In this week’s Your Overseas Dream Home Digest…
- What Will Found in Playa del Carmen
- Why Panama Is Part of My Bigger Plan
- Could Buenos Aires Be One of the Great Real Estate Plays of Our Lifetimes?
- Your Questions Answered on Residency in Uruguay
Greetings from Uruguay…
Atlantic beaches, breezes whistling through pine trees…there’s something about this coastline that reminds me of Portugal.
Plus there’s the safety and stability.
Uruguay is a place I love spending time. But what brings me here on this scouting trip is a transformation I’m tracking on the coastal corridor that runs east of the glamorous resort city of Punta del Este.
For decades, this was a summer playground for affluent Argentines and Brazilians. Packed over Christmas, January, and into February…then quiet for much of the rest of the year.
That’s changing…
More people are coming to live here, including Europeans and North Americans, remote workers, and businesspeople from Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo.
And when a seasonal beach destination starts becoming a place to live year-round, it can have a profound effect on demand for the right real estate.
I’m walking the beaches…crunching the numbers…talking to developers…
Time will tell whether I find an opportunity here to bring to my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group—I’ll keep you posted…
In today’s digest, I explore how Panama is part of my “boundless life” and look at a potential turnaround in neighboring Argentina. First, an update on past RETA deals on the Riviera Maya…
What Will Found in Playa del Carmen
While I’m scouting potential opportunities in Uruguay, Will Robinson has been revisiting past deals in Mexico.
Will is the newest member of my RETA team. His job is to follow up on deals, connect with buyers, and check how things are turning out.
He recently returned to Playa del Carmen, the Caribbean beach city where he lived for more than 15 years.
One stop was the Paravian community, a boutique building of just 54 condos in the city’s Golden Zone—a walkable neighborhood close to 5th Avenue, with cafés, bakeries, and courtyard restaurants.
In June 2022, RETA members could buy luxury boutique studios of 401 square feet from $137,800, and stylish one-bedroom condos from $159,800 to $189,400, depending on size and floor.
Will saw a one-bedroom condo in Paravian listed for $206,293.
Paravian follows the classic RETA recipe: Buy the right real estate in the right location at the right price.
For updates on some of the other communities Will visited in Playa del Carmen, read Thursday’s dispatch here.
Why Panama Is Part of My Bigger Plan
Before flying to Uruguay, I spent time in Panama—walking neighborhoods, meeting contacts, and seeing firsthand how the country is moving upmarket.
Exceptional restaurants, sophisticated hotels, and world-class tourism experiences are adding to its appeal.
Last weekend, I headed to El Valle de Antón, about an hour and 45 minutes from Panama City. I hiked through lush hills with views toward the Pacific and stayed at La Compañía, a boutique hotel with an extraordinary spa.
I even bumped into a RETA member on the trail who has bought in deals in both Panama and Mexico. You never know where you’ll run into a RETA member…
Panama is also an important part of my own strategy for internationalizing my life—finding the places that work best for my money, how I want to live, and where I want to spend my time.
On this visit, I went to my new bank, set up a Panama corporation to hold some of my real estate, and renewed my cédula, my Panamanian permanent resident card.
The renewal took just nine minutes. The biggest complications? My white shirt…and my hair.
Watch my short residency update here.
Join me outside Panama’s Tribunal Electoral before and after my appointment to renew my residency card.
Could Buenos Aires Be One of the Great Real Estate Plays of Our Lifetimes?
Here in Uruguay, I’m exploring a coast where wealthy Argentines have long come to vacation, buy second homes, and protect their money.
But I’m also watching what happens in Argentina itself.
A hundred years ago, Europeans had a saying: “Rich as an Argentine.” In 1914, when Harrods opened its first store outside Britain, it chose Buenos Aires.
The grand buildings from that era remain. But decades of economic chaos have left real estate in some of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods priced at a fraction of comparable properties in other world capitals.
Now President Javier Milei is trying to change the rules that have held Argentina back for generations.
If this turnaround takes hold, I believe Buenos Aires could be one of the great real estate plays of our lifetimes. And even if it doesn’t, you could still own a beautiful apartment in one of the world’s great cities
In my latest video, I explain why the return of mortgage lending matters, what Argentina’s overseas diaspora could bring to a recovery, and three ways I’d consider owning in Buenos Aires.
Could a turnaround in Argentina unlock an extraordinary real estate opportunity? Watch my new deep-dive.
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…
Suzie W. asks: I’m interested in moving to Uruguay. Would I need to get temporary residency first, or could I apply for permanent residency straight away?
Ronan says: You can apply directly for permanent residence if you intend to settle in Uruguay—you don’t have to go through temporary residence first.
The process involves an online application followed by an in-person appointment with Uruguay’s immigration authorities. You’ll need supporting documents, including criminal background checks, health and vaccination documentation, and proof you can support yourself. Retirement or investment income can qualify.
While your permanent residence application is being processed, you can obtain a certificate confirming your “resident in process” status and use it to apply for a Uruguayan ID.
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.
