The best services to use when moving to Ecuador

Best service I didn't use:  containerized shipping.  Deciding to take extra suitcases onto the plane -- and avoid the expense and logistical problems of fancy shipping -- made things simple.

Best service I did use:  my Quito immigration attorney, Sebastian Cordero.  He got a visa extension when the U.S. State Department botched my apostille .. and that gave us the time needed to successfully obtain a residency visa.

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Visa Facilitator Dana Cameron

She is the person who everyone finds out does it better, after they paid a hefty deposit to those "gringo" professionals.
She's also where folks go when those other facilitators screw up.

To separate her from the rest, and after more than a decade with an amazing record for ethical work product, reliability, and consistently on the nose ahead of the curve knowledge of changes and updates to the visa requirements, plus the most economical prices, and her daily in office appearances... Dana Cameron deserves the unique title of Ecuador Visa Guru

Here's her personal email

xxx

(the nifty business one is sending spam... )

You can also find her on Facebook xxx

Susan

Note: I get absolutely no kickback for this endorsement.

Hi everyone,

@ Susan, perhaps you could recommend this professional in the Ecuador business directory so that members can access her contact details.

Thanks for sharing,
all the best,
Bhavna

Okay!

Thanks...because everyone should know about this great lady.  And, she´s about to be a grandma this month so she deserves extra kudos.

She first arrived in Ecuador, from her home town of Detroit where she was a crime reporter.  A daughter of a Detroit police officer killed from service injuries, she raised her 3 kids as a single mom following divorce (but is still in touch with dad).  She came to Ecuador first to do missionary work and returned with her children to teach school and raise them here. Her youngest daughter is now in her early 20s.  Her oldest child, her son, eventually returned to Detroit when grandma became elderly to support and care for her, she passed last year and he still cares for the house and his uncle as well as working full time. Her middle daughter is a teacher and also works with immigration service and specializes in animal immigration, and yes will e a new mom herself soon.  They are all active in animal rescue and the all still continue the work with HIV children and the elder lepers that originally brought them to this country. 

Professor Cameron is also a university level English professor who teaches in the Guayaquil educational system and is on-ca for the US Consulate in Guayaquil for Emergencies.

I´ll go add this to resources right now.

Susan

Unfortunately the system for the Ecuador Business Directory has a glitch.

Therefore I cannot upload Dana Cameron´s information for people to contact her as per Bhava´s request. And while I have as per Priscillas request,sent an email immediately to Christopher (who runs that part of the Site here) I just received a follow up from her that I should not expect any assistance  until after the weekend as he is on holiday.

Since the rules will not allow the listing of how to contact this particular Service Provider, I guess it will be more of a challenge for anyone who would like the information.  But you folks are up to a challenge! Please feel free to contact me by the mail program here until they get things straightened out and I will be happy to provide you with the telephone, email, and Facebook site for Prof. Cameron.

I am sure the Ecuador Business Directory glitch will be dealt with shortly.

What were the biggest hurdles you faced when moving to Ecuador? Were there any services available that helped?

Spanish was definitely a hurdle, but I smile back on those days because it was a humbling experience for me because of my success as an expat. Those days have shaped who I am as an Ecuadorian resident. That initial hurdle (Spanish), has led me to continuously learn Spanish not to merely get by on daily basis, which I am doing with ease nowadays, but to become part of society.

Which services helped you most upon your arrival in Ecuador?


Transport

The goal was to get the family and all of our things from the airport to the hotel. Initially I acquired about transportation from the hotel but they annoyed me because they didn't reply to my request in a prompt manner so I booked a transportation service online, which responded in less than 24 hours. A taxi for us was not an option because of our many bags.

Another transportation service that I used was by way of the hotel.    I got comfortable with one guy who had a nice minivan and I used his service to take the family out to explore Quito and surrounding areas.

Accommodation

Accommodation went like this hotel > temporary furnished apartment > yearly rental apartment.  I booked a hotel online and at the last minute because the prices were fluctuating but I had my eye on 4 hotels and when a good price was available I made the booking.

After settling in the hotel which had every imaginable service I started to look at AirBnB apartments close by and in the area we wanted to live in. Some AirBnB apartments are absolutely marvelous and of course more spacious and cheaper than hotels.

One may wonder, well why not just go straight to an AirBnB apartment rather than spending several nights at a hotel and saving money. Well when it comes to my family, security is of utmost importance, and also once in another country while vacationing an AirBnB owner was late to meet us by an hour. That was an inconvenience.

After settling in an AirBnB apartment we started to get everything done, and also started to look for longer term accommodation. To find an apartment I used real estate agents, walked around, and also drove around with a relative of a friend I met on the flight here.

The good thing about real estate agents whether you use their service or not is they line up a lot of apartments for you to see in a few hours. So that along with the AirBnB apartments gave us a good idea of what kind of place we wanted. This was crucial because in this climate a sunny home makes a huge difference for example we never experienced mold.

Were there any that helped you adapt and integrate in your new home?

My Ecuadorian friend, who remains a close friend of mine to this day was the biggest help. He also helped save me a lot of money, for example a nearly identical bunk bed to ones sold on Shyris can be found for a fraction of the price at San Roque, and that's a place he took me too. Also with many other things like internet installation and so on.

Did you find the price of the different services available reasonable? Were there any that were overpriced, to your mind?

The prices for services are quite reasonable by global standards with the exception of some touristy stuff some of which have exaggerated prices do to expats owning the businesses. But one can circumvent these people as I do and not give them a cent.

The shocker is the cost of material things but surely but slowly I am getting the stuff I want by way of trips abroad and also by friends and family. I'll have two suitcases worth of goodies coming in this summer, for instance a cappuccino machine and other stuff that are outrageously priced here. One gets by and it's fun getting stuff this way and more importantly it kind of prevents buying unnecessary things.

I'm emigrating to live in Quito with my (Ecuadorian) partner in Sept 2017. We already have an apartment, but are planning to move to a new property in 2018.
Warning to all ....... beware of thinking that transferring money from an overseas bank into an account in Ecuador is simple - its anything but.  I am having to provide notarized statements and evidence that the money in my (UK) bank account is actually mine!!  Challenging - as UK Banks are unable to provide such evidence. 
I'm only thankful that my partner is knowledgeable, and as an Ecuadorian lawyer she can find her way through most obstacles .....
Also beware if you are buying land,  be absolutely certain that the vendor is entitled to sell (we've had one who wasn't), check the safety from Cotopaxi, and  check the land legal details regarding permission to build - don't necessarily believe the vendor, new environmental laws prevent building (ANY building)  within certain specified distances from natural water courses.
Also look carefully at what you get from a broadband/internet provider, try to go for fibre, as some copper-based companies promise 3Mb - and only last week I've been struggling to get as much as 1Mb.
I agree with the earlier comment re using extra baggage to move things, rather than a Container, this time I've brought a bicycle and additional bags - it works well, and on arrival in Quito finding willing luggage porters is both easy and cheap.

All that said, really looking forward to finally moving in September

Susan,

Can you private message me her contact info?  I have to renew my US passport and need to know what I have to do to get my visa in my new passport.  All gringos here in manta have different opinions on the process and of course all answers are different, even tho everyone "knows" someone who works in those offices.  Thanks so much!!

I brought a container in because all my furniture was less than 2 years old and cost me a fortune.  If I tried to sell it in Florida, I may have recouped 1/4th of the money back.  And then I would have had to turn around and buy all new stuff here.  It was a pain, but trust me, I'm thankful every night when I lay down on my california king temperpedic mattress.  But originally we were going to live in a condo that was half the size of my house, which we had bought preconstruction.  So there was quite a few things we didn't bring.  After 2 delayed years of completion, we sold it and bought a house.  I can tell you that I would have packed my container much differently if I knew I was going to end up in a house.

As far as wires from foreign banks in europe, we also had to provide that info the first 2 times we did any wires into our account here.  However, we haven't had to do that in quite a few years.  Late last fall my husband ended up in hospital metropolitano in Quito, twice due to an illness they couldn't figure out that threw his transplanted kidney into an acute rejection.   I emailed my bank with the instructions to do 2 wires, one to our account here and one to my US account so I could pay his medical bills.  Due to time differences, it took a the next day to telephone verbal approvement and they told me the funds would be available the next day.  Thinking I'm in ecuador, and I'm just getting mail that was forwarded here over 6 months ago, I assumed it would be up to a week for the bank here to make my funds available.  Believe it or not, it was available the next day.

The things I miss most and would be willing to pay top dollar for is vet care, a great kennel, and decent dog food and meds.  Oh and the warm water mobile grooming I had come to my house every 6 weeks.  I've had bad experiences here with the grooming, which left my girls in severe pain for 5 days.  And that was by my vet here in manta.  He also has a kennel that I refuse to take them to anymore, so me and my husband haven't travelIed together in a while.  Now I groom my dogs myself, but it's not a fun day for any of us.  Granted grooming here is like $35 for both my dogs,  but it's nothing special I just keep them cut short, and they always forget to cut their nails.  With a tip in Florida I was paying $150 per visit but never had problems, ever.  For the kennel here I take their own crate and bedding, and it's less than $20 a day, but they always come home covered in ticks, even when they're there for the day to get groomed.  And yes I have spray and drops that they get, and I have complained numerous times.  In Florida, I was paying $80 a day for both of them, but it was a great place.  Actually a house and they had their own bedroom with an outside run attached, a big open field to play and a pool.  Oh and each had a cot for a bed.  I would gladly pay for services like that here.