I was pleased to attend the International Living conference in Quito,
Ecuador. This conference entitled Fast-Track Ecuador Lifestyle and Opportunity
Conference was held February 7-9, 2013.
Already committed to attend the conference, I jumped at the opportunity
to arrive a few days early in order to travel to Cuenca for a real estate tour
as well. Flying into Quito at near midnight, I was able to grab a few hours of
sleep before returning back to the domestic Quito terminal to catch a 45 minute
flight to Cuenca. Once in Cuenca, I began a whirlwind agenda with 20 others ,
traveling throughout the city, touring and walking through some two dozen
rentals, condos for sale and single family homes.
Airport Terminal Cuenca
All was arranged by our host,
Maribel Crespa
In the early morning hours we joined several expats from the US for
breakfast, which was especially great one on one time peppering them with
questions about living in Cuenca. We toured the city, stopped for an enjoyable
lunch at terrific La Esquina in old town; an Argentinian restaurant cooking
food on farm implement disks(all the rage in Cuenca). We capped it all off
literally with a tour of the Homero Ortega Panama hat factory.
Cuenca View from Hills
La Esquina
Calle Larga Y Hermano Miguel
Tel 284-5344
Homero Ortega Museum and Workshop
Ave Gil Ramirez Davalos 386
Tel (593 7) 280-9000
www.genuinepanamahat.com
Mercado
Mercado
Hotel Mansion Alcazar, Cuenca for my next stay!
Hotel Victoria
Calle larga 6-93 Y Presidente Borrero
Tel (5937) 2827401
Over the two days we spent about eight hours touring real estate
filling the other hours with walks throughout the city, a trip to the nearby
cloud forest and dinners on our own. Below please find some examples of
properties:
Condo roof top garden
2 br/2 ba, with studio,terrace, walk in closet in master bath, laundry
room,1 parking place,1 storage area. 1185 sf, 249 sf terrace. Close to the
historic district $158,000
2 br/2 ba, outside garden, 1 parking space, 1 storage area. 936sf in
Pencar Atlas $15 hoa fee $79,900.
2 br/2.5 ba in one of the best condos in Cuenca. 2290sf with a great
outside terrace with river view. 2 parking areas, 1 storage with TV area, walk
in closets and laundry room. $155 hoa, ANNUAL taxes $150
For Sale $245,000 or for rent including HOA at $705 per month.
Overall the condos we visited over several days probably averaged
$150,000, with a low of $79,000 and a high of $300,000 for a penthouse unit.
Overall keeping in mind that everything is negotiable I was very impressed.
We also had the opportunity to walk through a number of beautiful homes
ranging from $95,000 to $360,000. Several examples are:
Old Cathedral
Cuenca Street
Homes
4 br/ 2 ½ ba,4820 sf in great neighborhood with 2 parking and 1
storage,Native hardwood throughout with family room,terrace,laundry room,maids
quarters,garden.$360,000
3 br/3 1/2ba, 3875 sf riverfront home with 2 parking 1 storage, family
room with wood and tile floors, garden,bbq area, bar,maids quarters.$298,000
$150K condo construction view of sports complex(the flying saucer)
This was a very enjoyable and fruitful several days. I gained
tremendous insight into Cuenca and its possibilities. We only touched a few
rentals, but did hear of 2-3 bedroom units renting for $300-$400 per month.
As one can imagine quality of life is an important consideration for us
as we adventure to Ecuador. Cuenca with both historic and new town areas has a
population of 350,000 (right now), and overall I found Cuenca to be historic,
charming, and very very livable.
Cuenca Home,Kitchen
Travelling back to the conference in Quito I was interested in also exploring
it’s many historic areas, looked at a American School for our daughter and also
a hostal for sale. Quito has many beautiful and historic structures but it felt
less charming and livable. Quito is definitely a capital city with all of the
hustle and bustle of a city with 3 million people.
Puertolago, Near Otavalo
Swissotel
Ave 12 de Octubre 1820 Y Luis Cordero
Casilla 17 21 565
Tel (593 2) 256-7600
Swissotel was a great selection for our conference. With 232 guestrooms
and a banquet conference area of two ballrooms( divisible to six) and a total
of 19 smaller rooms it was state of the art. I was anticipating a good six
group but we apparently overflowed the room block, so I was in a bit of a shock
to see some 600 people, primarily from the US and Canada, gathered to learn
about moving/retiring in Ecuador.
Octava de Corpus, Quito
Father and Son dinning experience
Ecuador Wine
"Surf and Turf"Octava de Corpus,Quito
The conference was very informative,
intersperced with ample time to visit the city at luch, socialize at breaks,
visit markets, and meet with vendors ranging from real estate and legal to
tours and language schools. Overall the sessions were very informative. Some of
the most interesting presentations were from expats themselves residing in a
variety of Ecuadorian locations. Not to be missed were sessions on legal and
immigration matters and on health.
Cotopaxi American International School, Quito
Here are a few of the most informative contacts:
Moreno di Donato (attorneys)
Estudio Juridico
Offices in Manta, Quito and Cuenca
Sandra Baquero Perez
Sanestar International Shipping
Guayaquil, Ecuador
USA Tel (855) sane-star
Cel (593 9)969-0583
Hostel Revolution, looking for business opportunity in Quito, Ecuador
Nick Hodges,CPA/PFS,MBA,CFP
NCH Tax and Wealth Advisors
1661 East Chapman Avenue, ste 2A
Fullerton, CA 92831
Tel 714-870-4542
Simon Bolivar Spanish School
Foch E 9-20 and 6 de Diciembre
Quito, Ecuador
Tel(593 2) 254-4558
Quito, Cuenca or Jungle locations
Old Town, Quito
Gerardo Pinaogote
Spondylius Ecuador Real Estate Svc
Tel (59)(398)963-1656
Salinas area real estate
Based on our current status we are interesting in a more detailed
return to Cuenca. Keep you posted!
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