Ronan McMahon
A finance graduate, Ronan McMahon worked in the e-business consultancy and dot-com industries before joining International Living as Real Estate Marketing Director in January 2004. Ronan has been an active real estate investor since his early twenties and joining International Living gave him the opportunity to marry his personal and professional interests. In 2008 Ronan took up the position of Executive Director with Pathfinder. Pathfinder is International Living’s preferred Real Estate advertising partner. Pathfinder scours the globe to find the most unique and value-oriented real estate opportunities.
Ronan also writes International Living’s Real Estate Trend Alert and regularly contributes to International Living’s print and online publications. International Real Estate investment is his beat. Ronan has travelled to 15 countries in 12 months following trends that could offer profit opportunities. Instinct, experience and an unrivalled black book of contacts give him direct access to the inside track to profit opportunities.
You can e-mail Ronan at rmcmahon@pangaearealestate.net.
Articles by Ronan McMahon
I’ve just returned from a scouting trip to Panama. My trip focused on the city, beach areas within 90 minutes of the city and the mountain area of Boquete. I also spent four days on the road last month scouting deeply undervalued vacation homes in Ireland’s south-west. On my travels I uncovered some nuggets. I visited some areas with a distinct lack of opportunity. But, a trip is never wasted. Even if there’s no opportunity there’s something to be learned from each market if you scratch the surface..
It’s a little known fact but Costa Rica’s actually got a Caribbean coast. Real estate shoppers forgot about it when they got caught up in a buying frenzy on the northwest Pacific Coast. But this area is opening up to business and tourism and it’s starting to grab attention. Developer Gill Phelan is the guy behind the gold standard community in this area—Grand View Estates.
I’m standing in among lush foliage, where brightly colored butterflies are flitting by. From my high position, I can see the Pacific Ocean stretching out in front of me.
This place…tucked away on the corner of a Caribbean island… is a little piece of paradise. Nineteen miles of white- and tan-sand beaches weave their way along the coast, interrupted only by a couple of rocky points. It’s all open to the public.
As a member of our little insider group, you will know that the economy and real estate markets in Ireland are deeply distressed. In 2007 the economy stalled…and then unraveled in 2008 and 2009. Activity in the real estate market all but stopped.
The first opportunity is a perfect bolthole if you’re looking for Caribbean living with a European flavor close to home. Direct and affordable morning flights from the U.S. will get you here in time to soak up early afternoon sunshine on the beach or bathe in the turquoise waters
Four-and-a-half hours’ flight-time south of California are opportunities that feel a world away. This short plane ride from the snapped-up beachfront and million-dollar mansions of the Golden State brings you to deserted beaches, lush, jungle-clad hills, and low-cost real estate that has to be seen to be believed.
Greece faces a great crisis today and its real estate is about to get dirt cheap. The country is in a classic “blood in the streets” situation…one that looks so hopeless that the public believes only a fool would want to buy real estate in the shadow of Athens’ Acropolis or on one of the country’s stunning Aegean islands.
Last week I told you about an opportunity to buy a condo in stunning Las Terrenas for less than the price of a luxury sedan. Today, I’m writing to tell you about another condo opportunity in the same Caribbean town in the Dominican Republic.
One of my contacts in Nicaragua just reached out to me with a one-shot deal. A distressed seller is willing to make a loss on a wooded lot that comes with an amazing ocean view on the steep portion of the site.
As an International Living reader, you know that I’m bullish on the opportunity we have in the Tulúm area of Mexico’s Riviera Maya. I’m here on a 10-day scouting trip— my seventh visit—and I’ve lucked out. Through a local contact, I’ve managed to get a last-minute rental in the high-quality condo closest to the beach at Tulúm.
As a RETA member, you have first dibs on a spacious condo in a secure gated residence in the Caribbean. The best part is the price-tag—it’s only $54,400. The property is in the boutique town of Las Terrenas in the Dominican Republic.
One of my contacts in Nicaragua just reached out to me with a one-shot deal. A distressed seller is willing to make a loss on a wooded lot that comes with an amazing ocean view on the steep portion of the site.
Over the past four years we have done well in Brazil. We have profited from the country’s new middle class by getting involved with early-in real estate projects.
Over the past four years we have done well in Brazil. We have profited from the country’s new middle class by getting involved with early-in real estate projects.
I’ve just returned from a scouting trip to Roatan—the largest of Honduras’ Bay Islands.It’s located off the Caribbean mainland coast. La Ceiba is the closest mainland city. The island is 37 miles long and five miles wide at its widest point. This is a picture perfect Caribbean island
Everything is modern, new, and shiny. The Malaga airport is state of the art. New highways propel drivers west to Marbella, on to Gibraltar and toward Portugal.
Sitting here, calm Caribbean waters winking, warm breezes gently flapping beach umbrellas, ice cold drink in hand, I’m enjoying my first taste of life in this early-in Caribbean resort community.
Just over a decade ago Argentina spectacularly unraveled with the biggest default in history—$100 billion. Dollar deposits were converted to pesos. Then, overnight, the peg of one-to-one with the dollar was broken.
Medellin, Colombia is an extremely pleasant city of 2.5 million people (3.5 million if you include the outer valleys). At 5,000 feet elevation, the weather is perfect. Most days have sunshine and temperatures in the 70′s.
Uruguay’s “beach province” of Rocha has the country’s best beaches and most charming beach towns. White sands, backed by dunes, stretch for miles . Beyond breaking waves the Atlantic is blue and flat to the horizon.
I got an e-mail from a member of our little group last week. He told me that he’s looking forward to getting back to Ireland this May to play some of our great links including Doonbeg, Ballybunion and Lahinch.
If you are new to our group let me bring you up to speed on Costa Rica’s Southern Zone and the Pacific Lots project. Here you’ll find a bright, thick, green jungle canopy that rolls down to a coast of sandy beaches and rocky points. It’s truly stunning. While prices in the north soared…prices here stayed low.
A new and excellent road means that Las Terrenas is now only one hour and 45 minutes from Santo Domingo.
Lake Arenal, Costa Rica has been overlooked. I can’t explain why. I can see no good reason. It’s just one of those anomalies.
It’s stunningly beautiful. The weather is near perfect. The community of locals and expats is welcoming and friendly. The road here is good and you don’t want for any modern conveniences or amenities.
Do You Know Where a “Car Payment” Could Fund Your Whole Life?In the right places overseas, what you’d pay for a typical car payment… could fund your whole life. Sign up for our free daily Postcard e-letter, and we'll immediately send you a FREE research report to help you find your perfect, affordable retirement destination. . |
