Hello from Nueva Gorgona. Just one point. I did look into the “new houses” thing. The quality of the houses in Panama is ridiculously bad. No matter if it is a house or apartment. I remember the development area “El Dorado”. The walls are less than 3 inches thin, stucco falling off already, the wooden doors had cracks, and so on. I did ask, if for the $135,000 selling price, they would actually fix this issues. Short response I got? “No… You can fix it.” And this was the “show house & apartment “ what looked so horrible. Than I asked if I could see a house in construction. “Sure.” So we checked them out. No insulation under the metal roof. One small split A/C in the house. The lot size in this areas are around 200-250m2! In my opinion, this houses are completely overpriced! And you should mention one important thing. In Panama, houses sold as new, even if they are build in 2012 and never sold. I decided against buying a house or apartment. Especially apartments! The management doesn’t do maintenance as it should. Paint is “falling off” the walls outside. Metal railings rusting. I mean. Come on. It’s a humid place in Panama. No maintenance and your money goes down the drainage! You can’t sell it anymore if you have to. In the end, I bought myself a lot with 520m2. Building myself a house with 6” walls through the whole house. And I am already “certified” 😂 from Panamanian friends and neighbors as a “professional builder”. Why? My walls are leveled & straight. Something you don’t see that often in Panama. Search for walls who don’t have stucco on it. Panamanians don’t care if the bricks / blocks are leveled or straight. They just don’t care. People who also bought lots in my area asking already if I would be nice enough to build their houses. I friendly deny it. I’m a pensionado. This is my second house I’m building myself in my life. And with age, lifting of 29lbs blocks is getting heavier every day. 😊 So be careful with new house areas. They mostly go bankrupt (or as Panamanians say: Used for money laundering purposes only) - because houses don’t sell. Example in the San Carlos area? Developments with 60 and more lots with maybe 6-10 finished houses on them. The rest ist empty since decades. - And the pandemic killed a lot of small businesses in Panama. Including restaurants!
Sadly Tichanan is permanently closed and based on why they closed, there probably won't be another restaurant opening there anytime soon. We live in Coronado and considered Vista Mar, but were not thrilled with the beach area, it's pretty rocky and at high tide not much beach area. With the Marina providing a break water, it felt more like a lake than a beach.
We have lived in Vista Mar ever since we moved here from our apartment in Panama during the pandemic. Best ocean views of any beach development in Panama. It’s quiet but close to Coronado, where you can get just about anything. Not for people looking to party all the time, however. The first rains have started, so the grass will soon be lush again. You do get occasional power outages, which generally last for less than 15 minutes. Once or twice a year, water supply will be an issue for 10-12 hrs (we have an extra water supply tank, which solves the problem.) We could have gone anywhere, but are perfectly happy here.
Vista Mar is green again! Your video was pretty much right in the middle of dry season, so we're "back to normal" now. VM is a great place to live. We really love it here. Some of the partial construction you saw is a remnant of the Covid days. I think some of those were a matter of running out of money, time, and/or patience during the days of lockdown. The sense of community is terrific here. Many folks from North America and Europe are here. Plus there are a number of Panamanians who drive in from the city on weekends and holidays. Plenty of fun to be had, without feeling crowded. It's also quite safe here. Your observation about the lack of bars on the widows is accurate. All in all, this is a very nice location 😊. Great video. Thanks for giving VM some love!!!
Nice video. Love the drive. Your wife seems a very sweet lady. I am thinking of retiring there. God Willy wl make a trip next year. I do hv a question on yr magic jack video that I watched. Couldn’t understand everything. Is there any other video with more tutorial u hv that I can watch? Gracias. That’s all Spanish I know :-)
Great video! I appreciate your work. The video format has always been sufficient. My wife and I toured the country by bus in early August. The need to see the drives, as you eloquently expressed, is absolutely necessary if one is considering relocation. You have proven the point again here. Some people need their hands held with a time stamp. Unnecessary in my estimation. Just drag the dot! Panama is experiencing el nino during this rainy season. The development looks crispy dry. Trees and shrubs stressed. Is this in arco seco? A nice neighborhood for an e-bike! Definitely a little isolated. Thanks to the both of you!
Great job! Your videos are coming along very nicely. Quick question, my spouse, and I will be moving to Panama soon and want to spend a few weeks in different spots such as this. What do you recommend for procuring a vehicle?
Great video, great area. What nobody talks about is that Panamá has, in their laws, life insurance on mortgage requirements where the limit age is 80. If you’re a senior, let’s say age 65, your mortgage will be amortized from 65 until you reach 80. Horrible payments. Great idea if you happen to die before 80, the property gets paid in full for your heirs. The government needs to extent the age limit so more seniors can buy at reasonable payments
This is a beautiful community. The homes are impressive. I wonder how much do they big home cost? Are they built as you purchase the lot? Does the builder has specific models? Just curious.
Hello from Nueva Gorgona. Just one point. I did look into the “new houses” thing. The quality of the houses in Panama is ridiculously bad. No matter if it is a house or apartment. I remember the development area “El Dorado”. The walls are less than 3 inches thin, stucco falling off already, the wooden doors had cracks, and so on. I did ask, if for the $135,000 selling price, they would actually fix this issues. Short response I got? “No… You can fix it.” And this was the “show house & apartment “ what looked so horrible. Than I asked if I could see a house in construction. “Sure.” So we checked them out. No insulation under the metal roof. One small split A/C in the house. The lot size in this areas are around 200-250m2! In my opinion, this houses are completely overpriced! And you should mention one important thing. In Panama, houses sold as new, even if they are build in 2012 and never sold. I decided against buying a house or apartment. Especially apartments! The management doesn’t do maintenance as it should. Paint is “falling off” the walls outside. Metal railings rusting. I mean. Come on. It’s a humid place in Panama. No maintenance and your money goes down the drainage! You can’t sell it anymore if you have to. In the end, I bought myself a lot with 520m2. Building myself a house with 6” walls through the whole house. And I am already “certified” 😂 from Panamanian friends and neighbors as a “professional builder”. Why? My walls are leveled & straight. Something you don’t see that often in Panama. Search for walls who don’t have stucco on it. Panamanians don’t care if the bricks / blocks are leveled or straight. They just don’t care. People who also bought lots in my area asking already if I would be nice enough to build their houses. I friendly deny it. I’m a pensionado. This is my second house I’m building myself in my life. And with age, lifting of 29lbs blocks is getting heavier every day. 😊 So be careful with new house areas. They mostly go bankrupt (or as Panamanians say: Used for money laundering purposes only) - because houses don’t sell. Example in the San Carlos area? Developments with 60 and more lots with maybe 6-10 finished houses on them. The rest ist empty since decades. - And the pandemic killed a lot of small businesses in Panama. Including restaurants!
Sadly Tichanan is permanently closed and based on why they closed, there probably won't be another restaurant opening there anytime soon. We live in Coronado and considered Vista Mar, but were not thrilled with the beach area, it's pretty rocky and at high tide not much beach area. With the Marina providing a break water, it felt more like a lake than a beach.
We have lived in Vista Mar ever since we moved here from our apartment in Panama during the pandemic. Best ocean views of any beach development in Panama. It’s quiet but close to Coronado, where you can get just about anything. Not for people looking to party all the time, however. The first rains have started, so the grass will soon be lush again. You do get occasional power outages, which generally last for less than 15 minutes. Once or twice a year, water supply will be an issue for 10-12 hrs (we have an extra water supply tank, which solves the problem.) We could have gone anywhere, but are perfectly happy here.
Without prices, your video has no value.
Vista Mar is green again! Your video was pretty much right in the middle of dry season, so we're "back to normal" now. VM is a great place to live. We really love it here. Some of the partial construction you saw is a remnant of the Covid days. I think some of those were a matter of running out of money, time, and/or patience during the days of lockdown. The sense of community is terrific here. Many folks from North America and Europe are here. Plus there are a number of Panamanians who drive in from the city on weekends and holidays. Plenty of fun to be had, without feeling crowded. It's also quite safe here. Your observation about the lack of bars on the widows is accurate. All in all, this is a very nice location 😊. Great video. Thanks for giving VM some love!!!
It would have been nice to know the prices of the homes!!!
Just there a few weeks ago (Jan 2024). Beautiful place
Looking at property in “FONTANELLA DEL MAR” right there in that area, any feedback or wisdom on that? Thanks
Nice video. Love the drive. Your wife seems a very sweet lady. I am thinking of retiring there. God Willy wl make a trip next year. I do hv a question on yr magic jack video that I watched. Couldn’t understand everything. Is there any other video with more tutorial u hv that I can watch? Gracias. That’s all Spanish I know :-)
Another great video. I noticed on airbnb, some people have their places short term rented in the Vista Mar area. Even the 2 big buildings.
I own in Vista Mar and Absolutely love it! Great place to live! Beautiful views, quiet and safe!
Thank you for your videos, mainly that for me the San Carlos area in am interested
Very nice video ❤ it
BTW, I became a new subscriber. 🙌
Great video! I appreciate your work. The video format has always been sufficient. My wife and I toured the country by bus in early August. The need to see the drives, as you eloquently expressed, is absolutely necessary if one is considering relocation. You have proven the point again here. Some people need their hands held with a time stamp. Unnecessary in my estimation. Just drag the dot! Panama is experiencing el nino during this rainy season. The development looks crispy dry. Trees and shrubs stressed. Is this in arco seco? A nice neighborhood for an e-bike! Definitely a little isolated. Thanks to the both of you!
Great job! Your videos are coming along very nicely. Quick question, my spouse, and I will be moving to Panama soon and want to spend a few weeks in different spots such as this. What do you recommend for procuring a vehicle?
Great video, great area. What nobody talks about is that Panamá has, in their laws, life insurance on mortgage requirements where the limit age is 80. If you’re a senior, let’s say age 65, your mortgage will be amortized from 65 until you reach 80. Horrible payments. Great idea if you happen to die before 80, the property gets paid in full for your heirs. The government needs to extent the age limit so more seniors can buy at reasonable payments
This is a beautiful community. The homes are impressive. I wonder how much do they big home cost? Are they built as you purchase the lot? Does the builder has specific models? Just curious.
Nice place and great information. Thanks for sharing, Who would you recommend for real estate sales in that community. Thanks.
Very nice video, I noticed the large brown areas, is that due to the drought ? Or is that normal during the dry season ?