Sometimes the Cosmos bends in your direction.  That's how Gwen and I felt in January, 2019, when we sat with Tom in his office thinking we were opting - at least for the moment - not to purchase real estate in Ecuador.  We were near the end of a three week stay at Tom and Lynn's signature oceanfront development called Ensenada del Pacifico, in the village of San Clemente.  "A little piece of paradise" is surely an over-used phrase, but Ensenada del Pacifico merits the distinction, from its unobstructed ocean viewto the meticulous landscaping to the modern amenities and the eco-friendly best practices (seriously, is there a resort anywhere else in the world where a Ph.D. geochemist ponders the intricacies of swimming pool pH?).  

Ensenada del Pacifico, though, was a sold-out property

Tom and Lynn Saunders of Ecuador Beachfront Property have been so knowledgeable and professional throughout the process of purchasing our beautiful beachfront condo at Ensenada del Pacifico. We are so excited to begin our ‘next life’ on the coast of Ecuador in the town of San Clemente.

Lynn, Tom, and their amazing assistant, Jemma, did a lot of ‘hand holding’ throughout our journey. International questions, travel, timing of processes, financial obligations and even decor decisions were answered in a timely and reassuring way. We highly recommend Ecuador Beachfront Property for any of your buying or renting needs. Can’t wait to spend time on the coast with our new friends.

Brian and Marni Mount (March 2021)

Bradenton, FL USA

I first heard about the beautiful coast of Ecuador from watching House Hunters International. I was surprised how reasonable beachfront property was and decided to learn more. I found Tom and Lynn’s Ecuador Beachfront Property website and learned a lot from their blog alone, even before speaking with them. I sent an email to Tom and he was kind enough to speak with me on the phone. He called me and spent 45 minutes answering all my questions (I had a lot!!!)

From that point on, we established a great relationship, and we decided to work with them to find property for my husband and I on the coast. Choosing their new property, Ensenada del Pacifico in San Clemente was a no-brainer, and they guided us through each step of the purchasing process with ease. Being from the US, we were not familiar with Ecuador laws and regulations and Tom and Lynn provided us with answers and arranged for a power of attorney to assist with the purchasing process while we were in the States, guiding (and translating when necessary) us through every step. This process was easier than I would have imagined with

Our Permanent Vacation

We met Tom and Lynn of "Ecuador Beachfront Property" in April of 2015.  Our goal was to find a place to lease on the beach in Ecuador somewhere near Manta.  Although retirement and starting our “permanent vacation” was still two years away, we were anxious to narrow our search down so we contacted Thom and Lynn at Ecuador Beachfront Properties. In truth, we had been in contact with several websites and had been an avid House Hunters International watcher since 2014 .

Since our first contact with Tom and Lynn, we had been very clear that we would resist the desire to buy and wanted to lease a place on the beach for at least year before we made any decisions about location, buying and quite frankly Ecuador.  They listened and were understanding.

Tom gave me a tour of several properties in Crucita, San Jacinto and San Clemente including some properties under development. There was no pressure but there was a great

We felt as though we won the lottery when we stumbled on Tom And Lynn Saunders' website in late 2013. We met early in 2014 and recently purchased a beautiful condo in Crucita with their help and expertise. Our experience with Ecuador Beachfront Property has been 5 star all the way!! Tom and Lynn go above and beyond their obligations as realtors and have assisted us in so many ways. They are always there to provide advice and also offer help with day to day needs, such as arranging drivers, repairs, restaurant and shopping recommendations.

We were honoured to spend New Years Eve with them this year and hope that it will be the start of a new tradition
Their, honesty, integrity and professionalism has been evident in all our dealings with them.
We highly recommend this wonderful young couple for any real estate transaction, please feel free to contact us.

Peter and Linda Wartski (April 2015)

Thornhill, Ontario
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Our experience working with Tom and Lynn at Ecuador Beachfront Property was absolutely wonderful. From the very first email and phone call both of them were friendly, knowledgeable and willing to go above and beyond normal expectations to help us feel comfortable and informed. In fact, we felt so good about the situation that we bought our beach home before we even traveled to Ecuador or saw the actual property. Tom introduced us to a wonderful bilingual attorney nearby who was able to assist us with a POA to complete the purchase from our home. When we arrived to see the area and home we had no surprises the property was just as we had expected and we could not have been more pleased.

Tom and Lynn’s excellent service to us did not stop after the purchase was made, they continued to be available to answer all our questions each step along the way. When we traveled to visit our home for the first time, Tom made arrangements to have a driver pick us up at the airport and take us straight to our home, this was a great blessing to us with this being our first time in Ecuador, not speaking the language and being very unfamiliar with the area and us arriving late in the evening. Tom was waiting for us at the

Having a beachfront home in a tropical region had always been a dream of ours. My wife Danielle lived in Montreal all her life until moving to NJ in 2010. As a young child she knew someday she would be living on a beautiful beach in the tropics, NJ was that first step south to her dream.

I grew up in NY and lived for the summer going to Nathan’s in Coney Island and playing on the beach until the sun went down. When my children were young it was time to leave NY and head south (50 miles to the Jersey Shore). It wasn’t a big move but it was one step closer to the real south and eternal summer of my dreams.

In 2008 Danielle and I met, you guessed it, on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. In 2012 Danielle and I married and immediately started thinking how we could make our dreams a reality. We started reading many books and magazines about retiring in the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Panama or Ecuador. Neither of us had ever been to Ecuador so it was time for a fact-finding visit. By 2014 we had done a lot of research but really felt like it was a shot in the dark picking the right place and where do we start. That is when we came across Lynn and Tom. Right from our first correspondence we felt we had made friends. Tom made arrangements for a taxi to meet us at the airport (who ended up waiting about an hour for us); the driver was so nice he even apologized to us for our flight being delayed. About 10 minutes after arriving in our room Lynn was there to give us a warm greeting with her son in her arms. We would spend the next 10 days having a few meals together in the local restaurants with them and their 2 sons.  When Tom was not

We always dreamed of owning a beachfront property and opening a guesthouse, after years of traveling to destinations around the world we decided on Ecuador.  We surfed through numerous websites and found www.EcuadorBeachFrontProperty.com , printed out listings and returned to Ecuador to explore and determine if the properties were truly as beautiful as portrayed on the internet. Much to our delight – they were very nice! 

We contacted Tom Saunders as our real estate agent and scheduled several showings, after contemplating our budget and reviewing prices on existing homes plus renovation costs we decided to buy a parcel of land and build with Tom.  This was our first build and Tom graciously accommodated our requests, we handed over a rough sketch of our dream home and Tom took it from there employing an architect to complete blue prints and site design. Tom introduced us to our attorney:  Vicente Ruperto Palma Garcia, who coordinated the necessary legal work for purchasing the property and ensuring a clear title/survey and permits to build.  Tom communicated with us via Skype and email keeping us informed of the progress that was being made on our property while we were wrapping things up in the states. 

Tom’s wife Lynn was very helpful in recommending accommodations, drivers and day trips during the numerous visits that we made while the work was in progress.  Tom and Lynn Saunders have exceeded our expectations! 

The guesthouse is open and we are very happy with our new lifestyle. We highly recommend www.ecuadorbeachfrontproperty.com in fact, friends of ours have recently invested in a condominium project that the Saunders family is building.  Thank you Tom and Lynn, it has been a pleasure doing business with you and developing our friendship along the way – Saludos!

Please share our information with potential clients, we’ll be glad to answer their questions and accommodate them at our guesthouse when they visit Ecuador!

Marty Williams & Jim Franks (February 2015)

Casa WF, San Jacinto, Manabi - Ecuador

Williamsandfranks.com

Our new house is located in a tiny town on the coast of Ecuador, on the beach, and was built by Tom Saunders in 4 months flat. For anyone who's attempted such a feat, that's a shocking accomplishment. Especially if it's built to North American standards. In retrospect their knowledge, experience, and savvy made our first (and probably only) built home a very satisfying experience overall.
Again, thank you Tom for accommodating, facilitating, and expediting our dream.

Stephen and Kerri Sweeney (September 2012)
Snohomish,  Washington

The greatest thing that we can say about buying land with the guidance of Tom Saunders is that there were really no surprises and we were well prepped for what to expect throughout the process.  I think the most difficult part of any deal in life is matching expectations to reality.  Although sales is important, solid servicing separates the Saunders from the rest of the herd.  In this light, they have a history of providing us with timely suggestions, observations and general information re: activities which may be influencing the value of our purchase.  Their personal experiences as successful land owners and facilitators for sellers and buyers has served them well.  We have joined the ranks of satisfied customers and are looking forward to working with them through the construction phase on our property.

Mike and Linda Dexter (February 2013)

Olympia, WA

We would like to recommend Tom Saunders without any reservations based on his services to us with both the purchase and sale of beachfront properties in Ecuador. We met Tom and Lynn in 2010 while searching for our retirement destination. They provided us with a gamut of options from completed homes to bare lots and gave us a very honest and realistic representation of what would be involved in purchasing existing construction versus building a custom home. They guided us through each step of the purchase process of our beachfront lot. When our retirement plans changed for personal reasons, Tom enabled us to resell our lot through them from the US. We have been impressed by Tom's transparency and integrity throughout our business dealings and for making us feel very much at home in Ecuador with their warmth and kindness.

Bob and Claudia Dutkiewicz (April 2013)
Phoenix,  Arizona

On a 0 to 100 percent scale I would rate Tom and Lynn Saunders performance in enabling my wife and I to live in Ecuador for 6 months in two excellent locations along the coast as 101%. They both went the extra mile to insure we were thoroughly informed, prepared, and ready to begin an exciting new venture.
 
They are a fine couple and complement each other perfectly. They are to us so much more than real estate agents, Tom and Lynn are friends who we treasure for who they are, as they are excellently suited for what they do.  Without proper preparation, U.S. citizens can experience shock when departing the friendly, safe and comfortable living enjoyed in the U.S. and this is where Tom and Lynn can make the difference between an adventure of a lifetime or a nightmare.  They do so much more than just renting one a place to live. They insure your arrival is planned with a dependable taxi driver who knows you by name. Their web site is an abundant source of valuable information availabe nowhere else online. Both Tom and Lynn are available to answer any and all questions one may have and more importantly, they will give you information on topics and cultural variances that you may not even be aware of. And lastly, they will not desert you after you sign a lease. It is at that time they go the extra mile, after the lease is signed.

Richard and Elizabeth Rohrbacher (December 2012)
Palm Desert, California

I found my little house inside the condominium development of Arena, Sol, Y Mar in Crucita on the web, while I was searching for retirement property in Ecuador. 

I flew into Quito to meet Rafael Andrade, the civil engineer, in September, 2010. We flew into Manta and taxied to Crucita the following day.  While staying at my house in Crucita for several days, I met Tom Saunders, his lovely wife, Lynn, and newborn son, Kai, along with Carlos, the architect.

We made trips to the city of Portoviejo to consolidate the closing paperwork on the purchase of the house and shop for household items. Portoviejo is a shopping mecca to purchase nearly anything under the sun.  

I fell instantly in love with the small and developing fishing village of Crucita, which felt somewhat rudimentarily lost in time compared to life in the United States. The locals were exceptionally friendly with many restaurants providing savory foods at very reasonable prices.

From the balcony of my house, I enjoyed watching paragliders fly down from the hills and the waves roll in from the clean waters of the sea with a temperate climate and refreshing breezes. I took short walks frequently to the park and into town to admire the ingenuous culture of Ecuadorians.

I visited the condo buildings with their breathtaking views of the ocean and town of Crucita. The condominium construction is truly a remarkable feat with an immense amount of materials and labor. I invite any prospective buyers to contact me.

Tom was undoubtedly the best agent I ever had, who called frequently and emailed answers to my many questions. Rafael was legally knowledgeable about the purchase process and sophisticated in dealing with the notary and land registry offices in Portoviejo.

I would like to thank everyone above for all their assistance in making my trip so enjoyable and property purchase successful in such a professional manner. I look forward to returning to see all of them soon and live happily in Crucita.

Gracias,

Darlene Brock (November 2010)
Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Recently I took a trip to Ecuador to look at some property to buy. When planning my trip I researched a few different areas of the country and realtors in Ecuador. I contacted 4 or 5 people there and decided to visit the Crucita area where Tom Saunders and his wife Lynn live. My experience with them and ecuadorbeachfrontproperty.com was great. They are fluent in Spanish and English and helped with everything from start to finish. Flights, transportation, lodging, food, you name it. I flew into Quito and they suggested a local Hotel that they had stayed at. The next day I had someone waiting for me at the airport in Manta when I arrived who took me to my hotel in Crucita. I had a great stay at a Hotel for 14$ a night which included breakfast. They arranged tours of local properties for sale, answered all my questions and helped with sightseeing and tours of the local area. After I left Curcita, they helped with lodging and transportation to the Isle de la Plata area and my then transportation back to the airport in Manta.

After visiting I decided to buy 2 properties in the Crucita area and they arraigned help for me from Local attorney who completed the purchases. The process of buying property was clear and complete thanks to the help from Tom and Lynn and when I left Ecuador the help didn’t stop. They helped complete the buying process and are helping me plan and build on one of my properties. They offer a complete service from start to finish.

I couldn’t have had such a great vacation and buying experience with out their help. They made me feel welcome and at home in Ecuador. I highly recommend Tom and Lynn Saunders and ecuadorbeachfrontproperty.com for your next trip to Ecuador.  

Sincerely, Andy Yearous (April 2012)
Wadena, Idaho

From the initial contact to the completion of our purchase of the condo, Tom and Lynn Saunders were very helpful and honest throughout. They went out of their way to make sure everything was taken care of, and done properly to ensure a pleasant and comforting transaction. Ecuador has so much to offer, and is making progress in such a positive fashion we continue to be pleased with our choice to invest and enjoy this wonderful country.

Jess & Angela Juettner (November 2011)
Kamloops, BC Canada

I had the fortune or the luck to come across www.ecuadorbeachfrontproperty.com while searching for my piece of paradise in Ecuador in 2009. I have done as much as possible of a research on Tom and Lynn as I could, as i was doing the initial part of the purchase over the internet. I have got from them all the information and support that i needed to go ahead and fly down to close on the property. Much later did i found out that there is a plenty of unscrupulous real estate agents, that are happy to take you for a ride. Tom and Lynn are not one of them.....If you want to have an experienced, honest, and caring team on your side, they are your people. You can absolutely trust them, as they are people of a very high integrity, and it will be apparent to you the moment you meet them. Unfortunately my circumstances have changed, and i had to sell my little pice of paradise in the fall of 2012. Thanks to tom and lynn,  the sale was smooth, and i didn't even fly down to sign the paperwork. tom and Lynn took care of all the necessary details, with minimum requirements on my part. They are a true gems, i highly recommend them.

Michaela Bartakova (November 11, 2012)
   New York City,  New York

I am very fortunate to have had the assistance and friendship of Tom Saunders and his wife, Lynn in locating, purchasing, and managing my condo at Arena Sol y Mar II in Crucita over the past several years.  They have assisted in choosing furniture, securing tenants, arranging for HOA and utility payments, scheduling prompt repairs, and providing expert concierge-style service to the guests in my Crucita "home."

Both Tom and Lynn have exhibited honesty and integrity throughout our association and have been members of the community for over 7 years; I have no hesitation in recommending their services  either in purchasing or managing property in Manabi.

Please feel free to contact me should you have further questions about their services.

Bob Faske (May 2013)
   West Palm Beach,  Florida
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When I came to Ecuador to research real estate prices; I didn’t know what to expect. The very next day I arrived in Manta. I called a few local agents but due to their inability to find me something in my price range and in a comfortable area, I decided to call Ecuador Beachfront Property. A gentleman by the name of Tom Saunders answered. He asked me some basic questions on what I was looking for. After a brief conversation, I agreed to visit him in the town of San Clemente, a small cozy town just a little under an hour drive from Manta. It was a welcomed site. It was quiet and had a friendly vibe to it. Tom met me in town. Thank God, he knew Spanish to guide the taxi driver to our meeting spot.

Upon my arrival, he and his charming family invited me into his home for a cool beverage and showed me online some of the properties that might interest me. Once we decided on a couple, he took me on a tour of these properties.  I have to admit that it was a hard decision to choose which property I wanted.  Once back at his home, I got to meet some more of his family, mom and dad. The whole family welcomed me and fed me a great lunch.  When it was time to make a decision Tom and his lovely wife, Lynn gave exact details of what to expect. I allowed Tom to act on my behalf and left a power of attorney to him, which was the easiest way to go due to the fact that my flight left in a couple of days. They were very trust worthy and kept me in the loop at all times. It is good to know that when I do return to Ecuador, I have friends.

Sincerely,

Dean W Willingham (November 2014)
   Pheonix, Arizona