This week we’ve be sharing the adventures of IL readers Kirsten and Mark as they explore the stunning 80-mile stretch of Caribbean coastline known as the Riviera Maya…
However, almost two decades before they even set foot in the Riviera Maya, international real estate investor Ronan McMahon was there with boots on the ground hunting for real estate opportunities…
He’s been returning almost every year since, finding incredible deals for members of his Real Estate Trend Alert group…as the region transforms into one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world…
Thanks to Ronan’s foresight and perseverance, RETA members who bought in the Riviera Maya have values rise into six figures…
And he’s not done there yet…
Read on…
From Vacant Lot to Luxury in Playa
By Ronan McMahon
All this past week I’ve been closely following the journey of your fellow IL readers Kirsten and Mark…
Each day, right here in Postcards, they’ve been sharing their reports from the stunning Riviera Maya as they assess whether or not they could live there full time.
I love getting their raw first impressions. As someone who has been visiting the Riviera Maya for almost two decades, it’s invigorating to experience it through the eyes of first-timers.
The excitement of Playa del Carmen’s 5th Avenue…the stunning curves of white-sand beach…the inviting Caribbean water…the delicious street food and the swanky restaurants…
One video Kirsten and Mark shared gave me a flashback to one of my own visits there five years ago. I was in Playa del Carmen scouting for real estate opportunities for members of my Real Estate Trend Alert group. The city was growing rapidly. Drawing more visitors. Getting upmarket. I wanted to uncover the next big thing. The next area of growth…
That’s how I found myself jumping a fence onto a empty lot. It wasn’t much to look at—just dry dirt with a few clumps of grass—but the location was second to none. It was close to the city’s main drag, Fifth Avenue. Close to shopping, dining, entertainment…and Caribbean powder-sand beaches. Connected insiders were beginning to call this area the Zona Dorada—Playa del Carmen’s “Golden Zone.” Big things were set to happen.
A few months later, I brought RETA members the opportunity to lock down condos on that very lot, in a community called Siempre Playa. I recently saw the same condo type as the one members could lock down for $193,800 listing at retail for $314,333. That’s $120,533 more than RETA members paid.
Last year, the first owners moved into their condos in Siempre Playa. And they’ve started renting them out too. I know of a number of two-bed condos offered for $2,600 per month.
The renters here are visitors just like Kirsten and Mark. In fact, Siempre Playa is exactly where they stayed while they were in Playa—you might have seen their video from the poolside of Siempre’s rooftop terrace. And that empty lot I jumped into five years ago is now one of the most sought-after addresses in Playa.
When I was scouting Playa last week, digging for real estate opportunities there, I stopped by Siempre once more. It’s truly an incredible community and the location is second to none.
You can check out the video I shot from the rooftop, right here:
Click to play. From empty lot to a luxury condos at the heart of Playa…at Siempre, RETA members got in on an incredible deal.
As you can see, Siempre has come a long way since it was just an empty lot. And the Zona Dorada is now fulfilling the promise it showed five years ago when I hopped that fence.
It’s become an exclusive, upscale neighborhood in the heart of the city, where vacationers want to stay and expats want to live.
The transformation has been rapid, but not surprising, considering Playa’s decades-long growth trajectory.
In the 1980’s there was almost nothing in Playa del Carmen. The streets were still sand. Pigs and roosters roamed. Downtown was rustic and sleepy. But this sleepy seaside village was transformed into a world-class destination in a matter of decades. At one point Playa was said to be the fastest growing city in Mexico. From a population of just over 43,000 in 2000, it crested 100,000 just five years later. According to data from the latest census it grew 103% from 2010 to 2020, and the current population is just over 300,000.
I’ve been following this transformation for years. And by staying ahead of it, I’ve found some incredible deals with powerful upside potential.
For instance:
- There was the RETA opportunity in Singular Dream in Playa, which launched last June. Just a limited number of one- and two-bedroom condos were made available to RETA members at deep discounts. And we’re already seen strong profit potential. For instance, a condo type available to RETA members at $198,600 is now retailing for $276,000—that’s a $77,400 uplift.
- Just this March, RETA members had the chance to lock down two-bedroom luxury condos in the master-planned community of Corasol, a vast, nearly 500-acre upscale gated development on the northern edge of Playa. Our RETA-only price was from just $258,600. In the same community, two-bed condos are listed at over $500,000. And I predict the condos RETA members got in on for $258,600 will easily be worth $400,000 three years after delivery—a $141,400 lift. (I’m also expecting $36,500 in annual rental income—a gross yield of over 14%.)
My scouting trip last week also brought me to Tulum.
Tulum is about an hour south of Playa del Carmen. It has some of the best-preserved Mayan ruins in Quintana Roo. Its cenotes are natural wonders. The Sian Ka’an biosphere, just south of the town, is one of the most sublime areas of natural beauty in the world…
And then there’s the beach…
The beach is 26 miles of stunning white Caribbean sand stretching all the way down into the biosphere. Its sugar-soft sands, cobalt water and balmy breezes makes it one of the top beaches I’ve ever set foot on…
It’s the reason why millions of people come to Tulum each year. And why Tulum has grown into the high-end, chic destination it is today.
When I first visited Tulum in 2004, at the end of a long journey on bumpy roads, I found just a few rustic palapa bars and restaurants among the coconut trees that fringed the white-sand beach. It was paradise, the quintessential tropical beach and—to this very day—among the most beautiful places I have ever been in all my travels.
The difference today is that Tulum is no longer a carefully-guarded secret, whispered among those in the know. The word is well and truly out…
And like we saw in Playa del Carmen, Tulum is on a trajectory to becoming a city in itself. Once a hippie haven and jet-set hotspot, Tulum is now mainstream. The population has grown from less than 7,000 to over 46,000. You’ll find international banks, gourmet supermarkets, newly paved roads, and boutique hotels that can cost over $2,000 a night… You can get your craft cup of joe in a café that wouldn’t be out of place in Williamsburg, eat Argentine steak or Japanese ramen.
And like in Playa, RETA members and I have been there to profit from its growth…
Indeed, our run of deals in Tulum has been nothing short of spectacular, with significant paper gains already captured:
- In October 2017, Tao Tulum was launched to RETA with members-only pricing from $154,500. In April 2021, the developer’s retail price list showed a hefty uplift. A garden unit that RETA members could lock down for $208,440 was retailing for $311,000—a paper gain of $102,560.
On my recent visit I dropped by to check in on progress and it looks incredible. You can check out my video tour here:
Click to play. In Tao Tulum, RETA members are already sitting on paper gains of $102,560.
- In a community called Edena, RETA members got in on an opportunity to own spacious two-bed homes for just $149,000 in April 2020. I recent saw retail pricing advertised at $215,000. Those are some rapid paper gains…
- Our most recent deals in Tulum, Samsara, was launched just last December. It’s set to be one of the Tulum’s most exclusive communities nestled right in front of the national park down a quiet road…a secluded upscale retreat from booming Tulum yet close to all the action and the beach. I predict the condos RETA members got in on for $198,600 will be worth $290,000 just three years after delivery. That’s a potential gain of $91,400. And I’m being really conservative, because it’s in a prime location and has top-notch amenities that will be very attractive on the re-sale market.
I’m looking forward to seeing Kirsten and Mark explore Tulum for the first time. They’ll be following in the footsteps of millions of people who have visited this little corner of paradise.
And like many who came before them and liked what they discovered, they might even decide to stay for a while…
The Riviera Maya offers Caribbean appeal, with 80-miles of coastline dotted with some of world’s finest beaches…it’s easy to get to with an international airport that’s now ranked one of the busiest in the world…and it’s been hugely successful at compartmentalizing different markets. Young trendy backpackers, families, couples, retirees…there’s plenty for everyone. You’ll find all-inclusive resorts, small-scale boutique hotels, a huge and growing demand for rentals both short- and longer-term…
That’s why I’m extremely bullish on this particular corner of the world. It checks all the boxes as a place for a real estate buyer to profit, both from capital appreciation and rental income. And I’m already working on exciting new deals to get in front of RETA members.
To get the chance to act on upcoming deals you just need to become a RETA member. You can sign up here today.