Over two decades of scouting real estate markets around the world, I’ve devoted myself to finding big transformations I can follow, get ahead of, and profit from.
I’ve learned that if you look everywhere, there is always opportunity somewhere.
You just have to identify the big transformations before the wider market fully catches on.
Often, those transformations begin with something deceptively simple.
A new highway. A bridge. The extension of a rail line or new flight connections.
When technology changes where we can live, vacation, or do business, it changes the rules of real estate markets.
I use the term “Path of Progress” to describe events like this.
Today, some real-world examples of the kind of transformation I’m talking about…
The breathtaking white-sand beaches of Playa del Carmen on the Riviera Maya draw millions of visitors from around the world every year. This coastline has witnessed a stunning Path of Progress.
Back in 2008, I founded my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group to bring together like-minded folks who understand the incredible opportunities in international real estate.
Today, I lead a small team of experienced scouts. My team and I spend more than $1 million annually on travel and research to find the world’s best real estate opportunities.
This research feeds into our biggest annual research project: The RETA Index—my ranking of the 25 best places in the world to buy real estate right now.
We score each destination across 10 criteria—but one of the most important things we look for is a major Path of Progress…
Sometimes Paths of Progress are best seen from the air. My team and I are constantly on the hunt for huge transformations.
I have a formula…
Access + Desire + Catalyst = Demand
Access is vital. A lot of people have to be able to get there easily. Think airports with multiple direct flights, highways that reduce travel time, and ports that welcome cruise ships and cargo. A destination that’s hard to reach may stay undiscovered forever, no matter how beautiful it is.
But access alone is not enough…
Desire. It’s a place people want to be. Somewhere that offers the practical ingredients for a great lifestyle and also outstanding amenities. A nice climate, beautiful beaches, lots to do…from restaurants to marinas to golf courses. A place that caters to many markets…retirees, families, couples, party-goers, beach bums and remote working professionals.
Access and desire can lead to growth. But the most spectacular Path of Progress events have a catalyst…
The catalyst is the spark. It’s the story, the celebrity, the policy, the buzz, the incentive—the moment the world starts paying attention. Without a catalyst, access and desire might sit dormant for years. With one? The whole engine fires.
For example, the turning point for Orlando, Florida, came when Walt Disney purchased 27,000 acres close by in 1965. Disney picked the location largely because of I-4, Florida’s Turnpike, and proximity to the Orlando Jetport (later Orlando International Airport). When Walt Disney World opened in 1971, it kicked off explosive growth in tourism, hospitality, logistics, and real estate.
Often, the catalyst is not a single big dramatic event. More often, it’s a convergence—a handful of things lining up just right.
Here are three destinations where I see huge transformations playing out now. Two of them appear on The RETA Index, and one is a hot new contender that I expect to see in the next version of the Index…
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.
The Path of Progress Moving West from Panama City
The Pacific Riviera refers to the coast that runs west of Panama City. This is a stunning stretch of coastline—around 50 miles of tropical Pacific beaches framed by lush, rolling hills.
Development here began as far back as the 1940s with the establishment of Coronado, the best-known community on this coast. Others have followed over the years, but in the past two decades, growth has accelerated rapidly—driven by an enormous government-backed Path of Progress that extends from Panama City.
Head west from the capital today and you’ll see this transformation firsthand.
A new metro line is under construction…another bridge is being built over the canal (at a cost of $1.5 billion)…a highway extension is planned…
Access to this stretch of coastline is getting easier all the time.
And that matters because over the past decade, Panama City has arrived on the world stage as a global hub city. This is a place where people want to be…and want to be near.
As access improves, the coast west of the city becomes dramatically more attractive for both lifestyle buyers and investors.
The destination here where I see the most opportunity is Playa Caracol, the nicest, closest beach to Panama City.
RETA members who bought in previous deals there have seen six-figure uplifts.
- In January 2023 RETAmembers were able to buy ocean-view condos in the Las Olas community for $254,600. Now similar condos are listed with the developer for $355,580. That’s an uplift of $100,980.
- RETAmembers bought in Surfside Residences back in March 2020 at prices starting at $214,600. Similar condos are now on sale by the developer at $330,000. An uplift of $115,400.
Panama’s Pacific Riviera boasts stunning beaches…all within an hour to 90 minutes’ drive from booming Panama City.
Transformation on the Riviera Maya
You’ll find another example of a powerful Path of Progress on the Riviera Maya…
Today, Playa del Carmen is one of the biggest lifestyle and tourism destinations in Mexico’s Caribbean.
But it wasn’t always that way.
For decades, it was a sleepy beach settlement of dirt roads, small fishing boats, and a handful of rustic guesthouses.
But it occupied a prime position on this stretch of Caribbean coast—between Cancún to the north and Tulum to the south.
As Cancún expanded through the 1980s and ’90s, travelers began searching for somewhere smaller-scale and more authentic.
Playa del Carmen became that alternative.
Restaurants, cafés, and small hotels began appearing.
Cancún’s international airport continued expanding. Road infrastructure improved. And now the Maya Train connects destinations across the Riviera Maya.
This extraordinary accessibility is one reason Playa del Carmen scores so strongly in the “Path of Progress” category on the RETA Index.
The incredible rooftop pool area at the Siempre Playa community in Playa del Carmen. RETA members had the chance to buy a two-bed condo here for $264,400.
Costa Rica’s Next Big Beach Story?
The hunt for new Paths of Progress never stops…
Currently, I’m tracking a newer transformation story in Costa Rica.
It’s in a town that’s not on the current RETA Index yet. But I expect it will be in the next version.
Back in the 1960s and ’70s, this town was little more than a rough-around-the-edges fishing village wrapped in jungle.
But it had one major advantage: An incredible beach with excellent surf.
That first attracted adventurous surfers willing to travel long distances for the right waves.
Those early surfers laid the foundation for its tourism economy. Small hotels, surf camps, restaurants, and beach bars followed.
Then came access.
As Costa Rica upgraded the road network connecting this town to San José, it stopped being a remote surf outpost.
Instead, it became the closest true Pacific beach town to Costa Rica’s capital and international airport.
That kind of accessibility changes everything.
This town combines true beachfront living with rare accessibility—just a short drive from Costa Rica’s capital.
Today, this destination is evolving again.
What was once primarily a surf town is becoming a more upscale, internationally oriented lifestyle destination.
My scout Ciaran Madden recently had boots on the ground there and described boutique retail spaces, trendy restaurants, upgraded beachfront hospitality, and new amenity-rich residential projects all taking shape within a few blocks.
Soon I’ll bring RETA members a true beachfront deal here.
The chance to buy true beachfront anywhere is a rare event…let alone in Costa Rica… let alone in the closest beach town to the capital just as it’s moving upmarket…
RETA members will have a chance to lock in what I believe will be gains of $223,000 just five years after delivery with luxury condos in a best-in-class true beachfront community.
Stay tuned for more on that…
Wishing you good real estate investing,
