Why Now is The Time to Buy Real Estate in Panama City Panama

Why is it a good time to buy real estate in Panama City, Panama now? So many Americans are losing their jobs every month, and many others are losing their homes or in danger of losing them, how can investing in real estate be a good idea?

According to the government of Panama on Internet reports, now is a good time to invest in real estate in Panama for many reasons, including the fact the real estate market is so stable in the country that investors can be sure the value of their investment will remain stable or increase for the next ten years. Although factors can change, the value of real estate is expected to remain stable.

For those who choose to buy real estate to live in Panama, or as an investment to sell, those moving to Panama will find a low cost of living, despite the gloomy economy worldwide. The will also find a beautiful area, excellent ambiance, and convenient daily living. According to Internet reports, the climate in Panama is excellent, tropical all year round. Residents will find a good educational system and economic stability. If you own a condo in Panama, you can look out on the sand and waves, and hear their roar, as you are eating breakfast and drinking a cup of coffee.

Real estate in Panama has boomed over the last several years, offering benefits, including tax benefits, banking opportunities for those who buy, and comforts for those who buy. Many real estate investments will bring spas, pools, and gyms to the buyers.

The government of Panama has recognized the growth in real estate sales and investments in its country and that now is a good time to invest in real estate in the country. The Instituto Panameño del Turismo (Institute of Tourism) has developed a publicity campaign to advertise Panamanian real estate projects. As a result many tourists who come to Panama City, Panama, including retirees, may discover that not only is the area beautiful but that real estate can be a good investment now for many reasons, including: the tax benefits available, all the amenities that come with property, many banking options, and the beautiful area they can live in for the rest of their lives.

Those wanting to buy real estate in Panama City, Panama, can discover many benefits available for foreigners, if they obtain a visa, including: the ability to import domestic or personal articles to their new home; the ability to import a new vehicle every two years; discounts of 15% for most services and products at hotels, restaurants, movies and other services for those that are retired; and the exoneration of the inheritance tax.

Budda Bar Hotel and Spa

Those who buy real estate in Panama City, Panama, will be able to enjoy beautiful white sandy beaches, palms, unforgettable sunsets, fantastic landscapes, and amazing colors. You will find the coasts of the Pacific and Caribbean Oceans to be beautiful, corral reefs, marine life and areas to go scuba diving and snorkeling.

Panama City, Panama Restaurants

Panama City, Panama offers well over 100 restaurants of varying cuisine for your dining pleasure. These five dining places are but a small sample of the diversity Panama City, Panama restaurants have to offer, for whatever type of food or dining style you wish.

For a fine, elegant, luxurious dining experience, visit The Palms in the Bella Vista area. The Palms is generally recommended as one of the top 10 dining places in Panama City. This restaurant has what it describes on its website as chic minimalist decor and high cuisine. The decor might also be described as ‘tropical-chic’. Here can be found a superb influence and fusion of Latin and Asian flavorings, with fresh seafood and prime cuts of steak. Upstairs, there is a hip urban-style bar called Urbano, where you can have a wonderfully wide selection of drinks.
For a gourmet Panamanian dining experience, try Las Barrandas at the Bristol Hotel, a block off Calle 50 in the Business District, where well-known chef Cuquita Arias produces some marvels of culinary delight. If you wish to sample excellent Panamanian style food, this one of the best places to go. For appetizers, you can try the plantain wontons; plantains are one of the most common food in the Panamanian diet. As a main seafood dish, the corvina (sea bass) in a tamarind sauce is highly recommended. The desserts are also exquisite. The food is well presented and the atmosphere is refined but warm.

 La Posta is a bistro restaurant also in the Bella Vista area of the city, and has an extensive international menu. This restaurant is particularly known for its superb tasty homemade bread, whole wheat and white both. There is also gourmet pizza done to perfection in wood burning ovens. La Posta is also known for its excellent treatment of seafood, in particular the corvina, a popular seafood item in Panama City.

The Greenhouse Cafe/Lounge has two locations, one in Calle Uruguay and another in El Cangrejo. This restaurant is known as a place to have a ‘green’ eating experience. It offers a friendly, natural, homey ambience with pleasant music playing in the background. The menu can be described as eclectic, with a wide variation of food – from comfort food to gourmet. You can have a burger and fries or you can sample some Panamanian sancocho, a traditional Panamanian soup made from free ranging chicken. The Greenhouse also offers a great selection of salads. The Lounge Happy Hour is another fun experience to be enjoyed here.
Madame Chang, located on Calle 48, has earned a reputation as the best Chinese restaurant in Latin America. The Peking duck, offered with a plum sauce, is particularly delectable, as are other dishes such as sliced beef with oyster sauce. The food is a blend of traditional recipes with a contemporary touch, and the ambience is elegant, but more casual than formal.
As seen even in just these five restaurants, Panama City, Panama has many fine dining experiences waiting for you!

Places To Eat In Panama City, Panama

There are so many places to wine and dine in Panama City, Panama. Along with local cuisine Panama City, Panama is lined with your normal fast food chain restaurants. A popular restaurant seems to be Eurasia. It is a fine dining European restaurant. If you are looking for a cuisine from the Latin Panama culture I suggest eating at Las Barandas. Not only is the food amazing, but entrees are fairly inexpensive for such a classy place. The entrees range from $15-$25. The chef there is the Panamanian version of Martha Stewart equipped with her own line of cookware as well.

If you just want a laid back casual inexpensive meal you should try Madame Changs. This is said to be the best Chinese restaurant in Panama City, Panama. There is a spot to dine for every taste. If you’re craving Italian try Alberto’s Pizza and Pasta. If you would like some local food at a reasonable price you could go to Al Tambor de la Alegria (located near the Amador Causeway). Here not only will you get to indulge in the excellent food, but you will be entertained as well with a 1-hour folkloric dance presentation.

The list of places to eat is endless. I suggest when you are making your reservations start asking about dining and entertainment. Panama City, Panama is a beautiful location with fresh produce at it’s every whim. Your taste buds will dance with flavor.

Panama is not just a great place to eat and vacation, it is also a great place to live. For more information on available properties please see www.isgworld.com

Panama City : A Shopper’s Paradise

Visiting Panama City can be a memorable experience for all who travel there, not only for the rich cultural diversity, and historical importance, but also because of the phenomenal shopping experiences that you can share with your friends and loved ones while there.

Panama City Panama

Panama is one of the most beautiful, and geographically desirable destinations on the planet, attracting thousands of tourists yearly, who have a taste for luxury, and recreation. The Royal Decameron Beach Resort, like most five star coastal resorts, offers a plethora of exquisite fine dining, and shopping enjoyment, right on the resort grounds, for convenience and ease. However, there are other places to find luxurious items, like clothing, jewelry and one of a kind gifts that are elegant and classy, all over Panama City.
A popular shopping destination for affluent vacationers is the Albrook Mall, in Panama City. This five star indoor shopping village features a colorful variety of popular name-brand boutiques and eateries, ranging from an in-house five star restaurant, to a selection fast food establishments. There is even a fine jeweler on site, and a Bijoux Terner boutique for exquisite fine jewelry. This indoor shopping experience is located in connection to the Panama City bus terminal, which is a convenient spot for jet-setting locals and visitors traveling from neighboring cities, to partake in a true luxury shopping experience.

Albrook Mall

Los Pueblos Mall is a veritable paradise for shopping pleasure, and is located near the Panama City International Airport. This is a massive shopping complex that features several specialty shops and boutiques, and a variety of tastes in the food court. It’s a shopper’s dream worth experiencing, while touring in Panama City. If you venture to the delightful Flamenco Island, in Panama City, you will be awe-stricken by the amazing trade industry of this region. You can literally spend thousands of dollars in one day, purchasing beautiful, original works of art, leather goods, and other fine gifts and souvenirs.

Finally, the biggest shopping mall in Central America, Multicentro Shopping Mall, is by far, the most desirable attraction among vacationing shoppers. The massive compound boasts a large casino, a movie cinema with nine huge screens, an upscale nightclub, and about forty different eating establishments throughout the center.
There are several classy retailers that sell designer clothing for adults and children, as well as designer furniture, perfumes, artwork. Completing the experience is a top level terrace, where you can enjoy panoramic views of the city, while taking a break from your shopping with a classy, and satisfying cup of Panamanian coffee.

In conclusion, visiting Panama City, Panama can be an amazing adventure that compliments your shopping desires in a way that most destinations cannot. Panama City has always been a cultural expressway in the trade industry, and even in modern times, the city is proving to be a powerhouse in a exquisite, and elegant lifestyles.

Things to Do Panama

Decorated by nature’s own hand, Panama is situated only a thousand miles from the equator. This brilliant, alluring country is the friendly link that joins the dry land of exotic Costa Rica from the north to beautiful Columbia in the south. It is a remarkable country streaming with enormous opportunity for historical learning, interactive fun, exciting adventure, and outstanding nightlife.

THE PANAMA CANAL
A man-made tourist destination that has given this great city its name. Beautifully situated in the center of the country, the Panama Canal is the friendly kiss of the Pacific and the Atlantic.

Panama Canal

CHIRIQUI NATIONAL MARINE PARK
Near the Costa Rica side, relax on the white sandy beaches of Boca Chica after adventures of snorkeling, fishing, and diving. This is the newest island destination – a picturesque and fresh vacation spot offering all the amenities of a fine getaway.

VIDA NOCTURNA
This is the most exclusive of nightclubs in south-central Panama. Offering live music, dancing, and dining, it is the venue where famous television shows have the honor of selecting the loveliest women for their broadcasts.

PANAMA CANAL RAINFOREST
Soberania National Park features naked nature covered in astonishing beauty and sprinkled with a heavenly mist.

THE WINE BAR
Enjoy a relaxing moment with live entertainment to set the mood in this cozy spot. This venue has an Italian feel with an enormous selection of the fine wines from Chile, California, and Europe.

PANAMA VIEJO
Bring a moment of history to life with a tour to this historical site. This is where the country of Panama was conceived.

Panama is not just a great place to eat and vacation, it is also a great place to live. For more information on available properties please see www.isgworld.com

Panama’s Real Estate forecast

Panama’s shopping forecast

From International Sales Group www.isgworld.com

Panama’s image and fortunes are bound to the canal that slices through it, a 80km feat of partly French, largely US engineering linking the Atlantic and Pacific, lucratively facilitating 5% of the world’s trade. For 75 years, the canal and a 15km buffer zone were administered by the US as recompense for their efforts. Since regaining control in 1999, this southernmost Central American republic, with a population of 3.3 million, has undergone an energetic transformation. Panama Canal, once at risk of being bypassed by the new generation of super-sized container ships, is undergoing a €4.6bn expansion, and the confidence inspired by the project has been a catalyst for development across all key sectors.

After announcing the expansion in 2006, GDP growth rose to 11.2%, outstripping China, and making Panama not only the fastest-growing Latin American economy, but, according to the IMF, one of the fastest-growing in the world. Now that growth has proven to be sustainable, Panama is firmly on the radar of European investors.

Expansion, allowing for double the current capacity, is expected to bring in an additional €10bn or so in direct revenue during the first 11 years following completion in 2014. “It’s estimated that even during construction the canal project is adding an additional 1% to GDP annually, benefitting a wide range of areas,” adds Judith Gold of IMF.

It’s also a boost to related industries – multimodal logistics, exports, free zones (the Colón Free Zone is already the second largest in the world) and ports (Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa intends Balboa to be the largest in Latin America by 2010), and two new passenger terminals have been opened to accommodate a vast and growing luxury cruise and mega-yacht industry.

Panama City, home to the largest concentration of international banks in Latin America, continues to grow in importance as a financial hub. “The financial centre has quickly responded to new opportunities.” says Carl-Fredrik Nordström of the Autoridad de Turismo Panamá. “Currently the Panamanian banking sector has US$14bn [€11.2bn] in market liquidity and has attracted significant new investment.” This trend will continue if the planned integrated Central American Stock Exchange resolves regulatory issues and begins operating next year.

The stock exchange idea is modelled on the integrated Scandinavian model and has been funded by the Inter-American Development Bank. Designed to increase trading volume and lure foreign investors and companies, it will offer a single trading platform for Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador, according to the chairman of Panama’s stock exchange Ricardo Arango.

Political and fiscal stability and the mood of confidence has triggered a construction frenzy, mainly luxury tower blocks in and along the coast around the capital catering to an upwardly mobile local market as well as an influx of North American buyers. Hotel development is rampant after steady growth of 12.5% a year in tourism shot up to 30% in 2007, the biggest spike in visitor numbers in the Western hemisphere. And it’s not over. The World Travel and Tourism Council predicts revenue from tourism will double by 2018, hence the need for a further 8,000 rooms, 1,800 of which will be added in 2009–10.

“Panama is emerging as one of the world’s hottest destinations for the jet-set crowd,” says Gary Sims of Nikki Beach Hotels, which has two projects underway. Marriott, Radisson, Hard Rock and Le Méridien have invested, as has Donald Trump, whose 65-storey Trump Ocean Club opens in 2010. and a Budda Bar Hotel and Spa and a Hard Rock Hotel will be opening. Prices are high and competition fierce for investment opportunities in Casco Viejo, the Havana-like colonial quarter of Panama City recently featured in the latest Bond instalment, Quantum of Solace, and undergoing extensive restoration.

The appeal of easily-accessible Panama to the US market is obvious. But, say analysts, an influx of tourism and foreign investment from Europe, Spain, Russia, and Turkey has fuelled this year’s growth.

“Our global advertising and public relations campaign has helped spur on this growth” says Nordström. “This campaign, with increased effort towards the European market, was initiated last January, and looked to present Panama to Europeans really for the first time.”

European investors are now behind some of the top projects. The UK’s London & Regional Properties sealed one of the biggest development deals ever, acquiring the 1,112ha Howard Air Force Base with a plan to transform it into a €8bn business district the size of the City of London complete with retail and hotel facilities and 20,000 homes.

“The current economic crisis may slow down the pace of growth but long-term projections remain highly positive,” adds Nordström.

With controlled inflation, control of a vital shipping route and a service-based economy, Panama looks set to be largely immune to the vicissitudes of the global economy. Says IMF’s Gold: “It’s hard to forecast in the current climate, but the Economic Intelligence Unit predicts GDP growth of 9%–10% for Panama next year. So far, Panama hasn’t had the banking crises other countries have had; so far, so good.”

Welcome to Panama Happenings!

Welcome to Panama Happenings! Your source for news on the latest real estate developments entertainment and Panama events. This blog is part of International Sales Groups blog http://internationalsalesgroup.wordpress.com/

International Sales group specializes in the sale of investment properties in both the US and Panama. We also sell individual Panama luxury condominiums in places such as the Hard Rock hotel Panama and the Budda Bar Hotel and Spa.

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Panama City Weather Forecast, Panama