Downturns happen, and when they do, they can be scary, especially when they affect your retirement savings. Many people want to know how they can protect their retirement when things aren’t so rosy. The simple answer is that a diversified portfolio contains investments that contain both bull market investments and bear market investments. This sound simplistic, but it’s a time-honored strategy.

So where do you find good bear market investments? Gold is always high on the list of bear market investments. Real estate is another good choice, as long as you pick the right market. Right now, US real estate holdings are suffering, but markets outside the US are doing much better.

The best opportunity to find high-performance bear market investments right now in the Western hemisphere lies in Mexico. The Mexico real estate market has been outperforming the US real estate market for several years, as the first baby boomers have begun to prepare for retirement.

Certain areas of Mexico are turning in a stellar investment performance when it comes to the value of real estate holdings. The Puerto Vallarta area is a prime example of this. Property values here have been on a double-digit appreciation path for the past ten years.

The news for property owners in Puerto Vallarta gets even better. While there are a significant number of condo projects being built right now, which could foster some concern about overbuilding, the population of Puerto Vallarta is expected to increase by nearly 75% in the next seven years. People who are looking for high-performing properties that provide solid returns aren’t looking at the condos. They’re looking north of the city, for prime waterfront building sites where they can build a custom home.

Select Mexico Properties has about 100 premium building sites in San Pancho that are being sold right now. These lots feature some of the most beautiful building sites in the Puerto Vallarta region. Visit the site and take a look at what’s being offered. You’ll see why these investment properties will make much better bear market investments that high-rise apartment-style condos will.

Photo Credit: Lonnie Bradley