In the summer of 1956, just outside Orlando, a citrus grower named Ray Collier stood beside his fruit crates, watching surveyors drive stakes along the edge of his groves.
For generations, his family had worked that land—planting the trees, tending the harvest, riding out freezes and hurricanes. But now something unfamiliar was unfolding. The stakes marked the route of a bold new highway—the first stretch of what would become Interstate 4.
Ray wasn’t sure what to make of it. The government had offered a decent price for the right-of-way, and the local paper hailed the project as a marvel of modern planning. Still, it felt like a disruption. A rupture in the rhythm of the groves.
He had no idea it was also the beginning of a fortune.
Within a decade, Ray’s sun-soaked farmland lay on the edge of one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the Southeast.
Orlando was booming. What had once been rows of citrus became rows of gas stations, motels, shopping centers—and, eventually, sprawling subdivisions. The Collier family leased land to hotel developers and sold off parcels to theme park suppliers and logistics companies. What had been sleepy farmland became a launchpad for generational wealth.
This is the power of a “Path of Progress” event.
From citrus groves and a quiet town of 10,000 to the home of Walt Disney World and 75 million annual visitors—Orlando is a textbook example of a “Path of Progress” transformation.
Essentially, a Path of Progress is the collision of real estate and technology.
The railroads made successes of towns along their tracks.
The interstate highway system turned backwaters into boomtowns.
The car made the growth of suburbia possible.
Improved jet technology gave rise to mass air travel, which turned into global tourism.
When a technology changes where we can live, vacation, or do business, it changes the rules of real estate markets.
Ever since the 1920s, when the affordable automobile and better roads first opened up Florida to northern vacationers and retirees, the state had been developing. But when President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act in 1956, it supercharged that progress.
More than 46,000 miles of interstate would reshape America’s landscape. Florida, with its vast open tracts and year-round sun, would be one of the biggest winners.
The highways didn’t just move traffic—they moved wealth. Just like the railroads had before them…and the steamboats before that…
They brought families, commerce, and development to once-remote places. They turned orange groves and pine flatwoods into suburbs, resorts, and business parks.
And for those who held real estate along their path? The highways meant opportunity.
Here’s a fundamental fact: Real estate fortunes—big and small—are made at moments of great transformation like this.
That’s why, for over 20 years, I’ve devoted myself to finding big transformations I can follow, get ahead of, and profit from.
Here’s a few examples…
- Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – For decades, Cabo was known mostly to fishermen and yacht owners. Then celebrities began arriving—first in private jets, then with developers in tow. The government followed with infrastructure investment, including the expansion of the airport and federal highway links. Today, Cabo is a luxury hotspot with multimillion-dollar resorts, branded residences, and thriving short-term rental markets.
Cabo, once a remote outpost with nothing but a tuna cannery, today home to lavish 5-star resorts and multi-million-dollar homes, a leader in global luxury.
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – Back in the late 1960s, Punta Cana was isolated jungle and remote Caribbean coast. But a group of American and Dominican investors had a vision—and they didn’t wait for the government. They built their own airport, created the Punta Cana brand, and invested in high-end resorts, golf courses, and gated communities. Over time, the government caught up with roads and incentives, and today Punta Cana is one of the busiest Caribbean tourism markets, with soaring real estate demand driven by both vacationers and retirees.
The Dominican Republic is now an established leader in luxury tourism in the Caribbean, and Punta Cana airport puts millions of people on the ground close to beaches like these.
- Riviera Maya, Mexico – In the early 1970s, Cancún was little more than a remote sandbar with no significant development. Then the Mexican government selected it as a pilot project for tourism-led economic development. They built an international airport, offered tax incentives for major hotels, and supported international marketing campaigns. The result: a master-planned mega-destination that now attracts over 25 million visitors annually and supports a vast economy stretching from the Cancun Hotel Zone down 80 miles of stunning coastline through the brand-new city of Playa del Carmen to Tulum.
My Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) team and I spend more than $1 million on travel and research every year to identify and get ahead of transformations like these.
And the results for RETA members have been incredible…
- $392,844 more in Los Cabos—In 2015, I brought RETA members a deal to own in the 5-star Quivira resort in Los Cabos. The RETA-only price on a two-bed, two-bath ocean-view condo in Copala community was $336,156. This year, a similar condo to mine listed for $729,000. That’s $392,844 more.
- Boost of $87,600 in Cap Cana—Last year, I bought RETA members an exclusive deal to own stunning luxury condos in Cap Cana, a vast city-state in the making on the edge of Punta Cana. Our exclusive price was from just $382,400. Just seven months later, they were listing for $470,000. That’s $87,600 more already!
- $309,018 uplift in Riviera Maya—In 2021, RETA members had the chance to buy two-bed condos in a community called Singular Dream in downtown Playa del Carmen from $265,304. In 2024, a two-bed condo in Singular Dream was listing for $574,322. That’s a massive uplift of $309,018.
This shows the power of buying ahead of a transformation.
And our hunt for new Paths of Progress never stops…
The best-in-class Singular Dream community in downtown Playa del Carmen enjoys stunning rooftop amenities as well as incredible views of the Caribbean. Members of my RETA club have seen huge six-figure uplifts from our past deal here.
Two of my scouts have just returned from tracking possible new transformations on the Aegean coast of Greece and in emerging towns and cities in Baja California.
Do these transformations have the incredible potential of those above?
Tune in over the next few days for reports from my scouts to find out…
Wishing you good real estate investing,
P.S. I’ve been hard at work on the brand-new edition of my bestselling book, Ronan McMahon’s Big Book of Profitable Real Estate Investing.
This book is my life’s work, and in it I share seven destinations where I’m tracking nailed-on mega-transformations.
Very soon, I’ll be sharing how you can get a physical copy of this book for free (you pay only shipping). Details soon…
