Real Estate
Find your own slice of heaven in the international real estate market.
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As a member of this group, you will know about the strong opportunities we have in northeast Brazil. You also know about the miles of sandy beaches east and west of Fortaleza, and the charming beach towns. Of these, Cumbuco is my favorite. And because of a situation thousands of miles from Brazil, you could buy a lot in Cumbuco, in a gated community just back from the beach, for 62,000 reais ($30,500).
The bargain-beautiful Panama we’ve been writing about for years is alive and well…especially in Las Tablas. This little colonial town differs from hot retirement destinations like Panama City, Boquete, or Bocas del Toro. It’s in an area surrounded by farms and ranches, and that makes the climate, the landscapes, and the people unique. The tableños—that is, the townfolk in Las Tablas—are proud of their work ethic and keep their town neat and clean.
In the video, you’ll see a beautiful property for sale on the lake in Arenal, Costa Rica. The views from the back porch are of the lake and the volcano at Arenal. Lake Arenal has an ideal climate—no AC needed, even on the hottest days. And it has a close-knit community of expats from all over the world (about 400 according to an informal survey by one resident).
Brazil is on the up. Fortaleza is doing particularly well. Government policy calls for the creation of a mega manufacturing and export hub just outside Fortaleza. We can profit.
A blue sky, blue-water scene is unremarkable in the tropics. But this is Europe. I’m in southern Spain, on Murcia’s Costa Cálida—the “warm coast.” Whoever thought up the name wasn’t exaggerating. Summer temperatures soar above 90 F, and there’s an annual dose of at least 320 days of sunshine. On the coast, spacious furnished rentals are $508 to $635 monthly.
This is an easy and affordable place to get to. Regular flights are available from across the U.S. and Canada. Early morning scheduled flights from the big carriers mean that you can leave home and be on the beach by lunch time. It’s a comfortable trip.
If you think real estate in Costa Rica is for the Wall Street and Hollywood jet set, think again. In fact, Costa Rica is one of more than a dozen markets we’ll run the rule over this June 7-9 for our International Real Estate Investment Forum. And the discounts will be substantial—a savings of $48,000, just on the three deals I outline below.
It’s a rare thing these days to be able to say that you own real estate on or close to “Grade A” beach. By that, I mean truly stunning beach, either Caribbean white sands or the bluest stretches of the Pacific Coast. We’ll discuss the following three beach areas in detail at our upcoming International Real Estate Investment Forum…and for those in the room, $91,500 in savings will be on offer.
On Friday I told you about the opportunity to buy a lot perched above the shores of Lake Arenal…with a down payment of $2,500 and monthly payments of $187.50. This lot is in a project called The Preserve. Just below The Preserve and on the shores of the lake you’ll find one of Arenal’s most established projects: Turtle Cove.
In January I told you about the opportunity we have in Costa Rica’s (formerly) undiscovered lake country of Arenal. It’s in a project called The Preserve. Guess what? The market in Arenal there has taken off. The early-in window of opportunity is closing. The best lots are being snapped up and prices are rising. For now we can buy a lake view lot “off market,” perched above the boat dock, with a down payment of $2,500 and monthly payment of $187.50.
The real estate market in Ireland is deeply distressed. That’s why the deals here are so exciting. You can buy a 1.5-acre lot in a picturesque County Clare village for just $13,000. Or a comfortable vacation home close to miles of sandy beaches, world-class golf, and the dramatic Atlantic coastline for $87,000.
The air is thick and pungent and the ceiling black. This was the smokerie, where brown trout pulled from the lake were smoked. Nearby is an unfamiliar contraption used for plucking pheasants after a shoot. The stable next to that one is packed with 19th-century sash windows.
Not needed: coat, scarf or sweater. But some sun-block would be welcome. Early December and the afternoon temperature is nudging 70 F. Sunbathers are on Isla Plana’s beach, and children are building sand-castles. I can even see swimmers.
Sipping a cappuccino at a small table in a shady plaza outside my hotel, I’m reminded of days and evenings spent in similar sidewalk cafés in Europe. Stately 19th-century neo-classical and baroque-style buildings with wrought-iron balconies line the square. Curtains wave gaily through massive wood-framed windows.
Ecuador’s north coast is one of the finest stretches of Pacific coast you will find. Steep, bright green jungle-clad hills rise from the flat blue ocean. In places, rocky coves sculpt sandy beaches. Here would be a great place to have a beach home.
This is the most stunning stretch of white-sand beach I have set foot on. Standing here, on Tulum’s Caribbean coast in Mexico, with warm sea breezes rustling through the palm trees, I can’t think of anywhere else I’d want to be. If you’re looking for a manufactured resort, stay in Cancun. Tulum is the real thing. Jungle crawls over ancient Mayan Ruins. You’ll find caves and underground rivers.
At Arenal you will find a mirror-flat lake with a dark green, tree-lined shore rising steeply to the cone of a towering volcano. This place is hidden, secret…yet you have safe and stable Costa Rica amenities and attractions on your doorstep. And, the world’s most bio-diverse country all around.
Last Friday I told you about the results of Ireland’s most recent fire sale auction. The catalog for the next auction (May 3) has been released. This time there are fewer apartments in the bigger urban centers. The focus is on commercial units. Some have tenants with leases of varying terms. Others are vacant. Homes and building plots scattered around the country also go under the hammer. Some are far from the big urban centers and will likely sell for a song.
This stunningly beautiful place in Costa Rica has been overlooked. I can’t explain why. It’s just one of those anomalies. Sometimes things of great beauty and value are overlooked…for a while. Like the work of a great artist that gathers dust on a shelf until someone spots it. Then everyone wonders how it could have been missed. The drive from Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose, was on a modern highway. Scenic, interesting and smooth. Around the lake was sporty and dramatic.
Times are tough in Spain. Half her young are unemployed—if they haven’t emigrated. Her economy, banks and real estate industry is in tatters. Like in Ireland, they built too many homes. Homes that nobody would ever want. Speculators snapped them up, betting that prices would go even higher. Then the party ended in 2007. By 2008, all activity stopped completely.
The Ring of Kerry in Ireland’s south west is the most scenic drive I know. It takes you through 111 miles of the County Kerry countryside. Along her peninsulas, calm bays, sandy beaches and wild roaring Atlantic shores. There are attractions and jaw-dropping lookout points along the way.
Half my time is spent on the road—scouting for undervalued real estate opportunities. The top places on my radar right now are in fast-emerging beach destinations. In each place I visit, I study how much income you could make if you made your beach home available for rental when you aren’t using it. These are my top three picks for this strategy.
In northeast Brazil, miles of wide and deep white-sand beaches connect little fishing villages and kite surfing outposts. A typical year has 300 days of sunshine. A typical day is in the low 80s with sunshine and refreshing breezes from the ocean. This is where Brazilians and Europeans come to vacation.
This is a stretch of coast you should visit first-hand to see the opportunity I have been telling you about. Today, I’m extending a special invitation
The best way to see this stretch of Pacific Coast is from a real estate project I recently visited. Perched at the highest point in the project, yet only a gentle four-minute stroll down a cobblestone lane, through landscaped gardens to the beach, views open up to the blue ocean and along the coast and rich green forested hills.
Buying a home overseas is not as easy as buying in your own home country. So how do you figure out if you’re paying a fair market value for your overseas home? Follow these steps.
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