Session 1
Ronan McMahon & Margaret Summerfield
Ronan and Margaret kick off the Rita Academy Masterclass by plunging into why real estate is such a compelling investment—its tangibility, proven long‑term returns, global reach, and tax advantages. They walk attendees through a six-session roadmap, starting with creating a personalized “avatar” to crystallize your goals (capital appreciation, income, lifestyle, or legacy). This is followed by an exploration of the best markets for growth and yield, financing strategies, in-depth analysis of numbers, and post-purchase planning. Along the way they spotlight key tactics—buying below market value, leveraging mortgages, finding market “moats” and prioritizing amenities and infrastructure—illustrate each point with real‑world examples and investor profiles, and field audience questions on yields, cash vs. financing, renovations, cross‑border mortgages and tax considerations, all to underscore the importance of ruthlessly defining what matters most before hunting for your next property.
Session 2
Ronan McMahon & Margaret Summerfield
In this second RETA Academy Masterclass, Ronan and Margaret introduce the RETA Index. Drawing on decades of boots‑on‑the‑ground research across more than a hundred markets, they’ve distilled ten equally weighted metrics into a customizable spreadsheet that ranks the top 25 real‑estate hotspots. Today they preview six standouts—Caminha (Portugal), Guanacaste (Costa Rica), Estepona (Spain), Kotor (Montenegro), Playa del Carmen (Mexico) and Panama City—showing how each scores on value, climate, “path of progress,” finance, holding costs, lifestyle appeal and more, and encourage viewers to tweak the index to their personal priorities before diving into property types, financing, numbers and post‑purchase planning in the weeks ahead.
