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!!!
Hi! We so appreciate your comments as being visitors it is a bit of guesswork in our assessments. Vista Mar looks amazing and I thought the partial construction was Covid issues. 😣. It must have been brutal. Enjoy ☺️
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.
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!
@laptopseniors I love the full driving video format! As a single woman, I am more comfortable driving through different areas of Panama after watching your videos. Also, getting to see what an area really looks like versus edited snippets. Great compromise by putting the times if people want to fast forward. Thank you for the fabulous content 🎉
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?
We did a video about renting a car in Panama City and the insurance problem that usually goes with that. That video will tell you a lot. It's on our 'Channel' video listings. A lot depends on where you're going in Panama. You can drive from Panama City easily to Coronado, Valle de Anton, Playa Blanca, Penenome, Chitre, Las Tablas and all in between. So renting in PC is ok. Or you can fly to Boquete and rent there from a local (not a national brand) for less. Same thing for Coronado. But with both those choices they don't have a lot of cars so reserve way earlier than you would think of.
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.
Hi. Great questions! This search will show you 2 under construction for 900k. www.point2homes.com/PA/Real-Estate-Listings/Panama/San-Carlos/Vistamar-Beach-Golf-Resort.html
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 :-)
Thanks for the kind words Mita. I'd go to their website: magicjack.com They have a couple of overview and help tabs at the top. It likely seems way harder than it actually is. There's only a couple things to connect. The hardest part actually, is registering and paying with your CC. And that's the same as pretty much any other website. So I think you'd be able to figure it out. Or, hopefully you have a friend who's a bit more techy?
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
Wow, thanks. Did not know that. Yeah, paying a house off in just 15 years on a fixed income senior....not that easy. On the other hand, if you die at 75 at least your spouse gets the house free and clear. Tough choices.
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!
Hi wow it’s good to share that heads up on the (lack of) quality workmanship in new homes for sale. You sound like you do things right and with great care. I’ll bet you would get busy developing Panamá pretty quickly. My ex- brother in law was a mason who would lift a full block with one hand right up to retiring. I know that’s hard work so you must be fit. Let’s hope building your new home keeps you young and healthy. Thanks for watching and writing us. We appreciate you 😃
@@laptopseniors Sadly, I can’t post pictures on RU-vid to show what I mean with crooked walls. I’m renting a house in Nueva Gorgona. Across the road, there are constructions going on. No idea if I can call that. The “mason” boss and a couple people showed up, not even having the basic tools. The “mason” gets $50 a day. The helpers asking $25. To get the top level on the walls, they cut off the top a couple times, until it was kind of straight. And yes. Instead finishing the work at once, they had to come a couple days. And get paid for a couple extra days work. Imagine someone like me sitting across and have to watch that. My girlfriend was worried that I would get a heart attack. - I never could hold a block up with one arm in my life. Why? I’m a little guy. The house in Germany, I did start building with 31 years of age. The house here, I just turned 60, and have a 80% disability from an accident in Canada. I think the thing what takes too long in Panama, are the building permits. In my case, 16 months! The developer company didn’t submit the correct documents and started an argument with the municipal office. And I am in the middle….. Anyway. I’m on the other side of the highway so to speak. Lots are cheaper and quieter than directly on the beach. Vista Mar is a perfect example of “Panamanian Development “. Like many others, the area started in the year 2000 and is still mostly empty. And yes. I hope the multimillion dollar houses in Vista Mar a better build. I would have to check on the walls….. Hahahaha… And one thing you mentioned. The 3 level apartment for 1.8 million dollars. If I had that money, I would get a nice house, not an apartment, direct on the beach and put 1.5 million dollar on my bank account. For $300,000 you could build a nice house. My 850 sqft house cost me around $15,000. I don’t have to pay myself. Well. A couple beers. ;-)
That’s such detailed information. Thanks for sharing. So your cost for materials is only 15k? You’re doing great not letting an 80% disability stop you. If you’d like to share pictures write laptopseniors@gmail.com.
Nice video, need more information, pricing? Looks like a nice place where you were in the picture talking. Is that where you guys live? I have more questions than answers. Thanks.
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.
Hay otros videos que hicimos que tienen comunidades de playa/océano. Y viene 1 más. Panamá tiene MUCHAS comunidades costeras. No será difícil encontrar uno que te guste.
Hi. Congratulations on the land purchase. El Palmar looks like another great affordable beach community. Along this strip they are just separated by a river but side by side.
they are offering me a house there but i cant go to panama at the moment and i dont wanna lose the deal but at the same time i wanna know more about that place sice theres no videos of it, i know theres a hotel where you can make a 1 day reservation and do the vid@@laptopseniors
Vista Mar es el Paraiso, el video no le hace justicia, como q fue grabado en pleno verano q es de diciembre al mes de abril. Señores esto es un paraíso de playa sus campos de golf q no grabaron siempre están verdes en verano e invierno, es una delicia para los amantes de caminar, correr, bike etc. La playa no es un lago es divina y segura nunca está sucia, sus aguas tibias de invierno y su bellas arena te invitan a pasar dias de vacaciones permanentes. Es una playa privada para residentes, su seguridad se respira en todo momento. El club q no fue mostrado es gigante con alberca infinity con su restaurante el cual funciona todos los dias con las mejores bebidas. Hay q ver la belleza para enamorarse del Paraiso escondido dentro de VistaMar. Vivo hace 7 años, tengo 3 propiedades las cuales tengo en venta 2 en Roca Marina torre 2 y suspiro con la belleza de sus amaneceres y atardeceres donde puedes escuchar el canto de los pájaros y el rugido del mar q en realidad es para privilegiados vivir dentro de Vista Mar, como yo le llamo el Paraiso Escondido cerquita de la ciudad.
@@robertochu5337 I don’t think anyone is travelling Panama right now. And the hotel is quite expensive. Who is offering you a house? Do you have another choice? Good luck with your decision.
@@onixdelay2844 I think Vista mar is an amazing place to live. You’re lucky to have property here. If you also love it, why are you selling your properties?
We're in Portugal at the moment but when we went in Aug 2022 and beyond, the Covid everything was done. No requirements for anything. There were requirements in the thick of it like other countries but it was done by summer of 2022.
Pretty sure we gave some ballpark prices, which is all we can do realistically here. Videos stay up for years so as prices change they'd specifically be wrong anyway.
