In this week’s Your Overseas Dream Home Digest…
- VIDEO: A New Riviera is Emerging in Europe
- What $132,000 Buys You in Japan
- Boots on the Ground in Costa Rica
- Your Questions Answered on Scouting
I’m on the move again…
After three full days scouting the Spanish city of Alicante—where the in-city beach felt like the town square, packed with locals and visitors alike—I’m flying to Cork today.
It’s a journey I’ve made many times over the years—though not often from Alicante.
Still, there’s something about touching down in Cork that always signals a shift for me.
From the energy of a Mediterranean coastal city to something quieter…a base where I can step back, review what I’ve seen, and consider where the next opportunities lie. (More on what I found in Alicante soon.)
Here’s what’s on my radar this week…
A breathtaking coastline in southern Europe that the ultra-rich have known about for years…
A grand residence in Japan where the price will shock even seasoned investors.
And a beach town in Costa Rica hitting a new phase of transformation…
Let’s dig in…
Today I’m saying goodbye to Alicante and taking a plane to Cork. Here’s a photo I snapped in Alicante’s old town, just back from its iconic promenade, the Explanada de España.
VIDEO: A New Riviera is Emerging in Europe
On Thursday, my latest destination deep-dive on my new YouTube channel, The Ronan McMahon Report, went live.
In it, I take you to a place where limestone mountains rise straight from the sea…a fjord-like bay forms a deep natural harbor…and fortress walls protect ancient stone towns…
Time Out called it the most beautiful place in the world. Le Parisien dubbed it a “new Monaco.”
This is the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro.
Click below to watch. And when you’re done, share your thoughts and questions in the comments below the video. My team and I read them all.
In this new destination deep-dive on my YouTube channel, I take you to the stunning Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, where billionaires park their mega-yachts, but which attracts only a fraction of the tourists of neighboring Croatia. Click to view…
What $132,000 Buys You in Japan
Not every opportunity comes from an emerging destination.
Sometimes, it’s the opposite…
Take, for example, a property my team featured recently on our Your Overseas Dream Home Instagram account.
It looks like the kind of home that belongs in a period drama…not on the market for the price of a small city apartment.
A grand Japanese residence. 12 rooms. A formal tatami guest wing. An inner garden. Parking for eight cars.
And it’s yours for around $132,000…
Set near the coast in Niigata, the residence sits in a part of Japan where long empty beaches, rice fields, and mountain backdrops create a landscape that feels untouched and timeless. Golf courses and ski resorts are within easy reach. And from nearby Niigata Station, you can connect to Tokyo by bullet train.
So why is this sprawling residence so affordable? The conditions that make this pricing possible are fascinating…
We recently shared this traditional Japanese residence on our Your Overseas Dream Home Instagram account. Check out the post here.
An Update from my Scout in Costa Rica
Japan provides one kind of opportunity. Here’s something very different—where the story is still unfolding.
My scout, Ciaran Madden, and RETA photographer Noah Duethman have boots on the ground in Costa Rica on a two-week trip that will take them to destinations across the country’s central and northwestern Pacific coasts.
This first stop was the beach town of Jaco—the closest to the capital city, San José—where a transformation is now gathering pace.
When the sun drops over Jaco beach, the whole coastline glows.
Jaco is the most famous beach town along Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, celebrated especially for its impressive surf.
Its long, gentle arc of soft sand—stretching about two and a half miles—and the surf are what began attracting visitors back in the 1970s.
In the years that followed, Jaco expanded rapidly, drawing beach lovers, nightlife seekers, and travelers eager to explore the rich wildlife in the verdant hills behind town. A major factor in its rise was how easy it was to reach—this is the nearest beach destination to Costa Rica’s capital, San José.
The lodgings that sprang up to accommodate early visitors was mostly modest—simple rentals and budget-friendly hotels. Still, the area always had the potential for something more upscale. It sits just 15 minutes from Los Sueños, an exclusive, master-planned golf and marina community that draws high-profile visitors like Michael Jordan.
Here’s my scout, Ciaran Madden, at the marina in the luxurious master-planned community of Los Suenos.
Now, that next phase is beginning in Jaco.
Newcomers are arriving now—well-off vacationers, second‑home buyers, and expats who love the beachfront lifestyle but are looking for the kind of high‑quality real estate that members of my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group own. Amenity-rich and best-in-class.
Stay tuned. More to come from Ciaran in the coming week.
Today, check out these photos from Ciaran and Noah…
This shot of Jaco beach was taken earlier this week by RETA photographer Noah Duethman, who’s joining my scout Ciaran Madden on a two-week trip across Costa Rica’s Pacific central and northwestern Pacific coasts. They have boots on the ground in Jaco to dig into the transformation of this beach town…
Jaco began attracting surfers from overseas in the 1970s. They still arrive in big numbers today…now joined by a growing number of affluent visitors and buyers coming for Jaco’s true beachfront lifestyle.
A grouper red curry Ciaran sampled at the Thai restaurant Jerah in Jaco. The culinary scene has taken off in Jaco—one sign of the town’s accelerating gentrification.
My scouts toured Los Suenos Marina, in one of Costa Rica’s most prestigious beach communities.
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…
Martha W. asks: Hi Ronan. I enjoy following your adventures around the world. I have a question about the Dominican Republic. If I buy there, do I have the same rights as a local? Or is it different when it’s a foreigner making the purchase?
Ronan says: The Dominican Republic is one of the most accessible Caribbean destinations for property buyers. With palm-lined beaches, a warm tropical climate, and a booming tourism sector, it offers a lifestyle many dream about.
The country has seen a significant increase in visitors in recent years, reaching a record 11.7 million tourists in 2025. That boom is creating strong interest in real estate from both lifestyle buyers and investors.
It’s perfectly legal for foreigners to buy and own property in the Dominican Republic. There are no restrictions on foreigners buying real estate there, which is one reason why it’s a top Caribbean destination for real estate buyers.
Foreigners and expats can enjoy the same rights as Dominican nationals when it comes to buying real estate. And, as a foreigner, you can buy anything from beachfront villas to apartments, to plots of land.
I’ve been able to bring RETA members some incredible deals here. For instance, in September 2024, I brought RETA members an off-market deal inside the ultra-luxurious master-planned community of Cap Cana, set on a postcard-perfect stretch of Caribbean coastline.
With its white-sand beaches and warm azure waters, the Dominican Republic is emerging as one of the premier luxury travel destinations in the Caribbean. This is one of the key destinations where the people are going next.
Cap Cana is my top pick in the Dominican Republic. At 30,000 acres, it’s twice the size of Manhattan. And it’s just 10 minutes from Punta Cana International Airport, with regular flights across Canada and the American Northeast.
Everything in Cap Cana screams luxury. The world’s biggest names in hospitality are here: Hyatt. Marriott. St. Regis. It’s home to the largest inland marina in the Caribbean…incredible fine-dining…state-of-the-art equestrian facilities…a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, with another on the way…
Billions of dollars have been ploughed into this vision of self-contained Caribbean bliss. And billions more about set to be spent.
With the deal I got here, RETA members could own luxury condos in the amenity-rich community of Crystal Garden in Cap Cana from a RETA-only price of $382,400. I bought in this deal. Just seven months later, similar units were listed for $470,000—an uplift of $87,600, or 22.9%.
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.
