Three Ways to Retire Overseas

rainbow over Panama

There are as many different ways to expatriate or retire overseas as there are expats. You can live full time in your new country abroad divide your time between your home country and overseas country travel all the time I know people from each category, and each style has its pros and cons. Part-Time Expats [...]

Rent Before You Buy Overseas. . . Or Maybe Not

Future Expat's rental casa

I always advise readers to rent first — for at least six months to a year — in a new country. It’s what we’re doing ourselves. When you rent first, you give yourself time to settle in and assure yourself that you’re where you want to be. You also save yourself the potential agony of [...]

5 Ways to Find a Home (to Rent or Buy) in a New Country

Future Expat's rental casa

If you’re from the US, Canada or western Europe, you’re used to a highly organized real estate market. You have agencies to help with buying, selling and renting. In the US, multiple listing services are the norm where you can deal with any agent and have access to the full spectrum of available property for [...]

9 Lessons I’ve Learned about Finding a Rental House in Las Tablas, Panama

Future Expat's rental casa

When last seen, Future Expat was grumpy. Tired of living in a hotel and having to go out for every meal, tired of not having a place to call her own. . . just tired. There were even a few tearful phones calls with my husband back home, running along the lines of, “I don’t [...]

In Search of the Elusive Rental Casa in Las Tablas, Panama

House in Las Tablas, Panama

When you’re in a part of the world that doesn’t have an organized real estate or rental market, finding a place to live is hard. You can’t just waltz into an agency and say, “I’m looking for a two-bedroom house to rent in a nice neighborhood with a fenced yard for my dogs.” I’m here [...]

Countdown! When is Moving Out Not Really Moving Out?

LivingRoom4-400x239

Little did I realize, when I told you last week we had vacated the Florida house, that the vacating process would take this long. . . We moved out, with our suitcases, dogs and laptops, one week ago. The estate sale happened on February 18. Somehow, I had visions of walking back in after the [...]

Countdown: All Dressed Up and No Place to Go

countdown-400x298

Tomorrow is February 1, the day we had planned to move to Panama. But we’re not going. Why? Still no tenants for our Florida house. Everything else is poised and ready. Once we get the go-ahead — in the form of a signed lease agreement — we’re ready to whip into our last-minute action. Until [...]

Leaving the Country – is it Worth the Hassle?

2805107711_c9031ddcfa-400x268

Guest Post by Steve Harris New Year is a time when people take stock of their lot, with many pondering “would I be better off somewhere else?” Millions of Brits live abroad both temporarily and permanently, and if you are considering joining them for an exciting new life in the sun — or just an [...]

Countdown: Why Did I Ever Think Moving Right After Christmas was a Good Idea?

countdown-400x2983

Last week we skipped the Countdown post because we were doing the 12 Days of Christmas guide to expat gift-giving, so we’ll combine weeks 6 & 7 this week. In this installment we’ll review the steps we took over the last two weeks toward getting ourselves moved from Orlando to Panama. At this point, I’m [...]

Countdown! Week 5 Already!

countdown-400x2984

Wow, I can’t believe this is the fifth week of Countdown! posts. When we got within the 90-day window for our move to Panama, I started this weekly recount of all the preparation steps we’d taken during the week. Any move is a big undertaking, but the first overseas move is ginormous, so I thought [...]