Kathleen Peddicord - Buying Real Estate Overseas For Cash Flow (And A Better Life)

At home on Portugal's coast, you could wake every morning to the sound of local fisherman announcing the morning's catch and the soft chimes of bicycle bells signaling the start of the daily commute. Offshore this 100-mile-long stretch, the Atlantic Ocean crashes, as it has for centuries, carving arches, coves, and caves into the sandstone, creating a picture-postcard view at every turn. Portugal's Algarve region is not only a top option for retirement in Europe but one of the best places in the world to live, thanks to its

Portugal enjoys one of the most stable climates in the world and 3,300 hours of sunshine per year, meaning more sunny days than almost anywhere else in Europe. The Algarve coast has no bad weather months.

Portugal ranks as the third-safest country in the world. Violent crime is rare, and petty crime is limited to pickpocketing during the busy tourist season. As well, this country has managed to keep itself separate from the immigration crisis that is playing out in other parts of Europe.

Portugal has enjoyed important infrastructure investments in recent years, specifically to do with the country's highway network and airports. As a result, this is a great base for exploring all Europe and North Africa.

Health care in Portugal is high quality and a fraction the cost of health care in the United States. If you become a resident, public health care is free.

Portugal's Algarve region boasts 42 courses in less than 100 miles.

The European Blue Flag Association has awarded 88 beaches along the Algarve coast Blue Flag status, recognizing their excellent water quality and environmental standards.

The cost of living in Portugal is among the lowest in Western Europe, on average 30% lower than in any other country in the region. A couple could live here modestly but comfortably on a budget of as little as 1,300 euros per month. With a budget of 2,000 euros per month or more, you could enjoy a fully appointed lifestyle in this heart of the Old World. And right now your dollars buy a lot of euros.

English is widely spoken. Living here, you could get by without learning to speak Portuguese.

The Portuguese are the biggest fish eaters per capital in Europe, and fresh fish of great variety is available in the ever-present daily markets. The year-round sunshine and fertile earth in this part of the world mean an abundance of fresh produce, too, also available in the local markets. Meantime, pollution rates are low, and streets, towns, and beaches are clean and litter-free.

Portugal offers the most user-friendly residency option in the eurozone. You can qualify to live in the country full time simply by showing a reliable income of at least 1,200 euros per month.

For decades, Americans have voted Mexico the world's best place to live or retire in the way that really counts—they've packed up and moved there. This country is home to between 1 and 2 million American expats and retirees, more than any other country. Its biggest advantage is its accessibility. Living or retired on Mexico's Pacific coast, you can come and go from the United States by car. Moving to Mexico can be as hassle-free as an international move gets. Nothing's as easy as loading up a truck and driving south. Your entire moving budget could be gas and tolls.

Why else does Mazatlán stand out as a top Plan B option?

From its administrative set-up (the Mexican government is a stable democracy, with executive, legislative, and judicial branches functioning in a similar way to those in the United States) to its big-footprint shopping, Mexico is familiar and therefore comfortable. If you're itching for an adventure in a foreign land that's not too foreign, Mexico could be the experience you seek.

All the North American attention from both expats and tourists means that many Mexicans, especially in the service industry, speak English. This can make things like navigating the residency process at the immigration office and managing the real estate purchase process with your attorney much easier.

Property markets in many areas of Mexico are soft and growing softer thanks to current global events. In addition, the U.S. dollar is at an historic high against the Mexican peso, meaning you having supercharged buying power in those Mexican markets where real estate trades in pesos.

Automatic six-month tourist stays and easy and fast immigration make it possible to come and go and spend as much time in the country as you'd like. You can maintain a second home here (a place you rent out when you're not using it yourself, say) without having to bother with the expense of obtaining formal resident status.

Living in Mazatlán, you could return easily to the United States to use Medicare. If you're considering this move as a retiree, nearing or over the age of 65, this can be Mexico's most compelling advantage. Mexico offers excellent health care, but Medicare won't pay for it—with limited exceptions, Medicare doesn't cross any border. However, if you retire in Mexico, you'd be only a drive or quick flight away from accessing your benefits.

This means keeping and continuing to pay for Medicare coverage in addition to any other health insurance you might opt for. This can be a good strategy for a Medicare-eligible retiree moving to any foreign country, a safety net.

While the living is not as cheap as it was in the 1970s when Americans began migrating to Mexico in volume, it's a global bargain and more of a budgeter's delight right now than it's been in a long time, thanks to the U.S. dollar's strength.

In some parts of the country, this translates to super real estate deals. But even where real estate trades in U.S. dollars, the strong dollar makes everything else—from a liter of gasoline and a week's worth of groceries to a suite of bedroom furniture and a night out on the town—a bargain. Two can dine five star, enjoying three courses and good wine, for less than 50 bucks.

Belize remains off the world's radar. Nobody is targeting or intent on stirring up trouble in this little country that's part Caribbean, part Central American. Most people don't give Belize a second thought. In today's world, that's a plus.

The country is one of the most important members of the Caribbean Community, thanks to its arable land and agricultural capacity. It helps provide food security for CARICOM, an international community of primarily small English-speaking island nations.

Belize has pristine marine, rainforest, and riverine environments and a small population, so, in addition to being food secure, it is a great vacation destination and an ideal place to live. Cayo is the breadbasket of Belize principally because of the industriousness of the Mennonites of Spanish Lookout, a booming town with thriving businesses and a back-to-basics, traditional way of life.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that the average American meal travels 1,500 miles from farm to market. The movement is toward sourcing food from within 100 miles. In Cayo, your food could be sourced within 10 miles. Living here, you could even enjoy a zero-mile diet. Imported foods are available if you want them, but it's possible in Cayo to be food secure and not dependent upon an elaborate, vulnerable, and costly global supply chain.