In this week’s Your Overseas Dream Home Digest…
- Boots on the Ground in Greece and Panama
- Huge Uplifts in Progreso, Mexico
- An Update from Costa Rica’s Gold Coast
- Your Questions Answered on Buying in France
I’m writing to you from Shannon Airport.
On Friday, I drove to Galway. I spent yesterday and this morning in the Connemara area checking out an opportunity I shared with you recently—a nine-hole golf course for sale, perched on a rugged archipelago in Galway Bay.
The site, containing the clubhouse and golf course, is on the market for €1.25 million ($1.45 million). By getting together with a group of say 20 friends, you could own this unique course for only €62,500 (around $72,250) each.
If the idea of owning part of a golf course in Ireland appeals to you, reach out here and let me know. (Stay tuned for my take on it.)
The nine-hole Connemara Isles Golf Club is on an island in Galway Bay, but connected to mainland Ireland and just an hour’s drive from Galway City
Now I’m about to fly from Shannon Airport to Porto and head up to Caminha. I’ll be in Caminha until Wednesday to check in on how the cosmetic overhaul of my historic mansion is going. I’ll let you know how it looks now.
My scouts are on the move too…
Scouting a Hidden Corner of Greece
As I write this, my senior scout Eoin Bassett and our photographer and videographer Alan Kennedy have boots on the ground in Greece.
They’re investigating a stretch of Greece’s stunning coast that has long remained hidden—the north Aegean.
This stretch of northern Greek coastline is beautiful—with pine-covered hills, turquoise coves, traditional seaside towns, and fresh seafood. And prices a fraction of the Greek islands.
Foreign buyers are starting to show up and there’s talk of new developments.
Our WhatsApp scouting group is filling up with messages and photos from the road. RETA photographer and videographer Alan Kennedy shared this one of Kavala, Greece.
Here’s an update Eoin sent me from the ground:
“I’m sitting at a taverna with a view across the bay—Thassos Island on one side, the sacred silhouette of Mount Athos on the other. The Aegean is blushing under a midsummer dusk, a few fishing boats nodding gently in the water. There’s a glass of Malagousia in front of me—crisp, aromatic, grown not far from where I spent the day among sunflowers and vineyards.
This is my first full day scouting this stretch of the Northern Greek coast for Ronan, and while there’s still much to uncover, I’m already getting echoes of Portugal circa 2012. The beaches here are low key, even in the height of summer. The pace is slow. But under the surface, things are stirring. I had lunch with an international developer today—he and his group have land and a plan.
The region is steeped in ancient intrigue—ruins like the city of Philippi, and the tomb of Alexander the Great’s mother, Kasta, just up the road from where I sit is due to open to the public in 2027. Add in wineries, two international airports (Thessaloniki and Kavala), and a lifestyle that feels authentic, sun-drenched, and undiscovered—and you’ve got a corner of Europe that feels ripe for a deeper look.
And the food—fish like it was pulled from the sea minutes before, tomatoes that taste like sunshine, and rich cheeses wrapped in vine leaves. Every meal feels like a local secret.”
More to come from my scouts in Greece.
My scout Eoin Bassett at the ruins of Philippi. The original Path of Progress here was the great Via Egnatia, the road that connected the eastern Roman Empire to the west.
Upcoming Deal in Panama
Meanwhile, my scout Ciaran Madden has just landed in Panama City. He’s meeting up with other team members coming in from Cabo and Colombia to run the rule over a new opportunity.
Their destination: Santa Maria. This isone of Panama City’s most exclusive gated communities.
Santa Maria is an exclusive master-planned community just outside Panama City’s downtown core. It covers 692 acres, every inch set apart from the outside world. Only residents and invited guests are let through the gates.
Ciaran is checking that everything is up to scratch for a major new deal I’m bringing to members of my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group. (If you’re not a member yet, you can join here.)
With the new exclusive deal I’ve negotiated, I expect gains of $293,000 just five years after delivery, with a gross rental yield of 9%. These are serious numbers—especially when you consider Santa Maria’s pedigree and Panama’s position as a global safe haven.
Stay tuned for more on that…
From our upcoming deal, let’s shift gears and check in on a blockbuster from a few years back…
Huge Uplifts in Progreso, Mexico
In the coastal town of Progreso—the closest beach area to the city of Mérida in Mexico—retail buyers are scrambling for the last remaining units in the beach and marina community of Yucalpetén.
Those getting in today can’t believe their luck—or their investing skill. And they’re not wrong. This project is incredible…a true landmark on the last prime waterfront land, just a short drive from one of Latin America’s most beautiful and vibrant colonial cities.
But here’s something those retail buyers don’t know…
They’re paying well over double what Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) members paid for similar condos.
The views from the beach and marina community of Yucalpetén in Progreso are truly sensational. RETA members have seen incredible uplifts of $350,200 on our deal here. Retail buyers are paying more than double the off-market RETA price for similar condos.
In July 2021, I brought RETA members a deal to own stunning condos here.
The exclusive RETA price for luxury condos in this community was from $209,800.
Last year, the last remaining condos like this were retailing for $560,000.
That’s an uplift of just over $350,000. An incredible increase of 167% on the RETA-only price!
Here’s the latest drone footage of Yucalpetén shared by the developer. It’s spectacular…
Check out this latest video I’ve received from the developer of the Yucalpetén community. It looks stunning!
From Mexico to Costa Rica…
Update from Costa Rica’s Gold Coast
In March last year, I brought RETA members an incredible opportunity to own two- and three-bed homes in the beach and marina town of Playa Flamingo, at the heart of Costa Rica’s “Gold Coast.”
I bought alongside members in this deal in the Acquarello Flamingo community.
The RETA-only pricing was from just $286,800 for a two-bed home, and from only $386,800 for a three-bed home.
Now the retail pricing for the two-bed homes has soared to $395,000. That’s an uplift of $108,200.
And the three-bed homes are now retailing for $485,000. That’s a boost of $98,200 on the RETA-only price. Incredible!
And there are very few homes left.
Deals like this are what RETA is all about—access, timing, and pricing that others can’t match. (Not a RETA member? Join now so you don’t miss out on our next deal).
Developer’s render of the rear of the three-bed luxury homes in Acquarello Flamingo (renders shouldn’t be considered final, but give you a great idea). I bought alongside RETA members in this deal…and already there have been huge uplifts of $98,200 or more. The RETA way!
Own in Playa Flamingo, and you’re riding these trends:
- The emergence of Costa Rica’s Gold Coast as one of the top global hotspots for the ultra-wealthy is well underway, with some of the world’s most exclusive resort brands active in the area creating residences to sell for $10 million…$25 million…
- Folks are arriving here in record numbers, with arrivals at Liberia airport hitting an all-time high of 1.65 million last year (up from just 50,000 in 2023)…
- Real estate is in scarce supply. Listings are often in the millions of dollars for best-in-class real estate in the best locations…
Your Questions Answered
Have a comment for me or my team? A question about owning overseas? Share it here. I’d love to hear from you. Here’s a question I got from a reader recently…
Gwen W. asks: Hi. I have a question about owning French Property as an American. I would have to leave every 90 days, correct? It’s not something I could live in all year?
Ronan says: Hi Gwen and thanks for your question.
You can buy property in France without needing a visa. However, owning property does not grant residency rights. You’re still subject to France’s immigration and visa rules.
As a U.S. citizen, you can stay in France up to 90 days within any 180-day period without a visa. After 90 days, you must leave the Schengen Area and can’t return until enough days have passed to stay under the 90-in-180 rule.
If you want to live in your French home year-round, you’ll need to apply for a long-stay visa.
After holding a long-stay visa and legally residing in France for several years, you may become eligible for permanent residency or even citizenship.
Best of luck! Let me know how it goes.
Wishing you good real estate investing,
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, drop me a line here.
