IL Postcard

Follow Your Dream in Panama

Date: 07/30/2006

No matter what we do or say, it seems everyone is interested in Panama these days.

Witness our recent e-letter series by Steenie Harvey, who told the world that she really doesn't care for our favorite little squiggle of a country. Steenie finds it too hot and steamy, too congested, too lacking in the cultural amenities she finds in Europe. These are the things others of us find almost charming about Panama. As we expected, Steenie's series has sparked lots of discussion. Some readers never want to step foot in Panama. And others are even more interested. Even some of the skeptics, it seems, are willing to take a look.

While Panama may not be the place for everyone, it does appeal to many of us. Lief and I, for instance, hope to move here in a year or so. Panama just makes sense for us right now. With our daughter, Kaitlin, in university in the U.S. next year, in Panama we'll be less than three hours away by plane. And the cost of living here is far, far less than it is in Paris, where we now spend time. That will be a welcome bonus with the additional expenses of sending Kaitlin off to school. Even little Jack, our 6-year-old, is looking forward to the move. There are many bilingual schools in Panama City - even a French school - so we needn't worry about him losing his fluency in French.

In fact, I happen to be writing to you right now from Panama City, where 155 IL readers have convened for our most recent Live and Prosper in Panama seminar. If you're not here, don't worry…you can still join us in Panama very soon.

We're organizing another Panama Real Estate tour. We've offered two of these tours already this year, and they have been very well received. (I happen to know that each one is better than the last.) Readers are clamoring for more, so…August 24-27… International Living's Dan Prescher and the IL team in Panama will host those of you who are interested in investigating real estate deals there…whether for relocation or investment purposes.

Dan, as you know, is our International Living Latin America Roving Property Scout. He travels Mexico, Central and South America in search of real estate opportunities…and he is a wealth of knowledge on the subject. Dan, in fact, is in the midst of planning his own move to Panama. By the time the August real estate tour begins, he and his wife, Suzan Haskins, will be living in Panama. Dan and Suzan have spent lots of time looking for their new home in Panama…so spending time with Dan will allow you the opportunity to learn about what he has observed in Panama and other countries, as well as what he and Suzan have decided to do about their own new digs in Panama.

As they say, there is a place for everyone. If you think Panama may be for you, consider joining Dan and our Panama team in August. This is a focused real estate tour of some of the best projects and developments in Panama. You won't spend a lot of time in a conference room discussing legal issues…although we'll make sure you know what you need to know. And, I promise there will be time for fun and socializing. Mixing business with pleasure is something we at IL believe in wholeheartedly.

To learn all the details about the Panama Real Estate Tour, please go here.

Regards,

Kathleen Peddicord
Publisher, International Living

P.S. I should also mention that those who attend our Panama Real Estate Tour will become, with our compliments, members of our new Club Panama. This membership provides valuable discounts on goods and services throughout Panama. Best of all, your Club Panama membership entitles you to a 1.5% discount on the purchase of property at some of Panama's best residential projects. This saving alone can more than pay for your trip to Panama.