Lee Harrison

Lee has been living overseas for nearly two decades, making his first purchase abroad in the colonial city of Cuenca, Ecuador. He's traveled extensively across Latin America and Europe looking for the best property deals possible. Lee’s network of property insiders from those travels, along with his understanding of local cultures and languages, has helped him develop insight into local property markets that only the locals usually possess. He offers overseas real estate advice as a contributor to Overseas Property Alert.

Lee Harrison speaking into a microphone.

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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Treinta Y Tres, Uruguay: The Ultimate Low-Key Lifestyle

City Properties, South America / By
Treinta y Tres

The Best Place To Disappear Abroad

Those of us who write about living overseas tend to focus on the positive. That is, we make our case for living or buying abroad based largely on the advantages of overseas life… rather than the advantages of escaping your previous life.

But let’s face it… some expats simply want to disappear—to spend their days under the radar.

Or, if they don’t want to disappear right now, they want the ability to disappear if they should feel the need to do so.

When looking for an out-of-the-way haven, I have a few preferred criteria… I like a low-profile country, at some distance from the United States, in a low-key city that …

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Guarujá, Brazil: A Laid-Back Beach Town With Relaxed Property Prices

Beach Front Properties, Featured, Property Regions, South America / By
A wide view of the beach of Guaruja in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo.

A Tale Of Two Cities, Part 2: Guarujá

Just across the estuary from Santos lies Guarujá. Though only four minutes from Santos by balsa (ferry), Guarujá is quite different in many respects.

Whereas Santos bustles, Guarujá is more of a laid-back beach town. In fact, a quick search online of the top things to do in Guarujá will present a list of beaches, more beaches, and still more beaches. Oh, and the Acqua Mundo aquarium, with its sharks and penguins.

Guarujá is full of vacationing paulistanos (residents of São Paulo city) during the summer months (December to February), and again during the July holidays. Throughout the …

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Portugal’s Algarve Versus Spain’s Costa Del Sol—Finding The Best Value

Beach Front Properties, Europe, Featured / By
The Algarve to the left and Costa del Sol to the right

When it comes to sun, sea, and sand, southern Europe offers two attractive options on its warm, southern coastline—Portugal’s Algarve and Spain’s Costa del Sol. Each share a similar history of Roman and Moorish patrimony, excellent fresh seafood, and sunny idyllic climates. Owning property and living in either of these locations is a dream for almost anyone.

The property markets of the two regions differ in both value and affordability, with the Algarve being a better choice for those who want to live in the sunshine.

Let’s take a look.

Costa Del Sol

Malaga from the skies in Costa del Sol, Spain
Adobe Stock/LucVi

Costa del Sol is located on the southern coastal area of Spain’s Andalucía region. It’s bordered by the busy towns of Nerja and Marbella, with Málaga as its centerpiece. As an American expat living in Portugal’s Algarve for three years now, I have an easy two-hour drive to Spain’s Costa del Sol. The scenery is stunning, with mountains rising dramatically out of the sea.

Costa del Sol became a tourist haven early on and, unfortunately, tourists, expats, and property developers flooded the region. Builders erected hundreds of thousands of …

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Puerto Vallarta vs. Mazatlán: Comparing The Best Of Mexico

Beach Front Properties, Caribbean & Central America, Featured / By
Puerto Vallarta to the left and Mazatlan to the right

One of the questions I hear most frequently is why I chose to live in Mazatlán, rather than better-known Puerto Vallarta. In fact, even here at Live and Invest Overseas, Puerto Vallarta tends to get more coverage and higher ratings.

So why choose Mazatlán Let’s compare the two.

In Some Ways, Both Destinations Are Similar…

Both Puerto Vallarta (PV) and Mazatlán enjoy choice spots on Mexico’s Pacific coast, with good access to the United States and Canada.

Both cities are long-time tourism destinations, which has both positive and negative consequences. For example, the touristy Romantic Zone in Puerto Vallarta is about …

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Why Loja Is Ecuador’s Hidden Gem For Living Like A Local

Property Regions, South America / By
A church in Vilcabamba, Ecuador

Loja: Ecuador As It Was Before The Gringo Invasion

Loja, Ecuador , is the object of my most remarkable failed prediction. In fact, two failed predictions.

Loja is one of my favorite cities in Ecuador. In fact, if I were returning to Ecuador today, this small Andean city in the south of the country is probably where I’d settle.

The city of Cuenca, is far more popular than Loja. In fact, it’s one of the most popular expat destinations in the Americas, with beautiful colonial architecture and loads of amenities.

By contrast, Loja is a city for Ecuadorians. Aside from a handful of exchange students, you’ll see very few foreigners here.

A little over 10 years ago—when the expat population of Cuenca exploded—I predicted that Loja would be next. It was loaded with opportunity for the entrepreneur, had …

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3 Popular Seaside Towns In Mexico Within Driving Distance Of U.S.

Caribbean & Central America, Featured / By
Malecon Avenue in the coastal city of Mazatlan in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico

The most valuable convenience you can hope for when purchasing a home abroad is the ability to load up your car and drive to it… it’s one of Mexico’s biggest advantages.

Today we’re going to look at three popular spots on the Sea of Cortez, all within a day’s drive of the U.S. border: Puerto Peñasco, San Carlos, and Mazatlán.

The Sea of Cortez––also known as the Gulf of California––is the body of water that separates Baja California from the Mexican mainland. It starts at the mouth of the Colorado River. The sea is …

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5 Things You Need To Know About Your Overseas Real Estate Agent

Featured, Investing Fundamentals / By
Real estate agent broker with bungalow house in background

“Imagine yourself sitting on this veranda each afternoon,” said my real estate agent, “watching the sun sink into the horizon straight out there. The orientation of this unit couldn’t be better.”

I glanced down at my compass—something I always carry when looking at real estate—and saw we were facing south. That doesn’t bode well for sunsets in the southern hemisphere.

When buying real estate overseas, your primary interface with the market will be the real estate agent. And, while the certification requirements and rules of conduct are fairly rigid in North America, you’ll find a mixed bag overseas.

So it’s best to go into your real estate search with the proper expectations. Here are five ways that I’ve found …

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Tips On How To Buy Property Overseas

Featured, Property Regions, Property Types, South America / By
Hosteria Andaluza, Ecuador

A number of years ago, I bought a terrific property in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, from a friend. It was a good-sized parcel of land with a simple home and a guest cottage… and over 150 feet of river frontage. With a bounty of tropical fruits, coffee plants, and surrounded by beautiful mountains, it was a real paradise.

After a couple of years and much Spanish study, I got around to actually reading the title. What I discovered was that I hadn’t actually bought the property outright, but rather I’d bought shares of an inheritance from four descendants of the original owner. And to make matters worse, I wasn’t completely sure if I’d accounted for all the descendants…

One of the trickiest aspects of property investing overseas is verifying that you’ve got a clean title. In North America, this is something we take for granted. But overseas, ownership laws vary from one country to the next and can even vary between regions of the same country.

So before my next property purchase, I decided to get smart about titles in …

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4 Top Countries For Low Risk, Dollar-Based Property Buys

Featured, Top Investments / By
Colorful houses in Cuenca, Ecuador

My big “currency awakening” came in Uruguay.

I first visited Uruguay in 2004 and fell in love with its First World environment, honest culture, and super infrastructure. And, at an exchange rate of 34 pesos per U.S. dollar, life there was an amazing bargain.

In fact, I finished my first article on Uruguay with the words “…and best of all, it’s cheaper than Ecuador.”

A couple of years later I moved to Uruguay full-time, and by then the exchange rate was only 25 pesos per U.S. dollar. This drove my cost of living up by 36% in dollar terms. The cost of living was no longer “cheaper than Ecuador,” but it still wasn’t bad.

But by 2008, the dollar had weakened so that I was getting less than 20 pesos per U.S. dollar… and in 2011, it was …

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