Every opportunity I’ve identified over the 18 years of RETA started in the same place.
Not in a report. Not in a deal. But in what I call the RETA “laboratory.”
This is where new ideas get tested…where the “next places” are first identified…where we start building contacts and running the numbers on emerging opportunities…
This is the process every place must pass through before it becomes a core destination on our beat.
It’s how we zeroed in on what I believe is the most compelling city opportunity I’ve found in more than a decade: Asunción, Paraguay. (If you haven’t already, I strongly recommend reviewing your new RETA issue and the replay of Friday’s live Paraguay event, where I walk through the full Asunción transformation story and share details of our upcoming deal there.)
Today, I want to take you inside the laboratory to a destination I’ve only just begun exploring: Japan.
I recently spent two weeks in Japan. And while I was there, I began scratching on an idea…
Japan has one of the fastest-aging populations on earth. As a result, there are an estimated 10 million empty and abandoned homes across the country. At the same time, deflation has kept prices suppressed, while much of the world has experienced relentless inflation.
That’s created something unusual…
The ability to own high-quality homes for under $100,000 in an advanced country with an affordable cost of living…world-class infrastructure…and incredible food and culture.
And this isn’t just a lifestyle play. There’s a potential income angle here too.
This idea is still in its early stages. We’re firmly in the laboratory. But I wanted to share what we’ve learned so far. So I recently sat down with RETA Editorial Director Ciaran Madden to break down what I saw on the ground and the potential opportunity here.
During our conversation, we also stepped back to look at the broader pipeline of opportunities currently moving through the laboratory, from Venezuela…to Sicily…to European “second cities”…and more.
Click below to watch…
RETA Editorial Director Ciaran Madden and I dig into what I saw in Japan—and explore some of the other destinations we’re examining in the RETA laboratory.
In our conversation, Ciaran and I discuss:
- How property in Japan—once one of the world’s priciest real estate markets—became so affordable.
- How its 10 million empty homes have created a buyer’s market most investors haven’t even considered.
- The lifestyle advantages of Japan for anyone who loves skiing, vibrant cities, and tropical beaches.
And beyond Japan, we touch on future scouting plans and other ideas currently moving through the laboratory, including:
- The frontier Caribbean market of Isla Margarita, Venezuela, where prices have collapsed—but long-term upside could be significant.
- Revitalizing hill towns in Sicily where demand is quietly returning.
- “Second city” plays in Europe that combine connectivity, lifestyle, and relative value.
It’s all in the video.
Wishing you good real estate investing,
P.S. As I shared at Friday’s live event on Paraguay, I’ll be buying right alongside our members in our upcoming deal there.
I’m buying because we’re going to own the absolute crème de la crème—luxury real estate in the defining building in the most upscale neighborhood of Asunción, surrounded by the city’s most prestigious offices and shopping.
I’m buying because our RETA-only pricing is mind-blowing—new condos in this landmark building from around $114,000.
And I’m buying because I expect values to 3X within a decade while I earn income along the way…
You can learn more in your latest RETA issue here and the replay of Friday’s live event.
And stay tuned. Full deal briefing on this opportunity coming Friday, April 24.
