Private List update

I join Peter Square Meter to explore several apartments in different areas of Tivat, Montenegro, and compare the costs and benefits of living in each. By living in these neighborhoods you can maintain proximity to the luxurious eateries and amenities of Porto Montenegro while paying more modest prices per square meter. We also touch on aspects of expat life in Montenegro such as schooling and transport.

I join Matt, my agent for real estate and residency services in Asuncion to examine the local real estate market. We tour a one-bedroom apartment as well as a small studio and consider rental income, occupancy rates and maintenance costs to arrive at a realistic net rental yield figure for each unit (both long-term and Airbnb).

I join Paul to look at lifestyle and investment real estate in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We examine topics such as why this may be a compelling plan B destination for liberal North Americans, short-term rental market dynamics and the resiliency of the high-end real estate market.

I join my Kenyan real estate agent Pratik to visit three developments in Nairobi (where I ultimately purchased four apartments myself earlier in the year), focusing on the premium neighborhoods of Kilimani and Kileleshwa. We explore one and two bedroom options with varying degrees of amenities and finishings, and provide detailed purchase costs, rental estimates, holding costs and management fees to arrive at realistic net yield figures. We also visit some off-plan developments and explain the benefits of different payment plans on offer. I explain my thesis for investing in Nairobi real estate despite the obvious risks, and important factors to consider when investing in the African context.

Join me on a motorbike journey through Sihanoukville, Cambodia, where a real estate bust of epic proportions has taken place during the last few years. I go into the background of the construction boom and subsequent crash, visit a new development and also explore units on the secondary market for sale. I also explain why I think the real estate market in Sihanoukville may well be exhibiting characteristics of a bottom.

I join Keith, my real estate buyer’s agent in Istanbul, to view four properties on the second-hand market in Istanbul’s Şişli district. All of the apartments are pre-owned and also suitable for the Turkish citizenship by investment program. We demonstrate what size and quality of apartment is available at different price levels in Istanbul’s most desirable, central neighborhoods.