Search Results for: colombia

How To Buy A Tiny Home In Colombia And Get A 20% ROI

South America / By
Beach at sunset in Baru island in Cartagena, Colombia

Tiny Investment, Huge Returns: Invest In Cartagena’s Short-Term Rental Market For A 20% ROI

Colombia has always held a special place in my imagination.

As a child I sat entranced watching “Romancing the Stone,” starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. Their swashbuckling tale starts in Cartagena and continues across Colombia with Danny DeVito stalking their every move.

Back then, Colombia seemed like the most magical and adventure-packed country imaginable, the epitome of opportunity for those who had the strength of character to seek it.

It turns out that Colombia really is a country of unusual opportunity and adventure.

It’s an investor’s paradise these days, offering high than usual returns and unique opportunities. I’ve helped clients invest in precious metals and gems and advised …

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Sabaneta, Colombia: The Perfect Small Town Living

Featured, South America / By
Outdoor cafe in main square in small town Sabaneta, Medellin, Colombia

Take Two Steps Back In Time From Medellín

Sabaneta lies at the southern end of the Aburrá Valley and is 1 of 10 municipalities in the Medellín metropolitan area. It’s also the smallest municipality in all of Colombia, with an area of just 5.8 square miles (15 square kilometers).

Sabaneta is a medium-sized town… but its friendliness and closeness convey the feeling of a village.

Like the whole Medellín area, Sabaneta enjoys arguably the world’s best weather. Average high temperatures are in the upper-70s to low-80s, with lows in the 60s, all year (that’s 27˚C and 17˚C). No heat, no air conditioning, and no screens on the windows, thanks to the 5,200-foot (1,585-meter) altitude.

Sabaneta is about as unlike Medellín as you can get in the realm of Colombian cities. The pace here is slow and laid-back. As opposed to Medellín’s modern, energetic feel, Sabaneta feels like small-town Latin America… and like a community. There are a number of high-rises sprouting up around town—and even within town—but mostly you’ll find clean streets, friendly …

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What Colombia Looks Like After COVID-19 And Its New Opportunities

City Properties, South America, Top Investments / By
Aerial view of Medellin at night with residential and office buildings.

Last week Liz Larroquette updated you on all the latest from the property scene in Panama City. (If you missed it, you can catch up here.)

This week we move a little farther south…

Former Overseas Property Alert Editor—and full-time resident of Medellín, Colombia, for the past six years—Wendy Howarter reports below on the big opportunities on offer in her adopted home where North Americans continue to have a major currency advantage.

Lynn Mulvihill
Editor, Overseas Property Alert

Colombia Is Open For Business

By Wendy Howarter

Around the globe, countries have faced the COVID-19 pandemic differently. In Colombia, we …

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Diversify Your Portfolio With Colombian Coffee Investment

South America / By
Coffee cup and coffee beans

This week I’ve managed to interview a very important expert in the world of coffee… Adrian Beales. And I want to share with you his insight into this lucrative agricultural investment so you can learn where in the world coffee investing makes most sense and why you should be tapping into this market… a market that typically offers returns as high as 14%.

Here’s Adrian’s insights into one of the world’s top coffee-producing markets… …

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3 Low-Risk Opportunities To Invest In Bogotá, Colombia

Top Investments / By
bogota colombia cityscape

If you missed our Live and Invest in Colombia Event last month in gorgeous Medellín, you missed a lot. Not only did attendees learn about the amazing lifestyle expats here enjoy, they met experts in residency, banking, legal matters, and real estate.

The good news is you can still get an insider’s view into this welcoming country, along with the most attractive options for overseas living, at our Retire Overseas Conference this September. Learn more about our biggest and most comprehensive event here.

Back in Medellín, one of …

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Fake News or Fact? 24% Rental Returns In Medellín, Colombia

Investing Fundamentals / By
cartoon man with a beard pointing to a newspaper headline about rental returns in medellin

The World Wide Web is full of amazing stories. The challenge is to determine the real stories from the fake or misleading news. Recently, while I was surfing the web, I found some interesting stories.

Hankering for a sweet treat fit for a king?

“Burger King has apparently unveiled a new chocolate Whopper comprised of a flame-grilled chocolate patty, topped with candied blood oranges, raspberry syrup and vanilla frosting, in a chocolate cake bun.”
…

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Medellín Vs. Cartagena: Comparing Colombia’s Best Cities

South America / By
A Comparison Of Medellin Vs Cartagena.. Beach or mountain?

Medellín vs Cartagena… which is the better Colombian city for living and investing? I hear this question a lot, so today we’re going to take an in-depth look at their strengths and weaknesses.

Cartagena is an historical resort city located on the Caribbean coast. Medellín is located in a valley in the Andes Mountains, and some expats consider it the most livable city in Colombia.

Both cities have their fans.

I have lived in Medellín for over six years but I have traveled to Cartagena over 20 times for both business and pleasure. In fact, Cartagena was the first city I discovered in Colombia back in 2006.

Let’s take a look at how they compare, in 14 different categories. …

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Cali, Colombia: An Urban Setting With Plenty Of Green Space

City Properties, Featured, Property Regions, Property Types, South America / By
An Urban Setting With Plenty Of Green Space

My workout over, I wipe my brow and walk over to chat with Sergio.

Sergio comes to Parque El Ingenio almost every day to sell agua de panela—water flavored with brown cane sugar and lime—to the folks who exercise at what I have come to call “The Flintstones Gym.” The equipment here is homemade. Barbells and dumbbells sport blocks of concrete rather than steel plates, but the equipment is well maintained and this is a popular spot in the mornings. The men who come here are serious about working out, but also friendly, and they welcome me with smiles and nods.

Sergio pours me a generous cup of agua de panela, and I fish a sweaty 1,000-peso bill—about 35 cents—from my pocket. I hand it over and we begin another of …

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How to Live “Like A Local” In Mexico, Uruguay, and Colombia

Caribbean & Central America, Featured / By
Live like a local

Most people who move abroad enjoy the familiarity of an existing expat community and seek out destinations with a number of expats already in residence.

But not everyone.

There are a few of us who want to live among the local community, become a part of the local culture, and are happy if we rarely see another American or Canadian expat.

There are a few advantages to living a local lifestyle in a foreign community…

  • The cost of living is usually lower, without the market influence that expat communities often bring. This usually includes properties;
  • The cultural experience is far richer and more authentic;
  • It’s much easier to learn the local language when you’re using it to get by every day;
  • You’ll make friends quickly and easily if you’re one of only a few North Americans in the area, and you’ll enjoy a smoother assimilation.

…

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Santa Marta: A Hidden Gem On Colombia’s Caribbean Coast

Beach Front Properties, City Properties, Featured, Property Regions, South America / By
Santa Marta, Colombia

Santa Marta: Colombia’s Calmer Caribbean Alternative

Cartagena continues to boost its profile as a prime travel and investment destination, and it’s not hard to see why. The city is teeming with culture and liveliness, and boasts a wide range of features—from the outstanding cuisine and tropical climate to a bustling city center and bohemian neighborhoods—that make it both dynamic and livable… a true Caribbean marvel.

But for those seeking more refuge and relaxation, there’s another coastal Colombian city less than 200 miles away. It’s cheaper, more geographically diverse, and less worse-for-wear by international tourists than the “heroic” Cartagena…

That city is Santa Marta.

Colombia’s First Colonial City, On the Rise

If this is the first time you’ve heard of Santa Marta, you’re probably not alone. But for Colombians, it is hardly a secret. Santa Marta, Colombia’s oldest colonial city (in fact, one of the oldest cities in all of South America), was founded by the Spanish in 1525. The city was also the …

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