My inbox has been flooded lately with questions about a luxury real estate development in northern Argentina called La Estancia de Cafayate. Undoubtedly, the volume of emails is a strong indicator of the number of people thinking about expatriation.
Rather than answer the questions myself, though, I decided that it was a good occasion for me to reach out to my own network and call the man himself, Doug Casey, who is developing the project.
Doug and I spent some time chatting about the project, his thoughts on Argentina, investing, and networking with fellow expats. In full disclosure, I have absolutely no financial interest in the property whatsoever in any capacity. Furthermore, I have not purchased a lot at the property because, as a nomadic single male, I am not an ideal candidate.
For the right people, though, Cafayate is probably close to paradise. This would apply to expeditioners, retirees, hedonists, and even hermits.
The weather and scenery are spectacular, and the amenities in the development are second to none– I have seen it with my own eyes, and Doug really did a great job putting together a first class community, right down to the cigar bar.
As I mention in the interview, though, there are a multitude of beautiful places in the world. One of the things that sets Cafayate apart is that it is a clear example of an ‘open door’ to a fascinating and intriguing network of individuals.
I wrote about this in the Network Infiltration Black Paper– finding a network’s open door often means being a customer first, whether through a club membership or real estate development. It is the natural way to get noticed and provides an opportunity to start building relationships.
Cafayate is a great example– other buyers in the project include successful investors and entrepreneurs, influential foreigners, high ranking corporate executives, etc., each of whom is ‘philosophically sound’ as Doug explains it.
Becoming part of the community is an opportunity to build relationships with this network of successful individuals, including Doug himself, who will be living and spending time in Cafayate.
While the project and its network are definitely not for everyone, Doug’s commentary is entertaining and valuable for all. I challenge him on his view of Argentine politics, and we enjoy some laughs, especially when I get him to speak Spanish.
You can listen to the interview by selecting one of the streaming audio options below; to download it, right click one of the selections and click “Save As” to save it to your computer.
Doug Casey interview (primary server)
Doug Casey interview (alternate server)
Doug Casey interview (alternate server)
To hear more from Doug, you can sign up for his weekly column, Conversations with Casey.
