On February 1 you received my report from my scouting trip to Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. I gave you a heads up about a planned new phase at Grand View. I told you that we would be able to get in early at special member-only pricing and terms. And today, you can get in.
Long-time readers of these dispatches will know that I’m bullish on Fortaleza in Northeast Brazil. It’s now three years since RETA members (me included) first got the opportunity to “buy well” here. I’m happy with the units I have purchased. The first of our units from those early pre-releases will be delivered early next year. That means we need to start making a plan. We will need to decide whether we want to rent short-term or long-term? What vendors and partners will we choose for fit-out and rental management? These are important decisions. They could have a big impact on the yields we generate. Many of you have been asking about my own plans.
In my last issue, I told you how pleasant I found the city of Medellin, Colombia. The leafy high-end area of El Poblado in particular is a great place to sip coffee or enjoy a nice meal in the shade next to one of the many streams that gurgle down the hillside. What can you buy here for $100,000?
I recently spent some time in Medellin, Colombia, investigating the potential for strong rental yields. I must admit I was a bit cynical at first. However the morning after I arrived, I was less so.
As a member of our little group, you will know that we look for Path of Progress opportunities. I'm talking about infrastructure projects like a new road...or a new bridge that will make an area more accessible and desirable. When this happens, prices rise. Like we’ve recently seen in Costa Rica's Southern Zone...and in Tulum, on the southern edge of Mexico's Riviera Maya. My colleague at Pathfinder, Margaret Summerfield recently returned from a trip to Costa Rica, where she investigated the impact of a newly upgraded road that stretches out from the capital, San Jose. She returned to her base in Panama excited about a project she had seen in the area.
Long-time readers of these dispatches will know that I have been recommending opportunities in Fortaleza for the past three years. We have been able to buy pre-release at special member-only pricing and terms. I have bought multiple units here. I'm happy with my investments. I recently sold a condo I bought on my first trip for $43,500 more than I paid. And it's not just me. RETA members have seen strong price appreciation. It gets better though...
Brazil is bursting with millionaires...and billionaires seem to be created by the month, as are thousands of new or expanded businesses. No surprise to you. We've been discussing Brazil's new middle-class status for a long time in RETA. Today I'm going to share a way we can profit from this trend...and it's probably not something you're expecting.
I strongly urge you to read this alert carefully. The Tao project near Tulum is a strong opportunity I have told you about in these alerts. The developer finance offer makes it stronger. You can buy here with $15,000 down and monthly payments of $800. Plus, as a RETA member you get additional benefits (more below). The finance offer will likely close in a matter of weeks. Only 100 units can be sold with this developer finance package...and 81 have been sold—with signed contracts. There are additional reservations which are closing by the day. You need to act now to avail of this this offer. In the future some finance may be available...or it might not be. BUT—a finance offer this good will never be made again.
On June 17th I told you about the opportunity at La Serena Golf in the province of Rocha, Uruguay. This is a great deal from a strong developer. Not far away (but closer to Punta del Este) lot prices range from $40-$135 per square meter. That's $162,000 to over $500,000 for an acre lot. And, these prices include projects without golf or tennis. Projects with hardly any amenities, in fact. At La Serena Golf you have both. Half-acre lot prices start at $31,900. As a RETA member you can avail of our member-only pricing and get a 10% discount. That gives you an entry point of $28,710.
I'm watching developments in Ireland closely. In 2008 Ireland's banks and real estate industry spectacularly imploded. Since then we have been waiting. Not much happened until a couple of months ago. The real estate market never found a floor. There were almost no transactions. The nationalized banking system and the bad bank (NAMA: National Assets Management Agency, established to wind down failed developers and get land speculation loans off the banks' books) stayed silent. They have been sitting on all the Irish inventory on their books. That's set to change. Get ready.