About Us

2002 through 2006 were good times for real estate investors. And during those years the Viva Tropical founders, Park Wilson & Josh Linnes, were able to amass a portfolio of over 200 real estate transactions in both commercial and residential sectors, with valuations well into eight figures.

But in 2006, they began to notice that investment fundamentals no longer made sense. The market was awash in capital and prices had been pushed through the ceiling. This signaled the time to exit.

Also during this time, the founders were increasingly disillusioned with the North American market in general. A lawsuit addicted society, government spending that was growing wildly out of control, and increasingly authoritative restrictions that seized the sovereignty that they had over their own fortune.

At the end of the day, they hated that ever increasing loss of freedom.

Josh had been investing in Costa Rica for 10 years, so at his suggestion they decided to broaden their scope for investments and investigate opportunities abroad. After nine months of due diligence, they landed on Panama as an ideal place for investment.

With its Canal expansion underway, billions flowing in from foreign direct investment, and a real estate market that was the darling of the international media for North American retirees, Panama was and is an obvious choice.

After several scouting trips, the founders packed up their families and moved to the region and founded Viva Tropical.

Viva Tropical

Since that time they have scouted more than three million acres of property, driven the Pacific Coast on investment scouting trips from Mexico to Ecuador, purchased eight miles of coastline, completed a successful real estate project in Panama, and most recently, created Viva Tropical, the fastest growing online magazine for living and investing abroad.

They currently have a large and satisfied investor pool of high net-worth individuals who enjoy the benefit of investing in Latin America without the hassle of managing it on a daily basis.

Rather than limit its scope of operations to a single country, Viva Tropical chose a business model that allowed them to choose from the best opportunities in the region. This is accomplished through a network of professionals and scouts in each country as well as consistently scouting the countries to better understand the opportunities.

Josh and Park are now among the most recognizable figures in the region when it comes to real estate, investing, and the tropical lifestyle. They have been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, and dozens of other respected publications.