In this week’s Your Overseas Dream Home Digest…
- VIDEO: Is Portugal’s Real Estate Market Dead?
- What Does $590,000 Get You in Uruguay? (It’s a LOT!)
- Homes from $94,500 in Colonial Asia
- Your Questions Answered on the Best Destinations in Costa Rica
If it’s not already on there, add “Driving Cabo’s East Cape” to your bucket list right now…
Seriously.
Few things you ever do in life will impart the awe-inspiring wonder you’ll experience driving the coast road in the East Cape in a 4×4.

The landscapes in the East Cape are majestic and unspoiled, with sweeping, cactus-filled hills rolling down to the cobalt Sea of Cortez.
I spent much of this past week on the road in the East Cape…scouting, hunting for opportunities.
This area is raw…untamed. You’ll need a 4×4. Much of this coast is occupied by Cabo Pulmo, primarily a national park with limited development allowed. This area has evolved in a curious way as a result.
To the north of Cabo Pulmo, you have the Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas. Residences here go for insane pricing, even up to $40 million. It’s the same story to the south, in the Puerto Los Cabos by San Jose del Cabo. There again, you’ll find homes listing for tens of millions of dollars
But here’s the thing: the coasts around those places where people are spending $40 million on homes isn’t a fraction as nice as it is inside Cabo Pulmo.
If you enjoy pristine desert-meets-ocean landscapes…if you want to hike in cactus-filled hills…if you want to see birds at your window and swim with whales…I can imagine few better places to visit.

The East Cape starts a few miles east of San José del Cabo and extends northeast along the Sea of Cortez through Cabo Pulmo National Park.
There’s a chronic shortage of accommodation all along this coast…all the way from San José del Cabo up to La Paz, the state capital. Unless you go super high-end and book something like the Four Seasons (that’s $2,000 per night), your choices are very limited, often spartan and unattractive.
But I lucked into finding somewhere special…a quirky, one-of-a-kind boutique hotel.
It’s called Villa del Faro. It’s formerly a private residence with around 13 rooms…all different casitas.
The setting is stunning, with lush gardens filled with trees, flowers, vegetation, and luxurious pool areas with beach and sea views. This oasis attracts an abundance of birdlife. The feeling is of being sheltered, cocooned in nature.
This is a slice of luxury amid the vast empty landscape. And it feels like visiting someone’s home. In the evening, dinner was a set menu, served around a roaring fire.
So can you own in this region?
Well, there are a few homes available for sale. Here’s one I found…a three-bed, four-bath with ocean views listing for $599,000.
That’s good value…if this is what you want. And you could do extremely well from rentals given the lack of affordable accommodation. But be aware: buying here is tricky. You’d need to do your due diligence. In particular understand and be comfortable with the water situation.
Will development come to Cabo Pulmo? I hope not. This is a special place that should be preserved. But I’m finding potential opportunities on either end of the national park for my Real Estate Trend Alert group (more on those in the weeks ahead).
For now, Cabo Pulmo is a place you need to visit and experience.

A photo I snapped of the night sky in the East Cape. No light pollution here…
VIDEO: Is Portugal’s Real Estate Market Dead?
All over YouTube and Instagram I’m seeing influencers and wannabe “experts” talking about how Portugal’s over…dead…
Portugal is yesterday’s opportunity…
Hah!
These guys were late to the party as it is. And now they are leaving when it’s still going?
Portugal’s real estate market isn’t dead—far from it—if you know where to look. The country still offers incredible value, stunning scenery, and untapped potential.
In this video, I share my thoughts on the places that are poised to boom—and why this might be your best chance to invest in Portugal before the crowd catches on.
What Does $590,000 Get You in Uruguay? (You Won’t Believe How Much!)
Last month, I asked one of my scouts, Ciaran Madden, to travel to Uruguay, one of the most overlooked and undervalued destinations on my global beat.
Tiny Uruguay may fly under the radar, but it’s the wealthiest country (per capita) in South America, according to the International Monetary Fund. It’s also stunningly beautiful, with a long Atlantic coastline dotted with bustling luxury resorts and pristine golden- and cream-colored beaches.
Ciaran spent weeks on the ground in Uruguay, talking to developers, attorneys, brokers, long-time expats, and other insiders. The January issue of RETA, which I released earlier this week, contains all best opportunities he uncovered, including…
- A pathway to earning a gross rental yield of 34.5% (that’s $120,450 in income per year) for investing less than $350,000 in a traditional home in its stunning First World capital city…
- An opportunity to double your money invested within five years for owning a brand-new beachfront home set on a coastline so stunning and private, the president of the country would be your neighbor (and this home could cost $380,000, or even less)…
- How to earn gross yields of as much as 10% by investing in farmland.
- Where you could own a new-build farmstead home on 12 acres of land in an idyllic pastoral setting for as little as $268,650 all in. That would include the price of the land and your brand-new, 1,500-square-foot house.
- Apartments from as little as $78,000 right next to a $26 million redevelopment project in the capital’s stunning colonial Old City.
Inside, you’ll all read about upmarket beach towns where you can find some of the best-value luxury real estate on the planet. Here’s an example…
During his trip, Ciaran did video walkthroughs of properties on the market there, including a spectacular 4,200-square-foot house in a stunning gated community near one of Uruguay’s best-known and more upmarket beach towns. And it was listed for just $590,000. Check it out below.
This large home is near the beach town of La Barra and has an expansive deck area with views out to a small lake. Click to watch Ciaran’s walkthrough…
For full details on all these opportunities, click here to join RETA now and get immediate access to the latest issue.
Homes from Just $94,500 in Colonial Asia
Speaking of an upmarket destination that flies under the radar…
The tropical Malaysian island of Penang is a prosperous destination. It’s also a living museum of colonial architecture. Its streets are adorned with well-preserved structures that date to the period of British rule, from churches and shophouses to landmarks like Fort Cornwallis. It feels like nowhere else in Asia.

With its well-preserved British colonial architecture, Penang feels like nowhere else in Asia.
Penang’s colonial heritage emerged out of the spice trade.
During the 1780s, the Dutch East India Company held a chokehold on this lucrative market.
The British, eager to establish their own foothold in Southeast Asia, turned to a largely uninhabited island called Penang.
With its deep natural harbor, fresh water supply, and perfect position to control the northern entrance to the straits, it was an ideal location. It’s also a wonderful place to live, with lush rainforests and tropical beaches. Soon, Penang was the center of spice production and trade in the region.
Today, Penang is known more for silicon than spices. It’s now home to more than 300 multinational corporations, many of them tech companies. But unlike other Asian cities that underwent rapid modernization, Penang managed to retain its colonial charm.
This week, I asked my team to dig into properties in this unique corner of Asia and they found homes from $94,500…
Full details on Penang and the listings there in the full article here.

Imagine having this view from your condo, while living on an island renowned for its stunning food, culture, history, and architecture? You can in Penang, Malaysia. Details in our full article here.
Your Questions Answered
Have a comment for me or my team? A question about owning overseas? A destination you’d like us to scout. Share it here. I’d love to hear from you. Here’s a question I got from a reader recently…
Brice D. asks: Hi team, I’m planning a trip to Costa Rica in March/April 2025 to scout and possibly buy a small home or condo. So, I’m very interested in any new opportunities, or oldie and goldie opportunities that may be available in this wonderful country.
Ronan says: Thanks for your question, Brice. Costa Rica has been on my international real estate beat for a long time…and with good reason. This small country has a powerful allure.
The country’s reputation for political stability and general safety dates way back. The army was abolished in 1948 and the money shifted into education and healthcare. (The literacy rate is 98%.)
Then there’s the natural beauty…
Costa Rica is the originator of eco-tourism. Over 40 years ago the authorities recognized and invested in the incredible biodiversity and natural splendor of the country, setting aside vast swathes of land as national parks and protecting more with various laws and restrictions on development.

Costa Rica is one of the most naturally diverse and beautiful countries on my beat.
It’s one of the most biodiverse countries on earth and generates almost 100% of its electricity from renewable resources (including hydroelectric, wind, and geothermal).
Last year was a banner year for Costa Rica. The country is on track to smash its all-time tourism records for 2024, in terms of both revenue and numbers.
Though final numbers haven’t been released yet, it’s estimated the number of visitors to the country in 2024 will top 2.6 million. That’s a massive 10% jump from 2023. The country is also expected to earn more than $5 billion from tourism in 2024. And analysts are expecting further strong growth in 2025.
This is all good news for anyone who is thinking of buying, or has already bought property in Costa Rica.
There are two locations in Costa Rica that are firmly on my radar these days…the country’s Guanacaste region (also called “the Gold Coast”) on the north Pacific Coast and the Southern Zone.
I did a deeper dive into both of those places recently, you can read that here.
RETA members have had some incredible opportunities in Costa Rica.
Just last May, members had the chance to own two-bed homes in a stunning community close to the beach near the town of Playa Flamingo, which is at the center of the Gold Coast, for an amazing $286,800. This is easily one of the world’s most beautiful paradises where properties typically list well into the millions of dollars. I expect gains of $238,200 three years after delivery on these homes.
In fact, members have already seen uplifts on this deal. In October, the developer told me that two-bed homes similar to those that RETA members could buy for an off-market price of $286,800 were now listing for $339,000…an uplift of $52,200 in six months!

The Gold Coast has some of the most beautiful beaches in all of Costa Rica…the waters here showcase a spectrum of blues…turquoise, indigo, cobalt.
That deal sold out within hours…but I’m working hard to get another RETA-only deal in Costa Rica that makes the grade. I have a few irons in the fire and as soon as something comes together RETA members will be the first to hear about them.
(To ensure you get updates on upcoming deals in Costa Rica and all other locations on my beat, you need to be a RETA member. All the details you’ll need to join are here.)
Ronan McMahon, Founder, Overseas Dream Home & Real Estate Trend Alert
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 for 2025, drop me a line here.