Oct. 20, 2009
Veraguas, Panama
PLUS:
- The Lure Of Retirement In La Belle France...
----------
Retire...and get paid to travel.
Imagine sliding out of bed and knowing your "work" for the day is to scuba dive along the Great Barrier Reef...mountain climb in the Andes...or kayak around the most remote of the San Juan Islands...
Here's the opportunity you've been looking for.
Get the Details and Your Free Report Here
----------
Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,
"Part of the group was at the beach, enjoying the sunshine and the sea," reported Lief Simon following a visit to his Los Islotes property on Panama's Azuero Sunset Coast.
"Others," he continued, "were walking the hills of the property, enjoying the panoramic views up and down this long stretch of the Pacific. But those who'd stopped for shade at the
palapa had perhaps the best day of all.
"They had clear views of the beautiful nearby islands, of the long beaches in both directions, and of the Cerro Hoya peaks inland. But what really got their attention were the dolphins, just offshore, doing their best to push schools of yellow fin tuna to the surface.
"The waters between our western Azuero coast and the Isla Coiba, which lies just offshore from it, are known for their great fishing, not only among the local fishermen, it would seem, but among the local dolphin population, as well!"
You could say that Lief has spent more than 12 years looking for this piece of land on the Pacific coast of Panama's Azuero Peninsula. In those dozen years, Lief has tromped beaches from Nicaragua to Honduras...from Belize to Mexico...from Ecuador to Brazil...from Argentina to Uruguay...
Over the past dozen-plus years, in fact, Lief has traveled not only the coasts of North, Central, and South America...he's also explored the sandy beaches of the islands of the Caribbean and the shores of the Med. He's seen coastlines from Thailand to the Philippines, from Vietnam to India, from Egypt to Australia, and from Turkey to New Zealand.
And here on this western-facing coast in Panama's Veraguas Province is where he's chosen to focus his attention. This is a region of Panama that is just beginning to attract attention but that sits smack dab in the path of this country's current progress.
Here, Lief and his partners, David Stubbs and Robert Kroesen, have purchased 750 acres with 1 kilometer of Pacific coastline and two separate beaches, one of which continues for 9 kilometers to the south, allowing for long, uninterrupted walks on the sand. The other is in a secluded cove where the waters of the Pacific are calmed and warmed...perfect for swimming.
Just offshore Los Islotes are three small islands, from which the property takes its name. Beyond them, each evening, is the sunset. This coast is the only place in Panama where you can watch the sun set over the water, for it's the only stretch of Panama's coast that faces west.
Nearby are Cerro Hoya National Park and Coiba National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where jaguars and ocelots roam free and the scarlet macaw is common.
This is a natural paradise, a region of Panama that boasts some of the best deep-sea fishing in the world, plus surfing, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Around Coiba lies the largest coral reef on the Pacific side of the Americas.
On these 750 acres, Lief, David, and Robert have master planned a private, gated, residential community that will include a Spanish colonial-style town with shops, restaurants, apartments, and a central plaza for daily strolling and nightly entertainment.
Other areas of the property will be given over to individual homes, low-rise condos, casitas, and town homes, as well as a high-end boutique hotel.
Planned community amenities include a gatehouse, a beach club, three pools, an equestrian center, tennis courts that will double as basketball courts, a fitness center, parks, hiking trails, riding trails...even an area of petanque.
All utilities will be underground. The plan calls for central wastewater treatment, fiber-optic cable for Internet, and sidewalks. It's an ambitious project that will take 10 years to build out in full.
I'm well familiar with the details of the plan, as Lief Simon is my husband and this is something of a family project. I'll be involved in the designing, the landscaping, the finishing, and the furnishing...
But don't let our personal involvement in this project cloud your view.
"Buy what you see," I remind you often. This advice is no less important in the context of Los Islotes. What do you see at Los Islotes today?
Simply the most beautiful piece of land for development that Lief has found in more than a dozen years of concentrated searching. My description...even photos...don't do the setting justice. Its undulating hills, dramatic shore and surf, and expansive ocean, island, and mountain views are postcard-perfect.
That, then, is what you'd be buying today. A chance to participate in the development of a piece of land that boasts the best Mother Nature has to serve up anywhere.
Accessed via a paved highway.
Hidden about 75 minutes from the bustling, fast-growing town of Santiago (which will provide the labor and other resources required to carry out Lief, David, and Robert's vision for what Los Islotes will become).
In a part of this country where big names with deep pockets are right now making serious and long-term plans.
Furthermore, at Los Islotes, you're buying into a piece of property officially zoned for development and that has received, as of this week, the government approvals required for the launch of retail sales.
Land developing is a more organized and more regulated activity here in Panama than in other countries in this part of the world. Developers who push ahead without all the proper studies, filings, and approvals are dealt with seriously (especially under the current administration).
Lief, David, and Robert, therefore, until now, have been laying low and biding their time. They've been eager to push ahead aggressively with their development plans but knew better than to risk it without all the proper permits in place.
As of today, this is no longer a concern. Los Islotes has been given the stamp of approval. Lief, David, and Robert are officially in business.
At our Global Real Estate Profits Summit here in Panama City last week, the trio made a special invitation to the assembled group, a last-chance early-in investor offer before the launch of retail sales, which they knew was imminent.
I have a bit of influence over this little group and have asked a favor.
"May I please share this last-chance opportunity with the rest of the readership?" I asked.
Lief, David, and Robert have agreed. The deadline is Nov. 1. As of that date, their early-in offer is off the table, and retail sales will commence.
Here's the deal:
You can purchase a two-lot Investor Package, consisting of two ocean-view lots, each about a half-acre in size. Seven of these two-lot Investor Packages remain available today. The price is US$125,000.
As I write, Lief and David are sitting across the room finalizing the launch retail price list. The lots that have been set aside for these Investor Packages are listed for a minimum of US$100,000 apiece. Some are priced at US$115,000, meaning your two-lot Investor Package comes close to being a two-for-one opportunity.
Lief traveled to the Azuero Peninsula to show the property to a small group of conference attendees on Sunday. While there, he had the chance to check in with a friend who runs a little resort on the coast nearby. Rob confirms what Lief believed. This is the off-season and a down global climate...but activity out here on Panama's Sunset Coast continues. More developers are at work, more tourists are passing through, more expats are settling in, and more infrastructure is on the way. In fact, Panama's recently elected President Ricardo Martinelli is talking of building five new international airports in this country, including, perhaps, one in his hometown province of Veraguas. If this happens, the travel time from Panama City to Los Islotes would be reduced by two hours.
Meantime, you have now a last chance to take an early position in this emerging region.
Panama is one of the most appealing markets in the world right now, its economy successfully side-stepping the global near-depression, its future brighter than ever with new business-minded, investor-friendly President Martinelli in the driver's seat.
This western Sunset Coast of the Azuero Peninsula is Panama's next big thing, the market where everyone--investors, travelers, and retirees--is headed.
Los Islotes is gearing up to be the gold standard private residential community on this coast.
To make the decision to participate in this current offering a little easier for you, I've made another request of Lief, David, and Robert. What about
short-term, no-interest financing, I asked. Could we make this available to Live and Invest Overseas readers?
"Yes, for this final, last-chance Investor Package offer, through Nov. 1, we'll go for it," Lief and David replied.
You can invest with 50% down, 25% paid three months from the contract date, and the remaining 25% paid six months from the contract date.
I've been covering this live and invest overseas beat for nearly 25 years. In that time, I've had lots of woulda', coulda', shoulda' experiences. The trouble is that, typically, it's not clear that you should have bought into such-and-such a market at such-and-such a time...until sometime maybe much later.
This is the time to buy into this west coast of the Azuero Peninsula market. This is the early-in chance. This is the opportunity you're going to regret missing out on if you don't go for it right now.
Out here on this stretch of the Pacific, the landscape is being transformed as I write. Better roads, new restaurants, bigger hotels, more people...every time we visit, we're struck by how quickly this market is moving.
As of Nov. 1, it will be moving even faster, because, starting next month, Lief, David, and Robert will be pushing ahead with their Los Islotes project, which already is attracting a great deal of attention, both among foreign investors and retirees and within Panama.
This is where we intend to build our own home on this country's beautiful Pacific coast. And this is where we're committed to creating a community of like-minded neighbors and friends.
Now that Lief, David, and Robert have all approvals and permits in place, the window for buying in early is closing.
Reach the team with your questions
here.
Kathleen Peddicord
P.S. This is truly one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline I've seen anywhere in the world.
Take a look.
----------
The World's Most Affordable Places To Retire...
The world's safest retirement havens...friendliest places to live...best weather...lowest tax burdens...most beautiful, most exciting, most infatuating places to hang your hat...
Plus best rental options...smartest places to own...
From
Cuenca, Ecuador (cheapest)...to
Ambergris Caye, Belize (foreign resident-friendly)...from
El Valle, Panama (sweet mountain living in a top tax haven)...to
Mendoza, Argentina (wine country on a budget)...from
Hangzhou, China (exotic and ultra-cheap) to
Languedoc, south of France (Old World living on a budget)...
Complete and in-depth reports on the
world's top retirement havens, including full details on residency, health care, taxes, and itemized monthly budgets.
Now available for only US$1! (limited-time only)
----------
"After several exploratory trips to Mexico, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, Portugal, and elsewhere in Europe, we found our personal paradise in the Charente region of
France in 2003. The sunny countryside, quality of life, medical care, and peacefulness are unbeatable.
"Where else can you be surrounded by rolling hillsides with hundreds of vineyards, sheep farms, and sunflower and corn fields as far as the eye can see. Our neighbors are hard-working farmers. Their tractors pass by our house, and the fields all around bear the stamp of their industry. Yet less than an hour's drive away are the lively and sizable cities of Cognac and Angouleme offering every possible convenience, including fabulous restaurants, shops, etc., plus gorgeous historical castles and churches.
"Time for an aperitif before I go on raving further about
la belle France. Best of luck to all fellow readers seeking the perfect retirement location. May you find yours soon.
Cordialement."
-- Diana and David K., France 