Your car sweeps past palm-lined boulevards, a championship golf course, and luxury condos. This is the master-planned community of Santa Maria in Panama City.
There’s a sense of excitement here…the buzz of a place on the rise….
As soon as you arrive at your new home at Bosco di Santa Maria, you step out onto the spacious terrace. A salt breeze drifts in from the Pacific. Tropical birds call from the trees.
You got in early. You made the smart move.
It feels good to be here…now…
Perfectly positioned at the center of something extraordinary.
Since I first scouted it in 2004, Panama has transformed from a sleepy backwater into a world-class global hub, drawing comparisons to Singapore and Dubai.
As I prepare to bring a new deal to members of my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group here tomorrow, I’m taking stock of this change. (RETA members, make sure to read your deal briefing here.)[AG1]
Strategic infrastructure investments—like a $5.25 billion canal expansion, the creation of a metro system, and new highways—have catalyzed rapid growth.
Panama’s development model is anchored in pro-business policies, a U.S. dollar economy, and foreigner-friendly residency options.
Major global corporations have regional headquarters in neighborhoods like Costa del Este and are buying homes for their executives in enclaves like Santa Maria, fueling demand for high-end real estate.
And that demand is intense…
Panama City is facing what I call “the big squeeze.”
It has tripled in size since 1990, evolving into a thriving metropolis that now houses nearly half of the nation’s population.
The city has become a magnet for international talent, spurring unprecedented demand for upscale housing—especially in the bustling city center.
Yet, space is running out fast.
Just look at the geography: to the south is the Pacific Ocean. To the north are canal-protected rainforests. To the west is the Canal.
The only way left to build is east. Toward the airport. Toward Santa Maria (the site of the upcoming RETA deal, Bosco di Santa Maria.)
That’s a moat. A development moat.
Santa Maria is one of the most polished, well-executed master-planned communities I’ve seen anywhere in Latin America. Just 15 minutes from downtown Panama City and the international airport, it’s a true urban sanctuary—gated, secure, and immaculately maintained.
This is what I call turnkey luxury. Everything works here. The roads are wide and smooth, the landscaping mature, the amenities world-class. And when I walk the golf course or visit the five-star Santa María Hotel & Resort—part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection—I’m reminded just how far Panama has come.
I’ve previously brought RETA members incredible deals in Panama City…
For example, in September 2021 RETA members could buy one of a handful of three-bed, 3.5-bath condos in the prestigious Pinnacle community, inside Santa Maria, for $540,020. My scouts found a resale listing for $695,000. That’s $154,980 more.
Now RETA members are getting a chance to own luxury condos in a new and exclusive part of the Santa Maria community where I expect gains of $293,000 five years after delivery.
Right next to Santa Maria and the Bosco opportunity is Costa del Este, a vast master-planned “city-within-a-city” right.
It’s home to 50 major multinational companies, international schools, state-of-the-art clinics, hospitals, and hundreds of restaurants.
Work began in Costa del Este in 1995 with the spectacular reclamation of wetlands and what was up until then a large dump.
It’s been an astonishing transformation…
The initial phase saw land reclaimed and created…then the infrastructure went in.
The area was subject to strict and careful zoning, with commercial centers, industrial areas, and high-rise luxury residential communities.
Today, Costa del Este’s wide boulevards, leafy parks and residential and commercial zones are at the heart of Panama’s growth. Take a video tour of it here.
The developer behind the upcoming RETA deal in Sant Maria is Alfredo Aleman and his GLP group. They only do exceptional, innovative best-in-class real estate.
And if you only looked at one community for proof of that….
Alfredo created two man-made islands in the Bay of Panama called Ocean Reef on which he and his group have now almost finished building one of the world’s few ultra-prime neighborhoods.
Ocean Reef is one of the most exclusive communities in the hemisphere. Earlier this month, my scout Ciaran Madden toured two and three-bed condos here listing for $1.4 million and $1.6 million…and those price tags are by no means the top of the market here.
RETA members were lucky enough to get in on two deals on the Ocean Reef islands.
- In November 2023 in Ocean Club Residences RETA members were able to buy two-bedroom condos for $590,039. A similar condo was sold for $757,039 in January 2024.
That’s an uplift of $167,000.
- In 2021 RETA members could buy in Seascape on Ocean Reef from $783,000. In 2023 similar condos listed for $995,000 and Alfredo has truly delivered.
That’s an uplift of $212,000 and ownership of incredible real estate…the very best in class.
And that’s all Alfredo Aleman does…
Incredible, visionary real estate…
One of the last communities on the islands will be townhouses for $2 million and up. The developer says all of their projects on the islands will be completed by 2028.
That’s why attention is shifting to Santa Maria and the last area of land left for development within that master-planned community.
The developer, Alfredo, called this area “the third island.”
Santa Maria is one of the region’s most exclusive communities, and RETA members are going to own in its most exclusive corner, a lavish and lush oasis at the heart of this booming city. As I say, I expect gains of $293,000 five years after delivery and gross rental yield of 10.8%.
“The big squeeze” I mentioned earlier justifies these expectations…
Think about it.
Panama City is still an undervalued global capital. It has the location, infrastructure, dollarized economy, low taxes, strong legal framework.
Now neighborhoods like Santa Maria are evolving into true lifestyle enclaves.
Panama may not yet be Singapore…it’s not quite inside the club of premier global cities of finance, trade, travel and commerce, but it’s next in the queue.
And prices are going to reflect that.
Look around the world…
- One of the tallest residential developments in Singapore, The Sail offers unparalleled views of Marina Bay. It has extensive amenities, including swimming pools and tennis courts. To own a two-bed condo you’ll pay from $1.5 million.
- Another prominent building in Hong Kong’s Union Square is The Arch, which has extensive amenities and prices for a 711-square-foot apartment starting at $3.2 million.
- In Dubai, Business Bay is on reclaimed land like Costa del Este. One of the tallest hotel buildings in the world, the JW Marriott Marquis offers luxury accommodations, dining, and event spaces. It’s a twin-tower complex and a prominent feature of the waterfront. A two-bed apartment of 1,200 square feet is listing for $653,417.
- Also in Business Bay is The Opus. Designed by the legendary architect Zaha Hadid, The Opus is a mixed-use building with a striking void at its center. It houses offices, a hotel, and residences. Apartments in the Opus range from $1.5 million upward for a two-bed.
But the RETA-only price at Bosco di Santa Maria is from $456,020.
Imagine stepping out onto your 180-square-foot terrace, drink in hand, watching the sun set over one of Latin America’s most dynamic capitals…
The deal opens tomorrow, July 23 at 1 p.m. ET. And it will move fast.
- We have a limited number of spacious two-bed condos for a RETA-only $456,020. These are 1,100 square feet which includes a spacious terrace of 180 square feet from which to savor your tranquil surroundings.
- I fully expect these condos will be worth $700,000 five years after delivery.
- That’s a gain of $293,000 and is pretty conservative given the trajectory of the city, of Santa Maria, and of legacy blue-chip real estate like Bosco di Santa Maria.
- We have a killer deal on three-bed condos too. These are a little over 1,443 square feet including a terrace of 174 square feet and enjoy tremendous views. Our RETA-only price for these three-bed condos is from just $571,735.
- And there’s a couple of truly stunning two-bed penthouses from just $679,286.
This deal is only for RETA members. But you still have just enough time to join RETA and unlock full access to the Bosco deal. Don’t delay.
Wishing you good real estate investing,
P.S. Check out this timeline my team put together. It walks you through the key milestones in Panama City’s development—from the canal handover to billion-dollar infrastructure, multinational HQs, and the rise of luxury communities like Santa Maria…where RETA members will soon have a chance to buy incredible condos and lock in what I expect will be gains of $293,000 five years after delivery….
