In this week’s digest:
- Boots on the Ground in Northern Portugal
- Bargains Beach Homes in La Paz
- A Hidden Gem in Southern Ireland
- Your Questions Answered on Condos in Montenegro
As I write, two of my scouts, Ciaran and Alan, are about to hop on a plane to northern Portugal…
Portugal is one of the key destinations on my global beat.
This country has exploded in popularity over the past decade and members of my Real Estate Trend Alert group and I were ahead of this transformation. I’ve brought RETA members a run of killer deals in the southern Algarve region…deals that have delivered huge uplifts like €160,000, €275,000, even €1.1 million for one RETA member there. (See below for details.)
But as Portugal has grown more popular, finding value in destinations like the Algarve or the capital Lisbon is now a real challenge.
That’s why I’m increasingly looking to northern Portugal.
In northern Portugal, you’ll find the same incredible food…the same stunning soft-sand beaches…the same rich history and culture—basically, all the elements that make Portugal so appealing. Yet head to the right destinations there and you’ll see astonishing real estate bargains.
My scouts are putting boots on the ground to investigate…
Northern Portugal boasts stunning wind-swept Atlantic beaches.
First, they’re heading to the coastal city of Viana do Castelo. Once an industrial town known for shipbuilding and fishing, Viana do Castelo has been gentrifying fast. When I scouted it last year, I found a lovingly restored historic center…pristine beaches…and excellent restaurants lining the glistening banks of the Lima River…
I was hugely impressed. Now my scouts are following up…
Ciaran and Alan will also be scouting the idyllic town of Caminha. Separated from Spain by only a river, this town is surrounded by rolling hills, lush forests, bucolic countryside, and soft-sand beaches. At the heart of it all is a charming Old Town.
I count Caminha among my best recent discoveries. In fact, I’ve ranked this my No. 2 destination in the world to buy real estate in 2024. (See the full list here.) My scouts will be digging into the latest opportunities there.
Both of these destinations are barely known to foreign visitors and real estate buyers, but they will be. So, we’re getting there ahead.
My scouts will be bringing you some boots on the ground updates in Your Overseas Dream Home next week. Stay tuned for those.
Today, we’re digging into other opportunities…
Bargain Beach Homes in La Paz
A charming home seven minutes’ drive from the stunning coast of the Sea of Cortez for just $138,000…
That’s one of the homes showcased in this video I shared with you yesterday by one of my contacts, Fletcher Wheaton.
Fletcher is a real estate broker and a long-standing member of my Real Estate Trend Alert group. Recently, he traveled to the charming, walkable coastal city of La Paz in Baja California Sur.
This stunning beach city has been flying under the radar for years, but now it’s coming into its own…
The coast around La Paz boasts glistening turquoise waters and breathtaking white-sand beaches.
The seafront promenade in La Paz was restored several years back, making the city more appealing and livable. The food scene is buzzing, with numerous chic restaurants opening. And super high-end communities and resorts have been popping up here too, alongside multi-million-dollar homes.
This city now has a growing reputation among expats…and a new energy. Yet you can still find astonishing real estate bargains there.
In his video, Fletcher showcases this incredible city and offers walkthroughs of three stunning homes at three different price points. This will blow you away. Click below to view…
This booming beach town of La Paz is home to sensational real estate bargains, as my contact Fletcher Wheaton highlights in this video. Click to view.
While in La Paz, Fletcher also toured another property…
This opportunity was so strong and so compelling that I rushed it out to my Real Estate Trend Alert group as a flash deal.
The home was a four-bed fixer-upper, spanning 1,239 square feet, a mere three-minute drive from the sea. It was on the market for just $247,000. That works out as just under $200 per square foot, significantly below the market average in La Paz. That’s because a lot of people don’t want to take on a renovation project like this. So, this home was undervalued.
But if you were willing to put in the time and investment, this could be an incredible play…
Figure on spending somewhere in the region of $100,000 to expand and improve it. In this budget you might have enough to add a pool. If you did, five years from now I’d expect this home would be worth $550,000 and with the right configuration could be throwing off $50,000 a year in rental income.
A walkthrough that Fletcher completed of a home on the market for $247,000. I was so impressed by this opportunity that I rushed it out to members of my RETA group as a flash deal. Click to view.
A Hidden Gem in Southern Ireland
Hopping to the far side of the world…to where I’m currently based in southern Ireland…
Earlier this week, I sent you an update on charming traditional fishing village called Ballycotton to the east of Cork, Ireland’s second-largest city.
The coast of Cork has long been a favored destination for vacationers and second-home owners in Ireland. And demand has been spiking higher in recent years, particularly since COVID and the acceleration of the work-from-home revolution.
Most people, though, head to towns and villages to the west of Cork city.
Ballycotton was among the many overlooked communities to the east of the city. Then a wealthy son of this village started investing millions there.
Now this investment, combined with the growing interest in living in rural settings, has led to something of a transformation in Ballycotton.
There are luxurious, modern houses going up in the area for prices like €600,000 ($649,000). Yet, just outside the village, you can still find traditional homes from €150,000 ($162,000).
If your idea of an overseas dream home is an idyllic cottage in coastal Ireland, you’ll want to check out the story of Ballycotton and its incredible revival. Full details in this article here.
The small idyllic village of Ballycotton sits on a cliff overlooking Ireland’s breathtaking southern Atlantic coast. Click here to learn about the transformation happening here.
Questions and Feedback
Have a question or comment? Share it here. Here’s one I got from an Overseas Dream Home reader…
Steve W. asks: Have you found any condos in Montenegro that you’d recommend?
Ronan says: Hi Steve. Good news. My team were recently on the ground in Montenegro for a highly successful scouting trip, following up on my past scouting there. And as I write this I’m preparing to bring an incredible deal there to my Real Estate Trend Alert group. (If you’re a member, stayed tuned to your Alerts in the coming weeks.)
I’m working on the final details right now, but let me give you some background today…
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, private jets, and high-end cruise ships. It’s been dubbed a new Monaco. Now, as so often happens, the “ordinary rich” are following the flow of wealthy folks to Montenegro.
The stunning Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. This is emerging as a new and stylish Riviera. I’m about to bring an incredible deal here to members of my RETA group.
“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 in 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.
The town of Kotor, the jewel at the heart of the bay, stands as a sentinel of history. Its old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a labyrinth of cobbled streets and hidden squares. The Cathedral of Saint Tryphon, with its Romanesque grandeur, and the ancient city walls that snake up the steep hillsides, are silent witnesses to centuries of maritime glory and cultural fusion. (Read more about what my scout Eoin Bassett uncovered about this stunning part of Europe on his recent scouting mission, here.)
Europeans have already discovered this gem. Germans, Dutch, French, Austrians drive here. The British mostly take a plane to the local airport at Tivat or to Dubrovnik just up the coast. The wealthy often come in yachts…or on private jets. Tourists are coming in their droves, as are the ordinary rich. This represents a big opportunity!
Like I said, I’m getting ready to unveil a big new deal here. RETA members will be hearing the full details very soon.
Ronan McMahon, Founder, Overseas Dream Home & Real Estate Trend Alert
P.S. Have a question for my scouts while they have boots on the ground in northern Portugal? Maybe you’ve visited the region before and have a recommendation? We’d love to hear it. Let us know here.
P.P.S. Our past RETA deals in Portugal…
I’ve bought RETA members numerous killer deals in the country’s southern Algarve region and these opportunities have played out remarkably well. Here’s some examples…
- In December 2019, RETA members could buy in a community called Santa Maria from €310,500. Two-bed condos available to RETA members for €390,000 now list for €550,000—a boost of €160,000.
- In 2020, I recommended condos in a community called Adega in Lagos. RETA members could get penthouses here for the incredible price of €480,000. Those now list for around €1 million…meaning they’ve doubled in price.
- In 2021, we had a RETA deal in the luxury community of Dona Maria. One RETA member purchased a penthouse there for €1.1 million. Earlier this year, that was listed at double that—€2.2 million.
- RETA members could also buy two-bed condos in Dona Maria from €575,000. These now list for about €850,000—an uplift of €275,000.
