Yesterday I shared the scouting plans my team and I have scheduled for the next few months (if you missed it, you’ll find it here).
And I told you about the deals that are in the pipeline for members of my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) members.
Right now I’m working on deals in the vast, super-luxurious Caribbean master-planned community of Cap Cana…on the nicest beach on Panama’s Pacific Coast and only about a hours drive from Panama City…as well as another incredible deal in Europe’s new Riviera in stunning Montenegro.
If these deals come together, RETA members will be the first to hear about them.
Another of members-only deals my team and I are working on right now has me very excited. Coming soon will be a deal my favorite town on Portugal’s ever-popular Algarve.
The historic town of Lagos has semi-secret sandy coves, long stretches of golden-sand beach, a top-class marina, a stunning old town, incredible restaurants and golf. And I consider Lagos to be one of the great discoveries of my real estate scouting career.
Lagos, once a sleepy seaside village, is now a buzzing town that attracts folks from around the world.
When I first spotted opportunity in Lagos around a decade ago, this stunning coastal town was still quiet, sleepy, and largely unknown to the millions of tourists flocking to the Algarve. But it was rich in history, perfectly located, and development was gradually pushing toward it.
Today, Lagos has well and truly been discovered. It’s now a modern, wealthy town with bustling beaches and an upscale marina.
I first started scouting Portugal’s Algarve region way back in 2002. It was a very different place back then…
The Algarve is in the very south of Portugal facing the Atlantic, but it boasts a Mediterranean climate. It gets 300 days of sunshine a year and has great culture, amazing food, and stunning beaches.
For decades before I first arrived, the Algarve had been a popular vacation destination among northern Europeans, especially the British. In fact, back then the Algarve was basically the only destination that tourists went to in Portugal. And it was very seasonal.
Outside the 10 to 12 weeks of high season, the Algarve was very quiet. Many business shut down when the season ended. Full-time expats and second-home owners were rare.
I always suspected that could change. So year after year, I returned to scout the Algarve…watching the market and building contacts.
Prior to the global financial crisis, development had been radiating out from the central Algarve in two directions—east and west. The crisis halted this development, but I knew it was only a matter of time before it resumed. The Algarve simply has too much inherent appeal.
The Algarve boasts stunning beaches and a laidback lifestyle that’s hard to beat. I’ve found opportunity here and there’s more to come.
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the world began to discover Portugal. Clever tourist campaigns, new airline routes, and attractive tax and visa schemes shined a global spotlight on what had been Europe’s best-kept secret.
People started coming in droves…and not just to visit, but to stay.
The Algarve appeals to a huge mix of markets. In addition to vacationers, it now attracts well-heeled expats, young families, and digital nomads. It’s an truly internationalized destination that draws Northern Europeans, North Americans, and even folks from as far away as Asia…
Today, arrival numbers are booming. In 2024, a record 9.4 million people passed through Faro airport, the gateway to the Algarve.
Lagos is arguably the most historic town on the Algarve. It was home to Henry the Navigator and the adventurers of the Age of Discovery. It’s compact, low-rise, and walkable. And from spots all over town you can catch breathtaking views of the Bay of Light, fringed by miles of golden sand.
Despite its soaring popularity, the charming old town of Lagos retains its traditional Portuguese feel.
You can walk to the town’s marina and jump on a boat to go sailing, fishing, or cruising around the cliffs, sea stacks, and bluffs of the Western Algarve’s awesome coastline. The state-of-the-art marina features a wide range of services and facilities for yacht owners and maritime enthusiasts, including well-maintained docks, high-end restaurants, and boutique shopping.
Here you can sip champagne over a lunch of fresh pastéis de bacalhau (salt cod fritter, a culinary specialty around these parts) on the terrace of one of those restaurants while admiring the panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and the charming old town.
The Lagos marina is the perfect for a spot of lunch and some people (and yacht) watching.
The old town’s narrow, wave-patterned streets are partially enclosed by 16th-century stone walls and easy to navigate on your own, though you never know what you’ll find around the next corner. It could be a charming café, a quaint market, or a pastelaria selling mouth-watering cakes and pastries.
Lagos attracts tourists from all over the world. It’s a town with exceptional access. It’s just an hour’s drive from Faro airport with good road connections. From Faro, you can catch a two- to three-hour flight to almost anywhere in Europe. Overall, it has direct flights scheduled to 75 destinations in 16 countries.
When I first scouted Lagos, I knew this town was a huge discovery…
So over the past decade, I used my contacts to help find incredible deals here for RETA members.
We got ahead as that previously stalled “path of progress” began once again sweeping west along the coast from the traditional tourist centers near Faro airport to places like the historic towns of Lagos. (A path of progress is anything that makes a place easier to get to, like new roads, airports, or bridges, or more desirable, say, a 5-star resort in a place that previously only had cheap hostels).
In Lagos, I used our group buying power to find killer deal after killer deal. To give just a few examples…
- €277,000 Uplift—In November 2020, I brought RETA members a deal to own in the stunning community of Adega in Lagos. Members could buy two-bed luxury condos at pricing starting at €348,000. A local broker told my team that they sold one earlier this year for €625,000. That’s a boost of €277,000.
- €414,500 More—In December 2019 RETA members could buy luxurious two-bed condos in a Lagos community called Santa Maria from €310,500. Today, there’s a two-bed condo in Santa Maria listing for €725,000. That’s an uplift of €414,500.
- Boost of €1.1 million—In 2021, we had a RETA deal in the luxury community of Dona Maria overlooking the marina in Lagos. One RETA member purchased a penthouse there for €1.1 million. In 2024 that listed at double that—€2.2 million.
The Dona Maria community in Lagos, where RETA members have seen mind-blowing six- and even seven-figure uplifts on a previous members-only deal.
These uplifts demonstrate the incredible soaring demand for high-end real estate in this town…and this demand shows no signs of abating
While Lagos once flew under the radar, over the past decade it has exploded in popularity.
Demand for best-in-class real estate here has skyrocketed. Today, there’s a critical shortage of inventory and rentals. Occupancy rates have soared. This town, which once had that 10- to 14-week tourist season, is now bustling year-round with wealthy visitors and expats from right across the world. I’m hearing of long-term rentals in best-in-class communities here earning €3,000 per month…or even more.
I thought the opportunity in Lagos had passed—I felt sure it had. But now my deep network of contacts has unlocked a new opportunity…
This new killer deal comes thanks to my long-standing connections in Lagos. A developer we’ve worked with before at RETA is building a new community in Porto de Mos, the most prestigious area of Lagos. (Porto de Mos is just to the west of downtown Lagos, on a hill overlooking a beach bearing the same name.)
In the coming weeks, RETA members will get the chance to own stunning luxury condos in a true best-in-class community. And it’s just a six or seven-minute stroll from the beach that I (and locals) consider the best in Lagos.
With this deal, I expect big capital appreciation and serious income if you choose to rent.
Stay tuned to your inbox…I’ll be sending more details soon.
