The Special Mission I Gave My Team

Three years ago, I stood on a golden-sand beach in Los Cabos, Mexico, and announced the start of a special mission for my Real Estate Trend Alert team and I…

We were going to fan out across the globe and find the “next places.”

In the wake of the pandemic, many of the world’s most popular and desirable destinations—from Cabo to the Costa del Sol in Spain, from Portugal’s Algarve region to Mexico’s Caribbean coast—were seeing huge influxes. Those coming were not just vacationers, but also digital nomads, snowbirds, young families, part- and full-time remote workers…

As more people came and demand for real estate soared, I knew the opportunity would start to spread to new destinations…

Across the world a whole host of lesser-known towns and cities are on the cusp of exploding into the mainstream thanks to major “Paths of Progress” and an inherent desirability… 

Cap Cana is 30,000 acres of pure luxury—twice the size of Manhattan—and just hours from the U.S. By doing the right deal close to this beach members of my RETA club have seen a 22.9% increase in just seven months.

The search for “next places” is the reason I’ve got boots on the ground in the Spanish region of Galicia. 

I’ve hopped across the river from my home in Caminha, in northern Portugal, because I’m hearing a groundswell of excitement about this region. 

Opportunity is spilling over the border…

I first scouted Caminha two years ago. I knew I’d found somewhere special—a “next place.” That’s why I’ve bought a historic mansion here. And it’s why I hosted a special presentation on it at The Gathering XI, the last edition of the RETA Lifetime members-only event.

Now, as I predicted, Caminha is being discovered. 

When I first scouted Caminha, there were five great and inexpensive homes for every buyer. Today, the ratio is more like 1:1…and things are heading fast for five buyers for every nice home. 

Such is the spike in demand in Caminha that I fully expect the 5,000-square-foot home I bought here for just €410,000 to be worth €1 million within five years. 

Now Galicia is emerging as the next phase of this opportunity, riding the same wave that transformed northern Portugal into a hotspot. And yet, I’ve heard of Galicia towns where you can fully remodeled mansions from €70 per square foot.

That’s why I’m digging deep on this region. 

And as I did with Caminha, I’m planning a special presentation on Galicia—alongside a host of other “next places”—at the next RETA Lifetime meetup, The Gathering XII March 12-14 in Panama City.

Get the Guide to The Gathering XII here.

A photo I snapped in my historic home in Caminha. Through the open door, you can see Galicia across the river in Spain. I’m scouting Galicia as I write this. And whether you’re just starting on your adventure in overseas real estate or you’re a seasoned traveler enjoying multiple bases in beautiful places, The Gathering XII is for you. 

My RETA club has always been forward-looking. 

By its very nature, it’s about getting ahead of the Path of Progress—spotting tomorrow’s prime locations while they’re still overlooked, undervalued, and full of upside. 

There is no shortcut to finding these destinations.

It’s not something you can do from your laptop or your living room. It requires getting on planes, jumping in rental cars, crossing time zones, digging feet in sand…

This is why my team and I spend more than $1 million on travel and research every year. We put boots on the ground and build local contacts, so RETA can be ahead.

The past year has been unprecedented in the depth and breadth of scouting. From South America to Asia, Europe to the Caribbean, my team and I have been crisscrossing the globe in our hunt for new opportunity. And the list of “next places” we’ve uncovered is incredible, from established favorites poised for reinvention to early-stage markets just beginning to stir. 

The Gathering is where we bring that mission into focus, zeroing in on the markets, neighborhoods, and ideas that could define the next wave of opportunity.

And it’s where RETA Lifetime members can meet face-to-face with me, my scouts, and my contacts to pick our brains on these destinations. Hear firsthand about the opportunities there. Get their specific questions on them answered. (This short Guide to The Gathering XII tells you how to secure your invitation.)

Besides Galicia, here are just some of the “next places” that Gathering XII attendees will be getting the inside track on…

From My Million-Dollar RolodexIn Panama, you’ll meet the entire RETA scouting team and the developers, lawyers, and real estate insiders I’ve spent decades building relationships with—all coming to share their best opportunities with you in person.

The Next Breakout Destination in Baja California

Way back, I called the city of La Paz in Baja California “a place to watch.” Now its moment has arrived. It’s exactly the kind of opportunity we’ll be digging into at The Gathering XII.

As Los Cabos booms, folks have been flocking to this stunning coastal city two hours’ drive north in ever-greater numbers. 

Today, its glorious white-sand beaches are busy year-round. There are new direct flights from the U.S. And short-term rental demand is so strong managers are no longer cutting rates during what was traditionally off-season.

This is a stunning destination with an amazing lifestyle poised for rapid real estate gains.

My scout Ciaran Madden just put boots on the ground in this vibrant city. And I’ve been scouting it year after year from my base in Los Cabos. We’ll be sharing our best insights at The Gathering XII.

My scout Ciaran Madden will be at The Gathering XII to share the best insights and intelligence he learned from meeting top brokers, developers, and rental managers in La Paz. 

The Overlooked Coast of Mainland Greece

Elsewhere, my scout Eoin Bassett will be highlighting the opportunities he uncovered on a “hidden” stretch of Greece’s coastline.

You’ve likely heard of Santorini, Mykonos, maybe even Corfu or Crete. But the north Aegean coast of mainland Greece has been overlooked by the international lifestyle buyer and investor…until now.

This stretch of coast has huge appeal—pine-covered hills, turquoise coves, traditional seaside towns, fresh seafood, and prices a fraction of the Greek islands. 

Now things are beginning to stir. Tourism is surging, fueled by new international air routes and investment in ports and marinas. Infrastructure upgrades are quietly reshaping access and desirability. And the prices? Still incredibly low by wider Mediterranean standards—offering the potential to buy in now before global investors catch on.

Eoin Bassett recently wrapped up an intense road trip through Northern Greece. He and RETA photographer Alan Kennedy clocked around 600 miles in the car, visited dozens of beaches, villages, and coastal towns, and walked ancient sites and modern boardwalks alike. All to identify the places where smart investors can get ahead of the curve. 

Eoin will be on hand at The Gathering XII to share everything he uncovered.

Where else…

My scout Eoin Bassett drove hundreds of miles along the Aegean coast of mainland Greece, on the hunt for opportunity. Eoin will be on hand at The Gathering XII to share his best insights and discoveries. 

“The Portugal of South America”

Uruguay is one of the best-kept secrets in international real estate. This safe, modern country has a long coastline lined with cream- and golden-sand beaches, upmarket bohemian coastal towns, and ultra-luxurious resort cities beloved by the super-rich.

I like to think of it as “the Portugal of South America.” 

I love its sweeping Atlantic beaches, the fact that it’s neat and tidy, that it’s got modern infrastructure, and there’s an incredibly attractive residency and tax regime.

I’m planning to scout there again in the next six months. It’s high on my list of new places to buy a property…to spend time…to potentially establish residency….

I’ll be sharing what I uncover at The Gathering XII. I’ve also invited my contacts from this beautiful and peaceful country to the meetup in Panama. Find out exactly who those contacts are and who else you’ll meet in Panama City over the three-day meetup in this Guide to the Gathering XII.

Independence Plaza at the heart of Montevideo. Walkable and vibrant, Uruguay’s capital is dotted with leafy parks and colonial plazas. I’m looking seriously at Uruguay for my next investment and I’m inviting my key contacts from this stunning destination to The Gathering XII.

Galicia, Uruguay, La Paz, and Northern Greece are just a small sample of the “next places” that my team and I will be diving into at The Gathering XII

To give you a few more snapshots…

  • Argentina—a high-risk/high-reward frontier market where cash-only deals and opaque practices dominate. I’m sending scouts and bringing in trusted experts to cut through the noise and share where the real opportunities—like penthouse apartments with rooftop terraces—could lie.
  • Over to Los Cabos and San José del Cabo, where high-end tourism is fueling a fresh wave of development.
  • Puerto Escondido—once a laid-back surf town, now firmly on Mexico’s Path of Progress with new infrastructure, rising tourism, and a wave of boutique developments transforming it into a global hotspot.
  • Called the “Hawaii of Europe,” the Portuguese island region of the Azores is a mid-Atlantic paradise of volcanic landscapes and lush greenery, now seeing new air routes, rising international tourism, and still-affordable real estate—making it a prime lifestyle and investment play.
  • The Italian island of Sicily is a treasure trove of untapped bargains, where historic homes and seaside villages are only just beginning to attract international attention.

The Gathering is all about face-to-face connections. Here I am with RETA members Charles and Patricia at The Gathering X. Meeting fellow RETA members is a big benefit of attending.

As I say, this is just a small sample of places we’ll be spotlighting.

There’s also Costa Rica’s “Gold Coast”…Medellín…Nicaragua…Verona, Italy…Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic…

The full list is in this Guide to The Gathering XII.

Registration for The Gathering XII goes live Wednesday, August 27 at 1 p.m. ET. Only 250 seats are available—and they’ll go fast. So you need to be ready to act.

Read the Guide here.

Wishing you good real estate investing,

P.S. Inside the Guide to The Gathering XII, you’ll also discover… 

  • Why Panama City is the perfect setting.
  • A detailed breakdown of who you’ll meet—my most trusted scouts, global attorneys, seasoned developers, and more.
  • The fast, informal format that makes the Gathering so unique.
  • The incredible venue at The Santa Maria Hotel & Golf Resort—5-star comfort, minutes from downtown and Tocumen Airport, on the doorstep of Panama City, with all the world-class dining and entertainment to be expected of a global capital. 
  • The Sneak Peek—A core benefit of The Gathering and one that has led to six-figure uplifts for RETA members.

Read this Guide today. And be ready on Wednesday, August 27, at 1 p.m. ET.