Las Mercedes

About Las Mercedes:

Las Mercedes is a narrow triangle on the western side of Betania. Avenida Miguel A. Brostella runs along its northern edge, with El Dorado Mall and the shops of El Dorado on the far side of the road, and Vía Ricardo J. Alfaro closes the eastern end at the El Dorado junction. Calle Circunvalación marks the southern edge; the houses beyond it belong to Dos Mares. At its western tip the barrio tapers to a point on Brostella, right where the avenue crosses out of Betania into Ancón.

Inside, people give directions by letter rather than by name: Calle A, Calle B, Calle E. House numbers carry the letter of their street, so house C38 stands on Calle C, which maps label Calle 68 C Oeste, and a few streets also go by sea names such as Mar Egeo and Mar Tirreno. The neighbourhood took shape in the 1970s, and some of the original houses date from 1979. When Dos Mares was laid out in the early 1980s, one of its three planned entrances ran through Las Mercedes. The towers came much later, and they cluster on Calle 68 C Oeste near Brostella, with Golden Boulevard diagonally behind El Dorado Mall and the paired towers of Torre 88 Norte and Sur beside it.

Daily errands rarely mean a long trip. El Dorado Mall, the supermarkets and bank branches of El Dorado and the Chinese restaurants along Brostella are a short walk across the avenue. The Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá has its main campus a short drive away along Ricardo J. Alfaro, and that avenue also leads to the Corredor Norte, while Brostella heads west toward Vía Juan Pablo II. Metro Line 1 runs along the Transístmica to the east, a bus or taxi ride rather than a walk. Both avenues fill up at rush hour, so try the exit you would use at the hour you would actually leave.

Two groups buy here. Families come for a house with a patio and two parking spaces within walking distance of a mall; lots here are smaller than in parts of Dos Mares next door, where some run past 600 m², and house prices follow the size of the land. Apartment buyers come for three-bedroom units with a maid’s room in towers with pools and security, at prices well below what comparable space costs in new towers. Tenants are mostly people working or studying along the Ricardo J. Alfaro corridor who want El Dorado’s shops on the doorstep.

Apartments for sale in Las Mercedes:

Each tower here is run as a propiedad horizontal, and that shapes what the apartments for sale in Las Mercedes actually include. Your unit is registered as its own finca in the Registro Público, together with a share of the lobby, lifts, pool and other common areas, and you pay a monthly cuota de mantenimiento. The building’s reglamento decides whether you may rent out, keep a pet or take guests for short stays, so read it before you sign. Golden Boulevard offers two-bedroom units of about 100 m² and larger three-bedroom flats with a maid’s room, plus a pool, gym, event room, an outdoor bohío, on-site administration, 24-hour security and a generator for the common areas; owners often point out that its parking spaces are wider than usual. In Torre 88 the typical unit has three bedrooms and three bathrooms in about 130 m², a maid’s room and two parking spaces, with city views from the floors above the twentieth. In both buildings, ask whether each parking space and any depósito has its own finca number or is only assigned, because that changes the price and what you can sell later.

Apartments for rent in Las Mercedes:

Nearly all long-term lets are in the two tower complexes, where apartments for rent in Las Mercedes come either empty or fully furnished; on the inner streets, a few owners also let whole houses. Demand comes from people who work or study around El Dorado and the Ricardo J. Alfaro corridor, including staff and students at the Universidad Tecnológica, and from families who want room for a household near the mall. Expect the usual city terms: a 12-month lease, with the first month and a security deposit paid up front. Parking normally comes with the unit, but confirm how many spaces, and whether visitors can park inside the gate.

Houses in Las Mercedes:

On the lettered streets, the houses for sale in Las Mercedes sit on lots of 330 to 400 m² and are larger than they look from the street. Built areas run from under 300 m² to more than 450 m², with three to six bedrooms, a maid’s room and bathroom, covered parking for two cars and, in many cases, a terrace or a grassed patio; one house even has an enclosed terrace with a bar. Some are still single-storey, others have been rebuilt as duplexes or added a third level, and several date from the late 1970s. Because a house here sits outside any PH, there is no cuota, but the water tank, the generator and the security are yours to arrange. On a house this age, budget for the roof, wiring and plumbing before you count on moving straight in.

Frequently asked questions:

• Where does Las Mercedes begin and end?

  The barrio is the triangle bounded by Avenida Miguel A. Brostella on the north, Vía Ricardo J. Alfaro at the El Dorado junction on the east and Calle Circunvalación on the south, where Dos Mares begins. The western tip reaches the Ancón line on Brostella. Agents often list the towers as El Dorado and the houses as Betania or Las Mercedes, so search all three names and go by the urbanización on the title.

• What does the maintenance fee cover in Golden Boulevard and Torre 88?

  In both buildings the cuota pays for the guarded entrance, the lifts, the pool and gym and the cleaning of common areas, and in Golden Boulevard it also keeps the common-area generator running. Fees are set by each unit’s share of the building, so they vary with size: in Golden Boulevard they run from about US$125 to US$256 a month. Ask the administrator for the current figure, the latest financial statement and whether any special assessment is coming.

• The house has been enlarged several times. What should I check?

  Plenty of houses here started smaller and gained a second floor, a terrace or a third level over the decades. Compare the built area recorded on the Registro Público entry with what actually stands on the lot, and ask for the permits behind each addition, because unregistered space slows a sale and can block a mortgage. If you plan to work from the house or let part of it, confirm the zoning with the Municipio de Panamá first.

• Can I rent out an apartment I buy here?

  Long-term leases are normal in both tower complexes, but the reglamento has the last word on furnished lets, pets and stays of less than a month. Read it, along with the minutes of the last owners’ meetings, before you buy with a rental plan.

• Can a foreigner buy property in Las Mercedes?

  Yes. Foreign buyers have the same ownership rights as Panamanians, and the title is registered in the Registro Público in your own name or a company’s. A local lawyer should search the finca for liens and, for an apartment, obtain the PH’s paz y salvo before closing.