I believe this piece by Manu Cron expresses a great deal of what I have been writing about on this blog for the last two years regarding the city and the construction boom going on there. His article appears on Escape Artist, which usually paints a very rosy picture of Panama, but for a change is being more balanced. He analysis, as the title indicates, is based entirely on the city and I don't know if he has visited us out in the provinces. If he would I am sure he would get a completely different perspective of Panama.
Excerpt; Boomers, your
attention, please! Panama offers a real estate’s ball and you are its special guests. The dreams’ factory is very busy organizing the feast, counting on you to populate the numerous waterfront resorts and towering condominiums aiming to the clouds.
Don’t worry about etiquette. Tuxedos are not required. Local weather is H2, meaning too hot and humid for formal dressing. All you need is some available cash, prime credit history and good will to relocate. In addition to quick buck condo flippers, Panama is also attracting those retired on a modest fixed income. Traditional destinies have become either very expensive (Florida), extremely insecure (Mexico) or crime prone and chronically affected by inflation (Costa Rica). Tropical weather, public security and first world class services in the Sunshine State are unaffordable for many retirees and although the real estate bubble is finally deflating and housing prices are starting to draw back, they will not retreat to where they were five years ago.