Rufina Alfaro

About Rufina Alfaro:

Rufina Alfaro is the ninth corregimiento of San Miguelito. Law 21 of 27 June 2000 split it, together with Arnulfo Arias, from José Domingo Espinar, and its seat is the community of San Antonio. The corregimiento runs along the north side of Avenida Domingo Díaz, with the Metromall and Los Pueblos shopping centres facing the Brisas del Golf entrance from across the avenue. Line 2 of the Metro has three stations along this stretch, Brisas del Golf, Cerro Viento and San Antonio, each at the entrance to the neighbourhood it is named after, and the line has run between San Miguelito and Nuevo Tocumen since April 2019. Drivers use Calle Manuel F. Zárate to reach the Corredor Norte and Avenida José Agustín Arango to head south towards the Corredor Sur. Calle 29 ties the main Brisas del Golf entrance to San Antonio and Cerro Viento, and it fills up at rush hour, on weekday mornings and evenings and on Saturdays until midday, when drivers cut through the estate to dodge the Domingo Díaz.

The name honours Rufina Alfaro, the woman from Los Santos remembered for her part in the Grito de la Villa de Los Santos of 10 November 1821, and the corregimiento marks its own celebrations on that date. Its population grew from 25,239 in 2000 to 42,742 in 2010 as new phases of Brisas del Golf filled up. San Antonio groups Praderas de San Antonio, Villa Flor, Camino Real I and II, Villa Internacional and Boulevard San Antonio. Cerro Viento takes in Altos, Colinas, Valle, Quintas and Brisas de Cerro Viento, while Brisas del Golf is divided into sectors such as Las Terrazas, Las Mesetas, Brisas Occidente and Brisas del Pacífico. Cerro Viento Rural and Las Trancas, with La Arboleda, are the least built-up corner.

The golf course shapes the whole corregimiento. The Club de Golf de Panamá moved to Cerro Viento from its old home on Vía Porras: work on the new course started in 1973, it opened on 23 April 1977, and its 18 holes were laid out by Jay Riviere. Since 2004 it has hosted the Panama Championship, a stop on the PGA Tour’s qualifying circuit. Daily errands happen at Brisas Capital, the shopping centre on Avenida Manuel F. Zárate where the road turns off to the club, with supermarkets, banks and restaurants, and across the avenue at Metromall. Schools are a big draw: Colegio Internacional Saint George sits on Calle Saint George in Cerro Viento Rural, the Instituto Justo Arosemena moved into Brisas del Golf, and San Antonio has both the Colegio Bilingüe de Panamá and the public Escuela Pedro J. Ameglio.

Most buyers are families who want a house with a yard and room to park, close to private schools and with a fast run to the Corredor Norte. Many of the first owners in Brisas del Golf chose it for the size of the houses and the entry price, and the estate still sells on space. Price runs in tiers. Houses in the older Cerro Viento barriadas sell for noticeably less per square metre than in Brisas del Golf, and the gated estates near the golf course, such as Villas del Golf, together with the large homes inside the club area, sit at the top of the range.

Houses in Rufina Alfaro:

Most of the stock is two-storey family houses with three or four bedrooms and two or three bathrooms. In Brisas del Golf, lots and built areas vary by phase, from houses of around 160 m² on two floors to 300 m² and more with a maid’s room, terrace and two or three parking spaces, and some streets sit inside smaller gated PHs with a guard post and a shared pool. Cerro Viento offers older houses on lots of around 200 to 250 m², often remodelled or extended over the years. Near the club, the larger gated homes in places like Villas del Golf pass 350 m² of construction, and a few large residences sit within the club area itself. Compare houses for sale in Brisas del Golf phase by phase, because the same estate name covers houses from the 1990s and much newer ones.

Apartments in Rufina Alfaro:

Apartments are a small but growing part of the market, concentrated in Brisas del Golf. Buildings such as Hacienda del Golf offer three-bedroom units of over 100 m², while the newer projects favour compact two- and three-bedroom flats. Each unit is sold under propiedad horizontal, so you buy the apartment plus a share of the common areas, and you pay a monthly cuota de mantenimiento. Check whether the parking spaces are titled with the unit or only assigned, since that affects resale.

Rentals in Rufina Alfaro:

The rental market here is mainly whole houses let long term, three bedrooms and two bathrooms being the standard, with a patio and one or two parking spaces. Brisas del Golf has the widest choice, with Cerro Viento and San Antonio as the alternatives. The houses suit families, and the schools and the Line 2 stations are the usual reasons people rent here rather than further out. If the house is in a gated PH, the reglamento may set rules on pets, visitors’ parking and who pays the maintenance fee.

New Developments in Rufina Alfaro:

The project most visible in Brisas del Golf is PH Zen Brisas, a low-key apartment complex with two- and three-bedroom units from 62 to 77 m², balconies, two parking spaces, a pool, walking trails and a children’s play area, a short walk from Brisas Capital. When you buy off-plan, read the promise-of-sale contract, check the construction permit and ask how your payments are protected until the deed is signed.

FAQ:

• Is every house in “Brisas del Golf” in Rufina Alfaro?

  No. The original phases are in Rufina Alfaro, in San Miguelito, but the later Brisas Norte phases and the Paseo del Norte projects belong to Ernesto Córdoba Campos, in the Panamá district. The district decides which municipality you deal with for permits and municipal charges, so read the corregimiento on the registry entry rather than trusting the estate name in the advert.

• Which metro stations serve Rufina Alfaro?

  Three Line 2 stations: Brisas del Golf, Cerro Viento and San Antonio, all elevated over Avenida Domingo Díaz at the entrances to those neighbourhoods. Line 2 connects with Line 1 at San Miguelito and runs east to Nuevo Tocumen. From the inner streets of Brisas del Golf you will still need a bus, a car or a fair walk to reach the platforms.

• Does the area flood?

  The Domingo Díaz at Cerro Viento floods in heavy downpours, and traffic in both directions stops while the water drains. Inside the corregimiento, the road into Cerro Viento Rural and Avenida Urracá in San Antonio have needed attention after strong rain. Visit a house you like after a rainy-season storm and check how the street drains.

• That empty lot next to the house: what can be built on it?

  Ask before you buy. Brisas del Golf was planned with commercial lots set apart from the housing, and neighbours have been surprised to find that a plot they used as a park was zoned for commercial building. Check the zoning of open land near the house with the Municipio de San Miguelito, and in the Registro Público confirm the finca number, the registered owner and any liens or mortgages.

• Can a foreigner buy a house here?

  Yes. Foreigners can own titled urban property in Panama on the same footing as nationals, and the title is recorded in the Registro Público in the buyer’s own name. A Panamanian lawyer should carry out the title search and register the transfer.