venture,” she added. Over the past five years, Datagro has assisted in the negotiation of 230,000 hectares of land.

The value of the joint venture investment was not disclosed, but ownership will be equally divided between the partners.

According to Alexandre Trevisan, head of Remax’s agribusiness division, the company brings its expertise in structuring complex real estate transactions, credit and liquidity analysis, and the broad reach of its more than 600 franchises across Brazil.

Remax aims for rural property transactions to represent 25% of its Brazilian revenue in the medium term. In 2024, this segment generated R$200 million in General Sales Value (VGV)—still a small share of Remax Brasil’s total VGV, which exceeded R$12.5 billion. The company expects to reach R$14 billion in 2025.

The partnership will also involve certifying and training brokers to work specifically in the rural sector. Even before the joint venture was officially established, 40 professionals from 13 states had already received training to broker farmland deals.

“We created the agribusiness division within Remax two years ago after identifying opportunities in this market. But we still lacked the technical depth Datagro brings,” said Mr. Trevisan, who is an agronomist.

Despite the recent drop in soybean and cattle prices, which has dampened producers’ interest in buying land, the executives view the current moment as a market correction with recovery potential in the medium term. “Right now, there are more sellers than buyers, but there’s room for a rebound,” Mr. Trevisan said.

Regions producing sugarcane and coffee—such as São Paulo and Minas Gerais—have seen above-average land appreciation, thanks to recent price increases for these commodities.

Another growth driver is the rise of investment funds in agribusiness supply chains (Fiagro), whose net assets have grown 315% in the past two years, reaching R$ 42 billion, according to Anbima, Brazil’s financial and capital markets association.

“There was a recent crisis in the sector that drove investors away from agribusiness. But after that initial shock, we see room to attract those looking for portfolio diversification, inflation protection, and long-term appreciation,” said Ms. Troster.

Remax Agro is also eyeing opportunities in neighboring countries such as Paraguay and Uruguay, where Brazilian farmers have been expanding their operations.