Thanks. I’m working on another Ecuador real estate video now, documenting the process as I buy a 1/2 hectare field in a farming area about 90 minutes outside of Quito.

Thanks Danny. I’ll try to do a follow up next time I purchase a property

You’re welcome. I’m happy any time I can help others by learning from my mistakes

Matt Crandall yeah, that first one I was leaning towards buying but my wife was leaning harder in the other direction.

Yeah, it’s definitely best to be at your property full time, or have a friend or family member that can keep an eye on it when your gone. I’ve been pretty lucky so far with leaving properties unattended, but I know others have had problems.

Awesome. Much appreciated.

I totally agree. I have the registro de propiedad and copies of the escrituras. I don't know much about the pocesion efectiva thou.

So what you’re saying is there’s a chance you might move to Ecuador, right? That’s what I’m hearing.

I’d be happy to help.

@@FallofftheMap Sent you an email.

Yeah, it certainly depends on lifestyle. I want a property with it's own water supply, rather than city water, but that certainly isn't for everyone.

Gracias amigo

Your welcome. I might do a follow up video to include some of the advice I’ve received about things I didn’t cover in depth and also some of the differences Ng opinions about the usefulness of lawyers here and feasibility of buying comuna land.

Yeah, it’s the number 1 mistake people make, myself included. It’s hard to be patient and keep a cool head when you see what looks like an awesome deal.

It has mixed results, in some cases protecting the poor, in other cases keeping them in poverty while they sit on land that could be worth millions but isn't particularly good for farming.

While my intention isn’t to scare people off from buying here, it isn’t the right choice for everyone. It is a complicated process and there is a lot that can go wrong if you are not very careful. I think for most expats and retirees it makes more sense to rent than to buy because rent is so inexpensive.

I have been looking for a property to create a fruit tree farm for self consumption and most importantly a place to withdrawal from US chaotic stressful life, specially now. But going to another place to find more stress is not the answer. I have traveled to Ecuador and I loved it but like I said too much legal uncertainties

marco benedict I’m looking for similar land, for a food forest project. I do still think Ecuador is worth it because of the climate, cost of good farmland, and low cost to live here, but yes, it takes a lot of due diligence and patience

You could use FB marketplace for rentals. What I usually do is just show up with nothing booked (unless it’s a holiday) and negotiate in person by asking at two or three hotels. Hotels are often only $10 to $20 per night after a little haggling, so for me it makes sense to stay in a hotel for a few days while I ask around for a better long term rental. This is assuming your Spanish is up to negotiating in person. If you do use FB Marketplaceto find rentals, use the price filters. I don’t know why, but rentals and sales here end up advertised in the wrong category just as often as not, so I leave the category blank but set an appropriate price range along with a logical search term like “alquilar” or “vacaciones” or “amueblado”

Why? You want to move to Ecuador?

I see your point, though in some areas and cultures there’s a lot less changing of neighbors, especially in the small towns and countryside. There’s more of a tendency for families to keep a property for generations.

Yeah, depending on the area and size of the property, my preference is usually for about 50% farmland 50% forest. I like the idea of having a natural area and being able to very selectively harvest a few trees within the forest for woodworking projects.

Its obvious you know what you are talking about and for most People id say simply avoid comuna land... But... For the right land and right super cheap price it May be worth the extra hassle... It also greatly depends on the comuna... Some comunas are good and honest, others May be problemátic... If u dont plan on reselling the land it should still be in play, can be a small fraction of price, ie. Farm land in Ecuador with escrituras $3-6k per hectare, comuna land can be less than $1k per hct.. Many People own for decades comuna land even foreigners with no problems. Its about establishing a good relationship with other comuneros, help with their projects a little, etc... I would also consider renting long term farm land if you arent sure how long you want to stay cause as you ve seen resellong very difficult in Ecuador no liquidity...

Comuna land can work out ok if you really work hard to demonstrate to the comuna that it’s in their best interest to have you as a part of their community. This is true. However, it’s incredibly high risk even if you go into it with the best intentions and a great deal of generosity and patience. The hard truth is, that if you improve your property and build a place that has value and is comfortable there is a probability that others in the community will feel a lot of jealousy. Given that your possession of the land is at the whim of the comuna that sets most foreigners up to be taken advantage of or simply robbed. I do have one friend that invested in comuna land to plant a garden and paid to have wells dug for the community. So far so good as he still has his land, but I believe he didn’t actually build a house or develop that land enough to cause the comuna to feel envious and motivated to take it back.

I’m not a huge fan of livestreams. What I was just working on was a video documenting my more recent land purchase. When I started the video I was expecting the entire process to take a couple weeks maximum, like my previous deals. However, Ecuador loves bureaucracy and loves changing the rules frequently. It’s now a couple months into the process and I still haven’t completed it. Latest update is the paperwork should be ready to complete the purchase at the end of this week. Unfortunately, I fly out of Ecuador tomorrow. I got offered a job in Niger, Africa. So, my wife will end up completing the land purchase and I’ll shelve the real estate video until I come back. Looks like my next videos will likely be about working in a hot dusty camp on the edge of the Sahara Desert. Or possibly about flying to Germany on a military flight to get around the ban on Americans entering the EU, and about how exciting it is to sit in my room on a base in Germany for two weeks while I quarantine.

Yeah, I’m all over the place. You have no idea how many video ideas I’ve shelved because they are just way too out of order from everything else I’m working on at the moment. Being organized is hard.

@@FallofftheMap You do that partner, we will keep on watching. greeting from a Canadian (semi retired in Cartagena Colombia)

I heard you guys just got quite a bit of rain. How is Cartagena? I’ve heard really mixed things.

@@FallofftheMap Cartagena is as safe as it can get in SouthAmerica, very hot very humid and on the expensive side.

Yes, I would be willing to help you guys as a real estate guide.

Decent! I had since regretted asking, thinking it would be a bother. Got into a few more of you videos, and realized I have no experiences to that degree. Is your fb page a good medium to connect?

Travis Red yes, that’s the best way to send me a private message.

Beach house was in a town called las Peñas, way up north in Esmeraldas province. I’m actually up that way at the moment looking into investing in a balsa farm.

@@FallofftheMap Oh wow! That's cool. I know the best Balsa in the world is in Ecuador. Good luck!

@@FallofftheMap Is there a website to view houses listings?

@@MSFS2024Update most online listings are on FB marketplace. There are various other sites but they’re mostly either flooded with low effort expired listings or they’re gringo priced at 2 to real times the actual value.

I’m fortunate in that my Quitaña wife never wanted to move to the US. I wouldn’t live in Quito, and if I was from there I wouldn’t want to return, but most of Ecuador outside of Quito and Guayaquil is wonderful.

@@FallofftheMap Her parents live in tumbaco now. I would like to find some land/farm within an hour or two of them.

So, I tend to avoid both, but that’s just my personal preference. There isn’t, to my knowledge, the same sort of “squatters rights” issue as in many other Latin American countries. That said, the courts aren’t much help if you do find yourself with squatters simply because the courts are slow and not always competent. A much bigger issue is tenant rights. If you rent to someone and they don’t pay, it can be almost impossible to evict them. As far as the whole gated community vs condo thing, I suppose it depends more on you and what type of property you’re seeking, and where. In a place like Quito, Cuenca, or Manta I’d go condo. In suburbs or smaller towns like Cotacatchi or Olon I’d go with a gated community over a condo. In general it can problematic in Ecuador to own a property if you aren’t there full time and don’t have someone you trust to look after the place. Right now I’m outside of Ecuador working in Poland. I have a little house and farm about 90 minutes outside of Quito. I have family that checks on the place each weekend and I pay $40 per week for someone to do a little farm work to keep the place in order. The beach house I used to have I paid a problematic neighbor to look after and clean the place but in reality towards the ends there I was paying them just to not rob the place when I was away for a few years. Leaving a place unattended is less likely to be problematic in the mountains than on the coast or in the Amazon. There are cultural differences.

Yes, trial and error, and error, and error.

This is the conclusion a lot of expats have made. Personally, I like to own because dealing with landlords annoys me.

I don’t think so. There’s a lot of history around Montañita of people getting scammed with communa land.

Your SO must be one smart cookie.

@@FallofftheMap Psychologist, funny thing the interpersonal relationship. I’m blue collar and we both had flaws when we got together. I called hers and she called mine and we are in a good place today. Settled on a big fat motor coach. Plan was to take off this spring, but that went to Hell. Stay safe. I got a good bud (x USMC) who is a sat com guy in Stan for like 12 year. Keeps trying to talk me into going. I was there , in ‘green’. That’s enough.

Except you didn’t buy it. You paid for a communal property but by Ecuadorian law communal land is communal and can not be bought or sold. It doesn’t and can’t legally have what is typically referred to as an escritura. What you have is something else that’s being called an escritura. There are some good comunas out there, and maybe you’ve found one. Follow up in a few years and we’ll know.

@@FallofftheMap You are incorrect. I obviously bought the land. Someone obviously sold the land. Semantics aside, the communa has the right to approve or deny all purchases and sales. I took the time to negotiate and testimonialize the relationship with the comuna. I don't recommend that everyone do what I did. But given my situation and the way I have given back and continue to assimilate into the community, the risk I have is the same risk any other Ecuadorian would have.

@@lawrencelipman5426 we clearly have a different understanding and interpretation of land ownership laws in Ecuador. The laws governing comuna land were created to protect populations that the Ecuadorian government considered to be vulnerable and subject to exploitation. Comuna land can not legally be bought or sold. Full stop. There are numerous cases where people “buy” the land because they are lied to or confused about the law and no shortage of lawyers and notaries willing to draw up and approve documentation of the sale. It doesn’t make the sale any more real. You think you bought the land. You are sadly mistaken. There’s a very long history of these transactions unraveling when they go to court.

@@FallofftheMap We do not disagree on the law. Where we disagree is on how it's applied and when it is applied. If I do not follow the rules, which every communa member must follow, then I would be in trouble and someone else could pursue 'taking' my land from me. Just as if you do not pay your property taxes someone could buy the property in a lien sale. There are many situations where people can and do lose land. But, in my situation -- which is very specific and very protected -- it is impossible to occur. I am not recommending that anyone do what I did..unless they do it as I did it.

@@lawrencelipman5426 I think our difference in opinion stems from different ideas about what it means to buy and own a a property. On comuna land you are paying for the privilege of occupying a property. You are not buying the land. Should the comuna turn against you you have no legal rights. You occupy that land at their pleasure. It’s it the same as potentially losing your land due to unpaid taxes. One situation has a clear legal framework, the other is subject to attitudes, whims, and jealousy.

Until recently www.olx.com.ec was the most popular and useful place to list and view real estate in Ecuador, but things change fast here. Facebook Marketplace has taken over and OLX is now pretty dead and useless. You can change your search area on FB marketplace to cover different regions of Ecuador from anywhere in the world. I suggest doing this and searching for terms like “casa” or “finca” or “terreno,” depending on what type of property you’re interested in. I typically narrow the search down to about 20km so I can compare properties in specific climates or regions.

Yeah, I know. I probably should have re-recorded that one. There were these little sand flies chasing me around so I kept moving to get away from them.

Good question. The municipalities certain appraise properties for tax purposes, and I’m sure you could find an appraiser that would throw a number your way, but in a country with no real standardized system and no publicly available database of valuations, there is no way I know of to get a meaningful appraisal. The closest I’ve come is asking several people in the area what typical prices are for a specific type of land.

Veronica Battaglia I rent a place in Puéllaro on the Ruta Escondida about 90 minutes NE of Quito. I’m in the process of buying land up in the hills 20 minutes from where I’m currently renting. I found a nice 5000m lot for a little mini farm project.

Sort of. Any flight would first go to the US, or if you fly KLM you can get it down to maybe 22 hours flying through Amsterdam or Paris. Most of the time I ended up getting 26 to 30 hours flights just due to bad layovers. KLM is almost as good as Emirates though.

I was planning on traveling all around South America, but ended up meeting my wife in Ecuador. I’ve been to Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Peru as well. I’d love to get to the rest of South America, but I just haven’t had the time.

Solid advice. All these areas do have electricity very close, but some of them didn’t have adequate cell signal or internet. Flat land is really hard to find in the Andes Mountains. I agree that a smaller property with flat land would be better, I just haven’t found the right one yet.

@@FallofftheMap Check Loja area, I heard it has a farm land and I like the weather there. Also elevation isn't bad, as in Cuenca or Quito.

If you want to build with bricks or cement blocks, no problem. It you want to build with high quality properly treated wood, it can be a challenge. Some things are definitely difficult to find or more expensive than they should be.

@@FallofftheMap that makes sense. Thanks for the answer and great content :)

My goal certainly isn’t to sell it. My goal is to present it exactly as it is to me.

@@FallofftheMap thats a good video, way to go.

It depends on how much information you have about the property to begin with and if the property owner is cooperative. If you can get a copy of the escrituras, that’s where you want to start. You then need to get the escrituras delivered to a notary to research claims and ownership on the property. There may be other ways, but I’m not aware of them. Is your question for the purpose of researching prior to purchasing, or something else?

I downloaded it, but haven’t felt the need to use it yet.

@@FallofftheMap I’m in NY and close to retiring . I have a friend who’s from Ecuador . I’ve been following a few expats on KZfaq . Im from Ireland originally and grew up on farm. Get back fairly regular but this BS pandemic has cramped a lot of travel. I’m curious about your adventures and plans to build eco Cabins and self sustainable in a peace land. Would love to shoot the breeze sometime over Brew. That’s why I got a kick out of your story on Irish guys in the brothel in other video. Sounds about right lol.

Realtor

The only real estate deal that went totally south on me was the one time I dealt with a realtor, Remax had the listing and they helped the seller set up a con to steal 10k earnest money. After years of fighting in court I got 7k back. My opinion is that realtors here only complicate things and maneuver ways to scam you. Most transactions between Ecuadorians do not use realtors for that reason. To not get scammed you need to do all the work that a realtor would normally do for you anywhere else.

begone30 yes, but they’re usually super low. I’ve got a 416 sq meter building lot on the main road a 5 minute walk north of the center of Canoa that I pay about $20 per year on. That’s considered high for a building lot, and I think is priced the way it is because I started to build an apartment complex but the municipality convinced themselves it was a hotel and so considered it a commercial rather than residential project.

In a way, I sort of did. I just didn’t call my “Escape from my Afghan Employers” video part one and “Contracting Outside the Wire” part 2, but in effect that’s what they are.

In some areas, definitely. Building and farming extremely steep hillsides, earthquakes, heavy rains, and a general lack of engineering standards and building inspections all lead to the frequent problem of roads, houses, or even entire villages sliding off into the abyss.

I first left in 2010 during the Great Recession. Once I spent a little time outside the US I realized that the quality of life was better in most of the rest of the world.

I like Cuenca. Been there a few times. My wife wants to stay closer to Quito because of her parents, so at the moment we’re only looking at properties within 2 hours of Quito. It’s not ideal, but you know... family.

There are a few reasons. Expats tend to cluster together. It’s a beautiful city with feel that’s perhaps a little more European than most Ecuadorian cities. It may be expensive by Ecuadorian standards, but still very cheap from the perspective of most expats.

Not a city, but a small beach town. Las Peñas. There are two different places called las Peñas. I was in the one up north, about 90 minutes north of Esmeraldas city.

@@FallofftheMap Many Thanks

It’s a hard question to answer. It’s like asking how fast can a car go? It depends on the house and the neighborhood. Prices in the cities have dropped a little during the pandemic. Prices in the countryside have gone up a bit. You can get a simple little house in a rough neighborhood for as low as 10 or 15k USD, mid range middle class houses run from 40k to 150k depending on the area and size. You can spend millions of you want to. There’s some beautiful mansions and historic properties. In general, new construction built to adequate standards costs 30 to 60k without factoring in land prices and the developer’s mark up.

Thx for information rents how will be if buy and give rents

Rent prices are low. Most rentals are between 250 and $450. I rent two 2bd apartments for $125 each, but I’m in a low cost rural area now. Ecuador is a great place to live but not a great place for investment properties. It makes more sense for buyers that want to make it their primary residence and don’t want to deal with a landlord.

Ok

It’s possible but both difficult and expensive to get a mortgage for property in Ecuador. Interest rates and payment schedules tend to be terrible.

There’s no good way to answer this question. Ecuador is too diverse in every possible way, including land prices from one area to another. Simply averaging across the whole country isn’t useful. I could tell you that in Baeza 1 hectare (2.471 acres) on a paved road averages about $4500 but is normally only that price when buying a several hectare property. I could tell you about the 91 hectare (225 acre) cloud forest I bought for 15k (about $67 per acre) in la Merced de Buenos Aires. Or, I could show you land that costs over 1 million per hectare. Averaging these does not provide useful information. However, if you ask a better question I am more than happy to try to give you a better answer.

@@FallofftheMap @Fall off the Map Thanks for the response. Would it be possible to start a little farm for under $30k somewhere? I get that the prices vary wildly.

@@FallofftheMap I don't really know the areas, I'm just looking to start a small, rural farm somewhere after exploring. What areas are reasonable for this?

I’m actually trying to do the exact same thing for around the exact same budget. Yes, it’s possible, but of course depends a bit on your idea of how big a little farm is. I’m looking in areas with an elevation between 1400 meters and 2400 meters above sea level that has its own clean water supply both for irrigation and drinking. You can find land like this in your price range in many areas. The closer it is to a major city the higher the price. One major factor that determines price in Ecuador is inclination. People farm some really steep land here, but the less extreme the inclination the higher the price. Also land that is good for avocado farming tends to be much more expensive than other properties, typically running $20000 to $50000 per hectare. The most popular place to advertise farmland in Ecuador is FB marketplace. You can get an idea of land prices by moving your search zone to somewhere in Ecuador via the map and then searching for “finca.” Expect to see a lot of super low prices that are just to grab attention rather than showing the real price. People use tricks like listing a 20 hectare farm for $12000 when they really mean $12000 per hectare.

@@FallofftheMap Thanks for the info! Can't wait to get down there. Good luck in the search, would be cool to get an update once you find a place

also in Malaysia you can own the property (2022)

I thought it was a little more now, but it’s been hard to keep up with the changes especially because when you research it there’s so much outdated info floating around.

@@FallofftheMap I have also heard of people buying communa land, building a house and then illegally buying the land from the communa. I believe here (Montanita area), that the communa gives you 100 year lease on the land when you purchase it. But, if you do not build something with a few years they will confiscated the land back, especially when it is in need for another family. Thanks for your videos...I really enjoy them.

Sorry. Definitely not my best camera work. Damn sand flies!

Sort of. You don’t have a right to a gun, but the privilege can be granted if you apply and can demonstrate a reason why you need one to the authorities. Most private gun ownership is for use on farms or for those in security jobs.

Treason? I don’t understand how someone commuting treason has an impact on me.

There’s no restriction on foreigners buying near the ocean. There may be a restriction near the borders. I don’t know.

@@FallofftheMap Okay, I appreciate you taking the time to reply. Thank you