We came to Ecuador from Canada knowing that we were here to stay even without an exploratory. We made a list of the things that we didn't want and then looked through our list of possibilities and addressed the things we did want. We landed in Quito with a list of cities with a list from our first choice down to number seven. We arrived at our first city and boked 1 week at a hotel and within the first three days we were house hunting. We have now been here for almost two years and have not regretted our choice. Glad you found your peace of paradise.
I think they mentioned they're somewhere around San Jose in a different video, though not sure if that's in Manabí province. It could be anywhere in the coast.
Hi Guys,We just returned to Canada after 6 months in Vilcabamba. I had been going down since 2011 with a long break between 2015-2022.My partner had been to Peru 5 times but this was her first trip to Ecuador and she fell in love with the country. We have decided to pull the plug in Canada finally and will be returning in August or Sept. depending on when our visas are ready. It is indeed a beautiful country and I’m glad to be finally making the decision to return
This makes sense! Thank you for sharing these reasons. Lots of decisions but all worth it once you have ruled everything out, what a beautiful space to call home. Blessings, joy and peace to you and all those around you.
We stayed at Sonida del Sol , your new home, a few years ago, the house is amazing. We were there for 6 weeks and enjoyed every second of it. We also went through 2 earthquakes and a 5 foot snake in the pool….still loved it. Good luck on your new adventure
Hey that's great 👍. The house has changed alot especially outside. The whole parking area has been ripped up and we put pergolas and gardens in. We love it here. Thanks for watching👍
Congratulations, that view is amazing. For me is very important to have a place where i can do whatever i want to do whenever i want to, otherwise i'm always thinking about it.
Another fabulous video! Thank you for explaining all of the variables and for being so candid. It's so fun to join you a bit vicariously on your grand adventure / life change!
I love it!!! You guys are so clear about your reasons, and not trying to make money making vlogs and ... I did NOT want to buy, but in the end the moldy apartments for US$500 a month, and the horrible little houses for US$450 a month, and that Ecuadorian owners are notorious for never maintaining properties and ... and ... and ... In the end I had to buy for various reasons, so I looked at what the Ecuador population will want. "American" kitchen - with an island LOL - and 3 bedrooms, a roof top space and extra room, 3 full baths and a powder room ... etc. etc. etc. I will be selling. I love your house and what I see through the windows. Right. Costs. Having to pay cash as a foreigner is not so bad. My actual costs are minimal. I could close up, set the electric fence alarm and having a couple friends I really trust (not easy to come by in any country) I can leave and feel fairly certain things will be fine. I also have house insurance which completey confounded many people in this part of Ecuador. The real estate agents, friends ... What is insurance? Many will also ask ... What is a mortgage? It's a new world in many ways.
I want lots of space, but I don't need a view, and I don't think I need all those windows that some modern places have. I would love to get married and have a big family, that is if I am not so old as to make that impossible. At least 3 bedrooms of space. Or an efficient "warehouse".
First - Wow, you guys look great. This is a great video. The message I drew from this is 1) you could afford to buy, 2) you did a lot of research, 3) you visited, 4) you are aware of the risks, 5) you bought a property that could easily be a successful Air BnB again - especially after al the updates you are making, and 5) you clearly are people that are living an adventure - which means a willingness to accept more risk. I think rent vs buy has allot to do with what kind of person you are and what your priorities are as well. For some people moving to Ecuador is a way to be able to retire sooner and these folks generally don't have a good deal of capital. Some people want to move around and experience lots of new things rather than settle in one spot. Some people really don't have the bug to create a particular kind of house - and will be satisfied with Air BnB fare. The big benefit of renting first is, of course, assuring you are going to be happy where you land. And people that assume they are going to transfer their US lifestyle to Ecuador sometimes have a rude awakening if they move down, without research, without visits, with a container full of stuff, and buy a house soon after landing. And then there is the fact that some people miss their old life , friends, and family but find they are unable to visit often enough because their capital is so limited. I can see another spreadsheet tool in the offing, Mike. A series of questions designed to sort out good candidates for rent or buy....
Totally agree and thanks for watching. One of the reasons we say live the life you love is we feel so many people are trapped in their current situation and are not looking at what the possibilities are for them. It could be a new job, a new relationship, a new place to live, etc. More on that later.... Take care
@@KrisandMike Ooooo! A cliffhanger! Any chance you got into educated, smart people that study happiness? When I found those I thought that was close to the stupidest things in the world, what a waste. I was wrong. I did find out that most people overthink things. Me, me, me, I overthink things but, less than I used to. I also found out that getting what you want almost always comes with risk. You'll rarely find things that come without risk and you'll often find that fear of loss will keep you from risking enough to succeed. Please feel free to remove any comments I make.
My idea is to rent first and explore. Once we figure out the right place we can find the ideal space. We won't know until we go. Thanks for the tips, great videos, and sharing your wonderful life.
Your place looks wonderful, the view amazing, relaxing, peaceful!! Congratulations! I hope you can show the house when all is done. Will you have a flower garden or a herb and fruit garden?
@@KrisandMike I vote for vegetables. greens. You may want to start with fenced in chickens. yes a rooster. and let them fertilize, bring up PH of ground. Rototil compost. I put 22 big bags of leaves in new small garden starting and chickens ate, turned it all under beautifully. No clue leaves were there. fyi. 🙂 I'm a huge fan of chickens and fresh pastured eggs.
Enjoyed this episode. I am considering doing just like you, and I am looking in the area where you are as well. Your house seem very nice. Will you give a house tour one day?
Thanks for watching. Unfortunately we will not be doing a full house tour. More a privacy thing. We do film in parts of the house so you will see most of it over time lol.
If you two get any younger... I really hope you feel as good as you look because you look vibrant, fit and unstressed. I think you got to the same place I did, you read and see what others say and do and know you just aren't like them. That's OK! You were upfront about the risks but, if your house works out the way it looks like it will, you would never have been able to have that renting. For me, I think renting will work best unless I find a place I don't want to leave. Congrats on finding the "life you love".
Great video ! You know what you want ! And if nature and tranquility are a priority, you chose the right place. I own a land pretty close and havent build anything yet.
I love the Florida room(?) you're in. Would love to see a video tour of your home and know the specific details, like cost, if you'd be willing to share.
Thanks guys. Love the 'future garden'. !I'm with you ! Question: (wanting to ask you for about a month: couches, came with house? purchase ? Congrats on all. So glad its going so well. Did you get hit with torrential rains few weeks ago ? Love your videos.
Thanks so much! The Airbnb we bought did have furniture but it was not my style. It was more rental worthy. I purchased my couches from the Marriot store in Guayaquil. Free delivery on purchases over $100. If you live on the coast leather is the way to go as all that salt and sand come in a lot. All the beauty teak furniture was made by William ( previous video). Thanks for your comment and for watching.
@@KrisandMike Thanks, reply. I own a iris/grey leather 3 sec. couch, 35 yrs old/like new) cant believe I'm leaving it. You slightly grumbled appliances....did you have to replace or okay ? I'm always laughting at pictures, EC, fridge door handles on wrong side..... ha ha. Snowing , north woods, UP MI. Be down there '23.
One other reason to buy. As renters (in California) we had yo move 3 times because the landlord changed their mind. Sold the house, got a divorce and one wanted to move in, turned it into a duplex. I still plan to rent for at least 2 years in EC when I move there but open to the possibility of buying fot all uour reasons and mine.
I have lived in few countries and have a couple of passports and ... You are right. Learn from home and don't believe in fairies, well, not overly much. I believe in fairies and I also believe in the bottom line. Balance. I hope you enjoy Ecuador, It is definitely a trip. :)
Hi thanks for watching. Great question. This is why people need exploratory trips. To see how you feel around a whole bunch of things including safety. We were very nervous on our first trip, especially to Guayaquil. We had read so much. We actually felt very safe. And still do. Don't really think about it to much now. At our house we have cameras for the property but that's about it. Same as we had in Canada.
Thanks for the video my fellow Canucks! I'm less than 3yrs away from retirement and my wife and I are seriously considering a move to Equador. We are of similar mindsets regarding owning vs renting. Being from SW Ontario, I get a bit sun deprived during the winters so would prefer to be in an area of Equador that has a little more sun and not extreme elevations like Cuenca. Any ideas?
Thanks for watching. If you are looking for more sun and you like it warm I would suggest Manta and the small communities around there. There is a manta Facebook group where you can start some research. Also a manta real estate group as well. Enjoy the journey
Hi Kris and Mike, I'm up to listen to BBC world news. They are saying coastal regions of EC are being hit hard by El Nino rains , ocean warming . So checking in, hoping you are doing well, okay. Safe. Do you get alot of breeze so humidity is tempered ? Amelia and Jp complained in Olon about appliances rusting , clothes mildew, etc. My folks in FLA lived on a canal with terrific breeze and never used air conditioning so I know benefits of good natural air. Oh, good meteorologist just posted update on LaNina/El Nino : Matt Makens Meteorologist. May be of interest. Take care. Thinking of you with them saying terrential rains Peru, Ecuador coastal areas . A great week/weekend to you.
Yes we are getting more rain now than usual. Not to bad here in this area. Guayaquil has it much worse. Yes the coastal areas require more maintenance as the salt will cause lots of things to rust. There is a cost to living in this paradise. Lol.
You guys are cute as is your home, but you could have painted, purchased furniture, and built a pergola for morning coffee on a rented house. Also, most folks moving to EC do not have a few hundred thousand available for the purchase. Keep in mind EC does not have mortgages like the USA. And rentals can be as low as $250 for a 2/1 here (Olon) Why do we say Rent don't Buy? Because the majority of expats move around for the first 5 years. Different neighborhoods, different altitudes, different urban VS. rural areas. Might you be the exception? Maybe. We'll check back in 5 years. So the reality is, you purchased in San Jose because you wanted to. That's cool. Selling the house when things change is not going to be easy and chances are it will take over 2 years to do so. That's probably why the original owners were on AirB&B to start. So Rent and renovate, don't buy: Cheaper Greater flexibility - love birds & butterflies- you might want to try Mindo or Banos for a time and not be locked to the coast) Smaller investment - $4k to renovate & buy furniture & appliances that are moveable Feasible for folks on Social Security (who don't have $100k+ at their disposal)
We just recently moved from Florida to Cuenca. We did the same as you for the same reasons. We love Ecuador, even with the earthquake and rains weather on the cost. Tell me of one country in the world that is free from any issues.
My wife is from Ecuador (Balzar)….but left when she was 18 (in 1993). She’s been back many times, I’ve travelled with her most of the times (and I’d been to Ecuador several times prior to and after meeting my wife in El Oriente-Lago Agrio, when I was in the US Army; working alongside the US Air Force supporting US SouthComs counter drug mission in assistance to Ecuador. My wife doesn’t have much interest in retiring in Ecuador, however.
Oh my, Earthquake. On BBC and headlines NPR news. You two okay ? all okay ? saying Peru and Ecuador coast. (Then the reporter went on to say, earthquake affects entire coast of Pacific.) I was in big one in S.F. , was that '90 ? It was very unsettling for 24 hours. Aftershocks, 4. went on for 12 hours. Thinking of you. They said 13 , now, dead. Structures shattered. Talking Peru and EC coast. Mentioned name of town/region. I didnt recognize. Maybe northern Peru. I'll look up come daylight. After '16 earthquake , EC, Manta, one would imagine building (codes??) would be earthquake safe. (Turkey corruption and disaster shakes us all to the core). Take care. Please check in. With you !!!!!!!
Can you do a video and or talk about buying there and how ,so i heard, people that spend over 50,000 on buying a home get instant landed residency? is this true or what part is true?I am from BC and my father rents in equador, balanita. Also how is your medical system? Columbia recently changed their rules and made it completely unaffordable for my dad to return to.
Yes we are thinking of doing a video on buying and building a home. Thanks for your feedback. If you bring money into the country for the purchase of a home or a certificate of deposit you qualify for an investor's visa. It's not instant. You still need all of the paperwork. It's less than 50k. More like 35k usd. But it does change each year.
Medical system here is both a private and public. Public is worse than Canada but private is better imho. You get health insurance to match what your needs are. Most medical things you can pay out of pocket and are quite cheap. Doctors will come to your home for $30. You don't need prescriptions for most drugs and they are pretty cheap. You can get a full round of antibiotics for $12. Lol
From personal experience I would say do NOT buy OR rent a place with an electric shower head. Your life may depend on it. I looked at some lovely rental places at excellent prices but ... no. The places that did not have electric shower heads were expensive, or not cheap and smelled of mold, or ... Ecuador has some lovely plusses, but every country does depending what you want. I bought a house because so many people offered to help and ... I was left holding the bag and needed to buy fast. I thought about what Ecuador people value and though I have not sold yet, every Ecuador person who enters my home thinks it is up market. A few taxi drivers have said WOW! It's nice, it has a beautiful outside and would be incredible in a different location. You are you and I am me and each of us has a complex set of parameters in a complex set of possibilities. I am Canadian and I like how these Canadians ... think! Thank you. It's great to hear from people with similar backgrounds who have to pay exchange rates! 🤣 I met a German-American woman who thinks that US$1400 per month for a lovely unfurnished apartment in a heavily populated part of the city is a good price. After more than one year I am starting to agree. I have had people think I would pay US$ 450 and more for apartments full of mold, with furniture I would have thrown in the dump MANY years ago ... I have lived in a fly camp 700 miles north of the nearest large city and LOVED it, lived on a very small sailing yacht ... I am not squeamish ... I like a "twist", but .. These people are great! They are not trying to sell, or suck up, or misdirect in any way. It's good to start seeing this kind of vlogger for Ecuador. I found another one recently, Ace ... Ecuador has so much to offer if you do not arrive trying to recover from the ... mild shock? ... of reality. I was far form a babe in the woods. I have a couple of passports and ... Yeah. Listen in. This is a brief.
@@KrisandMike I like to think this can be a platform for sharing, discussion. A springboard for comments that are real and can help people make informed decisions. You cannot make good decisions with BAD information. You guys make a lot of good points.
Rents in Ecuador are generally low. It's hard to justify buying when renting is cheap. I'd consider buying but not in a gated/HOA community. Beautiful homes but you're paying gringo prices and relying on foreign demand when you or your estate eventually sells. I'd rather buy into a neighborhood where indigenous demand is a factor. Ecuador's population is projected to grow from 17 to 25 million by 2050. Much of this growth will happen in cities, which will positively impact the value of established middle-class neighborhoods.
From a solely monetary perspective you are right and I would agree. Buying can be for other reasons as we point out in the video. We have dramatically customized our home which gives us alot of happiness. Rentals you could never do that. Plus other factors as well. It all depends on your own priorities. This video was about ours and we recommend most people would be better served renting at least at first.
Can I bring my very old car that runs well? And would I drive it from the U.S. or would I put my car into a container? I am sure that I could carry a lot more stuff in my car than I could on the airplane. Would I need to bring a Spanish friend to help me with all those border crossings while driving and then send him back to the U.S. on an airplane? I want to bring most all my stuff in a container, so many books and old computers and stuff, but there are a few things that do not have any sentimental value that I could possibly leave behind, such as things easily replaced such as my bed, refrigerator, and maybe my car. I probably would like to bring my easy chair as it is pretty comfortable. It would be way too much culture shock to get rid of everything and start afresh. I need to bring my stuff. Maybe I could purchase my container and have the freedom to take "however long if ever" to get it fully unpacked. Does a container need a foundation? Does it need to be repainted every few years? What kind of visa or residency? Would my best option be the investment visa, spending $42K on a house? It doesn't look like I will quite receive the $1250/month from social security for the retirement visa. I think I would prefer to buy, not rent, as I don't want to have to move around hardly at all. But I am not an outdoor person, and so I may want to hire a gardener or somebody to mow the grass, if it does not cost much. But I probably would walk a lot to go to places, if I do not have a car. Or push a cart to go grocery shopping.
Thanks for watching. My understanding is cars can't be imported unless by an Ecuadorian Citizen. Sorry the only information I am aware of on Containers is by paying a shipping company and using theirs. If you don't have the monthly cash for a retirement visa, a professonial visa or investors visa might be the best bet. We will be interviewing a lawyer in the next month about Visas so watch for that. Try renting first to see if you like an area before you jump to buy.
@@KrisandMike Can I load and unload my container myself? I imagine it is important how it is packed, as it will be swaying around on a ship for a month or two? I hope they aren't going to make me itemize everything, just how many boxes of books and old computers and junk? I need to do more research, but $42K for an "investment visa" if I can spend it on the house that I would need anyway, sounds more doable than to get $1250/month from Social Security. Maybe I won't need a car, or perhaps my car is so old that it is not worth bringing? I think family might take my car off my hands if I can not reasonably bring it. It sounds scary to try to drive it that far. Sure, I think it would make the journey, but just too many border crossings, where they may not even speak English? Maybe the sale of my house in the U.S. might help cover living expenses or upgrades or to purchase a car. I guess I won't be able to go to the VA for medical anymore, but that is kind of useless anyway. Crappy medical system is a reason to leave the U.S. I have my doubts about the ease to do an exploratory or rental, as I would not have addressed visa issues at that point, and I don't have the situation of family staying in my home like I did when I visited Israel twice. (I think I needed the space to get away from all those people anyway, great time to go explore.) Because I then wanted to leave the U.S. 2 and 3 months in 2013 and 2014. How can I just leave my home empty? I wanted to stay a long time, so as to see if could live there or not. Well at least I look like the people there in Israel, but I think Israel has too many issue right now, and is not any more affordable a place to live. If I did the usual "pilgrimage" tour that the Christians and Jews do, say like 10 days or 2 weeks, "I would have been back home before I knew where I was." I loved it, even though I am not an explorer, adventurer, or risk-taker. I bought my refrigerator without seeing a display model, maybe I could do a quick move to Ecuador without having to rent first? I think it would be easier if I could just park my container in the rear, and just leave it there however long it takes to empty it, if ever. It probably does not cost that much more, just to purchase my container? I am already thinking Cuenca, as I heard in some video that that is where the expats go, I don't need pricey beach-front, I want mild climate, and I was thinking soon to look at house listings, just to verify if anything is affordable to a poor American? I don't need much high-maintenance land, just enough to park a container or maybe to later build an out-building if I can afford it?
Dont buy people! Not yet! Unless you can afford to lose it, dont buy it. The political instability is high in Ecuador right now and nefarious things are taking place under the surface. Unfortunately most if not all gringos don't quiet get how bad this could be and don't understand the ramifications of whats taking place. So wait, see how all this plays out and hopefully Ecuador comes out the otherside ok. We can only pray now about it, its in gods hands.
I really appreciate your perspective. There certainly is alot at play right now. Most people should rent. We are having an amazing time here in the beautiful country and are letting people know about our journey and why we did what we did. But yes so much of the world is not stable now. Ecuador is not alone. Sad state the world has gotten in. Thanks 👍 for watching and commenting.
The problem is, the political picture looks bad in the U.S. Democrats are guilty of high treason. So let's look optimistically. Trump gets elected to his 3rd term, fixes the country, names his successor, successor gets elected, then foolish Americans go back to their old ways, and disaster again in just a decade, economic crash. Anything wrong with that assessment? And I am not getting any younger. Maybe I have a reason to hurry. How long must I wait to get to some place where I can be happy? Americans are stressed and friendships are shallow. Most everybody is broke or a work-aholic. Or rich and clueless.
@@KrisandMike But maybe I need to buy, because I like to not have to move around, I want to ship a container, and I need the $42K investment visa and I need a place to live anyway. How else can I afford to get my status to stay in Ecuador?
Risks: Historically the Ecuador sucre crashed overnight. People went from millionaires to almost broke, overnight. Literally. People buy houses and never live in them, nor will they rent without a personal referral. If the currency turns to nothing "real" estate is just that. Something real, that should hold it's value in a relative way. That is NOT a short term thing. When sell you have to sign that you accept that the money you are receiving is NOT being laundered. Easy for them, scary for us. IF the money is being laundered then you lose the property. Opened my eyes! The place I live is said to be one of the most expensive places. Odd as it is not that desirable in many ways. The best thing that has happened for Ecuador, and anyone coming here, is that the US$ is stable. If you look it globally the US$ became the standard for other currencies in what is now called "Cyber currency" back in the 1970s. It's a little bit like gambling. If you can't afford to lose you can't afford to play.
Here is something to scare you. You are on the pacific rim of the ocean aka "The Ring of Fire" It is called that because earthquakes are common all along the rim of the Pacific ocean. So here is a question for you. If you have an earthquake and it creates a Tsunami how high up do you need to be to avoid getting hit by a Tsunami? Answer: 1800 Feet. Hope it never happens for you but it has happened.
Thanks George. The reality of the situation is there's so much things happened to climate around the world right now. We are way more comfortable with earthquakes than we are with tornadoes and hurricanes. But that's just us, other people may be different
@@KrisandMike Tornadoes and sinkholes worry me the most. I even have rider on my insurance for sinkholes. Did you know you can drop bags of concrete in sinkholes to stabilize them? If you live on limestone rock having the rider is a good idea. I envy you guys. Amelia and JP say $2000 In the U.S. is like $5000 in Ecuador. I wish I was there. Wife will not go.
Let me see if I have this straight....You bought a house in a small 3rd world country, surrounded by narco states, with an economy that is 95% tourism based, and prone to major earthquakes, with probably no available earthquake insurance, with political instability due to the country having NO domestic energy resources.....got it...