I spend time every winter in one of the most beautiful places on earth. A place that, for nine months every year, has the perfect weather. Never too hot, too cold, or too humid… Just the ideal climate.
I wear short sleeves, I play golf when I want, stroll on the beach, dine outdoors, and when I open my laptop it’s usually with an ocean view from my terrace or one of the many beautiful spots around.
And amazing weather is only the beginning of this place’s appeal…
There are excellent reasons why Hollywood stars and the world’s super rich have been hopping in private planes or sailing luxury yachts to visit Los Cabos since the 1940s. For one thing, it’s uniquely beautiful.
Golden-sand beaches fringe a desert landscape, with the fingers of giant Cardon cacti (some of which are 500 years old) pointing to the bright blue sky overhead.
The desert is a place that feels primeval…unspoiled. At night, the glimmer of millions of stars lights up the dark skies, a magical experience.
Here you’ll also find Blue Flag beaches, whale watching, and world-renowned big-game fishing. There are globally famed wellness retreats, golf courses, 5-star resorts, Michelin-star dining, marinas with mega-yachts. And there’s its artsy side: a historic district with colonial architecture, galleries, music, and cafes…
The lifestyle here is world-leading.
Though as an international real estate investor, I didn’t come here for the lifestyle alone. I came because this is one of the most opportunity-filled places in the world to own real estate.
More on that in moment. First, let’s dive into the history and evolution of Cabo…
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Why I Pay Attention to Markets Like This
My name is Ronan McMahon. For more than two decades, I’ve been a full-time international real estate investor and scout. To do this I put my boots on the ground all over the world…or toes in the sand, depending on where I am.
Then there’s all the travel of my dedicated team. The annual bill for our travel and research is usually more than a million dollars.
Go forth. Find opportunity.
That’s our mission.
Why? Because buying best-in-class real estate in fast-growing locations, for less than what others pay, is the best way to make money.
I’ve invested in property all over the world—in Brazil, Ireland, the U.K., Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic. But Los Cabos, or simply Cabo, is where I personally own more real estate than anywhere else. It’s also a place where I choose to spend part of every year.
From Hidden Frontier to Hideaway for the World’s Wealthy
Set at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, Cabo is made up of the twin towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo.
There was a time when the only way to reach Cabo was by air—or by courage.
Back in the 1940s—before the roads and before the luxury hotels—Hollywood’s elite came by seaplane, landing on hidden coves along the Sea of Cortez.
They came for the solitude, the sport fishing, the otherworldly beauty of the desert meeting the sea. Hemingway, John Wayne, and Bing Crosby all knew this stretch of Baja as their private frontier—a secret hideaway for the rich and the restless.
In time, the roads came. A rough highway first, then a sleek one. An airport was built too. And the world began to arrive.
When Luxury Took Hold
The first luxury resorts were built in Cabo in the 1940s. Palmilla, which would later become the legendary One&Only Palmilla, set the tone for world-class hospitality in the 1950s. More followed.
Much of the initial development was centered around Cabo San Lucas and its now world-famous marina. Then through the 1980s and ’90s, new master-planned communities appeared along the 20-mile Corridor connecting Cabo San Lucas to San José del Cabo. Communities like Cabo Real, Punta Ballena, El Dorado—each one adding to the coast’s growing reputation for understated elegance.
By the early 2000s, Los Cabos had arrived on the global luxury map.
I’ve seen this kind of transformation in other corners of the globe—but nowhere matches the sheer density of luxury resorts and concentration of high-end services found along this stretch of coast in Cabo. From world-class golf and Michelin-star dining to spas, marinas, and designer boutiques, it boasts some of the most luxurious facilities of its kind anywhere.
Free Report: Best Places in the World to Buy Real Estate
Free Report: Best Places in the World to Buy Real Estate
Sign up for IL's postcards and get the latest research on the best places in the world to retire. Including boots-on-the-ground insights on real estate and rental trends. Simply enter your email address below and we'll send you a FREE report - The World's Best Places to Buy Real Estate.
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The Billion-Dollar “Path of Progress”
Today, it’s not just the ultra-wealthy who come to Cabo. In recent decades, it has been discovered by a group I call “the ordinary affluent.” (This is a term I use for folks who earn well. Folks like small-business owners, entrepreneurs, lawyers, software specialists, management consultants.)
The expansion of the airport has been the key to this.
In the early 1980s, a major government investment added a new terminal, a longer runway, and customs facilities—opening the door to direct international flights from Los Angeles and San Diego.
Tourism surged, and by 1997-1998, further expansions brought modern terminals and dramatically increased international capacity. New gates and extended runways added between 2018 and 2023 transformed Los Cabos International (SJD) into Mexico’s fifth-busiest airport.
I first set foot in Cabo in 2014. The potential was unmistakable—the geography, the climate, the influx of new folks, the scarcity of developable land as the big luxury resort brands bought up prime lots…
Cabo was hitting a whole new level.
Over the past decade, the billion-dollar “Path of Progress” here has continued to accelerate (a Path of Progress is anything that improves the accessibility of a piece of real estate and increases its value).
The international airport is currently undergoing another expansion, at a cost of $370 million. There are new roads and highways. New resorts appear year after year from the world’s most prestigious brands like Conrad, Amanvari, St. Regis...
This continued investment is driven by massive, unrelenting demand.
Since the pandemic, Cabo has seen a huge influx of people. Visitor records have tumbled year after year, with the region welcoming a new record high of 7.5 million air passengers in 2025.
Crucially, many of those who are coming are staying longer—these are expats, digital nomads, retirees, and high-earning remote workers coming for months or even to live permanently.
Demand, Demographics, and Pricing Power
Today, Cabo’s allure is well known. Los Cabos is a short flight from many U.S. cities. The weather is perfect, the lifestyle incredible, and the views are amazing.
Everyone from retirees to younger work-from-anywhere professionals are arriving en masse. This has created huge demand for best-in-class real estate from buyers and short-term and long-term renters.
Aside from the region’s natural wonders, they love discovering the old soul of Cabo, which you’ll find in San José. This is the cultural and historic heart of the Baja Riviera—elegant, art-filled, and effortlessly beautiful.
I love going to San José, especially on Thursday nights.
Every week, the town opens itself fully during the Art Walk. Music, conversation, color—it spills into the streets. You meet people who’ve made this place home, and those just passing through, all drawn to the same rare combination: charm, creativity, and calm.
But beneath the beauty…there’s something more.
San José is on the cusp of a new chapter. Thoughtful development. Design-forward hospitality. And a rising international profile.
Overall, I see Cabo as a natural satellite of the Californian market—close in distance, lifestyle, and appeal. With California’s median home price now around $845,000, buyers look south and see extraordinary value.
But this isn’t just a better-value California. It’s just better! A major upgrade...
Cabo offers a more layered mix of lifestyle: desert adventure, sport fishing, surfing, world-class golf, art walks, and farm-to-table cuisine born of local terrain.
The destination’s strong appeal is the reason prime land here is so limited, much of it taken by the resorts pushing prices ever higher. Land with ocean views is particularly precious. And that scarcity drives value…
Cabo isn’t an overlooked market.
It’s one of the most compelling destinations in the world to own real estate, whether for lifestyle, income, capital appreciation…or some combination of all of these factors.
And yet—despite the growing demand—I have been consistently able to find incredible off-market deals here. (Deals ordinary investors never even hear about.) That’s because of my RETA group.
What Is Real Estate Trend Alert?
As I say, my team and I spend more than $1 million on research and travel every year as we search out the best real estate opportunities in some of the most appealing locations around the world, including in Cabo.
Often, what we find and the deals we make pay off with potential investment opportunities that I share with members of my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group (learn more about RETA here).
For years, I searched for a group like RETA. I wanted to join like-minded folks eager to pool our buying power and share in the best real estate deals around the world. I searched in vain. For there was no such group. So, in 2008, I founded my own.
To be a RETA member is to be first on the very best real estate deals in the world. First to get wind of a big transformation, a big trend, or major Path of Progress event, first to get in on the ground floor of that transformation…first to get in on a best-in-class real estate at off-market prices.
The core strength of RETA is our group buying power. It’s by acting in unison with like-minded investors—fellow RETA members—that we get the incredible deals that we do.
Alone, I can’t bring much to the table when I negotiate with developers besides my charm. But with RETA members at my back, I can bend developers to our will, craft insanely good terms and prices, and leave everyone a winner.
Over the years, RETA has developed a heavy-hitting reputation in the right circles. Our group buying power is highly respected and sought after. It’s how we get deals no one else gets, deals that even the most informed local real estate insiders can’t believe.
My RETA group has seen incredible deals all over the world from Portugal and Spain to Costa Rica and Panama. But Cabo has been home to some of the very best in the history of our group. Here’s a selection...
Uplift of $392,844: In 2015 I brought RETA members our first-ever Cabo deal. These were two-bed ocean-view condos from $336,156 in the Copala community in the 5-star Quivira resort. (I bought one alongside RETA members.) By May 2025, the same type of condo a floor above mine was listing for $729,000—an uplift of $392,844 from the original RETA price.
$605,214 more than the RETA price: It took two years to get another deal. When I did, it was on luxury villas in Copala. A villa that a RETA member bought in June 2017 for $385,115, was listed for resale at $988,000 in 2024.
$265,100 increase: The following year, in May 2018, RETA members had the chance to lock down villas from $428,222 and two-bedroom condos from $259,800 in Mavila at Quivira. By November 2023, a three-bedroom villa was listed at $850,000, and by October 2024, a two-bedroom condo was listed at $524,900. Uplifts of $412,788 and $265,100 respectively.
$232,000 boost: In August 2021, RETA members had the chance to lock down two-bedroom condos from $188,200 in Cabo Costa. By May 2025, a condo with an original RETA price of $197,300 was listed for $380,000. And in October 2025, a penthouse that had a RETA price of $249,000 was sold for $481,000 (uplifts of $182,700 and $232,000 respectively).
$184,400 More—In May 2022, we had a deal at the Monte Rocella community, when RETA members had the chance to lock down condos from $234,600. By December 2024, a mezzanine third floor condo, similar to those RETA members could buy for $252,600 at launch, was priced at $437,000. An uplift of $184,400.
And we recently had our first deal in San José del Cabo, the refined heart of the southern Baja California peninsula…At the entry point of San José’s real estate market, a two-bed condo with ocean views starts at around $400,000 to $500,000, but prices quickly streak higher. And yet the RETA-only price was from just $298,400. That’s for a stunning two-bed, two-bath ocean-view condo in a dream location 10 minutes from the airport. I expect gains of around $186,600 just three years after delivery on these condos…and that’s being very conservative.
If you want to hear about deals in Cabo (and in some of the world’s other most desirable places) learn more about how to join RETA here.
When you join today, you’ll have the chance to speak to our team about available deals in Los Cabos and other destinations across our global beat, spanning Panama, Portugal, Spain, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico’s Riviera Maya…
Click this link to learn more about RETA and to join today.
Free Report: Best Places in the World to Buy Real Estate
Free Report: Best Places in the World to Buy Real Estate
Sign up for IL's postcards and get the latest research on the best places in the world to retire. Including boots-on-the-ground insights on real estate and rental trends. Simply enter your email address below and we'll send you a FREE report - The World's Best Places to Buy Real Estate.
By submitting your email address, you will receive a free subscription to IL Postcards, Overseas Dream Home, The Untourist Daily and special offers from International Living and our affiliates. You can unsubscribe at any time, and we encourage you to read more about our Privacy Policy.