A Retired Couple From Wisconsin Finds an Oceanfront Home in Pedasi

When Jeff and Dee Jansen got married in Costa Rica in 2014, it got them thinking about retirement. They loved the warmth and general friendliness of Costa Rica, and started researching the area as a potential retirement destination. Dee had three conditions: warm temperatures year-round, no hurricanes, and a place you could easily get to by car. They both wanted a beachfront property in a nice, friendly community. So the search began.

They started out researching Costa Rica, but it seemed everywhere they looked Panama kept popping up. While not as well-known as Costa Rica as a tourism and retirement destination, Panama has emerged over the last decade as one of the best places in the world to travel and live. It offers world class healthcare, a stable government, beautiful beaches, and small, friendly pockets of expat communities throughout the country. Properties- including beachfront- can typically be found at a fraction of a cost as those in the tourism hotspot of Costa Rica.

Jeff and Dee weren’t exactly new to real estate. Jeff was a certified financial planner for 24 years before his retirement in 2016, and the two of them run a real estate business in Wisconsin. They took the decision seriously, investing plenty of time into learning about Panama and making multiple visits.

Before their fourth trip to Panama, Dee had spotted a couple of Panama real estate listings in an international travel magazine- one in Coronado, and one in Pedasi. They planned to tour both, but their flight was delayed and the Coronado property agent could no longer meet. They headed instead to Pedasi, where they had arranged with Jonathan Clay to view a lovely ocean-front home in the gated community of Costa Pedasi.

Jeff and Dee good-naturedly warned Jonathan they would not be buying a house that day. In fact, before they had even sat down and introduced themselves, Jeff was busy explaining how they were going to rent first to see if Pedasi was even the right place for them. They then cordially added that they would understand if Jonathan “didn’t want to waste his time with a couple of tire-kickers.”

Of course, Jonathan was happy to spend some time with the Jansens and answer their questions. He had a hunch that once they saw the house and the neighborhood they’d start crunching the numbers. He wasn’t wrong.

They liked the property and location but, as they told Jonathan earlier, “were not going to buy anytime soon.” And yet, the very next day they were back asking for another viewing. They ended up making an offer that day but it was declined by the seller. Jeff and Dee didn’t pursue it further, figuring that they never intended to buy anyway.

Back in the states, Jeff and Dee couldn’t stop thinking about the property. They decided to increase their offer and this time it hit the mark!

The Jansens have lived in their beautiful oceanfront community in the charming town of Pedasi ever since, sipping cocktails and admiring the ocean views. In their spare time they invent plenty of DIY projects and can also run their US business remotely. Not too bad for a couple of “tire kickers”.