- Huge Opportunity in the “New Monaco”
- Breathtaking Beaches in the Caribbean
- Greek Island Homes from $124,500
- Plus Your Questions Answered
My scouts have fanned out across the world…
As I write, Eoin and Alan are on the ground in the tiny European country of Montenegro, tracking a mammoth Path of Progress on one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline on the planet…
On the other side of the world, Oliver is doing something similar. He’s been exploring Cap Cana, an ultra-luxurious master-planned community set on a stunning stretch of Caribbean coast.
And later today, another of my scouts, Ciaran, is hopping on a plane to Sicily, where I’m sending him on a special mission—he’s looking for a town to buy. Stay tuned to Overseas Dream Home over the coming week for more details on that.
Then, there’s my scouting…
The ultra-luxurious master-planned community of Cap Cana sits on a breathtaking stretch of Caribbean coastline.
I’m back at my home in Guadalajara, Mexico right now, having just returned from my incredible scouting trip to Puerto Escondido on the country’s Pacific coast. (You can read more about that here.) Next weekend, I’m heading to my condo on Portugal’s Silver Coast. From there, I’ll be scouting northern Portugal and northern Spain.
And not long after that, I’ll be back at my primary home in Ireland, where I’ll be exploring destinations in my homeland.
It’s a whirlwind of scouting and travel. The hunt for opportunity never stops…
With so much happening across our world, I know it’s easy to miss something. So every week, I bring you this Sunday digest, so you can stay on top of everything.
Also in our digest, I answer your questions. (Have a question or any feedback? Maybe a question for one of our scouts while they’re on the ground? Click here to share it with us.) Today, I’ll be answering a question on wiring money overseas when you’re buying overseas real estate.
But first here’s a brief wrap-up of some of the opportunities and reports I’ve shared with you over the past week in Overseas Dream Home…
Scouting the “New Monaco”
In recent years, Montenegro has emerged as a new and super-stylish Riviera. This tiny country south of Croatia is home to exclusive resorts and ultra-luxe marinas. You’ll see mega-yachts and private jets. It’s been dubbed a new Monaco.
Now, as so often happens, the “ordinary rich” are following the flow of wealthy folks to Montenegro. “Ordinary rich” is a term I use for professionals…small-business owners…computer scientists, bankers, lawyers, doctors…people who earn well and can move around to some degree. Most aren’t in the market for multi-million-dollar mansions or 5-star resorts. But they want luxury and exceptional resort-style amenities, and they want a perfect location…and they can pay for it.
Montenegro is seeing an influx of these folks, particularly around the stunning Bay of Kotor, the country’s most popular destination. That represents a big investment opportunity. I’m closing in on an incredible deal here for members of my Real Estate Trend Alert group, which is why I asked Eoin and Alan to follow up on my past scouting.
Eoin is one of my most experienced scouts…he’s scouted for real estate opportunities as far afield as Vanuatu in the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Together with our RETA photographer, Alan, he’s been digging into every aspect of Montenegro, from its abundance of upscale marinas, to the tiny churches hidden in the hills above Kotor Old Town. He sent us this report…
The coastline in Montenegro is breathtaking…among the most beautiful in Europe. Check out Eoin’s report here to learn what he’s uncovered.
Out-of-This-World Luxury in the Caribbean
Elsewhere, I’m also closing in on something special in Cap Cana, in the Dominican Republic.
The “DR,” as some folks call it, has emerged as a post-pandemic travel hotspot. After the Riviera Maya on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, it attracts the most tourists in the region. A record 10 million international travelers arrived in the Dominican Republic in 2023, and 2024 is on course to eclipse this number.
Most of these arrivals go to Punta Cana, easily the country’s biggest destination. Development is tearing ahead in the Punta Cana area now. And this is where you’ll find the vast, stunning master-planned community of Cap Cana.
Spanning 30,000 acres, Cap Cana screams out-of-this-world luxury. It has top-tier golf courses, a pristine marina, sports fishing, shopping complexes, upmarket restaurants, a hospital, and a bilingual school.
This destination has immense potential. I scouted here twice last year, meeting with developers to negotiate deals for members of my Real Estate Trend Alert. I’m zeroing in on something special here. So, I’ve asked Oliver to continue our regular, in-depth scouting of this destination.
Earlier this week, he shared a scouting report on Cap Cana’s pristine white-sand beaches…glistening marinas…world-class golf courses…and Caribbean cookouts… Click here to read it now.
Oliver sent me this photo of a beach in Cap Cana. This vast community, twice the size of Manhattan, is a literal paradise. You can read his article about Cap Cana here.
Greek Island Homes from $124,500
The stunning islands of Greece have long been on my radar. Indeed, I even worked on a few of them as a student.
Greece has around 6,000 islands and islets. Only 227 of these are inhabited. But even at that, there’s an island to suit every taste. There’s the luxury of Santorini…the culture and history of Crete…the wild nightlife of Mykonos…
The Greek islands are a favorite vacation destination for Europeans, the most popular of the islands have been entertaining and wowing foreigners for decades. But if you look beyond the tourist hotspots on these islands, you can find tranquil getaway homes for a lot less than you might think…
My team were digging into homes on Greece’s most popular islands this week and they found some interesting listing, including one on the “Island of the Gods” from just $124,500. Get all the details here.
My team found a listing for this sea-view villa on the Greek island of Lefkada, known as the “Caribbean of Greece” for its lush forests and stunning beaches. You can see the listing in this article here.
Your Questions and Feedback
You can also follow along with my scouting on my Instagram account. Here’s a question I got from a RETA member there. (Have a question or comment? Share it here.)
“Hi Ronan, I recently purchased at Beachwalk at Playa Caracol in Panama. It can be scary wiring funds from the U.S. to another country without physically seeing a property or a person that represents the developer. How do you help put RETA members at ease in these decisions?”
Ronan says: Great question and an important one. First, a little about Playa Caracol…
Playa Caracol is the closest nicest beach to Panama City and a popular surfing destination.
With Beachwalk at Playa Caracol, RETA members had the chance to own in a stunning, best-in-class community a one-minute stroll from this glorious white-sand beach.
To own true beachfront anywhere in the world so close to a thriving global hub like Panama City can cost a fortune…often well north of a million dollars. But because of RETA’s group buying power, we were able to buy here in an exclusive, off-market deal at insane prices.
Plus, RETA members are getting in right as Playa Caracol is about to hit a whole new level. Last year, the Vento beach club opened here, and later in 2024 the 5-star Surfside hotel will follow. I view this hotel as the market maker that will put Caracol on the map. Playa Caracol is primed to become one of the premier beach destinations in the region. That’s why I expect gains of $187,200 five years after delivery on the incredible ocean-view condos RETA members could buy here in Beachwalk at exclusive off-market pricing. (Learn more about this deal here.)
Now, to address the question on wiring funds…
From a technical and legal standpoint, you need to make sure that the developer corporation named in the purchase agreement matches the name of the bank account.
In terms of feeling at ease about the process, one of the best things you can do is come to one of our events. This will give you the opportunity to meet me and my team, some of the developers we work with, and the Smart Money Homes team (they help match RETA members with homes/condos). We’ll be in Las Vegas in October for International Living’s Ultimate Go Overseas Bootcamp conference. And in February I’ll be hosting the RETA Gathering (an event for RETA lifetime members).
It’s also a good idea to build a relationship with your RETA concierge. We have a RETA concierge team who are on hand to answer any question you may have…to help with any issue…to address any concern… You can arrange an in-person call with our concierge team at a time that’s convenient for you by clicking here. You can call your concierge if you receive something that doesn’t look right from a developer.
Where possible, it can also be a good idea to visit the locations where you’re considering buying. Timelines can be tight once the deal opens in RETA but ahead of a deal opening I generally signpost that we have a deal coming up in a particular destination.
Also, be sure to use a competent local attorney. When I bring a deal to RETA members, I always share the name of a local attorney that I use in that destination. Your attorney will not only be able to review your paperwork, but also the developers will be known to them as RETA deals are always with well-known, best-in-class developers. In the case of Beachwalk, for example, the developer is one on Panama’s best and has consistently overdelivered for decades.
Ronan McMahon, Founder, Overseas Dream Home & Real Estate Trend Alert
P.S. If you have a question or any feedback, I’d love to hear it. Maybe you’d like to know what I think of a particular destination…or perhaps you have a suggestion about where you’d like us to scout next. Let me know here.
