The Red Book

Buying property in Paraguay is one of the better decisions a lot of foreigners make. It is also where most of them get caught out.

Matt Johnson has assessed property risk in Paraguay since 2013, and he wrote this book for a single reason: almost every serious problem a foreign buyer runs into here was avoidable, if only they’d known what to look for before they signed or put any money down.

Buying property in Paraguay is risky. Owning it is not. The risk lives entirely in the purchase process.

That’s his line on it, and it’s the one we quote most. Get that part right and the rest looks after itself.

The Red Book walks you through it in plain language - how title actually works here, the checks worth doing before any money moves, the traps that catch newcomers, and the questions a careful buyer should be asking. No jargon. No sales pitch. Just what you’d want a knowledgeable friend to tell you before you started.

It is worth reading whether you’re weeks away from buying or still deciding whether Paraguay is for you at all. Read it first. It has already saved a good number of foreign buyers from expensive mistakes.