It’s gone down as one of the worst business decisions in modern history…
In 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google based on the internet search engine they’d created in college.
Google’s algorithm was revolutionary, providing far more accurate results than any other search engine.
But Page and Brin couldn’t see a way to make money with this technology. They wanted to move on to other projects. So in 1999, they approached a rival search engine and internet news platform called Excite and offered to sell them Google for $1 million.
Excite turned down the pair.
George Bell, Excite’s CEO, reportedly believed that Google’s search results were “too good” and that they sent users away from Excite’s website too quickly.
Page and Brin were eager to sell, so they sweetened the offer. They’d sell Google to Excite for just $750,000. Still Bell refused.
The rest is history. Today, Google has a market capitalization of more than $1.8 trillion. And Excite…well, the website is still around, but the business doesn’t exist anymore.
The point being, sometimes it can be hard to get your head around a new approach or a new way of doing things.
But in business, as in life, it pays to be open to new ideas…
Playa del Carmen on Mexico’s Caribbean coast is just one of the world-leading destinations where I’ve been able to bring incredible off-market deals to members of my Real Estate Trend Alert club. The RETA model is a game-changer…in lots of different ways.
This story is on my mind right now because I recently got news from the developer of Crystal Garden, the incredible community in Cap Cana where I just brought a deal to members of my Real Estate Trend Alert club.
Cap Cana is 30,000 acres of meticulously planned luxury set on a breathtaking stretch of Caribbean coast in the Dominican Republic. It’s home to the largest inland marina in the Caribbean…the region’s biggest water park…world-class golf…incredible fine dining…state-of-the-art equestrian facilities…and so much more.
With Crystal Garden, RETA members got the opportunity to own right at the heart of Cap Cana, and just a stroll from one of the best beaches on the planet. And our condos come with amazing views and planned amenities like a gym…restaurant…yoga studio…sea-view infinity pool…
This was an incredible deal…and it’s taken less than two weeks to get confirmation of just how incredible.
The developer of Crystal Garden has sent word that they’re already raising prices for retail buyers…and it’s only been 13 days since we launched our amazing off-market RETA deal. That means RETA members are already sitting on significant uplifts!
Here’s an example…
Two-bed condos similar to those available to RETA members from $384,400 are now listed at $440,000. That’s an uplift of $55,600.
And a penthouse similar to those available to RETA members for $627,750 is now priced at $700,000. That’s $72,250 more.
And again, this is after only two weeks! (RETA members are just signing their contracts now…)
Over time, these uplifts will grow and grow. And we say that with the assurance of a group that does this all the time. In the RETA world, $50,000 is a solid start, but over longer timeframes, past RETA deals have shown boosts like $234,900…$309,018…$388,844…even $602,885… (Details below.)
I similarly expect big six-figure uplifts in Cap Cana…
Indeed, the developer told me they plan to raise the retail prices after every five to 10 condos they sell.
This is mind-blowing, especially when you consider that the developer of Crystal Garden was initially a tad unsure of my RETA club and what we do…
Members of my Real Estate Trend Alert group had the chance to own condos a short stroll from this Cap Cana beach less than two weeks ago in one of our killer off-market deals. Now the developer is already raising retail prices! This demonstrates how our RETA model is changing the game…
Seeing Is Believing
Before this deal in Cap Cana, the developer had heard about RETA, but he and his team were unsure…
After all, to the uninitiated, RETA can sound implausible. There’s nothing else like my RETA club—no other group like this. But because of our group-buying power, we can change the game for investors and developers…
Often for developers, it can take considerable time to sell out a best-in-class community like Crystal Garden. But the group-buying power of my RETA club means we can buy up a large proportion of a community in a single day. Of course, to do that, we have to get a special off-market price.
This is a simple win-win for each side…
The developer gets quick and discreet sales from our group, allowing him to go to the local market with sales under his belt and the confidence to charge higher retail prices (i.e. the price everyone else pays). And RETA members get a deal at an off-market price no one else can even dream of.
This is a new approach. Frankly, it’s groundbreaking, and plenty of old-school developers I’ve talked to aren’t open to it. Like the CEO of Excite, they can only see things the way they’ve always been done. Our RETA model sounds “too good.”
I know a lot of individual investors can feel that way too. The off-market pricing we get sounds unbelievable…almost too good to be true. I get it. Something that changes the game can often feel that way.
Crystal Garden in Cap Cana will boast a rooftop infinity pool with breathtaking Caribbean views. (Renders like this shouldn’t be considered final, but give you a good idea.) RETA members are already seeing uplifts of $55,600 or more from our deal here.
The developer of Crystal Garden was forward-looking, though. They were intrigued and open to the idea. And they’d heard good things about my club. But they wanted to see us in person…to get a better sense of our club and how we do things.
So, they attended the last edition of our annual event, The Gathering X, to see how it all works for themselves.
The Gathering is our annual in-person meetup where I bring my whole team, and all my real estate contacts, insiders, and experts from across the world to meet RETA members.
It’s not a conference, it’s an intimate and private get-together. I keep numbers attending small to ensure it stays that way. I want attendees to get a lot of face-time with my contacts, my team and I, and I want things relaxed…fun.
The Gathering is held in Playa del Carmen, on Mexico’s stunning Caribbean coast. Tickets aren’t priced to make money. All I ask is that attendees help cover costs of renting the hotel meeting space, food, and drinks, etc.
That’s what we do at The Gathering. We eat. We drink. We run the rule over off-market deals. We explore the latest real estate opportunities together. We enjoy the Caribbean…
Click to get a taste of what The Gathering is…our next edition, The Gathering XI, is in Playa del Carmen on Mexico’s Riviera Maya from February 20 – 22. It’ll be our only RETA event of the year.
The next edition, The Gathering XI, is in Playa del Carmen from February 20 – 22, 2025. I’m sending invites in the next two weeks and to get one you have to be a RETA Lifetime member. (Fair warning: There are only 250 places for RETA Lifetime members. For the past few years places at The Gathering have been snapped up mere hours after the invitation is sent. Make sure you get your invitation by becoming a Lifetime member here.)
Anyhow…like I say…
The developer of Crystal Garden sent people to check us out at The Gathering X. They were blown away by the caliber of our club. Convinced that we were serious deal doers…
A deal came as a result…and now a little less than two weeks after RETA members acted on that deal, we’re already looking at uplifts of $55,600 or more.
That’s the power of our club…
And there is nowhere better to see it all in action than at The Gathering XI in Playa del Carmen.
I’m finalizing plans and my contacts have saved the date and are making their travel plans. (By the way, I expect our contacts from Cap Cana to join us in Playa del Carmen for The Gathering XI and I’m hoping they’ll bring some deals for us to look at.)
If you want to learn more about our club, you should do likewise. Save the date, February 20-22. And get ready for your invitation, coming in the next two weeks.
And please…make sure you are a RETA Lifetime member.
I’m only inviting 250 RETA Lifetime members…like I say, I want to keep this intimate and relaxed…a club get-together.
Ronan McMahon, Founder, Overseas Dream Home & Real Estate Trend Alert
P.S. When you become a Lifetime RETA member, you’ll also ensure you never miss out on one of my off-market deals. And I have some incredible opportunities in the pipeline…
As I write several team members are scouting a breathtaking beach community set on a stunning stretch of white-sand Pacific coast just 60-90 minutes’ drive from Panama City, one of the wealthiest cities in the Americas.
I expect to soon bring RETA members stunning beachfront homes there that are blow-your-mind amazing…spacious with expansive ocean-views… You’ll live and breathe the Pacific…warm, tropical, and close to Panama City. And I figure on gains close to $300,000 five years after delivery. Details coming soon…
I’m also working on deals in Playa del Carmen, one of the world’s most exciting, livable, and up-and-coming beach cities. And I have potential deals in the works in Los Cabos…on the stunning Caribbean island of Cozumel…in Europe’s “new Riviera” of Montenegro…in Mahahual, a stunning beach town that’s been dubbed the “new Tulum”…and more.
To ensure you never miss one of these deals, learn how you can become a lifetime RETA member here.
P.P.S. Here’s a few examples of uplifts on our RETA deals in destinations around the world…
- Uplift of $388,844 in Los Cabos—The first RETA deal in Cabo was in 2015 in the 5-star Quivira resort. The RETA-only price on a two-bed, two-bath ocean-view condo in the best-in-class Copala community was $336,156. I bought alongside RETA members in this deal. An identical condo to mine two floors above listed in 2022 for $725,000. That’s $388,844 more.
- $309,018 More in Playa del Carmen—In 2021, RETA members had the chance to buy two-bed condos from $265,304 in a community called Singular Dream in the beach city of Playa del Carmen, along Mexico’s Caribbean coast. In early 2024, a two-bed condo in Singular Dream was listing for $574,322. That’s $309,018 more.
- $234,900 Uplift in Tulum—I brought RETA members a deal in the chic beach destination of Tulum, also along Mexico’s Caribbean coast, in 2019. Members could own two-bed condos in a community called Gran Tulum from just $175,000. Two-bed condos there later listed at retail for $409,900.
- A Gain of €223,000 in Spain: RETA members had an opportunity to own in a community called Casares Costa in Spain’s Costa del Sol in 2020. A condo a RETA member bought here for €327,000 was sold in late 2023 for €550,000—an incredible gain of €223,000.
- $602,885 More in Cabo—In 2017, a RETA member bought a luxury villa in Copala, in the Quivira master-planned community, for $385,115. Earlier this year, I saw the same Copala villa listed for $988,000—that’s an enormous uplift of $602,885.
The Copala community in the 5-star Quivira resort. I bought here in a 2015 RETA-only deal. The RETA members-only price was $336,156. In late 2022, an identical condo two floors above me listed for $725,000…more than double.
Your Daily Dream Home
Tusson, Charente, France
This charming one-bedroom penthouse apartment is part of a small complex. It occupies the entire top floor of an old “Maison du maitre” and has panoramic countryside views. The property has a vaulted living/dining area, handmade kitchen, and en-suite bedroom.
The complex includes a communal pool, utility room, and storage barn.
Located in the small village of Tusson in southwestern France, the penthouse is surrounded by the rolling hills, neat vineyards and sunflower fields typical of the region.
Tusson has well-preserved medieval architecture, including half-timbered houses and narrow streets. Centuries ago, it was a stop on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. The village is part of the “Plus Beaux Villages de France” (Most Beautiful Villages of France) association, recognizing its cultural and historical significance.
