Dollar economy, cheap health care are drawing many (panama real estate)

By JENALIA MORENO
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA — Sharyn and Reuben Bronstein are witnessing a building frenzy from the balcony of their 22nd-floor apartment.
Towering cranes and more than a dozen residential skyscrapers under construction obscure the retired Houston couple's view overlooking Punta Pacifica, Panama City's hot new foreign enclave.

In one direction, Donald Trump is building a 68-story, sail-shaped edifice on the Pacific Ocean called the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower.
In another, Spanish company Grupo Mall, which is selling properties out of Houston, is putting up Los Faros de Panama, The Lighthouses of Panama, a glitzy development complete with apartments, a casino and a hotel.

At least 170 residential towers worth $3.2 billion are planned or currently under construction, according to a recent survey by real estate consultancy Prima Panama.
Fueling this boom, in part, are U.S. retirees lured by Panama's cheap health care, dollar economy and widespread use of English.