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Panama Investment Report

In the current global climate, you want to be invested in real, productive assets. "You want to be positioned in real assets, because that's where consumers are putting their money now. A fundamental shift has taken place in the marketplace. I think of it as a shift to value consumption. People want to pay less while believing they're getting more.”

Pleasure investing is making investments that provide not only a financial return, but a more personal one, as well. Pleasure investing is investing for both profit and fun. It's enjoying your efforts to make money. Value investments can also qualify as pleasure investments...opportunities to make money while reaping tremendous personal enjoyment.

One investment opportunity at the top of this value investment list right now is beachfront, specifically beachfront in Panama. Panama is the new Florida. As retirees up north continue to take stock of their situations and to consider their options, increasingly, it's Panama that gets their attention. Panama is this region's land of bests and superlatives. It is easy to get to, Central America's travel hub. It offers the best package of special benefits for the foreign retiree, plus an affordable cost of living and the best infrastructure in the region; no other Central American city begins to compare with Panama City.

Panama is home to established and fast-growing expatriate communities. It's one of the world's last remaining banking, tax, and offshore havens. And it's perhaps the best place on earth right now to start and run an international business.

It's also a natural paradise. Panama is home to two long coasts and myriad sand-fringed islands, plus some of the best deep-sea fishing, surfing, snorkeling, and scuba diving anywhere. Around its Coiba island lies the largest coral reef on the Pacific side of the Americas, and, because of its unique geographical position, the country harbors a greater diversity of wildlife than any other in Central America. A natural land bridge connecting the two continents, Panama is home to both North and South American species of wildlife. About 29% of the country's land area is protected in 14 national parks, more than a dozen forest reserves, and 10 wildlife refuges. Panama is home to almost 1,000 species of birds, as well as 220 mammals and 354 reptiles and amphibians...from howler monkeys to caiman, from tiger cats to turtles, from ocelots to crocodiles, and from pelicans and toucans to king crabs and iguanas.

Panama is one of the most appealing markets in the world right now, its economy successfully side-stepping the global near-depression, its future brighter than ever with new business-minded, investor-friendly President Martinelli in the driver's seat.

The western Sunset Coast of the Azuero Peninsula is Panama's next big thing, the market where everyone--investors, travelers, and retirees--is headed. Land developing is a more organized and more regulated activity here in Panama than in other countries in this part of the world. Developers who push ahead without all the proper studies, filings, and approvals are dealt with seriously (especially under the current administration). Out here on this stretch of the Pacific, the landscape is being transformed. Better roads, new restaurants, bigger hotels, more people...every month changes are obvious and this market is moving quickly.

During the off-season and even in a down global climate activity here on Panama's Sunset Coast continues. More developers are at work, more tourists are passing through, more expats are settling in, and more infrastructure is on the way. In fact, Panama's recently elected President Ricardo Martinelli is talking of building five new international airports in this country, including, perhaps, one in his hometown province of Veraguas.

This is the time to buy into the Panama market. This is the early-in chance. This is the opportunity you're going to regret missing out on if you don't go for it right now.

Other former bubble markets worldwide have imploded. Why not the Panama City market?

Here's why:

This market was not made by Americans, at least not 100%. This market was also made by Venezuelans, Colombians, and other Latino investors looking for safe haven for their capital. Panama continues to offer this, certainly relative to other regional options. Meantime, the Venezuelans are keener than ever to move whatever assets they have out of Venezuela.

Panama City is not only a safe haven for worried investors from less free markets; it's also the top doing-business haven in this part of the world. Big international firms (Dell, 3M, Caterpillar) have targeted this country, especially its new Panama Pacifico international business park under construction at the former Howard Air Force Base. One mega-group is in the process right now of scouting rental apartments for hundreds of its executives to be relocated here over the coming year. The group has asked that their name be kept out of the press, because they're already struggling to get decent deals. They can't source the rental inventory they need, and landlords in this town are realizing their upper hand.

Panama's own infrastructure improvement projects are requiring a big and ongoing influx of foreign labor...and they all need a place to sleep. The Panama Canal expansion project is well under way and will continue to fuel the country's economy and rental market...and new President Martinelli seems serious about his plan for a Panama City metro system. If that project proceeds, it'll mean even more outside labor in search of a place to lay their heads at night.

We are not going to pretend that Panama has been completely unaffected by the global financial meltdown, but the effects have been marginal. The Panama City market, especially, both for sales and rentals, was running on overdrive. It's settled down now, creating a window of opportunity for both the retiree and the investor.