Panama is one of the fastest growing property and investment opportunities in the world. While the real estate in Panama offers tremendous value – it is the low cost of living that really attracts people to Panama. Panama’s pristine beauty, near-perfect weather, friendly locals, world-class fishing and outdoor activities makes owning land in Panama an excellent choice.
At Ocean Ridge Estates you can truly have it all – a top quality lifestyle for a very affordable price. Contact us with any questions you have, and start finding out how you can have your very own piece of paradise.
Hello Ocean Ridge people (and honored family and friends);
This isn’t really a full blown newsletter, but I thought you might like some recent photos so you can see how the project is taking off. First let’s start with the houses:
We just started on our seventh house, for Betty on lot 8. It was just started two weeks ago, and already the foundation is taking shape (photo below). Hopefully Betty will be moving down from Texas later this year, and providing free dental care for all of her neighbors (okay, I’m kidding!). Yvette’s house on lot 15 is almost complete, and hopefully she also will be moving down sometime this year (photo below). Yvette, your wrap-around porch is getting rave reviews from everybody who sees it. Leo and Willy came in to visit, and did some major clearing around their guesthouse (photo below). Now they have fabulous views in all directions. Meanwhile Bob and Annie on lot 10 are right on schedule to finish their house in a few months (photo below). You might want to check out Annie’s interesting blog, which describes their life in Panama – it’s well done and quite entertaining (panmaniacs.wordpress.com).
Since smelling the roses is one of the core principles here in Paradise, there have been a number of pool gatherings in the last few weeks. Here is a typical afternoon with Leo, Willie, Bob and Annie (photo below). For those of you planning on a pool (which you all should be), we have found that the water temperature year-round is between 81 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit – cool, refreshing and perfect.
We continue to have new visitors from Mother Nature. For those of you who haven’t seen the pics, we have a couple of coatis that come around occasionally and mingle with the agoutis (2 photos below). When you come down you’ll have to learn all the names of the weird animals around here. Coco the squirrel has returned after a six month absence (photo below), and Loco and Twinky say hello to everybody (photo).
Last but not least (for those of you who care), the fishing/spearfishing continues to be outstanding (3 photos below). Last year was probably the best dorado year we’ve ever had, and when my brother Scott visited over the holidays I introduced him to spearfishing. Okay, I’ll say it – big brother big fish, little brother little fish…….. 🙂
That’s it for now; here’s hoping that everybody out there has a fabulous 2015.
Panama is one of the fastest growing property and investment opportunities in the world. While the real estate in Panama offers tremendous value – it is the low cost of living that really attracts people to Panama. Panama’s pristine beauty, near-perfect weather, friendly locals, world-class fishing and outdoor activities makes owning land in Panama an excellent choice.
Ocean Ridge Estates is located on the western slope of the Azuero Peninsula, and is possibly the only mini-ranch project in Panama, with estate lots ranging from 4 – 12 acres. When you purchase land in Panama, you have many more creative options on how to use your property. You can stable horses, grow large fruit orchards and/or gardens, put in walking trails, extensive landscaping, etc. You will also have a level of privacy that is far superior to projects offering smaller lots.
After searching high and low, The Panama Collection selected Ocean Ridge Estates for its pristine natural beauty and ideal location. Located just 1 hour from Santiago and 3 ½ hours from Panama City it is perfect for retirement and investment real estate.
Some of our many property features include:
3-12 Acre Mini Ranches
Prime building sites
Good roads
Running water and electricity
Riverfront lots
Oceanviews
Privacy
Exotic wildlife
Ocean Ridge Estates has many nearby amenities:
Westerly views of the Pacific Ocean
A 24 hour clinic with a doctor always on staff 15 minutes away
Gas station
Grocery markets
New hotel (20 minutes driving)
Ocean Ridge Estates is picture perfect, bordered to the north by the Rio Negro (Black River), mountain views in all directions, and the Pacific Ocean four miles to the west.
According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Panama ranks first among 135 countries, the U.S. ranks 12th, on subjective well-being – not just how much wealth or good health people have but how they feel about their lives
Hello future neighbors in five different countries, and welcome to the latest greatest issue of The Ocean Ridge Report. This newsletter is getting so popular that Donald Trump offered to buy me out, so he could start charging a heavy fee to all you readers out there. Don’t worry – I told The Donald to take a hike. Okay, seriously now – the project keeps growing, so let’s meet the new neighbors:
1) More Florida people. Say hola to Rob and Joan Spering, proud owners of lot 2 (photo). Originally from Pennsylvania, they now live in central Florida, just north of Orlando. Rob has a company that’s involved in the printing business, and Joan works in a seminary. The plan is to semi-retire in about three years, and split their time between Panama and Florida. With five kids and eight grandkids, I predict that they’ll have plenty of visitors.
2) Houses everywhere. Tom and Stephanie’s house of lot 7 is steadily nearing completion, Leo and Willy’s guesthouse on 14 is about finished, and Pieter and Joka’s guesthouse on 4 looks great after just three weeks (photos). Yvette on lot 15 is next in line; we should be starting her house before the end of March. Looks like we might actually have some neighbors within the next year or two – won’t that be fun?
3) Residency update. Like I’ve said in past newsletters, establishing residency in Panama doesn’t need to be a top priority at first, because you can live here as long as you want without ever becoming a resident.
However, I thought it might be a good idea for me to go ahead and establish residency here in Panama, if for no other reason than to be able to help our neighbors do the same thing if and when they want. After some research, I think I found the best attorney in Panama for getting this done – thanks to Bob and Annie (lot 10) for giving me the original lead. Her name is Rainelda Mata-Kelly in Panama City; she is primarily an immigration attorney who has done “hundreds and hundreds” of residency applications for foreigners around the world. Her fee is around $3300 – a little high, but my theory has always been that it’s worth paying a little more for the best. I started the process in February, and it should take 4-6 months.
That’s it for now in Paradise. Patricia sends out kisses to everybody, starting with Loco and Coco !
Be safe out there – it’s a crazy world Jay and Patricia
Ocean Ridge Estates features 16 oversized lots ranging in size from 3 – 12 acres each. The community is located on the western slope of the Azuero Peninsula. This is a relatively undiscovered area of Panama. With Panama’s current real estate boom, now is the time to purchase land while prices are still low.
The Panama Collection selected Ocean Ridge Estates for its pristine natural beauty and ideal location. Located just 1 hour from Santiago and 3 ½ hours from Panama City it is perfect for retirement and investment real estate.
Ocean Ridge Estates is picture perfect, bordered to the north by the Rio Negro (Black River), mountain views in all directions, and the Pacific Ocean four miles to the west.
The low purchase price includes water, electric, a road to the property, full title, and any assistance you need in building your custom home. This is quite possibly the best value in the entire country of Panama – find out for yourself!
Panama is one of the fastest growing property and investment opportunities in the world. While the real estate in Panama offers tremendous value – it is the low cost of living that really attracts people to Panama. Panama’s pristine beauty, near-perfect weather, friendly locals, world-class fishing and outdoor activities makes owning land in Panama an excellent choice.
Ready to own a piece of paradise? Questions? Call 888.521.8141 or fill out the online form. If you are currently in Panama call 507.6679.7540.
Well hello once again everybody, and welcome to yet another Ocean Ridge Report. I know, this is the third newsletter in four months, but the neighborhood keeps expanding so what am I supposed to do? Let’s jump right in and meet the new neighbors:
1) It’s an international thing. Say hello to Michel Stampfli, proud owner of lot 6. Michel lives in Switzerland and speaks German and Swiss, as well as a fair amount of English, French and Spanish. He’s an engineer for a subsidiary company of Novartis Pharmaceutical, and picked our little project after about a half dozen trips to Panama. At 28 he’s the youngest member of the group (sorry Josh); the plan is to build a house in 2-3 years, then his parents will spend six months in Panama (the other six in Switzerland), starting in about five years.
2) Produce update. So far we’ve had a banner year for yucca, pineapples, cherries and papayas, among other things. However, for the second year in a row I planted about 50 watermelon seeds and didn’t get a single melon. We’ve also had no luck in our attempts to grow sweet corn. Supposedly Cynthia (lot 16) is an expert at growing things, so hopefully she can come down soon and show us how it’s supposed to be done.
Since we’re talking about food, here’s another little tidbit – last week the neighbors down the road killed a cow to sell to the area, so we cruised on down to check it out. We bought all four of the tenderloins and fillets (38 lbs) for $2.00/lb. You gotta love Panama!
3) Critter update. Some of you are aware of this, but there have been some recent additions to the Paradise Zoo. Meet Blackie and Coco, two baby squirrels who fell out of their nest and were almost eaten by cats before the neighbors could save them . They were almost dead when Patricia got them, but of course she nursed them back to perfect health. We actually released them into the wild several weeks ago and now we can’t get rid of them. They spend most of their time in the jungle, but they still come back several times a day for their milk, walnuts and other treats that Patricia puts out for them. Loco is extremely jealous (seriously, he really is), but he’ll get over it.
That’s it for now – everybody be careful out there.
Panama is one of the fastest growing property and investment opportunities in the world. While the real estate in Panama offers tremendous value – it is the low cost of living that really attracts people to Panama.
The Panama Collection selected Ocean Ridge Estates for its pristine natural beauty and ideal location. Located just 1 hour from Santiago and 3 ½ hours from Panama City it is perfect for retirement and investment real estate.
Ocean Ridge Estates is picture perfect, bordered to the north by the Rio Negro (Black River), mountain views in all directions, and the Pacific Ocean four miles to the west.
Lots 4,5 and 6 are pretty similar. All are bordered by the Black River, the largest river in the region (see photo).
All of them are large parcels, around 7 acres, perfect for putting together your very own country estate. You can have up to three horses, fruit orchards, large gardens, walking trails, etc. About the only limitation is your imagination.
All three lots offer some ocean view, but the main visual appeal will be the vast mountain views (see photos). Monkeys, parrots and many other animals are common here on the project; it’s easy to see why the name of this area is actually Paradise !
At Ocean Ridge Estates you can truly have it all – a top quality lifestyle for a very affordable price. Contact us with any questions you have, and start finding out how you can have your very own piece of paradise.
Hola future neighbors, and welcome to the latest edition of The Ocean Ridge Report. After the lightest rainy season that anybody around here can remember, we’re all settling into the nice dry verano (summer). The river is down, the watermelons are planted, and a couple trillion stars are out at night. As usual, great things are happening in the area, so let’s jump right in:
1) Let’s build another house. Even though Tom and Stephanie (lot 7) are probably 5 – 7 years away from a full time move to Panama, they’ve made the wise decision to build now while prices are still low. The foundation is coming right along , and the house should be more or less finished by next June. It’s going to be a beautiful two story beast – I just hope it’s big enough for two people!
By the way, they need to come up with a name for their place, if anybody has any ideas. I suggested “Tom’s House of Pleasure”, but I think Stephanie vetoed that one.
2) Santiago happenings. Santiago is steadily becoming one of the “in” cities in Panama, largely because of its central location in the country. The population has gone over 70,000, with new amenities coming in all the time. The new six story hospital is nearing completion, and will be the most modern medical facility in the whole interior of the country. It will have entire floors dedicated to cardiology and oncology, with state of the art diagnostic equipment throughout. The new supermall has been started, and should open within two years. The hotel Mykonos has just opened, and is one of the few four star hotels outside of Panama City. Not sure how much business they’ll get at $130/night, but it’s a nice option for you players out there. Supposedly Mel Gibson owns half the place, but we haven’t seen him hanging around.
3) Insurance matters. After our usual thorough and painstaking research, we’ve purchased insurance for the house. The cost is $378/year for $200,000 in coverage, less than one fourth the cost of a similar policy I have on one of my properties in Florida. We already submitted a claim for some roof damage, and they paid the full amount promptly, with none of the hassles that you have to go through in the states. I think I like Panama.
We also shopped extensively for car insurance, which is a little more expensive; about half as much as I pay for similar coverage in the states. When you make the move to Panama, I think we’ll have you covered for any insurance needs that you might have. We’re still researching health insurance; seems to be more complicated, so I’ll get back to you on that one.
Once again, we are the proud winners of the coveted “Best Decorated House in the Neighborhood” award. You guys are making it easy on us – maybe next year Tom and Stephanie will provide some competition.
Have a great Christmas, Hanukah, Ramadan, or whatever your persuasion is.
Jay and Patricia
– Jay Stafford www.thepanamacollection.com 954-309-2837 cell in Florida 507-6679-7540 cell in Panama
Hola future neighbors, and welcome to the latest edition of The Ocean Ridge Report.
We’re nearing the end of the dry season (verano) here in Panama – the hills are brown, the river is down, and the cows are skinny. As usual, great things are happening in the area, so let’s jump right in:
1) More neighbors. Say hello to Richard, his girlfriend Cynthia, and their good friend and business partner Yvette. They hail from St Augustine, Florida, and they liked the project so much that they bought lots 15 and 16. Between the three of them they bring a lot to the table, including experience in building, woodworking, property management, growing plants, as well as starting several businesses, like a healthy “life foods” restaurant. They also enjoy wine, vodka and fine cigars (okay, Richard likes the cigars), so you know they’ll fit right in with this group. Feel free to contact Richard and Cynthia at panamasurfershark@yahoo.com, and Yvette at sailorsexchange@yahoo.com.
2) Pool party anyone? After interviewing at least 10 pool builders, we finally found the right guy for the job. He’s in Panama City, and has built hundreds of pools throughout the country. Check out the photos; he did a great job, and now we have a nice place for those all important sunset cocktails. For those of you who want pools to go with your dream house, we can definitely help.
3) Airport update. I’ve mentioned the new international airport being built in Rio Hato in a previous issue, but I thought you’d appreciate knowing that construction is coming right along; here’s the best link I could find; http://www.panama-guide.com/article.php/20121109150247625. It is scheduled to open later this year, which probably means sometime in 2014. It will be a true international airport, with flights coming in from the U.S. and all over the world. The site is about 2.5 hours from Mariato, which will be a big improvement over the current 4.5 hour journey from Panama City.
On a side note, there are still no commercial flights available into the Ruben Cantu airport in Santiago. Rumor has it that flights will be opened up within a couple of years; you know I’ll keep you posted.
4) Dental care. Inexpensive healthcare has been a recurring theme in these newsletters, and dental care is no exception. Patricia has had problems with her lower wisdom teeth for the last couple of years, so she did some of the local research that she’s so good at and found a highly regarded female dentist in Santiago. The dentist took over two hours to remove both teeth, in a comfortable, modern facility.
Patricia was very impressed with the dentist’s skill, and had no problems afterwards. The bill was $120, probably 10% of what it would have cost in the states. For future reference, filling or redoing a cavity costs $40. You gotta love Panama!
That’s it for now. I know that several of you are planning on starting to build your home within the next year or so, and we’re excited about that. What’s the point in catching so many fish, when you don’t have neighbors to give ‘em to?
