Bienes Raices

If you're looking for property (real estate) in the Spanish-speaking world, it's worth knowing that it's known as BIENES RAICES (pronounced beey'enn'ess rah'eeces). Even if you don't speak much Español yet, the fact that real-estate agents are under "B" in the telephone directory may be a helpful clue, along with the fact that "for sale" signs say "Se Vende". Many property agents in Panama and property agents in Costa Rica are in phone book under "Bienes Raices".

So, what does "Bienes Raices" mean? Clearly it doesn't literally translate as "property" or "real estate". BIEN translates as "good", so that's a clue. In fact, the "bienes" part translates as "goods", so then what is the meaning of the word "raices". It's not "races", and is nothing to do with race relations or a contest of speed. "Raices" is also seen in Spanish-speaking advertisements for hair dye, referring to the ROOTS of the hair. In the context of land, property, and real-estate, the idea fits alongside property terms such as "inmobiliarias" and "immobilien", meaning un-mobile assets, or which aren't movable. So, "bienes raices" means "unmovable goods" or "goods which are rooted", literally "rooted goods".

Also see language and translation and property agents