Cuenca Expat Apartment Walkthrough & Interview with Gerald & Derek

Рет қаралды 5,646

Күн бұрын

Two expats now living in Cuenca, Gerald & Derek, take us on an apartment tour & provide insights into their journey of moving to Ecuador.
===
Links mentioned in video:
- Gerald's book, Krampus & Friends. Buy on Amazon: amzn.to/3qebZA4
- Carpenter for cat modifications. CatServicesEcuador: bit.ly/3q8zTNo
Contact Gerald & Derek
- Gerald: / gerald.cole.754
- Derek: / dgdw , / dgdw , / dgdw81
===
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:34 Dining room
01:47 Living room
02:35 Cat concerns
03:04 Kitchen
04:40 Maid's quarters
05:22 Up the stairs
05:51 TV / Social room
06:43 Breakfast nook
06:56 Bedroom 2
07:46 Master bedroom
08:59 Wrap around balcony
11:53 Interview - Why Cuenca?
14:10 Cuenca cost of living
15:00 Why rent this apartment?
17:36 Cat modifications
20:38 Renting: USA vs Ecuador
21:37 Experience with YapaTree
24:19 Rental price & negotiating
27:12 Location
28:31 Tranvia
29:33 Lifestyle in Cuenca
32:33 Integrating
33:30 Research & shipping tips
37:03 Healthcare
41:01 Wrapping up
42:10 Krampus and Friends by Gerald Cole: Book trailer
===
YapaTree Properties:
- Contact Jason: jason@yapatree.com or +593999475705
- YapaTree: yapatree.com/
- Rent or Buy Cuenca Properties: yapatree.com/cuenca-ecuador-r...
- Cuenca deals: yapatree.com/deals/
- Cuenca events: yapatree.com/cuenca-events/

Пікірлер: 45

@Nefertiti7788 Жыл бұрын

Great video. It was pleasent to see the whole house and the entusiasm and happiness of these two guys is contagious. I'm glad you are settled in Cuenca. ❤❤❤❤

@yapatree9495 Жыл бұрын

Thanks! This video was a pleasure to create. Gerald and Derek were amazing.

@dgdw Жыл бұрын

Thank you!!

@2ndSprings Жыл бұрын

This was a great tour and interview. Thank you, kind sir.

@yapatree9495 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the love Brian. Be well!

@billassim9014 Ай бұрын

Great Video, the Terrace size, awesome,

@yapatree9495 Ай бұрын

Thanks Bill. The terrace certainly is a showstopper.

@gford9988 11 ай бұрын

thank you for sharing. It certainly is a beautiful apartment. It makes me take moving to Ecuador more seriously

@yapatree9495 11 ай бұрын

Thank you :) There's property here for many tastes and budgets. You're welcome to ping us with any questions about your move (property or otherwise).

@MarkCMoran Жыл бұрын

Hi Gerald and Derek! It was great meeting you guys on Sunday and thanks for this video sharing your home. Ruhi and I hope to see you guys around town while we’re still in Cuenca so we can geek out more on The Doctor and Backpacks. :-) And you have cats?? We can compare cat photos! Our cat loves to hide under covers too. :-) Or, if you need cat sitters, just let us know. ;-) And you were right about your Doctor Who collection. That is impressive!

@dgdw Жыл бұрын

Hey!! Emailed you using the email address on your KZfaq profile :)

@defazio8 Жыл бұрын

Great interview ❤ thank you

@yapatree9495 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the comment. Much appreciated.

@kellithomas2815 Жыл бұрын

I really enjoyed this video. I feel you mentioned some really great points. I am curious about the cats - you felt the need to keep them safe on the balcony? I am bringing mine, and I just assumed he would be fine. Was it your cats in particular, or is this a concern for all cats? Sorry to sound dumb, I have never lived in a high rise or anything with a balcony, lol. Thank you so much for the referrals you listed. I would definitely need a carpenter and cat guy. Funny, tonight I was wondering if I need to bring all my cat trees, or if I would be able to find them there. Then I saw your video! I assume you had the trees built for you? Also - did you have a problem getting premium cat food there? Very curious about all things cat related. My sister and I are moving there. She has a big dog, but it is MOST important that his highness the tuxedo cat is happy and comfortable! Thanks again, that video was awesome! We will be there on an excursion in December :)

@yapatree9495 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your detailed comment Kelli. Sounds like we may need to do a cat-focused video in future :)

@Mars2152 11 ай бұрын

Yeah. They are over compensating. Cats 🐈 are just fine. Only the dumb ones fall. They will be just fine.

@dgdw 8 ай бұрын

Hi Kelli, no you don’t sound dumb at all! Our cats had only lived on ground level prior to moving here and I had heard enough stories about cats falling from high places to decide it was cause for concern so we went this route. It’s all about your comfort level with your pet. There are birds that like to hang out on the ledge of the terrace and the cats are REALLY into it seeming ready to pounce on them so I really feel like we made the right decision with ours A couple of the cat trees we brought in our container from the USA but we definitely did not need to with what we were able to have made here Our cats all had urinary crystals years ago and require a special food to control that and we were able to get it here! That said it is pricier down here.

@janethamilton7583 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for opening your home! I see your beautiful cats! Would you mind sharing how you migrated with your cats to Ecuador?

@DJohnson01 Жыл бұрын

It looks like Gringolandia. I've never been there but I have seen videos in Gringolandia. I may be mistaken. I love that apartment. Very spacious but too big for me as I will be living there alone.

@yapatree9495 Жыл бұрын

Close! It's in Zona Rosa which is between el Centro & Gringolandia. It is a very big apartment. I'd also struggle to handle the size if I was living there alone.

@dovygoodguy1296 Жыл бұрын

When people have to travel back and forth to Canada and many places in the US, especially older folks, are there any possibilities to make it easier going to and from Cuenca?

@yapatree9495 Жыл бұрын

There are always rumors of Cuenca opening up direct flights to the US etc. I'm not holding my breath. Access to Cuenca is perhaps the main growth issue for the city.

@dovygoodguy1296 Жыл бұрын

@@yapatree9495 I just can't believe that a city like Cuenca should be so hard to get to. At least to and from LA, NY, Houston, Toronto, Miami.......It's mind boggling. Unless people are worried too many expats and snowbirds would flood into Cuenca.

@kdavidwhite8376 3 ай бұрын

how long did it take to "find" the apartment? I might have missed it

@dgdw 3 ай бұрын

It took us about a week and a half of looking at places before we settled on this one

@BPe-ie9je Жыл бұрын

What area of Cuenca are you living in? How is noise ? What is your rent ? Did you get a good lease ? Was it hard to findi ?

@yapatree9495 Жыл бұрын

All good questions. I believe we answered most of them in the video: 1) Area: 27:12 2) Noise: 08:59 3) Rent: 24:19 4) Lease: Please elaborate on what you consider to be a good lease. Most of our rentals use our standard lease agreement which we consider fair for all parties. 5) Yes, high quality listings like this are hard to find. We have a good network of landlords which allows us to get these type of listings. Feel free to shoot through any specific questions on rentals in Cuenca to me: jason@yapatree.com.

@dovygoodguy1296 Жыл бұрын

How did Gerald find such a great place?? Does it have an elevator? What neighborhood is Gerald in? El Vergel? Gringolandia?

@yapatree9495 Жыл бұрын

Dovy, they found it via our rental property listings: yapatree.com/rent-properties-cuenca/ There is an elevator. Neighborhood is Zona Rosa - in between el Centro & Gringolandia :)

@dovygoodguy1296 Жыл бұрын

@@yapatree9495 Thoroughly amazing. I am impressed by your website and by you yourself on your channel. Keep up the good work. I just wish you could do some miracle on the airlines! 😉 🙂

@karendiane 11 ай бұрын

Wow, the rental price blew me away. I was guessing US price range upwards of $2,000. Lovely, lovely place and the views are amazing. Good on ya guys.

@yapatree9495 11 ай бұрын

Thank you Karen. In many parts of the US I suspect an apartment like this would be well over $2K.

@ReachTim Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the nice and informative video. I'm curious. How were Gerald and Derek accepted in Cuenca as a gay couple? My husband and I have been considering an expat move somewhere in Mexico, Caribbean, or South America. We are a gay interracial couple living in New York. I am white; my husband is black. Our acceptance would be a big factor in our decision.

@yapatree9495 Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Good questions. I cannot speak for Gerald and Derek, but the general consensus is that Cuenca is generally accepting. There are multiple groups and the parade is growing. We've got a 'Gay Guide to Cuenca' type article in the pipeline to be released later this year. Feel free to either subscribe to our mailing list here: yapatree.com/cuenca-newsletters/ or just check the site in a few months.

@dgdw Жыл бұрын

Hi Tim! The closest thing that we've experienced to discrimination as gay men in Ecuador would be a hotel shuttle driver thinking I was using "esposo" wrong until they realized we said what we meant. We have met a couple of interracial couples in Cuenca. I haven't asked what their experiences have been in that regard. Have you started doing exploratory trips to the places on your list?

@ReachTim Жыл бұрын

@@yapatree9495 Great! Many thanks for the info.

@ReachTim Жыл бұрын

@@dgdw Thanks. Sounds promising. Unfortunately, I've been to the places I mentioned as a tourist, but not in an exploratory capacity for retirement. We need to do this soon.

@dgdw Жыл бұрын

⁠@@ReachTim yup! It’s a very good idea to spend some “could I actually live here?” time in some places. If you make it to Cuenca please let us know 😁

@chancerobinson5112 Жыл бұрын

Nice to see how the 1% lives. It must have cost $100k+ to move all that stuff to EC. Then another $50k in renovations.

@yapatree9495 Жыл бұрын

Agree this apartment isn't in everyone's budget. But I can't agree with your numbers. $50K for some cat cabinetry is way, way off base.

@darwinia8 Жыл бұрын

If you've a) watched the video and b) done your research. you'd know that, in fact, these gentlemen aren't the 1% (Gerald, eg, is a retired teacher, and they're living on his pension), and that costs for shipping aren't anywhere near your numbers, nor are renovations. I suspect few of the folks moving to Ecuador are anywhere near the 1%.

@darwinia8 Жыл бұрын

@@yapatree9495 Even at their $1,200/ month, that's still eg, $900 less than I pay here in Santa Fe for a 1 bedroom from the 1990s. A one bedroom in Astoria, Queens? $2,100. Prices are similar in Chicago. Ergo, Derek and Gerald, relative to their life in the USA, can live a comfortable, lovely existence in an historic and beautiful city like Cuenca at a fraction of the cost of life in a similarly-sized city. In the American city that seems the most similar to Cuenca in terms of size, culture, and (relative) historical significance,- Boston- that unit in a similarly nice part of the city would run $4K+/month- if one could get it all.

@chancerobinson5112 Жыл бұрын

⁠@@darwinia8 Definitely 1% for Ecuador, our location, where you often have 2 and even 3 generations living under one roof. I’ve been in that building as a prospective tenant. The lower floors are dark, with no natural light until you get to the roof.

@dgdw Жыл бұрын

Hello, no, it cost nowhere close to what you're stating to ship all of our things to Ecaudor via a 20ft container. Is this an actual quote you received? If so I would strongly suggest you speak with one of the other shipping companies for a 2nd quote. As for the renovations ... What renovations would you be referring to? We've done some minor things but certainly nothing approaching the figure that you're stating.