If you are considering moving or retiring to Panama, you may find this helpful.
In this video Robin Sare lists his reasons for retiring in Panama.
Transcription below
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Robin and his wife Diana bought their property in Puerto Armuelles Panama about 6 years ago.
The last 2 years they have lived here more or less full time.
Adventures and active sports for him and warm weather gardening for her.
This mean you know it will hold value. (Robin and Diana are Canadians)
Which means you don't have to worry about your house being destroyed in a storm
The temperature "ranges from 22 at night to 28 in the day. It can get hot in the sun, but with a ocean breeze or shade it is very pleasant."
Hi, my name is Robin Sare, and my wife Diana and I live here in Puerto Armuelles.
We bought land about 6 years ago and we have been living in the house pretty much full time for the past two years.
We're Canadians and I am now retired.
When we first bought the land, I was still working, but I'm now wonderfully retired, and enjoying it immensely.
We've always traveled extensively. We've probably visited about 50 countries around the world, and we've done a lot of adventure travel sea kayaking, skydiving, river rafting, hiking, mountain biking, that kind of thing, as well as cultural tours.
And so, there came a time when my wife was a little less keen on the adventure route, and I still wanted to keep it up, and my wife is a very keen gardener and loves the warmth and so we thought that Panama would be the ideal combination for the two of us.
The adventure for me and a place for a wonderful garden for her after the cold wastelands of the Canadian North. So, we ended up in Puerto Armuelles having looked at a few other areas in Panama. And really having looked back at our catalog of places through the world where we've been.
First of all, Panama was quite affordable.
Secondly, it uses the American dollar, so your money here will always have some form of value.
They don't have hurricanes here, so you know your house will be here when you get back from wherever you've been off traveling to. The climate is delightful. It goes down to about 22 at night up to about 28 in the day. If you're at noon hour in the bright sun, yes it's hot, but as long as you have a sea breeze or you are in the shade, its truly wonderful.
I do a lot of sea kayaking out in the bright sun and it's no problem being out on the sea, it's very very comfortable there.
Thanks for watching.
December 15, 2012
You Can Help The Many Poor Children In Bocas Del ToroAs a caring group of people, they recently rescued 2 tiny jungle kittens that had been taken by poachers.
Here is a link to a blog post about the rescue of the kittens. Another about one of their patients in Bocas.
At the end of each blog post, you have the opportunity to donate to the Floating Doctors.
You can donate one time or set up a monthly donation via Global Giving.
You can even volunteer for short or long term stints.
Click to find out more about volunteering, here.
Discover more about them.
Explore their site and see what they have been doing for a communities that have no other health care resources.
Thanks to SusanAgg1 of Gringos_in_David_Panama Yahoo Group. I didn't know about this group until I read her post about them.
Susan also says the Floating Doctors have helped out some expats with medical emergencies as well.
Please comment below.
December 8, 2012
Help Save Panama Bay For Migrating Birds. Audubon Makes It Easy To Get Your Voice Heard.As of May of this year, Panama is allowing development of the upper bay of Panama.
Before then, in 2005, Panama had declared it as a Ramsar site.
That means Panama publicly acknowledged that Panama Bay is a wetland of international importance.
In 2009, Panama confirmed this by declaring the wetland as a National Protected Area.
No longer.
Developers have convinced the government to withdraw the wetland's protected status.
30 species of birds use this wetland on their way south after breeding. In additon, it is important to the life cycle of fish and shell fish and to the ecosystem of the region.
In tandem with that, the government has also relaxed it regulations for mangrove preservation.
“If these wetlands are lost, you break the chain of wetlands shorebirds need for successful migrations”, says Rosabel Miro, Panama Audubon’s executive director.
BirdLife Partner, the Panama Audubon Society, and a coalition of local and international environmental groups including the US National Audubon are taking legal action to restore Panama Bay's protected status.
The Audobon Society makes it easy for you to get your voice heard.
They have a pre-written letter they will send in for you.
Just fill your information. Save the shorebirds of Panama and the World!
For more on conservation of seabirds worldwide, go to this site.
December 8, 2012
December 8th.
The whole country takes it off.
Government offices are closed. Everyone is off work.
Women are awakened at about 4am by being serenaded in the street.
To me - at this moment - it seems a punishment to be awaken in this way.
A band gathers in the back of a pickup truck and plays music for all the houses that have pre-paid for the honor. Loud music.
As you imagine, you can hear the music pretty well even if you didn't request the 4 am wake up.
We don't get these traveling typica bands in our small and quiet neighborhood. But when we lived in the densely populated San Jose neighborhood we experienced it.
Actually, it was kind of fun to see and hear it. A cultural experience. Maybe I would grow to love it. Maybe.
As my sister once told me, it is collective guilt over their treatment of women that makes some countries make a big deal out of mother's day.
Did I mention that Mother's Day is a National Holiday in Panama?
That is alot of guilt.
Happy Mother's Day!
December 3, 2012
He wanted it to cover both its history and its economic future.
I had fun creating it.
If you would like a copy, I'd be happy to share it with you.
For your 1 page summary, Click Here.
To Learn How To Safely Buy ROP Property, Go Here.
There are alot of steps to title property in Panama, but it isn't difficult.
These steps are described in our easy to follow guide, "How To Title ROP Panama Real Estate"
The guide describes the process and documents you will need to title land.
You can get your free guide on how to title land there, or by Clicking Here.
Please ask questions and comment below.
Don't crack open the champagne yet.
You must make sure everyone knows you -and only you - own it.
These measures will ensure that everyone is aware that you now own the property. And further that you are occupying it.
Remember ROP land is owned by those who occupy it over time.
In Panama, maintaining the property is considered one way to prove you are "occupying" the land.
If it is a nice house that someone would eagerly move into and enjoy, rent it at market value. Don't forget to get a signed and notarized rental agreement.
If it is a house that needs a major remodel, get a renter as caretaker. That is, rent the house for a nominal fee. It is a win-win situation since the tenant has a free or cheap place to live and you have a caretaker at no cost. We tell our "renters" not to pay the rent. It is free.
Make sure you sign and notarize a rental agreement with them. We make the rent a nominal amount like $50 a month. In the agreement, require the tenant to pay any utilities and other tenant-related bills.
We have never had a problem with a renter not leaving when we ask. However, putting a rental amount in the contract allows you to get enforcement from the Ministry of Housing. If necessary, you can tell the agency that the tenants have not been paying the rent cited in the contract. It can be hard to evict someone otherwise.
Click for a full explaination of ROP property in Panama
We created a titling guide, "How To Title ROP Panama Real Estate" to help you.
If you are still looking for your perfect Panama property, we invite you to explore our listings.
November 27 2012
The editor of The Panama Guide, Don Winter, writes this about this new development.
"Cool. Now everyone out there who already has a pensionado visa can also obtain your permanent identification card (cedula). This is a big advantage, because in the Panamanian business community as soon as you flash a cedula, then they relax because you've been completely identified, even though you're a foreigner. I zip through the airport using the "Panamanian" line in immigration, just by showing my cedula."
When you are dealing with banks and lawyers, one of the first items you will be asked for is your cédula. If you don't have one, everything seems to get alittle more complicated.
Having a cédula makes life easier in Panama.
It is great news it is now its much easier for Pensionados to get one.
November 25, 2012
Drop On By The Tsunami Inn in Puerto Armuelles
While there are some places to rent, there are very few hotel options.
Thankfully, Scott and Bob have solved the problem of "where to stay".
They have opened a delightful hotel in Puerto Armuelles.
It is located by the beach in the San Vicente neighborhood.
The Tsunami Inn is a small hotel with:
Please tell them that Betsy and Reyn sent you.
If you are looking at property in Puerto as well, make sure you give us a call.
Reyn gives a killer tour of Puerto Armuelles and can answer all your questions.
