In this week’s Your Overseas Dream Home Digest…
- Stunning Luxury Homes in the “Switzerland of Central America”
- Rolodex Live With Gonzalo Viquez Jr.
- The Real Estate Buyer’s Guide to Costa Rica
- Your Questions Answered on Spain and Portugal
Greetings from Nicaragua.
I arrived on Wednesday to scout the country’s stunning southwestern Pacific coast.
This is a place of incredible natural beauty. It boasts a dramatic coastline of towering cliffs, rocky coves, and flat, sandy beaches.
I’ve come to the town of San Juan del Sur to track a major “Path of Progress” event (a Path of Progress is anything that makes a place easier to get to or more desirable).
I recorded a quick video for you shortly after arriving in Nicaragua to explain…
I’m scouting the southwestern Pacific coast of Nicaragua. I’ve come to this coast to scout an incredible Path of Progress.
I’ll report on what I find soon…
But this week, Your Overseas Dream Home has been all about Costa Rica.
I’ve traveled the globe for over two decades in search of the world’s most compelling real estate opportunities. And every so often, I come across a place that doesn’t just tick the boxes—it rewrites the rules.
Costa Rica is one of those places…
Much of Costa Rica’s coastline remains untouched. Read more in a special report we’ve prepared: The Real Estate Buyer’s Guide to Costa Rica. More on the report below.
Why So Many Are Choosing Costa Rica Right Now
This small Central American nation offers a rare blend of natural splendor, political stability, and a deep-rooted culture of peace and sustainability.
It’s a country where you can wake up to the sound of howler monkeys, sip coffee grown on volcanic slopes, and enjoy world-class healthcare.
But what truly sets Costa Rica apart is its livability.
It’s not just a place to vacation—it’s a place to thrive. Whether you’re a retiree looking for a slower pace, a digital nomad chasing sunshine, or an investor seeking upside in a market that’s still under the radar, Costa Rica delivers.
In Wednesday’s Your Overseas Dream Home, I gave a market overview of the country. You can read it here.
And some of the homes you’ll find on the market here are nothing short of outrageous…
Costa Rica is one of the world’s great natural paradises…a place where lush jungles roll down to vast stretches of pristine golden sand. Read our market overview here.
Stunning Luxury Homes in the “Switzerland of Central America”
Costa Rica is no longer just a tropical escape—it’s a magnet for the world’s most discerning buyers. With its peace-loving culture, jaw-dropping landscapes, and near-perfect climate, it’s earned a reputation as the “Switzerland of Central America.”
But what’s truly remarkable is the caliber of luxury real estate you’ll find tucked into its jungle ridges and coastal cliffs.
In Thursday’s mailing, I took you inside three extraordinary homes on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast—like this $7.5 million masterpiece called Casa del Amanecer in Peninsula Papagayo.
Casa del Amanecer offers uninterrupted views of Culebra Bay and the 18th hole of the Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course. Read more here.
And of course, we held our latest Rolodex Live, also on Costa Rica, on Thursday…
Rolodex Live With Gonzalo Viquez Jr.
Rolodex Live is a recently introduced benefit reserved exclusively for Lifetime members of my Real Estate Trend Alert group.
It gives RETA members direct access to my Rolodex—the same contacts and experts I rely on around the world.
This week RETA Senior Researcher Margaret Summerfield sat down with Costa Rican attorney Gonzalo Viquez Jr.
Gonzalo’s got a vast wealth of knowledge and experience to share. He has decades of legal experience…he’s helped many RETA members (including me) buy in Costa Rica…and he’s a real estate investor and RETA member himself who’s bought in several of our off-market deals in Costa Rica and beyond.
It was a great event. Here are some clips I shared yesterday where Gonzalo answers such questions as…
- What are the total closing costs to buy in Costa Rica?
- How can you get a local bank account as a property owner in Costa Rica?
- What are the best practices when hiring a company to complete construction and renovation project?
At yesterday’s Rolodex Live, my senior researcher Margaret Summerfield and attorney Gonzalo Viquez explained the ins and outs of buying in Costa Rica. Check out this clip form the event…
These live events are exclusive for Lifetime members of my Real Estate Trend Alert group. If you’re not yet a RETA Lifetime member but you can become one now and enjoy access to the next Rolodex Live as well as a host of other benefits including an invite to our annual group get-together, The Gathering.
Learn more here .
And sticking with Costa Rica, my team and I have put together a special report on buying here. This valuable resource is yours to read for free. Read on for details…
The Real Estate Buyer’s Guide to Costa Rica
My team and I have just put together a special report: The Real Estate Buyer’s Guide to Costa Rica.
This is a straightforward roadmap to buying in one of the most stable, beautiful, and opportunity-rich countries in the Americas. You’ll find details about healthcare, visas, residency, and much more. Discover why Costa Rica is an expat haven and learn the best places to buy.
You’ll also discover:
- The Costa Rican regions where I see the biggest upside for international buyers …
- A little-known “Path of Progress” that cut travel times to the sought-after Southern Zone of Costa Rica by more than half—and what that means for property values today…
- Why Costa Rica’s residency programs are among the most flexible in the Americas—and how one route lets you qualify with a surprisingly small investment…
All this and more in your special report.
The lush rainforests and pristine coastline of Costa Rica’s Pacific coast have made it a favorite of travelers and expats alike. Learn more about this incredible country in The Real Estate Buyer’s Guide to Costa Rica.
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…
Amy H. asks: Hello Ronan. Am happy to read you are scouting towns outside of Madrid. Hopefully, you will get to Salamanca. A good friend and his wife visited there last year when they were on vacation and he said they both ‘fell in love’ with Salamanca. Now they are planning on retiring there in five-six years. Will be interested in your opinion of this town.
Ronan says: Hi Amy, and thanks for your message. I’m glad you enjoyed my recent mailing, where I wrote about scouting the towns around Madrid. (It’s available to read here.)
Salamanca is the home of Spain’s oldest university, founded in 1218, and the city itself is often referred to as “the Oxford of Spain.” The university welcomes thousands of visiting students each year, which gives the city an international vibe.
The huge Plaza Mayor, said to be the most beautiful in Spain, was once a bullfighting ring, but today is home to boutique stores, bars, and restaurants.
It’s easy to see why your friends fell in love with Salamanca. And although Salamanca is a little farther from Madrid than the towns in my “Mission Madrid” like Segovia and Toledo, Salamanca is a place I’d love to scout on its own merits.
The Tormes River flows through Salamanca, Spain. The two cathedrals, the Old and New Cathedral, are adjacent to each other and sit close to the river’s edge.
Here’s another reader email I got about “Mission Madrid” and my method of searching for value on the outskirts:
Steve R. asks: I think you should do the same for Lisbon and Porto, since both have become much more expensive over the last three years.
Ronan says: Hi Steve. You’re spot on—Lisbon and Porto have changed fast. Both cities have become international hotspots, and with that has come a big jump in prices.
But just beyond them, there’s a world of opportunity and beauty that still feels authentic and surprisingly good value. North of Porto, places like Viana do Castelo and Caminha have that wonderful mix of sea air, historic streets, and walkable town life.
When I made a whistlestop tour of Porto in May, I found luxury condos priced as high as $1,000 per square foot. But also nice central resale properties for half that ($500 per square foot). Just an hour north of there, I paid $90 per square foot for a move-in ready historic home with incredible views of the lagoon, the ocean, and Spain.
Near Lisbon, the Silver Coast offers a slower pace, traditional markets, and homes for a fraction of what you’d pay in the capital.
I look forward to scouting more of Spain and Portugal when I return to Europe in 2026.
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.
