Digest: Where I’m Buying Next…
and How to Get Beachfront Luxury for Less

In this week’s digest:

• How One Group of Folks is Changing the Luxury Travel Market

• My Number 1 Secret for Finding the Best Real Estate Deals

• High-End Luxury Beach Homes in the Caribbean

• Your Questions Answered on Investing in Costa Rica’s Gold Coast

As I write, I’ve just landed back in Ireland…

Earlier today, I caught a flight from Porto airport after spending almost two weeks scouting the north of Portugal and the country’s Silver Coast.

This trip was part of an ongoing mission I set my team two years ago—find the “next places”…

Finding out where people will go next is at the very core of what my Real Estate Trend Alert group is all about.

Back in 2008, when I’d just founded RETA, the “next” place was northeast Brazil. In 2011 it was Ireland’s capital Dublin as the city bounced back from a crisis…in the mid-2010s it was Cabo San Lucas and Portugal’s Algarve region…next it was Mexico’s Caribbean coast, known as the Riviera Maya…

After identifying these next places (and others), and negotiating incredible off-market deals there for RETA members, I knew we needed to keep moving. We needed to get ahead of the next wave of opportunity.

So for the last two years my team and I have been spreading out all across the globe. Here’s a video update I recorded for RETA members outlining our progress to date…

Right now, all this hard work is paying off in a big way…

The tiny European country of Montenegro was on our scouting list two years ago and thanks to our boots-on-the-ground research, RETA members just got an incredible deal there.

This was an opportunity to snap up luxury condos on Europe’s newest Riviera at insane off-market, RETA-only prices. We could lock down stunning two-bed condos from a RETA-only €348,356. I expect these will be worth €550,000 five years after delivery. That’s a gain of €201,643.

As I say, I’m just back from yet another trip to northern Portugal. Visiting this region feels like stepping back in time…like a chance to replay the incredible real estate booms that have transformed Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve, and the Silver Coast…

And we’ve zeroed in on a stunning “next place” on a Caribbean island that’s been steadily increasing its share of the luxury travel market in the region, positioning itself as a premier destination for the wealthy.

Cap Cana is a vast master-planned community. At 30,000 acres, this place is twice the size of Manhattan. It’s also in the Dominican Republic, an easy flight from the U.S.

This community boasts a breathtaking coastline, with azure Caribbean waters set against an expanse of white sand. You’ll also find high-end resorts like a St. Regis… Hyatt… Secrets… and a stunning Eden Roc. The inland marina here is the largest in the Caribbean. And you have restaurants, schooling, shopping districts, a Jack Nicklaus golf course, and more.

This is out-of-this-world Caribbean luxury. Yet, in the coming days RETA members will be receiving details of an incredible deal to own luxurious two-bed condos, each with a spacious terrace and views of the golf course and pools, for an insane off-market price.

I expect gains of $275,000 five years after delivery on this deal and I’m buying alongside RETA members. (If you’re not yet a RETA member but want to get in on this deal, there’s still time to join and be the first to hear about our Cap Cana opportunity. Go here to become a member.)

These are far from the only next places on our radar…

Over in Mexico, I’ve been looking out for the place that I call “the next Tulum” for a while now. Tulum was first discovered decades ago by the hippies who drove through Mexico in their camper vans to frolic naked in the surf. Fast forward to today and it’s one of the world’s trendiest destinations—a favorite of models, socialites, and celebrities.

RETA members have done well in Tulum…for example, in 2019 members could own two-bed condos in a community called Gran Tulum from just $175,000. The last time I talked to the developer, two-bed condos there were listing at retail for $409,900. That’s $234,900 more.

Right now, there are two contenders for the “next Tulum”—Mahahual and Cozumel. Both of these places resemble Tulum before its mass development. The beaches are quiet, the tourists are there but they haven’t taken over, real estate prices are still affordable…but for how long?

Could one of these locations be the “next” place on the Yucatan Peninsula? We’re digging deep to find out.

A European destination we’ve got our eye on right now, and will be investigating more, is Sicily and southern Italy.

Earlier this year, one of my senior scouts, Ciaran Madden, visited Sicily and he found homes in the historic hill towns here for as little as €28,000 (read more here). In the coming weeks team members will be revisiting this part of Italy…and we’ll be identifying the towns that we think will offer the best real estate opportunities.

We’ll also be investigating the Greek islands…but forget Santorini and Mykonos, we’ll be exploring the lesser-known islands, the ones the mainstream haven’t discovered yet.

My point with all of this is to show you that even when might think you’ve missed an opportunity, there will be one somewhere else. That’s the beauty of international real estate…when you can look everywhere, there’s always opportunity somewhere.

How This One Group is Changing
the Luxury Travel Market

So, what do my team and I look for to help us identify the next places?

Well, one group we pay particular attention to is the “ordinary rich.”

Ordinary rich is what I call folks who earn well…not super rich but well-off. They often can move around to some degree, too. Think small-business owners, entrepreneurs, financial and investment experts, lawyers, surgeons, real estate developers, software specialists, management consultants…

This group is growing. And it’s changing the face of luxury travel.

You see, now more than ever, folks are more discerning, more adventurous, and more international looking when it comes to travel. And none more so than the “ordinary rich.”

These folks want luxury. But they also want value…

This type of luxury living is getting insanely expensive in the U.S. Many of those that can afford it just aren’t willing to do it. So they’re ending up in new destinations—places overseas that offer incredible experiences but also incredible value.

This week, I dug into three locations currently on my international real estate beat where I’m seeing these ordinary rich pop up. Not only are they coming to these places for vacation time, they’re also buying real estate. And that spells opportunity for investors.

Read my full article on where the ordinary rich are buying homes overseas here.

My Number 1 Secret for Finding
the Best Real Estate Deals

There’s one trend I always look for when scouting…one trend that gets us ahead of the crowd and has served up incredible gains for members of my Real Estate Trend Alert group time and again…

It’s something I call a “Path of Progress.”

In its simplest form, a Path of Progress is anything that improves the accessibility of a piece of real estate or makes it more desirable, say infrastructure like roads, bridges, or airports, or a 5-star resort in a place that previously only had hostels and budget hotels.

Now, it’s not all about infrastructure…you do need some other elements too, like a desirable location and ease of access/doing business, etc. So, it can sometimes be difficult to find all those elements in one place.

But when they do come together, it almost always spells incredible opportunity.

I reveal more about the Path of Progress here…and how my team used it to uncover our incredible new RETA-only opportunity in the Caribbean.

High-End Luxury Beach Homes in the Caribbean

In the process of researching our new RETA members-only deal, my team and I have spent lots of time in recent weeks and months digging into the Caribbean region.

Let me tell you, it’s a pretty fun way to spend your time…

This region, made up of more than 700 islands, islets, reefs, and cays, is a hub for luxury tourism, offering glamorous resorts, high-end hotel chains…multi-million-dollar villas overlooking azure waters…Michelin-star restaurants showcasing the talents of the worlds more renowned chefs…

If you want to find insane beach luxury, the Caribbean is where you go.

This week, in Your Overseas Dream Home, I shared some of the luxury homes on Caribbean islands my team came across in the process of our research. Yes, you’ll need a fairly big budget to own, but they did manage to find some beautiful condos for less than you might think for this level of insane luxury.

You can read about what they discovered here.

Your Questions Answered

Have a question or comment for me or my team? A suggestion for which Greek island we should scout? A question about Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic? Share it here by sending me an email or a video message. I’d love to hear from you. Here’s a question I got from an Overseas Dream Home reader…

Angie S. asks: We want to move to and invest in properties in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. What do you recommend? Thank you.

Ronan says: Hi Angie. My team and I have scouted Costa Rica’s Guanacaste region numerous times and I love this region. This northwestern province is a natural paradise of stunning beaches, verdant jungles, cloud forests, and rushing rivers. And it’s easily accessible from the U.S. and Canada.

One community that I’m a big fan of there is Playa Flamingo.

Playa Flamingo is at the center of Guanacaste’s Gold Coast, which is known for having some of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. It’s not just your basic sand, sea, sun and sky…

You have sweeping mountains, dramatic islands…seascapes dripping in visual interest.

Forested slopes roll down to meet strands of blonde and volcanic sands. The waters off these beaches showcase a spectrum of blues…turquoise, indigo, cobalt. Beyond the beaches, there are protected bays and hidden coves. Rocky islets scattered just offshore break up the horizon, adding depth and texture to the postcard views.

And Playa Flamingo has a real village square vibe to it, especially in the late afternoons when families, groups of friends, and expats gather on the beach for sun-downers and catch-ups.

Playa Flamingo has been identified by multiple heavy-hitting business groups as the place to invest. To give you three: the country’s gourmet supermarket group…a national bank…the group behind the incredible new marina there (where condos rent from $2,000 to $6,000 a month)…

That marina covers over 2 acres with 92 slips and it is a classic Path of Progress event, one of a series on the Gold Coast that has transformed the region from a remote and sleepy backwater to a hotspot for the ultra-rich…

Earlier this year, I brought RETA members a deal here to own luxury homes in a community called Acquarello Flamingo, which boasts world-class amenities like pools, a co-working lounge, an indoor-outdoor gym, and more…all close to the new upscale marina and Playa Flamingo beach. Members could own two-bed homes here for RETA-only pricing from $286,800. I expect these two-beds will be worth $525,000 three years after delivery. That’s a gain of $238,200.

This was an especially incredible deal when you consider that supply here is scant. When we scouted the region earlier this year, the cheapest listing one of my team saw in a broker’s window at the sleek new marina was pushing $600,000. We found a stand-alone three-bed home with no amenities listing for $899,000. The typical listing is well over a million dollars. So our RETA pricing was insane!

Right now, I’m working on a similar deal for RETA members in this region. So, if you’re interested in this part of Costa Rica, stayed tuned. I’ll be keeping you updated on my progress. (This will be a RETA only deal. If you’re not yet a member, you can join here and be the first to hear when this new deal will launch.)

Ronan McMahon, Founder, Overseas Dream Home & Real Estate Trend Alert