In this week’s Your Overseas Dream Home Digest…
- Scouting for Opportunities in Baja’s East Cape
- The Country That Missed the COVID Real Estate Boom
- Luxury European Farmhouses for Less Than a Typical House in California
- Your Questions Answered on Homes in the South of France (Including Options from $71,000)
This weekend, I’m on the road in the East Cape, at the southeastern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
I’m here hunting for the next big Baja opportunity…

Baja’s East Cape has miles of unspoiled coastline. Now development is pushing this way from Cabo and I’m here to explore potential opportunities.
This was an incredible week for my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group.
On Wednesday, I opened a new RETA members-only deal to own luxury two-bed ocean-view condos in a best-in-class, amenity-rich community in Los Cabos. Within hours, RETA members had snapped up all the condos available at our exclusive, off-market pricing.
Little surprise these condos disappeared so fast…this was a mind-blowing deal. The RETA-only price was more than $100,000 less than anything comparable in the same area.
That’s the power of my group. But at RETA, we never rest on our laurels.
My team and I are constantly looking for the next opportunity, searching for the next great destination, and digging into listings right across our global beat (like the homes my team found in a stunning part of the South of France from as little as $71,000…more on that at the end of today’s article).
This is why I’m already back on the road, scouting for opportunity in the East Cape.

The East Cape starts a few miles east of San José del Cabo and extends northeast along the Sea of Cortez.
This corner of Baja is majestic…
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.
I’ll be staying in Cabo Pulmo and El Pescadero during my trip. Here’s a video I found on YouTube that gives you a sense of what these destinations are like…
The landscapes of the East Cape are pristine, as this video I found on YouTube shows. Click to view…
In recent years, I’ve been returning to scout this region frequently. And virtually everywhere I’ve been, I’ve seen development pushing out from booming Los Cabos, as people seek quieter destinations on the peninsula. Now, I’m back on the East Cape to investigate the latest developments.
I’ll let you know what I uncover. Stay tuned for updates.
Opportunity in the Country That Missed the COVID Real Estate Boom
Also in the week ahead, I’ll be dropping something big…
It’s our new scouting report on a safe, welcoming, and stunningly beautiful destination that for a variety of reasons missed the global boom in real estate prices we’ve seen since COVID, and as such still offers incredible value.
Here’s what happened…

This country has beautiful coastal towns with stunning beaches and bohemian vibes. Yet real estate prices can be incredibly affordable.
Back in April of 2020, just as the world went into a pandemic lockdown, I went against the majority expert opinion and predicted that COVID would bring huge opportunities for real estate investors. That’s exactly what happened.
The COVID pandemic created a real estate boom. Around the world, real estate prices soared as people—free to work from home and with more disposable income in their pockets—looked to change and upgrade their housing situations.
But one country on my international real estate beat missed out on that boom. It bucked the trend and median home sales prices dipped by as much as 20% in the initial year of the pandemic. The knock-on effect of that means today this country offers mind-blowing value.
And let me be clear, this country isn’t some backwater. It’s modern, prosperous, and affluent. Its capital is rated the most livable city in all of Latin America and the Caribbean, and its coast is dotted with stunning bohemian beach towns.
You can read more about it here in an article I shared earlier in the week.
In that article, I asked if you could guess the country I was talking about. And I got tons of emails with the right answer, including from Charles D., Nancy L., Rick G., Paul K., Sandy S., William B., Mary D., Mike S., William J., Marelise V., Brian B., Angie H., Pete S., and Chris F., among others. Thanks to everyone who wrote in.
To reveal the answer, the country I’m referring to is Uruguay…a welcoming and wealthy place, somewhere that combines the efficiency and quality of life you’ll find in Europe with the vibrancy and culture of Latin America.
Just before Christmas, one of my scouts spent weeks on the ground in Uruguay, talking to real estate agents, developers, and expats and scouting towns and cities all along the country’s stunning coastline. Right now, we’re compiling all his best findings into a special report.
I’ll be sharing more on that in the week ahead.
Luxury European Farmhouses for Less Than a Typical Home in California
Speaking of bucking trends…
According to a recent article by Insider, more young Americans are moving to the countryside, reversing a decades-long trend of moving to cities. They’ve been spurred on by remote working and the desire to live a slower life and get away from the fast-paced world of city life.
There is something very appealing about breaking free of the pressures of modern life, owning some land, growing your own veg, and generally switching off from the modern world.
If you’re interested in this lifestyle, then you should know that overseas you can get incredible luxurious farmhouses with acres of land for very reasonable pricing (I’m talking about less than the median sales price of a home in California).

Farmhouses don’t have to be rustic affairs…you can combine all the comforts of modern living with rural charm in countries on my beat in Europe. Read more about the luxury farmhouses my team uncovered here.
This week, I asked my team to dig into this and search for farmhouses in Europe that combine all the charm and rustic beauty of traditional farm living with the high-end comforts and amenities.
And they uncovered some incredible properties…high-end homes with swimming pools, wine cellars, tennis courts, and more.
Check out what they found 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. Share it here. I’d love to hear from you. Here’s a question I got from a reader recently…
Linda R. asks: Dear Ronan, we are from Florida and recently spent a week in Menton, France looking for our dream home. We just placed an offer and are waiting to hear back if it is accepted. What do you think about the recent government news in France and how it will affect our near future? Is it still a good time to buy? Merci.
Ronan says: Hi Linda, congratulations on putting in an offer on an overseas home. Wishing you the very best of luck with it. Keep me posted on how it all goes!
Just to fill everyone in on the government news in France, recently the French government has been in turmoil, losing several prime ministers after an election threw up a parliamentary stalemate between several parties.
To answer your question about this situation, in short, I wouldn’t be overly concerned. In fact, one of the advantages of buying overseas is that politics fades into the background. Let me explain…
When you own overseas in a country like France or the other destinations on my global beat, it allows you to disconnect from the world’s political noise. It’s not that I don’t care about politics. I pay attention, particularly in destinations on my global beat. It’s just not my main focus. My team and I typically don’t spend much time discussing the turmoil and confusion of the world. We don’t hang on every soundbite. Our focus is always on opportunity…globally.
One of the many things I love about international real estate, then, is that it’s a great way to insulate ourselves, so whatever happens in the world, our personal and financial security and freedom is assured.
Now, getting back the topic of French real estate…
Even though it’s on the French Riviera, Menton is the last town on France’s Côte d’Azur before the Italian border and is considered one of the region’s best-kept secrets. The second language here is Italian, and locals switch easily between the two. You can hop the border for a lunch of risotto with wild mushrooms and then be back for a French dinner of bouillabaisse (fish and shellfish stew).

Menton sits on a semi-circular bay backed by steep mountains, which lend the city it’s unique microclimate.
Menton’s microclimate makes it the warmest nook of the entire French Riviera in winter, protected from the mistral winds by the mountains behind it.
This climate brought Menton its initial prosperity, with European aristocrats building homes here throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, it was soon overshadowed by the towns farther west, such as Cannes, Nice, and Antibes.
While Menton is still part of the prestigious French Riviera and real estate prices often reflect that, it’s overlooked in comparison to its more famous neighbors, so the value here can be better. Again, best of luck with the home!
Here’s a related question from another reader…
Mike S. asks: Is there anywhere affordable to buy in the South of France? I love the culture and weather on the French Riviera, but the prices can be really crazy!
Ronan says: Hi Mike, if you’re looking for the weather of the French Riviera, but without the crazy real estate prices, check out the Languedoc. This is a region my team and I have scouted in the past.
Here, you’ll enjoy 300 days of sunshine a year, stunning Mediterranean beaches, world-class wines, classic French restaurants, farmers markets selling fresh seasonal produce, charming medieval villages, and a countryside overflowing with vineyards and olive groves…everything you could want from a South of France getaway.

The Languedoc in the South of France includes the city of Montpellier and the surrounding region to the west.
The Languedoc is also the biggest wine-producing region in France. In fact, it accounts for 5% of global wine production. It was historically known for producing a plonk wine that kept the miners and industrial workers of the north liquored up, but that has changed in the last few years.
Wine tourism has growing globally and Languedoc winemakers now offer visitors boutique wine-tasting experiences.
The Languedoc is a popular second home and vacation destination. But without the same volume of tourists you’ll find in Provence to the east. And if you’re willing to own a little back from the coast, you’ll find incredible prices.
To give you an idea of the kinds of homes on the market there right now, my team found the listings below. (Note, we haven’t done any due diligence on these properties. If you are interested in them, you should hire an attorney and do your own due diligence).
About 50 miles from Montpellier is the town of Premain, and here you’ll find this two-bed, one-bath restored village house. It’s got a small kitchen separate living room, and a wine cellar. The listing price is €69,000 ($71,000).
If you have a bit more to spend, this charming stone house is right in the heart of the town of Villevieille, located about halfway between the cities of Montpellier and Nîmes. It’s got two bedrooms, a bathroom, a bright living room, a kitchen/dining room and it comes with a small garage. It’s listed at €173,000 ($178,000). It’s about 30 minutes from the coast.
Closer to the coast, only about a 20-minute drive, this renovated three-bed apartment in the historic town of Beziers is listed at €144,000 ($148,400).
Ronan McMahon, Founder, Overseas Dream Home & Real Estate Trend Alert
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.