Living in Ecuador

bruceberger wrote:

We are looking to purchase a one story home....
What would be the cost for heating the home, electricity, and phone?

Does one need to have a car or can you get around without one in the most popular expat cities there....

What airlines fly into Ecuador?

OK, Bruce, let's take a crack at several of these questions, for starters.
Your question about the one-story home scenario is more complex than it might appear and deserves a separate answer.

Electricity is cheap in Ecuador and heating is not commonly needed in homes here.  Your days of paying big bucks for electricity during the Long Island winters will be over.

My cost of electricity with occasional use of a space heater included is just under ten dollars a month on average.  That's for a one-bedroom condo in Quito for a single person.

Most Expats in Quito and Cuenca do not own cars.  Reasons for this include:  dependable bus service, higher cost of buying a car than in most countries, aggressive Ecuadorian drivers, and bureaucratic barriers to obtaining a license based on an unexpired non-EC license.

Airlines:  LAN and TAME are popular.  Punch in Quito's city code of UIO into booking.com along with your preferred U.S. airport's code, possibly JFK, for a more complete picture.  U.S. hubs are Miami, Houston and Atlanta.

cccmedia in Quito

bruceberger wrote:

We are looking to purchase a one story home where we could rent it out when we are not in Ecuador.  Is this feasible?

We have never been to Ecuador, but have heard of four or five cities where the weather is called Eternal Spring.

Living in eternal spring is possible in Quito, Cuenca, Loja, Cotacachi, Vilcabamba and other highland cities.  The coast may be too warm for you.

Here in the capital, the monthly high is in the upper 60's F. year-round.  Everybody who is swimming is doing it indoors except at a couple of the fanciest hotels that may have heated pools.

Quito's suburbs are in valleys at lower altitude, offer outdoor swimming and may be a good option for you to explore.

One-story homes are less common here than on Long Island.  Not saying that you can't find one, though.

As for your snowbird scenario and renting to part-time tenants, it may be a major challenge to find a competent, reliable property manager with whom language is not a barrier.  Especially since the one-floor requirement may limit your geographic choices for purchase.

Always keep in mind the #1 rule for newly-arrived Expats:

Do not buy property in Ecuador until you have lived here for one year.

That rule is trickier than it seems due to the arcane visa law, whose requirements you would need to learn.

cccmedia in Quito

bruceberger wrote:

My wife & I are both 67.  We are looking for a place to retire either part of the year or for the full year eventually.  Currently we live in Long Island, N.Y.

Bruce

To obtain and retain perm res visa you will only be allowed out of Ecuador a total of 90 days in each of the first two years.  Without such a visa you are only allowed in Ecuador 90 days every 12 months unless you get the visa extended while going for a residential visa.  Currently you only need to have $800/month retirement income plus $100/month more for each dependent.  GOOD LUCK IN YOUR QUEST!!!

cccmedia wrote:

As for your snowbird scenario and renting to part-time tenants, it may be a major challenge to find a competent, reliable property manager with whom language is not a barrier.  Especially since the one-floor requirement may limit your geographic choices for purchase.

Always keep in mind the #1 rule for newly-arrived Expats:

Do not buy property in Ecuador until you have lived here for one year.



cccmedia in Quito

Spot on advice CCC.

Buying a property, having it appreciate, perhaps generating a rental income for part of the year is a terrific idea, but now throw into the mix a country you're not familiar with. A real estate market you're not familiar with. A language you may, or may not speak. Rules, and regulations you're not familiar with. Isn't really like you but a property, and a long list of qualified renters are going to show up, who are begging to rent. Do you know what the tenant/landlord laws are in Ecuador? Do they strongly favor the landlord or tenant? If a tenant doesn't pay, damages, or steals from property, what are you going to do?

Obviously purchasing a property isn't a bad idea, but spend a year or two renting, and familiarizing yourself with your area of interest, and what the market is there.

You also have the option to invest $25,000 or more in real estate or a bank CD to satisfy the financial requirements for a visa.

If you go the $800 pensioner route, the income must be from U.S. Social Security, an annuity, a company pension or another source deemed reliable by the Cancilleria.

cccmedia in Quito