Panama Land Investment Ives Brant

This website is operated by Ives Brant, former editor-in-chief of the Tornado Insider magazine based in Amsterdam.

For five years, I have lived in Central America, developing land, building, and making money for my co-investors. I would like to help you find -- and if you choose, also manage for you -- the best high-ROI, low-risk land investments here in Panama and Costa Rica.
You can reach me at +1.203.653.2339 or cell +506.88.86.2800

Now the opportunities here are magnified because even these two high-growth economies have been touched by the slowdown in the developed world. But a new government program effectively puts a 'safety net' or floor under land prices. The bargains will not last forever !

Welcome to PanamaCostaRica.com
A website focused on Panama and Costa Rica, for investors who seek special opportunities based on an insider's advantage in buying, cost-conscious development to boost value, backup plans in case of market changes, and aggressive marketing to realize a high ROI with the sale of the property.

Buying Land in Panama: The Importance of the Escritura, the Plano de Catastro, and the National Registry (...Full Article)

This article is intended to help the foreign buyer handle their first purchase of land or other real estate in Panama safely and efficiently.
Anyone coming from another country to buy real estate in Panama is likely to encounter confusion over the different procedures and customs. It's no surprise; many locals are surprised or dismayed by some of the requirements to sell their land to you!
Once you find a property you are seriously interested in, you should ask the owner for the Plano de Catastro and the Escritura, or deed. Especially in the countryside, many property owners in Panama will be reluctant to show you these documents until they have established a sense of who you are. (..Click for full article)

Why Foreigners Come to Panama

by Ives Brant

Ten percent of England's citizens live outside its borders, but Americans have been far more hesitant to venture abroad to live, with only about two percent living as expatriates. That's changing, and a lot of them are considering Panama. Here's why:

1. Baby Boomers. You've heard the statistic: 70 million Americans retiring in the next 15 years and seeking their place in the sun. If 1/10 of just one percent of them head for Panama, that's 70,000 folks with a Social Security and pension income.

(..Click for full article)

Buying Land In Panama - the Down Payment and Capital Gains Tax

by Ives Brant

In most purchase situations in Panama, especially when you're buying land or a resale property, you will have to give the Seller a down payment, approximately 12%. If you insist on putting the down payment into escrow, that will nearly always kill the deal.

Escrow doesn't work in Panama for down payments on land. It is not merely that people don't know about it, or mistrust it. Most land sellers in Panama would not trust escrow. Somebody that nobody knows personally is going to hold the money, and I as the seller am going to trust this anonymous somebody to give me the money after you take title to my land? You've got to be kidding!! (Click for full article...)

Buying Land In Panama - the Irrevocable Payment and Bank Accounts

by Ives Brant
When buying land in Panama, the buyer kicks off the transaction with a contract and a down payment of about 15%. The seller is to receive the remainder upon transfer of title to the buyer.

The remainder is not paid in cash. Some condo developers may require cash (which means a cashier's check) at the traspaso, but every Seller in Panama SHOULD accept a Carta de Promessa de Pago Irrevocable. In English, this translates to an Irrevocable Letter of Payment, or irrevocable letter of credit. (..click to read article...)