In this week’s Your Overseas Dream Home Digest…
- Is There New Opportunity in Spain…I’m Investigating
- The First Thing To Do Before Buying International Real Estate
- French Mansion Living For the Price of a Dublin 3-Bed Home
- Your Questions Answered on Upcoming Deals in Cabo
Dear Reader,
I’m back in my home in Caminha as I write this after spending some time scouting in Spain’s capital of Madrid, and investigating the country’s economic resurgence.
Back in the early 2010s, Spain was the “sick man of Europe.”
Fast forward to today, and it’s the fastest-growing major economy on the continent.
I was reminded of this walking the streets of Madrid this week. The energy is undeniable—restaurants buzzing and a vibrant, youthful atmosphere.
My initial thoughts are that Madrid is charting a course that feels a lot like London or Paris. It’s evolving into a true global hub of wealth, influence, and culture…a capital city stepping onto the world stage alongside its British and French counterparts.
Madrid is on track to be one of Europe’s true global hubs.
While there, I also took the 35-minute train journey to town of Toledo, just south of Madrid.
Perched on a hill above the Tagus River, Toledo is a labyrinth of cobbled streets, medieval walls, and golden-stone churches. It feels like a living museum of Spanish culture—its winding lanes lined with artisan shops, sword-makers, and tapas bars. Panoramic river views frame a skyline of spires and towers, while galleries and festivals showcase art and tradition.
Toledo was once the capital of Spain before it was moved to Madrid in 1560.
The entire town is a UNESCO World Heritage site but I found that prices here are surprisingly affordable.
I’ll be sharing more of my insights on what I uncovered in both Madrid and Toledo in the coming week…
This week I’ll also be preparing for some more scouting trips that I want to lock in before the end of the year.
Next up, I’ll be heading back to Galicia in northwestern Spain for some more scouting.
Then when I head back across the Atlantic, I’ll be checking out the coastal city of Ensenada, just an 80-minute drive south of San Diego.
Before the end of the year I’ll also be returning to the south Pacific coast of Nicaragua…there’s some big new infrastructure investment happening down there that I want to see for myself.
And finally, I’m planning my very first scouting trip to Paraguay. I recently say down with Kurt Hoppe, a long-time member of my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) club who had boots on the ground in Paraguay digging into the real estate market there. If you missed it, you can check out our conversation here to learn more about this fascinating landlocked South American country.
The First Thing To Do Before Buying International Real Estate
As I mentioned to you last week, I’ve launched a brand-new YouTube channel where I’m going to be sharing my insights from my 20+ years of scouting and investing in overseas real estate.
And this week I dropped another new video…
One of the most common things I hear from folks I’ve met in my over two decades as a full-time international real estate investor and scout, is that they want to own overseas, but they just don’t know how or where to begin.
That’s why last week I’ve recorded a brand-new YouTube video digging into this topic…revealing the critical first step everyone needs to take before they make their first overseas deal.
Check out the video below…
In this video, I reveal the most important step you need to take before investing overseas. Click to view.
You may be surprised to hear that the first step in international real estate investing isn’t about market trends or mortgage rates. It’s about you.
It’s about ruthlessly profiling yourself.
Because only by profiling yourself—by understanding your goals and your “red lines”—will you be able to find your perfect overseas destination, property, and lifestyle.
In this short video, I share:
- The single biggest mistake I made when moving overseas (and how it changed my approach forever).
- How to decide whether your journey is investment-focused, lifestyle-driven, or a mix of both.
- The red line factors—like weather, accessibility, and lifestyle amenities—that you must nail down before buying abroad.
Profiling yourself is the foundation of every successful overseas real estate journey.
Check out the video to learn more. And share it with anyone who’s interested in buying overseas.
If you have any questions/comments, please do drop them into the comments section under the video. I’d love want to hear about your journey and your red lines…and I’ll be checking in to answer any questions you might have.
And if you want to check out the other videos on my YouTube channel, you’ll find them here.
Don’t forget to subscribe too so you don’t miss any upcoming videos…like the one we have coming tomorrow, in which I’ll talk about the three best locations on my real estate beat for rental income.
French Mansion Living For the Price of a Dublin 3-Bed Home
This week I saw a news article that said the average price of a three-bed, semi-detached home in my home country of Ireland is now €421,000.
But more shocking was that the average price in Dublin has risen to an eye-watering €612,000…that’s $719,150…4.5% higher than a year ago. (Right now, Ireland has a hugely a hugely dysfunctional real estate market brought about by a chronic shortage of homes…read more about that here.)
But as I’m always saying, when you look everywhere, you’ll find opportunity somewhere.
So when I was browsing The Overseas Dream Home Instagram account earlier this week, I found that for just a little more than the price of a three-bed home in Dublin, you can own a mansion in the French countryside…
This elegant Maison de Maître totals more than 3,650 square feet across multiple buildings on over two acres. The expansive main house contains five bedrooms and has original features including stone walls, wooden windows, fireplaces, and high ceilings. (You’ll find more photos here.)
Two charming, independent gîtes provide additional accommodation, with two bedrooms per gîte. Outbuildings include a garage, two barns, and three workshops. A summer lounge with fireplace overlooks the swimming pool and terrace, with open garden views.
The mansion sits in the heart of France’s most famous wine-producing region, about an hour north of Bordeaux city, amid rolling hills covered in grapevines that stretch to the horizon.
Reignac and Etauliers are idyllic rural villages (four minutes away) that serve the local farming community with essential shops, cafés, and services. For more extensive shopping and dining, the historic port town of Blaye is 20 minutes away.
All of this for €635,000 ($746,300).
For more listings of affordable overseas dream homes, click here to follow our Your Overseas Dream Home Instagram account.
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…
As I said above, I’ve been answering questions on my new YouTube channel…this is one that came in last week when I talked about the 3 markets on my beat that are set to boom (you can watch that video here).
Hi Ronan, I’m very interested in Los Cabos for investment. Upcoming deals? If you had to choose between Caminha (Portugal) and Los Cabos (Mexico)?
Thanks for your questions Rebecca.
Right now, I’m closing in on a new deal in Cabo…this time it’s close to the San José del Cabo…the old soul of Cabo. (Read more about San José del Cabo here.)
This is a deal that will put RETA members very close to all that beautiful San José has to offer at off-market pricing…with enormous potential upside. RETA members should stay tuned to their alerts…I’ll be sharing all the info when I have the deal finalised. (If you think you might be interested in this deal but aren’t yet a RETA member, join here to get in on this, and all future opportunities I bring to the table.)
To be honest, I’d find it difficult to choose between Caminha and Cabo. Cabo is my winter base, its where I head to each year when winter starts to set in around Europe…and being in northern Portugal, the weather in Caminha isn’t warm enough for me in the winter months. I find spring and fall to be the perfect time to be in Caminha.
And then the same goes for Cabo in the winter…it’s not too hot and I can enjoy warm sunshine, bright light, and cool breezes. The perfect climate for me. And from an investment angle, my Cabo investments have worked out incredible well…but I expect results in Caminha in the future.
Wishing you good real estate investing,
