It’s a question I hear all the time…
How real are renders?
Will a developer’s vision for a planned home or community match the reality that’s delivered?
Well, let me show you an image…
These images show a community called Singular Dream in the city of Playa del Carmen on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, known as the Riviera Maya. On the left is the developer’s render from before construction started. On the right is the delivered community.
This community is best-in-class with incredible amenities like rooftop pools, bar, and gym…all with views of the Caribbean.
In 2021, I brought RETA members the chance to buy two-bed condos in Singular Dream from $265,304. In early 2024, a two-bed condo in Singular Dream was listing for $574,322. That’s $309,028 more.
Here’s another image…

The vision and the reality…the Surfside Hotel opened in November at Playa Caracol on Panama’s Pacific Riviera.
This is the Surfside hotel at Playa Caracol, the stunning amenity-rich community I’ve been telling you about over the past week that’s set on the nicest, closest beach to Panama City.
On the left is the developer’s render before construction started. And on the right is what you’ll find there today…there’s still some finishing touches to be completed, but you get the idea.
Did this developer’s render live up to the reality? Absolutely!
And again, members of my RETA group have benefited. I brought RETA members a deal to own in Surfside residences back in March 2020 at prices starting at $214,600. Similar condos are now on sale by the developer at $330,000. An uplift of $115,400.
Of course, not all developers are this rigorous in realizing their original vision. And you’ll always hear me say that developer’s renders shouldn’t be considered final. Their purpose is to give you a great idea of what the finished community will look like.
But there’s a reason why my RETA group, time and time again, finds developers who deliver on their vision with this level of accuracy…

The Surfside Hotel is in the stunning beachfront community of Playa Caracol. This community is on the closest, nicest beach to Panama City.
My RETA team thoroughly vets developers and we only work with those who are best-in-class.
This is one of the great advantages of being a member of my Real Estate Trend Alert group—our extensive due diligence…
We only work with developers who have outstanding resumes. I like developers who have been around a while. For example, if they survived the 2008/09 crisis and came out stronger and smarter.
I also want them to have an instinct to be extra conservative…yet to be creative and dynamic at the same time. They will be innovators, but only through a succession of small incremental changes.
They need to put their customer first, but also show that they know how to make money…if not, the first puff of crisis will blow them over…
They must take a long-term perspective…picture how they would feel living in the community they are building themselves 10 years out…
And they must have an impeccable track record of delivering what they promised.
Alfredo Aleman and his GLP group—the people behind Playa Caracol—are a perfect example of a best-in-class developer like this…

I only work with the best-in-class developers on deals for my RETA members…and Alfredo Aleman is one of the most creative and driven developers I’ve ever met (and I’ve met lots!).
I’ve known Alfredo for 19 years. I consider him and his GLP group the best developers in Panama.
Over the years, he has created some extraordinary communities. Among them is Ocean Reef, a community of ultra-prime real estate set on man-made islands off the heart of Panama City.
Alfredo and his GLP group really only do prestige developments. And when Alfredo decides he wants to compete in a niche, he creates the best community in that niche…like at Playa Caracol, where the niche is true beachfront.
It was no easy feat to turn a wild, hard-to-reach beach into a unique, luxury, amenity-rich community, but Alfredo has done it…
To get Playa Caracol started, Alfredo literally had to build the road to get there. Then came the communities (today there are 400 residential units)…last year the beach club opened…as did the luxury Surfside hotel (pictured above) with its gym, a spa, high-end restaurant, beachfront infinity pool and firepit.
And there’s lots more to come at Playa Caracol. This will be the premier beachfront community in all of Panama.

A world-beating feat of engineering and imagination…Ocean Reef is a luxury community on two man-made islands connected to the heart of downtown Panama City. Even I thought Alfredo was crazy to attempt this, but he’s created one of the world’s most exclusive neighborhoods.
Coming next in Playa Caracol are incredible beachfront homes.
Again this shows Alfredo’s vision and innovation…
Most developers have little interest in creating low density luxury homes right on the beach. They can make more money building a high-density condo building. And besides, true beachfront land close to major cities and airports is almost always locked down by big resort groups.
But Alfredo wanted to carve out a part of Caracol for spacious beach homes, a unique part of the master-planned community.
Recently I sat down with Alfredo to record a conservation for RETA members and I asked him why he decided to create low-density beach homes like this. Check it out below…

I talk to Alfredo Aleman about the emergence of Playa Caracol as an international beach destination and the beachfront homes he’s building there.
Genuine beach homes (I mean homes literally right on the beach) are incredibly rare anywhere in the world.
And the ones Alfredo has planned look truly special…
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words…so let’s have a look at the renders…
As the renders show, with these homes you’re seconds from the soft-sand beach, with the Pacific Ocean literally on your doorstep.
And given Alfredo’s impeccable track record of delivering stunning homes and communities, and how rare true beachfront homes are globally, the opportunity to own here is very special…
That’s why I’ve worked hard to bring RETA members an exclusive deal on these beachfront homes. And with the incredible deal I’ve negotiated, I expect gains of $310,000 five years after delivery.
If you’d like to learn more, I sent you a special preview of the briefing on this deal I prepared for RETA members. You can check it out here…
So, are renders real? They are if you work with best-in-class developers.
Ronan McMahon, Founder, Overseas Dream Home & Real Estate Trend Alert
P.S. Here’s one more render to give you an idea of what to expect of these beachfront homes…

Ocean-orientated, beachfront and spacious, a truly incredible deal… for the lucky ones who get in, I expect gains of $310,000 five years after delivery.
Your Daily Dream Home
Jousse, Vienne, France
This charming property has two bedrooms in the main house, plus a third in the mezzanine.
The first floor has a kitchen/dining area and separate living room, both equipped with wood stoves. One en-suite bedroom is located on the first floor, while the upper level contains the second bedroom and mezzanine area.
Outside, there’s a courtyard garden with a small outbuilding. Across the road, there’s a larger outbuilding and parking space for three cars.
The house is just steps from a bakery, in Joussé, a small village in western France, part of the picturesque Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
The surrounding landscape is typical of this rural part of the country with gently rolling hills, lush forests, and tranquil farmlands. It’s popular with outdoor enthusiasts, who enjoy activities such as hiking, cycling, and horseback riding on the numerous trails that wind through the scenic countryside.