Ecuador Beachfront Real Estate Questions and Answers

We only purchase properties that have a clear, legal title to the land/property. When you buy from us, the title will be legally transferred from our name to yours via a Notary Public and the property will be registered in your name in the Registry of Properties.

4. What is the buying process like?

As described above, a Notary Public oversees and documents the legal transfer of title from the seller to the buyer. From there, the property is officially registered in the new owner's name. The process from the buyer's end takes between 1-2 days and typically costs less than $700 (although this varies depending on the cost of the property). In our case, the purchase is made via a bank transfer from one account to the other.

A thorough description of the process can be found here:

http://www.pro-ecuador.com/Ecuador-real-estate-buying-process.html

5. Are building permits required to build or renovate?

Yes, a building permit is required but the process is much less stringent than in the U.S. Often, the architect/engineer in charge of managing the construction project can take care of any necessary permits.

6. How much would it cost to build a house?

A custom home can be built for approximately $30/square foot (including all design/material/labor costs). A quality built brand new 1200 sq. ft. home would cost around $36,000.

7. How could I organize/manage construction activities from afar?

We could help set you up (at no cost) with an architect that we've worked with in the past. He deals with any permitting required, does the design work, organizes all labor and materials. His services would be included in the $30/square foot estimate.

8. How much are property taxes?

Expect to pay less than $100/year in taxes.

9. Are these areas safe?

These areas tend to be very safe. However, as always, it is important to practice common sense. Women should not walk alone at night in isolated areas. You should keep expensive belongings out of sight in homes and vehicles.

10. What would I do with my home when I am away?

It is a good idea to pay someone to watch over your home if you will be away for an extended period of time. For example we pay roughly $500/year to a woman who watches a couple properties for us. We'd be happy to help you find a similar arrangement.

11. What is the climate like?

The coast of Ecuador has 2 seasons: wet and dry. The rainy season is approximately December - March and paradoxically this is also the sunniest time of the year (think morning rain with the sun coming out full force in the afternoon). The dry season is typically overcast yet still warm although there are also many days of full blown sunshine. Temperatures year-round are 70-90 degrees F. In our house in Crucita, we are very comfortable year-round with the windows open to let in the ocean breeze or with the ceiling fan on.

To get an idea of average monthly temps for the region you can go to www.wunderground.com and type in Manta, Ecuador and then look for the monthly averages.

For a nice overview of weather by region in Ecuador read this:

http://www.goecuador.com/ecuador-general-info/ecuador-climate.html

12. What are the beaches like?

The beaches around San Jacinto and Canoa are great! Sandy, flat and lots of it, even during high tide.

13. Can you swim in the water?

Yes-the waters are swimmable year-round.

14. What about access to potable water?

Water access: Each home typically has a cistern that is filled as needed by a water truck. It costs about $30 to fill a 8 cubic meter cistern. From the cistern a water pump is used to deliver water to the home under pressure.

The water comes from a treatment plant but precaution is advised and the water should not be considered potable! You can readily purchase bottled water. Or what we do in our home in Crucita is we have a filter on our kitchen tap that we use for our drinking water.

15. What about access to electricity?

Access to electricity: Currently all our properties have ready access to electricity.

16. What voltage is used there?

The voltage used here is 110V (same as U.S.). For higher loads, like air conditioning, 220V is available.

17. What about internet access?

There is an satellite-based internet installation company that charges $50/month for "broadband" which is not the broadband as we know it in the US but nevertheless is functional. Samuel, the owner only charges the monthly fee when you're in town. When we leave for months at a time we let him know in advance and we aren't charged. He comes and sets up the system and provides free maintenance if needed.

18. What do you do for a phone there?

Landlines for telephones are becoming a thing of the past here. Nearly everyone has a cell phone which you can purchase for as little as $30 and then use prepaid calling cards (no plan or contract is required). There are 2 main companies: Porta or Moviestar. Cell phone coverage for both companies tends to be very good around the country.

19. Is there road access?

Currently all of our properties have road access.

20. Do I need a visa to visit Ecuador?

All you need is a valid passport which entitles you to 90 days in country as a tourist. You can request an extension of another 90 days. You can also apply for residency.

21. How do you get there?

You can arrange an international flight into either the Quito (UIO) or Guayaquil (GYE) airport.

Arriving from Quito: You can take another flight into either the Portoviejo (PVO) or Manta (MEC) airport. These flights are ~30 min in duration and ~$75 each way. There are sometimes flights in Bahia de Caraquez (BHA) but these are only during major holidays. From either PVO or MEC it is less than a 3 hour drive. You can take a bus, rent a car, or hire a taxi.

From Guayaquil: There are no flights to nearby cities from Guayaquil. It is roughly a 6-8 hour drive either by bus, rental car, or taxi.

We are happy to help you make travel arrangements to come view any of our properties (and no, we wouldn't charge you a fee!).

22. How far is it to the nearest city?

The nearest major cities to San Jacinto are Bahia de Caraquez and Portoviejo. From Canoa, the closest major city is Bahia de Caraquez.

23. Where are the closest airports?

There are three airports within 1-1.5 hours from the San Jacinto to Canoa areas: Manta (MEC) and Portoviejo (PVO) have daily flights to/from Quito. The airport at Bahia de Caraquez (BHA) currently offers flights only during major holidays. For more info on how to arrive to visit our properties, see Answer 21.

24. What airlines fly from the U.S. to Ecuador?

Delta and American have regular flights to Ecuador. Latin American-based airlines like TACA and LAN-Ecuador are very good and actually tend to provide better service.

25. Can I rent a car in Ecuador?

Yes, you can rent a car at most airports in Ecuador but it is more expensive than in the U.S. Here are a couple of links:

http://www.goecuador.com/traveler-guide/ecuador-car-rental.html

http://www.thebestofecuador.com/gcar.htm

http://www.carmaxrentacar.com/english.html

Another option is to hire a driver to avoid having to deal with the chaos of city driving.

26. Is it cheap to buy a vehichle in Ecuador?

Actually it is considerably more expensive to buy a new or used vehicle here. The good news is that used vehicles if they're cared for tend to hold their value so you can sell the vehicle for about the same price you bought it for a couple years prior.

27. Is Ecuador fun?

YES.

28. What does gas cost there?

Gas prices are regulated by the government and amount to $1.48/gallon.

29. Are there hospitals nearby?

There is a medical clinic in Charapoto (about 10 minutes from San Jacinto). There are hospitals in Rocafuerte (30 min from San Jacinto) and in Bahia de Caraquez (about 40 minutes from both San Jacinto and Canoa). Both Guayaquil and Quito have modern hospitals. We used Hosptial Metropolitano in Quito and were very impressed.

30. What would I do about medical insurance?

It is a very good idea to ensure that your insurance covers you while you are living or traveling abroad. Here is a link with a few different international insurance plans:

http://www.internationalcitizens.com/health_insurance/

31. Are there any vaccines that are necessary?

There are no required vaccinations but for safety's sake, it's a good idea to have vaccinations for Hepatitis A/B and typhoid. Malaria is not an issue on the coast (except in the Esmeraldes Province in the north). However, if you plan to spend time in the Oriente (the lowland jungles) you should consider getting a Yellow Fever vaccination and purchasing anti-malaria meds.

32. Are there lots of mosquitoes and other bugs?

Bugs aren't a real problem (especially compared to other places we've lived, like Florida!), especially with the consistent onshore breeze in the area. Bugs, including mosquitos, are virtually absent in the dry season. In the rainy season mosquitoes do appear. Nonetheless, the mosquitoes really are nothing though compared to other places we've lived (like Florida!).

33. Is there good fishing?

Yes-there is definitely good fishing (and eating)! Sea bass, mahi-mahi, tuna, marlin, snapper, etc.

34. Other than fishing, what other activities are around?

Other nearby outdoor activities include surfing, paragliding, horseback riding, sea kayaking, whale-watching. We'll be expanding on these soon so check back!

35. When is whale watching season?

Humpback whale-watching season is from June-October.

36. How can I make my home more eco-friendly?

Please feel free to contact us about potential eco-improvements to any property.

37. Is there a place we can rent while we are in the area?

We'd be happy to help you make housing arrangements while you're in the area.

38. Where can I find information about relocating to Ecuador?

There are LOTS of resources on the web! Here are a few links to explore:

http://movetoecuador.com/

http://www.ecuadorliving.com/

http://www.pro-ecuador.com/index.html

http://www.internationalliving.com/Countries/Ecuador

http://www.thebestofecuador.com/livingec.htm

39. What about retiring in Ecuador?

Again, there is a lot of information out there! Here are a few places to start...

http://www.retire-in-ecuador.com/

http://www.internationalliving.com/Countries/Ecuador/Retirement

http://ecuadorbeachfrontproperties.com/news.html

http://www.pro-ecuador.com/retirement-in-ecuador.html

40. Is Ecuador a good place to invest?

Many people believe so. Here is a recent article on the subject:

http://www.escapefromamerica.com/2009/04/real-estate-in-ecuador/

41. What are some helpful websites for traveling in Ecuador?

Here are a couple links. We'll add some more soon...

http://www.exploringecuador.com

http://www.vivecuador.com/

42. Do you recommend a Spanish Language Program?

There are tons of programs out there that vary greatly in price and quality. Lynn recommends the Rocket Spanish program. We both already speak spanish from years of travel in Latin America but she is using the Rocket French program and has enjoyed it. For under 100 bucks, it is a great value especially when compared to Rosetta Stone.

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