RETA

Real Estate Trend Alert

By Ronan McMahon

A Luxury Island Home in Panama City

Friday, May 21, 2021

Ronan McMahon Dear Your Overseas Dream Home Reader,

Every city has that address, the one that stands for wealth, luxury, and exclusivity.

The truly global cities have neighborhoods that are famous for it… Fifth Avenue in New York, Kensington in London…Orchard Road in Singapore…The Peak in Hong Kong.

In these places you have a class of real estate that once bought, almost never comes onto the market again. In the most exclusive markets super-luxe real estate simply stays in the family.

Which is why the opportunity I have for RETA members today is so incredible.

It’s for the rare collector of amazing real estate…

A chance for 12 RETA members to own the kind of real estate that the wealthiest would pay millions for…

I’ll give you the details in a moment.

First, let’s explore the “ultra-prime” real estate market…

Real estate agency Knight Frank defines an “ultra-prime” market as one where there are at least three transactions over $25 million each year for three years running.

There are only 17 ultra-prime markets worldwide…some are ski resorts like Aspen…others are second-home destinations of the super-rich like Monaco…and the rest are cities.

The ultra-prime cities have much in common…

London, New York, Singapore and Hong Kong all make the list. All are global centers of international finance and hubs of commerce.

They attract large numbers of wealthy expats who enjoy strong legal protections and—in the case of Hong Kong and Singapore—low taxes. They are global cities where land is scarce, trade is booming, and demand is high.

Panama ticks all the boxes of an ultra-prime real estate location without the astronomical price tag.

Which is why our opportunity today is so utterly exceptional…

We can own in the one neighborhood that stands for super-wealth and exclusivity in Panama. In fact, it’s one of the most exclusive communities in Latin America.

Yet 12 RETA members can own there at a tiny fraction of the cost of other global equivalents.

We can buy on a man-made island surrounded by the sea yet deep in the heart of downtown Panama City. We’re locking in sweeping ocean views and a home that offers everything you expect of the ritziest 5-star resort, only this is no vacation…it’s seven days a week super-exclusivity just steps from a state-of-the-art marina equipped for the mega yachts of the rich and famous. I’m talking yachts worth $100 million.

This community is called Ocean Reef…


Ocean Reef is 43 acres of land created in the Bay of Panama now home to the most exclusive neighborhood in Latin America.

At RETA, we’re real estate investors. We’re not in the business of parking our money in a prestige property next to Chinese billionaires or Russian oligarchs unless it offers us a substantial profit potential.

But everything points to this being not only a unique opportunity…but a profitable one…

Panama City has arrived on the world stage as a global hub city. To get there the country’s government has taken many of its lessons from Singapore.

Singapore gained independence in 1965 and set itself on a track to wealth from trade, shipping and finance. It’s achieved that spectacularly. It’s an important banking center, a tax haven, and home to thousands of multinational corporations.

Like Singapore, Panama has created a wealth fund and poured money into infrastructure. Generous tax breaks and easy visa requirements for those setting up a business or hiring employees mirrors the Singapore model. Today, Panama is the biggest recipient of foreign direct investment in Central America. And, it’s attracting more and more multinationals looking for a friendly regional base.

Singapore sits between China and India, at one end of the Malacca Straits, through which 100,000 ships pass each year.

Panama likewise has a strategic location for shipping and trade. It lies between North and South America with the Panama Canal connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Ever since the Canal was handed back to Panama in 1999 the country has boomed. Along with the Canal, Panama’s business-friendly regulations have spawned big insurance, finance and legal industries. Panama is home to 78 banks at last count.

The free-trade zone in Colón, at the Atlantic end of the Canal, is Latin America’s busiest port. Panama is also the regional base of big multinationals like Procter & Gamble.

There are easy comparisons to draw between Panama City with other global cities. Take Dubai, long a gateway port to the Middle East and Africa, now home to a booming international banking and financial sector.

Most of the financial services are centered around the port, as are the most prestigious and exclusive real estate developments. Everything a luxury real estate buyer wants is in Dubai, from luxury shopping and highly developed financial services to amazing air links and great dining.

Dubai is also one of the tiny number of places where you’ll find residential real estate on a purpose-built island. Palm Jumeirah is the ultimate in exclusive real estate in Dubai. The largest artificial island in the world, it was constructed through land reclamation.

But there is perhaps a difference. If you don’t want to own in Palm Jumeriah you do have options. You can buy in other exclusive port-side neighborhoods that offer a broadly similar lifestyle and steep prices, places like Emirate Hills or Dubai Marina.

But our opportunity in Ocean Reef has no close-at-hand comparison. There’s just nothing else like it in the entire region.

Along with luxury amenities, swimming pools, tennis courts and spas, the rich most of all want exclusivity…the bragging rights of an address that tells the world they have made it.

What better statement can you make than to own one of the few precious homes on a low-density manmade island in the heart of downtown surrounded by 5-star amenities?

You don’t get any more exclusive than Ocean Reef…to even get onto the island you have to cross a causeway or take a boat…


Developer’s render of the beach in front of your condo…the amenities are out of this world, the kind of thing you see in a James Bond movie with a wine cellar, piano bar, smart business center…

Ocean Reef not only taps into the super-luxury side to the city, it’s right at the heart of it. Across the causeway you’ll see BMWs, Lexus, Porsches, Ferraris and Lamborghinis on the streets of downtown. Luxury wings in air-conditioned malls feature Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermes stores. Private planes and helicopters…upscale restaurants…the country’s most prestigious invite-only club is just across the water from Ocean Reef.

Panama attracts folks from all over because it’s a safe and stable haven. It’s got a fantastic location, smack in the middle between North and South America and close to the Caribbean. The economy’s booming. And the country boasts a long history of welcoming foreign investors, real estate buyers and entrepreneurs.

Added to this, the ranks of the global super rich is swelling. Over the past 20 years the world’s population of billionaires rose more than fivefold. And the pandemic has been good to the ultra-wealthy…the total wealth of billionaires worldwide rose by $5tn to $13tn over the last year, the most dramatic surge ever registered on the Forbes annual billionaire list.

We know luxury buyers want to be in the most exclusive neighborhoods. And in downtown Panama City there is only one such neighborhood…

That’s Ocean Reef.


About 30 nautical miles from Ocean Reef you can explore the Pearl Islands, many of which are uninhabited white-sand paradises.

Picture this…

You’ve just dropped anchor at a deserted island. The white sand beach is completely virgin, untouched by anyone since your last visit a few days ago.

Waves lap against your yacht. A tropical sea breeze stirs the coconut palms. The sizzle of freshly caught dorado on the grill marks the promise of a fine lunch.

Your home is 30 nautical miles away in a stunning ocean-view condo close to a marina built to accommodate the rich and famous. Your crew today include some of the country’s most powerful insiders…your new neighbors and friends.

You live day to day in one of the most exclusive communities on the whole continent, just 500 feet or so from the heart of one of the world’s fastest-emerging global cities.

Exotic marine adventures are just the norm for you, as is the luxury shopping, fine dining, casinos and incredible nightlife of Panama City…

It’s a James Bond lifestyle without the explosions…opulence and exclusivity with a property that the super-rich would aspire to own…

Yet as a RETA member you get in first…

In Ocean Reef you’ll have access to a private concierge service, a full-service spa, gym, a lap pool, volley ball…the tennis courts are already finished. The marina is open and is spectacular, 170 berths only available to you and your neighbors who wish to join. It is the only marina in Panama that can take yachts up to 200 feet long, the mega yachts of the super-rich.

Conjure up a memory of the ritziest resort you’ve ever visited. It’s close to what Ocean Reef offers….along with tropical weather, ocean breezes and a superb community of sophisticated fellow travelers.

I only recommend real estate I believe we can profit from. However, with something as unique as the islands it’s hard to find comparisons to make my case.

But, judging by the global comparisons, we’re being given a chance to buy something that could truly rocket in capital appreciation.

Plus, there is developer financing available.

The rich don’t sell property like this once they own it. In the world’s most exclusive ultra-prime markets this sort of real estate stays in the family. It doesn’t come up for sale much. It’s for the rare collector of amazing real estate.

Normally this class of ultra-prime luxury real estate generates little more than 2% yields if rented.

Not so with our opportunity. I’ve been smart…careful to select condos at the perfect size for the wealthy who want to get onto the island and rub shoulders with the rich and powerful elite who are already beginning to settle here.

And jut spare a thought for what our price would get you in the U.S. where real estate prices are rising like crazy…here’s a recent headline.

I figure the condo RETA members can own could rent for $4,000 to $6,000 a month, making for a yield of 6% to 9%. I reckon that it will be worth millions of dollars in the future, at least $2 million in 10 years.

There are almost no rentals on Ocean Reef.

What rentals there are come in the 4,000-square-foot range and rent for about $6,000 to $8,000 a month. And these aren’t right on the water like the condos 12 RETA members can lock down.

There’s nothing else like this at the incredible price we have…

And we will never have this chance again.

RETA members will get the full report, including renders, videos, and the contact details of the developer’s liaison team in their Alert later today.

Stay tuned…

Wishing you good real estate investing,

Ronan

Ronan McMahon, Real Estate Trend Alert

P.S. Everything you see at Ocean Reef is the vision of developer Alfredo Aleman. I have known Alfredo Aleman for 17 years. RETA members have profited greatly from his vision and our off-market deals with Alfredo. Our most recent opportunity dealing with Alfredo was to own in Playa Caracol, the nicest, closest beach to Panama City. Our price was from an incredible $112,000 for a fully furnished, turnkey condo in Pueblito, where Alfredo is creating an entire high-end beach town…a totally unique beachfront community. That sums up Alfredo. When Alfredo decides he wants to compete in a niche, he creates the best community in that niche. That’s why his projects sell so fast and values rise so strongly.


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