The first message of the biggest purchase

Essential vocabulary

• me pasaron su contacto: I was given your contact The standard referral opener, it tells Andrea you come recommended before you ask for anything.
• estoy buscando: I'm looking for The verb that opens every property conversation; pair it with what and why.
• el departamento / la casa / el terreno: apartment / house / plot of land The three property types Andrea will ask you to choose between in her very first question.
• para vivir / para construir: to live in / to build on Your one-line reason. It changes everything the agent will send you.
• a estrenar / usado: brand-new / previously lived in The first qualifier Andrea asks about, Santa Cruz has a whole market of brand-new towers.
• ¿qué me recomienda ver?: what do you recommend I view? The safe way to use her expertise: she recommends what to see; what to buy stays your call.
• no tengo apuro: I'm not in a hurry Setting a calm pace in message one protects you months later, when documents need checking.
• ¿me puede mandar unas opciones?: could you send me some options? The request that starts the flow of listings, by WhatsApp, as compact 'fichas'.

Bolivian Spanish terms

• casa en condominio: house in a gated community The dominant middle-class housing form in Santa Cruz: a house inside a gated 'urbanización cerrada' with security and shared areas, paid for through monthly 'expensas'.
• monoambiente: studio apartment Same word whether you rent or buy: one integrated living space. A common entry-level purchase in Santa Cruz's new towers.
• lote: plot (usually inside a subdivision) 'Lote' and 'terreno' both mean a plot; 'lote' usually implies a subdivision. Land buying has its own caution questions, a later notebook covers them.

Useful phrases

• Hola, me pasaron su contacto. Estoy buscando [X].: Hello, I was given your contact. I'm looking for [X]. The complete first-message skeleton: referral, then what you're looking for.
• Busco [un departamento / una casa] para vivir.: I'm looking for [an apartment / a house] to live in. Type plus reason in one sentence, the answer to Andrea's first question.
• Prefiero algo a estrenar, si se puede.: I'd prefer something brand-new, if possible. State a preference without demanding it, 'si se puede' keeps the tone warm and the options open.
• ¿Qué me recomienda empezar a ver?: What do you recommend I start viewing? Close your first exchange by inviting her expertise on options, facts to see, never what to buy.

Learn this in the app

Define Your Property Plan in Bolivia, Spanish

More guides from this notebook

• Money as language, not a verdict
• Reading the city the way Andrea does
• Same apartment, three doors in
• The list that filters the search, and the line it was missing
• The reflex that runs the rest of this goal

Words from this guide in the glossary

• casa en condominio: house in a gated community
• monoambiente: studio apartment
• lote: plot (usually inside a subdivision)