How a $230K Bogotá, Colombia Penthouse Nets $80K/Year 🇨🇴
And is it actually repeatable in 2026?!
When my buddy Brandon started telling me about his Airbnb numbers on the penthouse he renovated, I’ll be honest…
I thought he was full of sh*t!
“Sure broski, you’re getting over 30% net yield. So you’re basically like the Warren Buffet of Bogotá, Colombia real estate, ehhh?”
Then he whipped out his phone and showed me his Airbnb calendar.
Booked. Solid.
I had questions. Many of them. He answered every one, patiently walking me through the process — como no puedo caminar y mascar chicle al mismo tiempo.
Fast-forward a few months and I flew down to Bogotá to see if those numbers held up in person.
They did.
So we shot a video on the property, breaking down exactly why it works:
[P.S: Like, comment, + subscribe if you dig this type content…por favorrrr]
But something kept bugging me after we wrapped filming…
Brandon claims he just got lucky, but I’m not sure I agree. When I really broke it down, his 36% yield came from four separate asymmetric bets — and every single one of them is something most investors would never make.
And here's why that matters: you can't copy luck. You can copy a playbook.
So that’s what I wanted to figure out — could someone with $200K+ walk into Bogotá today and do the same thing? Or did Brandon catch a window that’s already closed?
Let’s dig into it.
Where the 36% Actually Came From
Brandon didn’t get this type of yield because of one single factor.
It was four smaller variables stacked on the same deal — each one something most investors would talk themselves out of.
See what had happened was…
#1: He bought when capital was fleeing
Brandon bought in the worst possible moment on paper. Keywords: on paper.
The peso had crashed against the dollar. COVID had emptied the city. Petro had just won and foreign money was sprinting for the exits.
That fear was the discount.
For anyone holding dollars, prime Bogotá real estate went on sale — and the sellers were motivated. The $100K entry price only existed because everyone else was running the other way.
#2: He bought what nobody wanted
He didn’t touch pre-construction. No renders, no payment plans, no waiting three years for delivery. No gym, no rooftop pool, no co-working lounge — none of the amenities preventas use to justify their price tags."
Instead he found an old 4-bedroom penthouse in Chicó Norte — one of the safest, wealthiest districts in the city — that nobody would touch because it needed a full gut job.
Dated unit, ancient building…but in a prime location.
#3: He renovated for the guest, not the market
The $130K renovation wasn’t necessarily designed to impress an appraiser. Every dollar went toward what drives bookings: the design, the terrace, the sauna, finishes that make travelers stop scrolling.
Many people renovate for the eventual buyer. Brandon renovated for the reviewer. A local resale buyer doesn’t need a sauna — but on Airbnb, it’s the difference between a listing and a destination that commands hotel prices.
#4: He read the fine print everyone skips
Here’s the one gringos always miss…
In Latin America, the building rules matter as much as the neighborhood. Plenty of investors in Medellín learned this the hard way when their buildings banned Airbnb and their numbers died overnight.
And Brandon’s penthouse could have gone the same direction, but he had a plan.
He already owned a number of units in this exact building. After buying this one, he just needed one more vote to get short-term rental approval.
He figured he could get that vote — and when he did, his revenue took off with it.
So, Could You Do This Today?
Honestly? Not exactly.
The fear has faded. The blood is no longer in the streets. The peso has recovered from its lows, the COVID discount is gone, and the Petro panic is over. Nobody’s handing out 2021 prices anymore.
But here’s the thing — the other three variables haven’t changed.
Bogotá is still full of dated units in prime districts that local buyers won’t touch. Renovating for the guest instead of the appraiser still works, because most owners still don’t do it. And the reglamento edge will always exist for the few people who bother to read the fine print before wiring money — although it’ll take some searching to find a short-term rental friendly building in Colombia these days.
You won’t stack all four, like Brandon did, in 2026. But two or three? That’s still a deal that might beat anything you’ll find in the US these days.
The window didn’t close completely, maybe it just shrunk a bit.
But if a shrunken window can still get you to a 10-15%+ net yield, it’s worth studying the guy who hit 36%.
And if you’re seriously considering Bogotá, my full investor’s guide covers the neighborhoods, taxes, and how to structure the purchase as a foreigner:
The Bogotá Brief [2026] Investor’s Guide to Colombia’s Capital 🇨🇴
Ya tu sabes,
Jake Nomada