Private List update

I join my real estate agents in El Salvador, Lexi and Roman, to see how the property market in El Salvador has evolved since my last visit. We tour a number of coastal properties and land plots in the Pacific regions of Surf City and El Zonte, and give an overview of purchase and transaction costs for each. Other themes such as bitcoin usage, economic reforms, infrastructure development and the profile of expats in El Salvador are also explored.

Expats frequently face obstacles when obtaining notarized and Apostilled documents from the United States. The ordeal of returning home to collect these documents can be extremely time-consuming and costly, but thankfully there is another way. Our partners Jonathan and Will offer a comprehensive solution for remotely obtaining notarized documents and Apostilles without the need to appear physically, and it even works for non-US persons on some documents.

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.