In this week’s Your Overseas Dream Home Digest…
- Boots on the Ground in Mexico City
- VIDEO: International Living’s Jen Stevens and I Talk Cabo
- Special Cabo Report: Where Desert, Sea, and Opportunity Converge
- WATCH: How a Single Property Can Unlock a Life of Perpetual Travel
- What If Your Next Home Was a Castle in Italy?
- Your Questions Answered on Dual Citizenship in Portugal
Today’s digest comes to you from Mexico City.
I’m here mixing business and pleasure. I’ve come to attend a wedding. And since this city sits at the nexus of economic activity in Mexico, I’m also taking the opportunity to connect with developers and hear about their future plans in destinations on my beat like Los Cabos…Playa del Carmen on the Riviera Maya…and Puerto Escondido on the Pacific coast.
Between meetings and celebrations, I’ve also been carving out time to scout this city’s transformation.
Once a place people avoided, Mexico City has quietly evolved into one of the hottest city destinations in the world. This is a sprawling metropolis of more than 23 million people, but what stands out today isn’t the scale—it’s the energy.
Wealth is flowing into Mexico’s capital, imbuing the city with a new vitality. You see evidence of this everywhere.
Revitalized public parks. A dining scene that now rivals the best anywhere. Striking architecture that layers pre-Hispanic history, colonial grandeur, and contemporary skyscrapers into a single urban fabric. It’s an exciting and dynamic place to spend time.
But today, a run-through of the incredible opportunities we’ve been diving into recently—from the desert-meets-ocean grandeur of Cabo…to castle living in Italy… to a reader question about dual citizenship in Portugal.
Let’s dig in…
I’m in Mexico City meeting developers based in the metropolis…
VIDEO: International Living’s Jen Stevens and I Talk Cabo
I recently sat down to record a video call with International Living Executive Editor Jennifer Stevens about a place that I’ll soon be returning to later this month: Los Cabos.
I divide my life between bases all over the world—in my homeland of Ireland, Portugal’s Silver Coast, the historic town of Caminha on Portugal’s northern border with Spain, the booming city of Guadalajara…
But when winter rolls around every year, there’s one place that’s non-negotiable in my calendar. That’s Cabo.
As part of a new series of interviews on International Living’s YouTube channel, Jen and I discuss why Cabo has become a key winter base for me—and why I own more real estate there than anywhere else on our beat.
We also discuss why—thanks to the way I’ve set things up—spending time in Cabo doesn’t cost me a dime. In fact, I get paid to live the Cabo lifestyle. I explain all in the video. Check it out on YouTube below.
Cabo is a real estate market I live and breathe like no other, as I discuss with International Living Executive Editor Jen Stevens. Click to view…
Special Report—Cabo: Where Desert, Sea, and Opportunity Converge
If you’re intrigued by Cabo after watching the video and want to learn more, my team and I have prepared a special report on this incredible destination. It’s called Cabo: Where Desert, Sea, and Opportunity Converge and you can read it for free.
It’s an added benefit to you as a reader of Your Overseas Dream Home.
In the report, we chart the transformation of Cabo from a remote outpost with nothing but a tuna cannery to Hollywood’s secret playground…and then to a leader in global luxury, home to lavish 5-star resorts and multi-million-dollar homes.
You’ll also discover the incredible lifestyle in Cabo, how it’s become a natural satellite of the Californian market, and how I’ve consistently been able to find stunning off-market deals here for members of my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group.
Starting reading the report here.
With nine months of perfect weather, Cabo is a place that boasts inherent appeal.
VIDEO: How a Single Overseas Property Can Unlock a Life of Perpetual Travel
When I return to Cabo later this month, I won’t be staying in my condo in the Copala community there since it’s currently rented out. I won’t be staying in a hotel or an Airbnb either.
I’ve got other accommodations lined up and they won’t cost me a dime…thanks to house-swapping.
Earlier in the week, I shared an update on my house-swapping journey. Recently, a French family has been staying in my condo on Portugal’s Silver Coast during a quieter period of the year when short-term rental demand is lower. In return, I’m earning points on a house-swapping platform that I’m using for a peak-season stay in a luxury four-bed villa in Cabo later this month.
This isn’t old-fashioned, one-for-one house swapping. It’s using spare capacity in best-in-class real estate to unlock access to exceptional homes around the world.
With this approach, a single best-in-class property in the right destination can deliver more than lifestyle, income, and capital appreciation. It can unlock a life of almost perpetual travel.
In a video conversation with RETA Editorial Director, Ciaran Madden, I share what I’ve learned on my house-swapping journey so far, walking through:
- The platform I’m using and how it offers access to some 350,000 homes.
- How off-season stays can be converted into peak-season luxury elsewhere.
- What this actually costs (it’s surprisingly modest).
Full details in the video here…
In this conversation, I walk through the house-swapping strategy I’m using—how it works, what it costs, and how I’m turning off-season downtime in my real estate into peak-season stays around the world.
What If Your Next Home Was a Castle in Italy?
Here’s a property that might have big house-swapping appeal…
What would you expect to pay for a home inside a stunning 12th-century Italian castle?
High six-figures? Seven figures? That’s the assumption many people might make.
But the reality can be very different. Recently, my team found a fully renovated residence set within a medieval castle in central Italy that we posted on our Your Overseas Dream Home Instagram account. This castle home has thick stone walls. Deep-set windows. A private terrace overlooking a village square. Even a garden—all wrapped inside history that stretches back more than 800 years.
And the asking price is €315,000 (about $367,000)—less than the median price of a U.S. home.
If you’ve ever wondered whether authentic European history is still within reach—or if “castle living” is just a fantasy—this listing may change how you think about overseas real estate.
Learn more about this Italian castle home here .
It’s possible to own a home in a 12th century Italian castle for less than the average home in the U.S.
Your Questions Answered
Have a comment for me or my team? A question about owning overseas? Share it here. I’d love to hear from you. Here’s a question I got from a reader recently…
Steve W. asks: How easy would it be to obtain dual citizenship in Portugal?
Ronan says: Hi Steve, and thanks for your question. Let me start by saying that foreigners can buy real estate in Portugal without restrictions. The country has a welcoming approach to international buyers, and there are no citizenship or residency requirements to purchase property.
Now, if your goal goes beyond owning property and you’d like to obtain dual citizenship, that’s achievable.
For most Americans without Portuguese ancestry, the standard path is naturalization through legal residency. The process is straightforward. You establish legal residency in Portugal and maintain it for five years. During that time, you stay compliant, file what needs to be filed, and meet a basic Portuguese language requirement.
At the end of that five-year period, you’re eligible to apply for Portuguese citizenship—while keeping your U.S. passport.
Portugal is an incredible destination. Its Silver Coast, where I own beachfront real estate, boasts pristine beaches, stunning historic towns and villages, and incredible dining, golf and entertainment options.
Wishing you good real estate investing,
P.S. If you have a question about buying real estate overseas or have suggestions for destinations my team and I should put on our scouting list, drop me a line here.
