In this week’s Your Overseas Dream Home Digest…
- An Inside Look at the 2025 RETA Gathering
- How a RETA Member Achieved 98% Rental Occupancy
- Stunning Beach Homes on Mexico’s Riviera Maya
- Your Questions Answered on Life in Albania and Cabo’s East Cape
Earlier this week, I returned to Cabo after spending last weekend in the company of Lifetime members of my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group.
I’d been in the cosmopolitan beach city of Playa del Carmen on Mexico’s Riviera Maya for The Gathering, the annual meetup for RETA Lifetime members. And this year’s was the biggest and best in the near 17-year history of our group.
Here’s a brief overview video my team prepared of the event…
Check out this brief video of The Gathering XI that I posted on my Instagram. The Gathering is the annual get-together for Lifetime members of my Real Estate Trend Alert group.
Although I was sad to wrap things up at our farewell dinner last Saturday night at The Gathering XI, I’m excited about what lies ahead for my group for the rest of 2025.
I have big plans for RETA this year.
There’ll be more experts joining the team to share their knowledge…access to new financing options…residency advice for places on the RETA beat…and of course, more incredible off-market RETA member-only deals. In fact, we don’t have to wait long for the next one…
At The Gathering XI, I offered a sneak peek of our next RETA members-only deal—a chance to own luxury condos in a stunning landmark community with a half-acre of rooftop amenities.
With this deal in downtown Playa del Carmen, I expect gains of gains of $201,600 five years after delivery and red-hot rental income—conservatively I’d say an annual gross yield of 13%.
I’ll have more details to share on this soon. RETA members, stay tuned to your inbox. (As with all these off-market deals, you need to be a RETA member to get in on it. If this deal is of interest to you, now is the time to join. All the details are here.)
For today, let’s start a quick roundup of The Gathering XI in Playa del Carmen…
After an incredible time meeting RETA members at The Gathering XI on Mexico’s Riviera Maya, I’m back at my condo in Cabo…prepping for a new RETA members-only deal that’s dropping very soon.
An Inside Look at the 2025 RETA Gathering
The Gathering is not your typical conference.
This annual get-together for Lifetime RETA members is a relaxed and intimate affair set amid the luxury of the Grand Hyatt on the breathtaking Caribbean beaches of Playa del Carmen.
For The Gathering XI, we had three days of sharing drinks and meals…we got to network with the insiders from across my global beat…and we met with friends, old and new.
This year’s Gathering was also jam-packed with opportunities…
One of my favorite things about The Gathering is getting to speak face-to-face with RETA members. This is my wife Sayuri and I talking to RETA member Anthony Murphy.
At The Gathering XI, my contacts spotlighted listings in Spain’s Costa del Sol, Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, and Nicaragua’s San Juan del Sur region. My scouting team dug into the best places to buy and the best opportunities we’ve uncovered in Uruguay, Sicily and northern Portugal…
We tracked incredible “paths of progress” in Panama…on Costa Rica’s Gold Coast…and in Cap Cana, a vast master-planned community in the Dominican Republic… (A path of progress is anything that makes a place more accessible or desirable, like a new bridge or a 5-star resort.)
Experts from my global network highlighted strategies to boost your rental income…opportunities in AI…top legal tips to know in Spain, Portugal, Mexico, and Costa Rica…
And as I say, attendees got a sneak peek of our brand-new RETA-only deal in Playa del Carmen.
Here’s a behind the scenes look at everything we got up to at The Gathering XI.
How a RETA Member Got 98% Rental Occupancy
During The Gathering XI, a member of my team met up with RETA member Kurt Hoppe…
Kurt’s got a fascinating story. He’s a seasoned real estate investor. And he’s truly got it figured out. With one of his properties he’s getting a 98% occupancy rate. That’s insane!
He graciously took the time to share how he did it. Check out this video he recorded during The Gathering to share with his fellow RETA members…
RETA member Kurt Hoppe really knows how to enjoy and profit from overseas real estate investing.
Kurt’s passion for innovation is inspiring and he’s leveraged his tech know-how and background to supercharge occupancy, and to create a roadmap for overseas real estate success.
I’m delighted he’s a member of my RETA group!
Beach Homes on Mexico’s Riviera Maya
Of course, my team never travels anywhere without doing some scouting. And that’s particularly true when we’re in a place as beautiful and filled with opportunity as the Riviera Maya.
So, in advance of The Gathering XI, my team fanned out across this 80-mile stretch of Caribbean coast.
In yesterday’s Overseas Dream Home, I focused on opportunities and properties they uncovered in the smaller beach towns there, such as Akumal, Puerto Morelos, and Puerto Aventuras.
These include a 1,237-square-foot two-bed, two-bath condo that my newest team member, Geneviève Vienneau, found in Puerto Aventuras. Gen was really impressed by the home and how close to the ocean it is. “When you’re on the balcony you’re almost dipping your toes in the sand,” she says.
You’ll find this listing in the full article here.
My scout toured a condo in Puerto Aventuras with ocean views and access to a private beach. See the listing in the full article here.
Your Questions Answered
Have a comment for me or my team? A question about owning overseas? A destination you’d like us to scout? Something about the new RETA members-only deal in Playa del Carmen? Share it here. I’d love to hear from you. Here’s some questions/comments I got from readers recently…
Erin C. asks: Hi Ronan, I have a friend moving to Albania at the end of this month as a retired U.S. citizen. She plans to stay for a year and is quite excited about the low cost of living. Would she have an opportunity to purchase a home there and have you explored this country before?
Ronan says: Hi Erin, thanks for your question. Albania is a fascinating country that has emerged from a turbulent past and is making its way to the top of many “must-see” travel lists.
Tiny Albania is sandwiched between Greece and Italy, farther down the coast from Montenegro, and it’s a stunningly beautiful country. A hikers’ paradise, mountains crown this corner of Europe, and run right down to sparsely developed Mediterranean beaches.
And Americans are VERY welcome in Albania.
My scout Eoin Bassett visited Albania back in 2022 and he has this to say: “Albania is a country that loves Americans. I mean really loves Americans. People name their pets after U.S. presidents. Some folks fly the Stars and Stripes in their gardens. U.S. citizens can stay in this little European country for a year without a visa and getting one after that seems pretty straightforward.”
With regard to your question about buying a home here, foreigners can buy property in Albania…but not land. However, you can set up an Albanian company that can buy the land. And according to the locals, setting up a company takes a day (though you’d want to verify this before taking any action).
You can read more about Eoin’s trip to Albania here. (Normally, scouting reports like this are reserved for RETA members, but I’ve unlocked it here to show you what we do.) Bear in mind, this was over two years ago, and in the intervening years Albania’s popularity has grown. Latest figures show the country had 11.7 million visitors in 2024, a massive year-on-year rise of 15.2% This is a place I’d like have a team member return to and follow up on what Eoin found there. Stay tuned…
Steven M. says: Hi Ronan, I met you briefly at the International Living Bootcamp in Vegas last fall. My wife and I drove Baja’s East Cape from Cabo to La Paz in the late 80s in a VW Bug with a rubber raft on the roof. Indescribable. Wild beauty and serenity. Thank you for your singular comment about future development: “I hope not.” Amen. Some places really should be preserved. Safe journeys.
Ronan says: Hi Steven, what an incredible way to explore Baja’s East Cape! I’m envious of your trip and the time when you took it. Even today, it’s truly a spectacular part of the world.
This corner of southeastern tip of the Baja California peninsula starts a few miles east of San José del Cabo and extends northeast along the Sea of Cortez. Here, you’ll find golden-sand beaches, rugged desert landscapes, and crystal-clear waters. The coastline is dotted with secluded coves and coral reefs, making it a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Fishing, snorkeling, and diving are popular here and surfers are drawn to the consistent waves at beaches like Shipwrecks and Nine Palms.
Here’s a video I found on YouTube that showcases this area’s natural beauty:
The landscapes of the East Cape are pristine.
When I scouted here back in January, I did find signs of development…there’s a path of progress that’s moving up from San José del Cabo into the East Cape. Less than 10 minutes’ drive east of this artsy, cultured town is the master-planned community of Puerto Los Cabos with a marina, top-class golf, and high-end hotels. Past this, though, you have limited to no infrastructure. And once inside the serene Cabo Pulmo National Park, development disappears entirely.
I shared my latest findings on the East Cape here.
This is a region of the Baja Peninsula I return to scout frequently. And while development is on its way to parts of the East Cape, there are still areas that I think and hope will retain that rugged beauty and charm for a long time to come, like Cabo Pulmo National Park.
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 for 2025, drop me a line here.
