Ocean View and Luxury in Crucita, Ecuador!

Without a doubt, Crucita is becoming a great place to retire for expats from all over the world!

This is the view from Loma de Crucita from one of RE/MAX Propiedades listings. You will be able to find out more about this property on the following link: http://www.remax.com.ec/Casa-De-Venta-Crucita-Manabi_890021006-44

Panoramic View from Loma de Crucita, Manabi-Ecuador

What To Expect When Dealing with Real Estate Agents in Ecuador

Real Estate Practices in Ecuador are far from what other countries are used to. There's a Federal Real Estate Association in Ecuador, and there is a Real Estate Law and a Code of Ethics and these two are the core of its origin just like any US Real Estate Law and Code of Ethics. The problem is that the government pay little attention to the Federal Real Estate Association.

This is about to change and one of the major requirements is going to enforce licenses.

If you are thinking about buying o selling Real Estate in Ecuador through a Real Estate Agency these are the things you must know:

Real Estate Talk

1. Art. 2 of the Federal Real Estate Association states the following: In order to represent a seller the real estate professional must list the property in writing, under a written contract.
2. When you are thinking about selling your property, verify that the Real Estate Professional possess a valid license. It  is not necessary that the agent possess a license if  he or she works under a licensed Professional or Real Estate Company, but if the individual is an "Independent" Professional who works for himself, then he or she must have a valid license.
3. The Federal Real Estate Association, promotes Real Estate Professionals  to market properties under an Exclusive Right to Sell or Rent Agreement for one main reason: To avoid confusion and misunderstandings with clients and among Real Estate Professionals. Another very important reason is that if you have more than one company marketing your property, all of them use the same channels to promote the sale or rent of real estate, so, it doesn't make sense to have more than one agency since the listing is going to be in the same channel.  One thing that is going to have a negative impact is to have more than one agency marketing the property. Homeowners have this misconception that "the property is  going to sell  faster by having 3 or 4 agencies marketing the property when in fact, having 3 or 4 listing of the same property will "burn" the property 3 or 4 times faster! specially if all of the companies involved have a different price for the property. It is very common to have this issue
4. It is very common the use of Verbal Agreements, but it is not "safe" for any of the parties involved. The most common of all Agreements is a Verbal Open Agreement, where the real estate professional lists a property, and then, he refers it to his "friend" whom is a real estate agent as well  and this goes on and on until you start to see a parade of real estate agents coming through, your property coming through your home. Not too secure since there's not control of who has come to see your home, and if there's something missing or stolen, there's no one to blame but yourself.  (It happened to me) It is  better to have one Real Estate company working for you in that way there is more control of traffic, prospecting, visits, even, bringing other agents from different companies.
5. Companies such as RE/MAX in Ecuador, work under the same structure as RE/MAX anywhere in the world. The success of this company is due to its professionalism. Is the largest Real Estate Company with almost 90000 agents worldwide and chances are that you will be able to find a RE/MAX agent in your home town whom will get in touch with the RE/MAX Real Estate Agent in the country where you want to relocate. 
6. Use a professional photographer i. As I stated before, Real Estate Professionals use the same internet channels. I am a Real Estate Photographer and a Virtual Tour Provider in Ecuador. The reason for using professional photos is simple: Open a newspaper in the classified section, what are the ads that cause an impact on you? The ones with the pictures. Although I don't personally use the newspapers to market my properties, same thing happens in the internet, the difference is that more likely 95% of the ads have pictures, right? So, do exactly the same thing, open your browser and do a home search and more likely you are going to get a long list of listings, all of them with pictures. But what pictures are the ones that caused an impact on you the most? The good pictures, right?  Remember a first good impression is by far one of the most important things when it comes to sell Real Estate. So, if your Real Estate Agent doesn't make suggestions about image, show them the door.

I am not trying to bad mouth other real estate professionals, but ever since I arrived to Ecuador, I have had lots of issues with these real estate practices, to the point that I had to report two real estate agents with the Real Estate Commission for interfering with two of my Clients. One of them was preparing a written document with the intention of breaking a contract between my client and I, This type of procedure is illegal since she was trying to take unfair business advantage by instigating our client to break a legal contract. Her case is in hands of the Federal Real Estate Association of Ecuador.

Energy Efficient Home for Rent in Cumbaya, Ecuador

Post by Ivan Moncayo Agente Inmobiliario.

Commercial Real Estate in Ecuador 9.3% ROI

Post by Ivan Moncayo Agente Inmobiliario.

Que No Hacer Cuando Vendes Tu Casa

Terrazas Del Moral Dormitorio Master con Hermosa Vista A Cumbaya. Cortesía: VirtuoMedia360 Interactive

Esta es la lista de los errores más comunes que un dueño comete cuando esta vendiendo su casa. Algunos de ellos pueden completamente desanimar a un prospecto comprador.

1. USAR AL CORREDOR INMOBILIARIO QUE PROPORCIONO EL  VALOR DE VENTA MAS ALTO: Sin lugar a duda, el precio es el factor mas importante para vender. El mejor indicativo del precio lo proporciona el Mercado. Pregunte al corredor como obtuvo el precio, un corredor experimentado puede proporcionarle un ACM (Análisis Comparativo de Mercado)
2. ESTAR PRESENTE CUANDO SE ESTA ENSEÑANDO LA PROPIEDAD: Esta es una de esas situaciones cuando es mejor no esta presente. Recuerde que el prospecto comprador tiene que "visualizarse" viviendo en su casa. La presencia del dueño incomoda al prospecto comprador, y muchas veces estas visitas no duran mas que un par de minutos sin que se desarrolle ese "sentido de visualización"
3. LAS MASCOTAS SUELTAS EN CASA: No todos los seres humanos son amantes de los perros, muchos de ellos pueden ser hasta alérgicos al pelaje de ciertos animales. Cuando se planifiquen visitas es mejor si "Rudolf" no este presente. Cualquier ítem que pertenezca a su mascotas como platos de comida, camas, deben estar fuera de vista. Una buena idea es usar algún tipo de ambiental para repeler el olor de las mascotas.
4. EL ARBOL FAMILIAR EN LA PARED: Es una buena idea des-personalizar la propiedad para ayudar al futuro dueño a "visualizar su vida dentro de la casa. Mientras menos fotos o figurines o artículos decorativos, mejoran las posibilidades de venta.
5. OLORES VS. FRAGANCIAS: Muchas veces, para enmascarar ciertos olores utilizamos ambientales que pueden ser desagradables para otros. Fragancias que son acogidas puede ser la fragancia del cafe fresco en la cafetera. El efecto del olor a cafe es muy bueno y muy utilizado por las perfumerías  ya que después de oler dos o tres perfumes nuestro sentido del olfato confunde los olores. Recuerde, encuentre fragancias que se asocien con el Hogar como el olor a canela, a pan fresco, vainilla son muy efectivos.
6. PUBLICAR NO MUY BUENAS FOTOS: Una fotografía dice mas que mil palabras. No permita que su casa sea fotografiada sin antes preparar la casa para la venta. Es mejor utilizar a un fotógrafo profesional que se especialice en fotografía inmobiliaria, Inmobiliarias como RE/MAX proveen servicios de fotografía, muchas veces sin costo alguno
7. TENER LA PROPIEDAD PUBLICADA POR MAS DE UNA INMOBILIARIA: Aquí es donde muchos dueños "Queman" oportunidades de venta. La mayoría de corredores inmobiliarios en la red, utilizan los mismos portales inmobiliarios para publicar sus propiedades. Otorgando un Acuerdo Exclusivo de Venta con Una Sola Inmobiliaria es mucho mejor que tener múltiples inmobiliarias publicando la propiedad. Por Que? Porque tener el inmueble publicado con múltiples inmobiliarias da al consumidor/comprador un aire de urgencia de venta, minimizando su poder de negociación.  Otro problema que se da muy a menudo es tener diferentes precios publicados por las diferentes inmobiliarias por el mismo inmueble. El concepto del propietario/vendedor de tener mas de una inmobiliaria publicando un bien con el fin de incrementar las posibilidades de venta, simplemente no funciona. Inmobiliarias con reputación trabajan bajo acuerdos exclusivos. y las posibilidades de venta son mucho mas altas que las inmobiliarias que trabajan sin exclusiva. En otras palabras el profesional inmobiliario le meterá mas ganas sabiendo que existe un acuerdo bilateral de compromiso y que garantiza sus esfuerzos.
8. LIMITAR y CONDICIONAR LAS HORAS Y LOS DIAS DE VISITA:  El comentario mas común por parte de los compradores es: Entonces para que la esta vendiendo si no la puedo ver? La mejor solución es otorgar una llave de la propiedad a un corredor, con un Acuerdo Exclusivo, ya que este puede coordinar las visitas incluso con otros corredores. Entonces, no hace mas sentido tener una sola persona o inmobiliaria que se encargue de coordinar las visitas que tratar de coordinar visitas con 10 corredores?
9. PENSAR QUE UN ACUERDO EXCLUSIVO LIMITA LAS POSIBILIDADES DE VENTA: Esto no es cierto. El Acuerdo Exclusivo de Venta no limita a otros corredores que participen. Los corredores que pertenecemos a la Cartera Inmobiliaria trabajamos bajo un "Sistema Cooperativo"  en otras palabras: Yo tengo la Propiedad y tu tienes el Cliente, entonces los honorarios se dividen 50/50.
10. NO TENER LA DOCUMENTACION DE LA PROPIEDAD EN REGLA: Es importante que, antes de poner la propiedad en el mercado, asegurarse de que todos los documentos estén en regla, esto incluye los impuestos prediales, escrituras, etc.

Argentina Vs. Ecuador

This is a great day, indeed! Ecuador is measuring Argentina in a soccer match valid for the 2014 World Cup in Brasil. Although, Ecuador lost against Peru last saturday, Ecuador still remains in 3rd Place. Argentina is still #1 on the board and Colombia advanced to 2nd after a tie with Argentina.

What is the advantage that Ecuador has over Argentina? The altitud! The match will be played in Quito at 9,600 ft above sea level.
The disadvantage is that Ecuador does not have a  Leonel Messi on their squad.

Best of luck for both teams, but of course Ecuador will be my favorite to win.

5 Essential Tips to Prepare Your Home for a Speedy, Top-Price Sale

"Home staging" was coined in the early '70s,and the concept has become well known as "house fluffing," "dressing to sell," and "home presentation".

The focus of staging is to make a home more marketable by creating the most appealing home to the greatest number of prospective buyers. It should be impersonal enough not to infringe on a buyer's own sense of style.

Decorating is optional. Staging, on the other hand, is essential - that is if you want to sell your house for the most possible money in the shortest amount of time.

You can make at least 3 percent more with home staging. In some areas, that number can go as high as 50 percent! Statistics also show that homes that had not sold in an average of four and a half months after listing sold within a week of being staged by a professional. Homes staged before listing were under contract more than twice as fast as comparable homes that had not been professionally staged.

As you know, your home becomes a house - a product for sale. Staging your property gives you a more competitive edge in today's market by transforming it into a marketable product. A staged property helps you sell your investment for top dollar and is the first line of defense over lowering the price. Do not settle for less at the closing table simply because you did not understand the value of staging or did not want to take the time or spend the money to do it properly.

In this world of busy buyers, a property has to be staged to appeal to their imagination. They want to be able to look at your home and know that they can live there. They want to know that their furniture will fit. They want to know that everything is in "move in" condition. That is why staging is so important. It allows buyers to imagine themselves living in your home with their stuff, not yours.

Presentation is everything and staging is presentation! The result is improved functionality and complementary space. Following the techniques in this guide will maximize your equity while reducing the market time for your home.

1. Be sure that your home is staged before you or your Realtor takes the photos for the web. Over 70% of all new apartment/home searches are started on the Internet.It is imperative that the property looks good in the photos so that it can attract as many people as possible to see the real thing.


2. You should not have one person look at your house until it has been staged completely.It should not go through the broker walkthrough, MLS, open houses, or anything.Stage first!


3. Home staging works for all properties regardless of the price point because home staging is about preparing your home for a faster and more profitable sale and marketing your property to the most potential buyers for its target audience. A home stager who has have staged homes ranging from $100,000 to $10 million has had the same result - the homes sell faster and for top dollar compared with the competitors within their price range.


4. Do not offer money towards painting or installing new carpeting. Remember, if you are not willing to do it, your buyer is not likely to either.


5. You need to be willing to change paint colors. Paint is very inexpensive and gives you a big bang for your buck. Although a bit labor-intensive, painting is not expensive and gives your home a new, fresh, clean look. There are certain universally accepted colors and these should be used when repainting your home. Yellow or shades of gold are warm and inviting. You should also accent with yellow. Your eye absorbs more yellow and therefore sees it first. Green or blue in the bedrooms are great colors because they are restful.

House for Rent in Cumbaya

One o f the greatest things about Cumbaya is the weather. At just a few minutes from Quito and just a few meters below, you are indeed in a different temperature zone. This gorgeous home is inside a beautiful gated community with a great setup oriented to family and security.
This 350 meter/3768 sqft home is a available to you by RE/MAX Propiedades.
Take a virtual tour of this property by clicking on the thumbnail below:

My featured Properties

Here is a compilation of my listings, all of them include a virtual tour.CLICK HERE If you need more information about any of this properties or you are planning to move to Ecuador and need more information, please, don't hesitate to call me. Click HERE to find my contact information

Vilcabamba: Weather, healthy living?

Nestled in the Andes of the "deep south" of Ecuador, not far from the Peruvian border, Vilcabamba was founded in 1548.
The Vilcabamba Valley started to gain popularity when scientist started to study the longevity factors about this location. This is why Vilcabamba is also  known as the Valley of Longevity. Thousands of theories were based on the nearly perfect weather, water and air quality.

The water from Vilcabamba has active hydrogen, which has two electrons instead of one. This is an important factor when is consumed by humans because this minerals cleanse the body from "heavy minerals" and this is why is believed that Vilcabamba water is "The Fountain of Youth"

Vilcabamba weather is nearly perfect, averaging 22 degrees Celsius (71 degrees Fahrenheit) this is one of the most important factors to attract people from all over the world looking for a healthy life style.

It's hard to describe it's beauty in words, but if you are looking to retire in Ecuador you can visit my website http://QuintaEsencial.com

View from QuintaEsencial's Garden

Same Sex Marriage: Legal in Ecuador?

This topic has been one of the most important and most criticized topics in the US. So, I decided to find out how legal is "Same Sex Marriage in Ecuador" or if it even exist!

I must ratify that I am straight, and if I am writing about this topic is only for informative purposes only. My points of view about Same Sex Marriage are not the ones of those  support them. However, from my part, they will be treated with the same respect as anybody else.

In April of 2008, The Republic of Ecuador aproves a new Constitution that recognizes Same Sex Unions (Art 68) and states the following:

"The stable and monogamous unions between two persons, free of matrimonial bond, whom form a de facto couple, since the time and under conditions and circumstances that the Law provides, will generate the same rights and obligations that families build through the bonds of marriage, are holding"
The part that the Constitution does not support has to do with Adoptions ratifying that "Adoptions will only correspond to couples of different sexes"

The Ecuadorean President, Rafael Correa spoke openly about this part of the "Constitution of Monte Cristi", stating the following:

"Let me ratify that the humanistic position of this government is to respect the intrinsic dignity of everyone, of every human being, independently of their creed, race, sexual preference. We will provide certain guarantees to stable same sex couples but the bonds of matrimony will remain reserved for a man,  a woman and the family"

"Every person has dignity, and this means that, one must respect a person regardless of their sexual preference. Be careful not to deny employment to someone because of their sexual preference. That will be discrimination, and that is unconstitutional."

As most of you have probably noticed, my blog is about promoting Ecuador, and promote my properties for sale to the world. And maybe this could be the answer for those same sex couples to fulfill their life as a couple, maybe not under the bonds of marriage, but with the same rights and obligations of a married heterosexual couple, such as, buying and notarizing real estate transactions together, bank accounts, inheritances, etc.

Check out one of my favorite listings, located in Vilcabamba, or as most expats and foreign residents call it: "The Valley of Longevity. It includes a virtual tour of the property:  http://QuintaEsencial.com

Iván Andres Moncayo, RE/MAX Propiedades, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Iván Andres Moncayo, RE/MAX Propiedades, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

Investors are paying attention to Crucita

Investors felt relieved when President Correa vetoed the proposed Tenancy Bill, clearly stating that "the  Bill was badly designed". Crucita is a fishing village, not a very concurred destination during weekdays, getting some visitors during the weekend, and not many foreign visitors either.

Are the few expats who reside in Crucita hiding something?

As I stated, Crucita is a fishing village, and maybe one of the main tourist attractions is  the paragliding site. But the town hasn't seen that much progress for years. 

So, why there's so much attention developing in this underdeveloped fishing villa? Well, the small fishing villa would not longer be a fishing village. There's plans for their relocation, thus freeing some beach front.

And here is where the seasoned investors know that it's the right time to invest, and of course, they are doing it quietly.

Crucita has the most beautiful beaches in Ecuador, and my camera and I have witnessed the most beautiful views. I haven't been near Crucita or Manabi for over twenty years, since my father past away, he was a Manta resident.

Maybe the new highway was the old dusty road where my dad taught me how to drive an old pick-up truck. I don't know! I was maybe 11 years old. All I know is that that old dusty road used to join Manta and Portoviejo.

I was shooting two Virtual Tours when my camera captured this beautiful views.

I invite you to take a look at this property and it's surroundings by clicking here: http://tours.VirtuoMedia360.com/36648

New Tenancy law vetoed by Correa

Ecuadorean President, Rafael Correa, vetoed the proposed Tenancy Law in it's entirety saying that "the bill has been poorly designed"

The proposed bill consisted in setting limits for the amount of rent to be charged by the landlord and its based on the municipal assessed value of the property.

If the assessed value of a property is $100,000, then the 10% of its value equals to $10,000, you divide this amount by 12 months, which equals to $833. This is the maximum monthly rent allowed according to this bill.

The other controversial part of this bill had to do with the warranty deposit. The norm has been the equivalent of up to two months of rent.
The proposed bill stated that the maximum deposit to collect shall be equal to up to two months of rent and shall not exceed $159 per month, or $318 for the maximum deposit. So, if we use the previous example of $833 per month, your maximum deposit allowed by the bill would be $318 which in fact, is based on the minimum monthly salary, giving a big disadvantage to owners of high end rental properties. This refundable deposit is destined to cover property damages in case the tenant refuses to repair damages to the property. But what if the damages exceed the set value?

According to the new bill, the warranty amount shall not go to the landlord, but to a municipal bank account assigned by the Banco Nacional de Fomento ( a state bank). The intention about this account is good in my personal opinion, because it protects the renter from dishonest landlords and landlords of dishonest tenants as well. The part I don't like is that of the deposit has to be given to the Municipality. In my opinion, The Municipality of Quito's bureaucracy will be the greatest obstacle for either landlord or tenant whenever is time to get such deposits back! This public entity is known for turning a simple process into a nightmare! However, the creation of an entity designed to withhold these deposits combining mediation services in case of disputes is vital. An escrow account company well regulated by the Superintendency of Banks and not just for rental deposits, but security deposits for purchasing real estate as well... Otherwise, we will see cases like Union Constructora over and over again!

In other countries like some states in the United States, Real Estate practices are well regulated. When it comes to purchase a property, the buyer leaves a deposit. The broker's obligation is to deposit the money into an escrow account. It is against the law to deposit this money in the broker's personal account. If for any reason the transaction ceases and after a mediation process then, and only then, the escrow company will distribute the monies to the affected party, including the broker if necessary.

Quinta Esencial

Here is a preview of this wonderful property in Crucita I went to shoot on March 1st.

The virtual tour is going into their website just like the one in Vilcabamba 

Front

Endless Jacuzzi

Aeroservicios ground transportation

8:28 AM: As I mentioned yesterday, I am on my way to Crucita. It has been about twenty years since I've been in the province of Manabi. It's around 8:28 am and the Aeroservicios bus has just left the old airport. The driver just announced that traffic in Tumbaco is heavy due to an accident in "El Chiche" bridge. When I went to Loja to shoot QuintaEsencial ( http://quintaesencial.com ) my trip from home to the airport was less than 20 min with heavy traffic. I did have an inconvenient: Loja airport was closed so I had to land in Cuenca airport and take a 4 hour bus ride to Loja. I must admit, I am afraid of bus rides, but so far everything is going well. At least we left Quito 2 minutes before the schedule departure time.

9:35 AM: Ok, we've have arrived at the New Mariscal Sucre Airport, 25 minutes before scheduled. So far, so Good!

12:35 PM: If it's too good to be true, then....???? Yes, the flight was 40 min late.
So, today, the bus service gets an A+ and TAME, the airline gets a B-. They could have gotten a B+ but, Ecuador is a coffee producing country, and when I asked for a cup of coffee during the flight, I got a cold cup of pre-made instant coffee from a coffee pot! Oh! and pre-sugared for you! Thank God I am not a diabetic because it was extremely sweet!

Quito's new airport

Living in Ecuador: What to Expect when you arrive in Ecuador

Quito's brand new airport is Open for Business

That's right! Tomorrow I will be traveling to Crucita to shoot a Virtual Tour of a beautiful beach front home, of course there's problems! some traffic delays, flight delays, etc. I think a little bit of adjustment is necessary since I used to live just minutes away from the old airport.
I will be posting about my traveling experience!

What to Expect when you arrive in Ecuador

Ecuador is a beautiful country indeed! There's so much to do in such a small country. So much to see and new things to try. I love Ecuadorean food! All these beautiful things I have to counter measure with not so good things. I am going to tell you ten things you should and shouldn't expect when you live in Ecuador.

1. Expect to pay more specially if you look gringo and you don't know what you are doing. And when I mean "gringo", I mean blue eyed, tall and blond. Nothing in Ecuador has a set price. So, bargain as much as you can. You will earn some respect. And, if bargaining isn't working too well then, turn around and walk away. There's a 50% chance that you get chased down before you go out the door and paying your price!
2. When you go out to eat, do not expect free refills for your soft drink. They won't be free!
3. Don't expect great customer service. There's just a few places where you can get great customer service. And more likely if you are blond, blue eyed then, you might get treated better than the locals in some cases. 
4. When you dine out, don't expect for all the food to come out at the same time.  I can only say that there's only one place where I have been  where all the food for all my party came out at once.
5. Expect to pay more for local attractions or museums. Yes, unless you have a valid Ecuadorian ID you will be paying the foreigner's rate
6. Don't expect your appointments to be on time, and when I mean time is not just 1 or 2 hours. I am talking 1 or 2 days. And expect to hear the 1000 reasons why they couldn't be on time.
7. Expect to pay a pro rated tip of 10% or 12% added to your tab. There's just a handful of places where you tip according to the service you received. The pro-rated service charge is probably one of the reasons why  you don't get good service because the servers already know that they are going to make 10% or 12% percent of your tab. Always look at your tab and verify if the tip is already included.
8. Don't expect a straight answer if you are dealing with people working for any government entity, It just doesn't happen, learn to tolerate this issue, it's just part of the culture
9. Warranty policies? If you buy any kind of electronics or light fixtures for your home, the warranty is they test it in front of you to make sure it works, That's your warranty! Once you leave the store you are on your own.
10. Don't expect the locals to change... Think of it this way: It is not their fault, it's simply part of the culture, and the most important thing... Do not generalize or stereotype, you will find great people too... and maybe a friend for life... You don't need to change, we just need to adjust.

Have a great weekend!

Living in Ecuador: Getting an Ecuador Visa

Living in Ecuador: Getting an Ecuador Visa

Getting an Ecuador Visa

Although, in the last couple of years, improvements have been set to speed things up in certain immigration formalities, it's still a good idea to plan ahead! It's not a good idea to be in front of an agent from the Ecuadorian Immigration Services without having a fair knowledge of the type of Visa or Residency status you want to obtain. 

The problem is not so much about rules and regulations. It has to do with the people working for this government entity and their lack of knowledge ultimately leading to your frustration. You'll probably won't get a straight answer to your questions or you might get a different answer from one agent to another.

 Most retirees or expats obtain an investment or  a retirement visa. There are some restrictions with these type of visas, and one of them is that you can't be out of the country for more than 90 days with in a 24 month period, and this happened to the wife of one of my friends!a few months back! She can't return for a certain period of time... 

When you apply for a retirement visa, be prepared to provide lots of paperwork, originals and certified copies (in some cases notarized and apostilled), and translated to Spanish. The documents include but are not limited to, Birth Certificates, Marriage Licenses, Certified Bank Letters that guarantee your retirement income and expect to pay anywhere in an average of $2000 in attorney fees.

Expect some issues when obtaining an Investment Visa, specially if you are planning to buy Real Estate.  To qualify for this visa, you need to invest and maintain a minimum of $25,000 in a bank if single, and $1000 per each dependent, so, if you have a family of three, then you need $27,000. Just like a retirement type visa, you need to provide with all the necessary paperwork. You can also qualifying for an Investor's visa buying  real estate. But the problem you may run into is that in order to qualify for an Investor's visa you need to provide the immigration services with the deed to the property you are acquiring, and, there have been numerous incidents were it turns into a nightmare to obtain the Deed Certificates eating up the time that you have been allowed to stay in the country legally. 

I sell real estate for a living, and I want you to hire me to be your agent but this is one of these circumstances where if you decide to get an investors or retirement visa, I will have to recommend you to rent first, and, I can help you with that as well. 

Ecuador is a beautiful country, and renting will give you the opportunity to find out if Ecuador is right for you. 

Meanwhile, we can go and look at some potential properties while you decide... 

But, if you are ready and decided about buying a piece of real estate.... You might want to consider a Corporation Visa or a Work Visa The corporation visa takes about 2 months to obtain. 

As a business entity, a corporation  does not need a visa, the visa is for the person who's behind the corporation. 

The requirement is that 1% of the shares of a corporation must be owned by an Ecuadorian citizen. The corporation must have a Manager to whom you'll pay the minimum wage, currently around $340 a month plus all the benefits required by law . You file 0 on your tax forms without penalty as long as you file on time, or you can hire the services of an accountant to file for you for less than $50 a month. You will need to assign a single transaction power of attorney(meaning that the power of attorney is only for the purpose of entitling one person to act in your behalf to form a corporation and no more)  whom you are going to send the necessary documentation to start a corporation in Ecuador.

 Later on, you can apply for an Investors or Retirement Visa.  

The advantages of the Corporation visa:

• It costs about $1,500 to $2,000 for attorney fees  
• You don't have traveling restrictions as for the Investors or Retirement Visas
• You can purchase real estate, and as soon as you get your deed you can apply for an Investor's visa
• It is not a resident visa, meaning that if you decide not to stay, you can sell/transfer your Corporation to someone else and Chao!

Oh! by the way, if you need an Ecuadorian Immigration Lawyer or documents translated from any language to other language in more than 40 languages, notarized and certified,  shoot me an email at ivangolfer78@gmail.com with a PDF file of the documents to by translated and I will send you a quote within 48 hours. You can find additional contact information even a a local US number where you can call me by clicking HERE

I'll see you when you get here!
Ivan Moncayo
   

Gringos Pay More? Why?

It works in my advantage to be part of two cultures. I was born in Ecuador but I´ve lived more than half of my adult life in the US. And not to brag or anything, but.... I think I am qualified to talk about this issue.

One of the things that doesn't make me too proud of being "half"  Ecuadorian is that I see how certain Ecuadorian citizens take advantage of the newly arrived visitor.

So, I decided to do a little research about this "dishonest issue" and I found out that most people see foreign visitors like they have a big dollar sign imprinted on their foreheads! It's true that $1 dollar goes a long way in Ecuador and when we just arrive, everything seems so cheap when  we are really paying 3 times the cost of taxi raid if we are not careful!

Same thing happens when we are looking at properties to buy! And that is why future buyers like to work with an "Agent" whom they have already developed a level of trust knowing that they will keep a high level of discretion when they are prospecting properties for foreign buyers. In other words, keeping their mouths shot without disclosing that their prospective buyers come from other country so they pay a fair price for a piece of Real Estate.

The majority of my clientele are US Citizens, and most of them have worked with a Realtor. It's an advantage for them to work with me because I apply the same level of service as if I was practicing Real Estate in the US.

There's no Agency Law intended to protect the buyer in this country, meaning that an Agent and a "Corredor Inmobiliario" are two different levels of service. The latter works on his own benefit while an Agent (which aren't easy to find) work on his or her client's interests.

Here is the link to one of my listings where you can find my contact information and even a picture! By the way, if you are a Real Estate Professional, there's a generous amount of $$$ for the agent who refers me a ready and able buyer.

Enjoy the show! http://QuintaEsencial.com

QuintaEsencial Vilcabamba-Ecuador

Moving to Ecuador?

Ecuador is once again the #1 place to live according to International Living Magazine. This is a great opportunity for local home builders and home owners to market their properties to International Buyers. The best way to advertise properties to international buyers is through the powerful combination of images and the internet! The reason is simple: It is NOT practical for a potential international to just come and visit a couple of properties, like he was just looking at properties in his own town and country! It's quite a long commute! Unless of course, they are coming to your hometown for vacation. The best way to sell properties to international buyers is to cater properties to them. One effective way of doing these is through the use of Virtual Tours. VirtuoMedia360 Interactive, is a Virtual Tour Company that focuses on Real Estate Marketing.

One of Ecuador's favorite spots for Retirees is Vilcabamba, AKA "The Valley of Longevity. Located in Southern Ecuador, this small town is home for the most diverse international community in the country. Here is the link for a Property marketed by VirtuoMedia360TM : http://QuintaEsencial.com where a web site and a Virtual Tour were combined to cater the best of this beautiful property.

Virtual Tour Powered by: VirtuoMedia360 Interactive

Enjoy the show! And if you are interested in advertising your properties overseas click HERE!