City Properties

Not everyone dreams about living or investing in a tiny, tropical beach town. You may appreciate the modern conveniences and familiarity offered by city properties. Often, a city property can provide the best return on your investment, especially in tourist areas where you can focus on higher-yield, short-term rental opportunities.

If you are considering investing in a city property, you have many options in location and style. Paris, Barcelona, and Lisbon are a few European gems worth investigating, while the Americas offer bustling locations like Panama City, Medellín, and Quito.

City properties come in all shapes and sizes. You might consider investing in a Spanish-colonial city that features traditional hacienda-style homes with interior courtyards and bubbling fountains surrounded by adobe-walled living and sleeping spaces. Or you may decide to buy a chic high-rise apartment with a pool and gym that will draw international visitors.

If you are considering a city property for personal living, don’t be intimidated by the size of the city as a whole. Most bigger cities are organized into smaller neighborhoods where you will pass neighbors on the sidewalk and find a favorite local pub or park to pass the time with new friends. Many cities have large expat communities where you are sure to find other like-minded folks who have taken the plunge and invested in a city property.

Short-term renters flock to city properties for the many activities and options offered in bigger communities.

Travelers may seek an urban vibe where they can:

  • sample a different type of restaurant every night
  • shop custom boutiques, quaint local craft stalls, or large malls with familiar brand names
  • visit a museum, experience live theater, or catch the latest movie release
  • take in a symphony performance or open-air concert
  • stroll through botanical gardens and eco-parks, or
  • simply walk the city streets while soaking in the city energy.

Finding a city property can be challenging because most countries do not offer a Multiple Listing Service that shows all of the properties on the current market. Instead, you’re better off working with several local real estate agents to find the perfect city property for you.

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

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 […]

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The Best Investments Opportunities In Panama After COVID

Panama City Skyline

Of all the real estate markets on our radar here at Overseas Property Alert, Panama is one that we expect to emerge from this pandemic with minimal damage… just like it did after the financial crash of 2008. As the country prepares to open back up to international visitors, the news is positive… and there are

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Hato Pintado And Clayton: Value Real Estate In Panama City

A house in Clayton

Two Hidden Gems In Panama City’s Suburbs Despite a slump in economic growth since the previous government regime, Panama’s real estate business is far from slowing down. Many of the developments you’ll see marketed in Panama City, though, are in exclusive neighborhoods aimed at foreign buyers and investors—meaning a high price tag… But it’s still

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In Perfect Harmony: Enjoy The Best Of 2 Worlds In Checa, Ecuador

cascading pools

City living is not for everyone. The noise, traffic, pollution, and crowds you find in a typical big city is just overwhelming for some people. Before I moved to Medellín, Colombia (population 3.5 million), I lived for 23 years in a town with only 4,000 residents. The nearest large city, with big box stores, multiple

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2 Smart Cities That Are Changing The Future Of Urban Living

medellin smart city

Smart cities improve life. And who doesn’t want improvement? A “smart city” is a city that’s smartly run. The city’s movers and shakers work together, thinking collectively. And they use technology to make the city a better place… nicer, more pleasant, more sustainable, easier… Smart cities aren’t about technology being used at the dinner table,

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Berlin: Germany’s Vibrant City Full Of Affordable Real Estate

view of berlin from an apartment balcony

Investing In Europe’s Economic Powerhouse Germany doesn’t get nearly enough credit. Its efficient economy is the powerhouse of the Continent, and its standard of living one of the highest in the entire world. Universal health care, free college, respect for individual rights, plenty of jobs, affordable housing—Germany seems to have it figured out. The city

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

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

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San Telmo: Best Area For Property Investment In Buenos Aires

San Telmo, Argentina

Find Real Character In Buenos Aires’ Oldest Neighborhood Plus: Skeptical About These Brazil Beachfront Lots… “This is the soul of Buenos Aires,” the cab driver assured me in his heavily Italian-accented Spanish, “…the heart of Argentina.” Out of metaphors, he stopped the cab at Calle Defensa in the old San Telmo district of Buenos Aires,

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