December 2025-

I love it when a client knows exactly what they want.

Recently, a couple came to me with an obvious scenario: “We live in Spain, we have just sold our apartment in Belgium, and we want to invest that capital into Bali. We have no intention of ever living there; we want rental income. Capital appreciation would be a bonus. Oh, and by the way, we don’t want to lift a finger when it comes to management.”

To me, this translated to a particular checklist:

• Budget: Around $150k.
• Type: Turnkey solution (likely off-plan).
• Goal: Pure ROI. The location didn’t need to be “emotionally” right for them; it just needed to be profitable for tourists.
• Management: 100% hands-off.

Here is how we turned that brief into a massive win.

The “Uber Spreadsheet”

Here at Ayla, we pride ourselves on our data. We don’t just guess; we track everything. We have an “Uber spreadsheet” containing information on almost every credible developer in Bali and every active project.

We started filtering. We looked for a minimum 28-year leaseholds (to maximise ROI runway) and filtered the market down to 6 specific developments that fit the criteria.

From those 6, we compared them head-to-head. We looked at potential rent, land size, build quality, and—crucially—developer reputation.

We eventually cut that list down to 3 strong contenders. Then, we went to work.

Going to War

Once we picked the target, we went to war for our clients.

I am not going to divulge our exact negotiation tactics (trade secrets, after all), but here is the deal we structured.

The apartment was listed originally at $163,000 USD. The developer had a Black Friday offer running, bringing it down to $145,000.

Most agents would have stopped there. We didn’t. Based on the promise of one single cash payment from the clients, we managed to haggle the price down to $130,000.

Even we were impressed with ourselves on that one.

The “Runt of the Litter” Strategy

Now, here is the secret sauce. The unit we bought was technically the “runt of the litter.”

It was relatively the “worst” positioned unit in a pool of 6 apartments being built in Umalas. If you were buying a home to live in, this might be a negative. But if you are investing? It was a stroke of genius.

Why? Because of the management structure.

In this specific development, the rental income is pooled. The revenue from all 6 apartments is totalled and divided equally among the owners. It doesn’t matter whether your unit has a slightly better view; you still get the same check at the end of the month.

By buying the cheapest unit (the “runt”) for $130k, our clients get the same return as the guys who paid full price for the “best” unit.

The Result

The numbers speak for themselves.

Based on conservative estimates, the rental ROI for this place—after all management fees and taxes—will sit around 15%.

But the real win is the equity. As soon as the apartment is completed and ready to live in (scheduled for this April), the market value will sit between $180,000 and $190,000.

Because we bought well and negotiated hard, our clients are sitting on an immediate $50,000 profit if they choose to flip it the day they get the keys.

Not bad, eh?

Ready to invest?

If you want us to find you a deal like that—or if you want access to our “Uber spreadsheet”—get in touch.

We know where the value is hiding in this market. If you are interested and ready to invest, talk to us.