How to find and buy rural property in Ecuador - It's not like you're used to

[@BPe-ie9je]

Your short w dancers, festival just popped up on my computer. :-) fyi

[@jefflaporte2598]

Thank you for the great info. As you mentioned it isn't easy to research property in Ecuador, especially rural properties. I currently live in the US but my place will go on the market in June. So hopefully I will be down there this fall, October at the latest. The climate I am looking for is 80-85 daytime temps and low to mid 60's at night. I just want fruit trees and vegetable gardens. Glad I found your videos good info is hard to find outside of the cities.

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

Glad we could help! We felt the same trying to navigate the process ourselves. Plenty of info for moving to cities, little for us rural folks. Those temps match where we are in the southern Oriente. Feel free to shoot us an email, we know of properties for sale in our general area - it might at least be a starting point for you!

[@divinaflamingarrow9556]

I am interested in Loja and southern Ecuador ❤

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

Awesome! Let us know if you have any specific questions or requests for anything we should cover.

[@rioscueva1899]

Go south of Catamayo airport on Hwy 69 beautiful properties very friendly honest hard working people,good water great food. We own Santa Ana de las Piedras between Gonzanama and Cariamanga.

[@jessiesheldon-huffey1824]

I rented a car in Quito and drove it all over ecuador for 3 weeks. I paid a $600 deposit and cost of rental was $1500 during prime vacation time over Christmas

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

Awesome, great info - thanks for sharing!

[@BPe-ie9je]

Jessie, how /what was your experience driving in EC ?

[@jessiesheldon-huffey1824]

If I were to do it all over again, I would not drive in the cities, as we barely avoided a couple of accidents due to people making up their own "lanes" and just driving crazy. Driving in Ecuador is not for the faint of heart, but it was nice having our own wheels.

[@r4w_overland]

I am planning on doing the same...can you please let me know where did you rent the car?

[@jessiesheldon-huffey1824]

@@r4w_overland localization. They were great!

[@wilsonmontesdeoca5482]

I'm from the outskirts of cuenca.. no crime ..my village it's. So peaceful

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

Beautiful! We've heard several people say that cuenca has been safe and wonderful, so that's good to hear!

[@Magic_10001]

I lived in Cuenca area, it was just before the recent troubles. Was one of the safest places in the world I've ever been. And people super polite and courteous.

[@Jetmab04]

Thanks a lot for sharing.. A very interesting - and different way to find a home indeed but, that's part of the reason to go there, right 😊 I heard about these properties owned by entire families who have to agree etc..how do you find out if a property you look at, is indeed such property? If I could, I would find a cave in a mountain somewhere and, make that into a real home but...being a single retired woman when I come down, this seem like a dream that will stay exactly like that - a dream 😊 Happy to see/hear you sound very comfortable where you are.. Happy Sunday 👍

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

Don't discount your dream just yet! Labor is very affordable here, you could absolutely have them build you a cavehome! We could round up a crew to dig you a cave! About the family-owned property, that could definitely be an issue if the family members aren't all on board with selling it or the sale price or something like that. Again, having a local and/or lawyer can be very helpful. We're do-it-ourselves kind of people, but there are certain situations here where we just don't know enough to navigate it! Thanks for the comment, we appreciate it!

[@Jetmab04]

@@tinyhandsbigdreams And thank you very much in return. A cave yes ..I saw one which was built into a mountain - 100% stunning....and yes, a good lawyer in order not to end up, having no consent from half a family.!! I admire you for setting up this place but, am realistic enough to know, as a "girl" in my sixties, I may be a bit off, if thinking I could do this on my own hence I'm not and will, at least in the beginning, rent...just to get accustomed to climate (weather/human) and, untillmI find THE place for me, myself, an iguana, a cat, a dog and, whoever else might join my new family down there 😊 I am truly excited about moving to Ecuador and, to establish a Central- South American home base from where, I can travel the continent + Central America and, visit all the people I know there...like being a child again, waiting for my 18th birthday 😊 Thanks again for sharing and, happy farming/building/planning/living 👍🤗🌹🌹🌹

[@joycepywell4481]

I believe that there’s an equivalent to a clear deed certificate in Ecuador.

[@Jetmab04]

@@joycepywell4481 interesting Joyce... Lots of things to do when I finally come down and, digging old deeds iis indeed what I've done before so, why not continue in Ecuador 😄

[@605pilot]

Where in the eastern part of Ecuador do you recommend? You mentioned that where you’re living it’s safe. I’m looking at a higher elevation in order to have a pleasant year round temperature (70 to 75 f) and less bugs.

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

Hmmm...we looked at the map for elevations (Google earth shows elevations and is super handy for property searching) and it looks like to get those temps (thinking about the 2000ft elevation) in the eastern part of the country, you'd probably need to be right on the border to Peru. Otherwise, the pass from Zamora to Loja is lovely and cooler, though a bit more remote. We considered north of Loja - lovely people and land, just a bit too cool for us. We only have boots on the ground experience in Southern EC, so can't speak to the northeastern areas. Let us know if we can help in any way!

[@Dartagnan10]

Gualaceo, Paute in Azuay. These little towns are located to the east of Azuay. Cuenca is the capital of Azuay. Azogues is a beautiful and calm city, 45 min from Cuenca. Azogues is the capital of Cañar

[@tenbye466]

I have been doing all of my research just online. I’ve been looking over several countries, but I keep going back to Ecuador. I have seen several of your videos and this is the first time that I took time to figure out exactly where you are and the funny thing is, nearly exactly where I have been looking at land online. Our larger properties quite a bit less per hectare? I’m looking at smallest of fifty and largest that seem realistic price have been 250-300 hectares.

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

That's great! Great minds think alike. Honestly, we're even more confident in our location right now...much of the country is struggling with drought and fire right now, but not our area. Phew. Larger properties are definitely cheaper.

[@Neveragain1111-r4y]

Thank you for the link!!!!

[@joycepywell4481]

What is average cost per hector in your area?🎉🎉 Thanks guys

[@leeennise.a3338]

I took the bus and geotagged areas i liked. I plan to drive back and ask around

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

Ah yes, that's a great way of doing it.

[@CameronsCandorOriginal]

Is the permitting process as difficult as in most of the states? What about laws, restrictions, and regulations? What kind of property rights?

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

We just confirmed with an engineer friend of ours to make sure we gave you correct info. He confirmed that in rural areas, no permits are required. As far as we can tell, there are no restrictions or regulations in rural areas. Property rights are similar to the U.S. Foreigners can own properties here, no problem. Everything is pretty dang easy here!

[@CameronsCandorOriginal]

@@tinyhandsbigdreams wow! That's amazing. It would be a major change of pace for someone who lives in really strict areas state side. Thank you!

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

YES! It's amazing!

[@brianhansen2202]

Is all of Ecuador mountains? I seems strange, and very hard, to try to farm a mountain slope if there are alternatives

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

There are flat areas available but less so than mountains/hills, and at a higher price. Mountain slopes like we have are actually really well suited to the area and climate as far as farming is concerned. Water drains away and doesn't flood your land, for one thing! We love the views and abilities it provides us to work with the land. We also gain fresh, clean gravity fed water!

[@-COMMON-MAN]

Thanks!!!!!

[@leeennise.a3338]

Did you guys soil test before buying?

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

We did not. Would recommend doing so, but we didn't because we knew it would take longer than we had to get the results back. Had to move fast on a low-priced property! Do we regret that? Eh, maybe a little. But we can work with what we have.

[@leeennise.a3338]

@@tinyhandsbigdreams curious to know what you got 15 hectars for. I undersrand if you dont want to say. I've heard its best to offer 50% of the asking price....

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

We have 12 hectares and we got it for about $1000/hectare. I'm not sure about offering that much less - we didn't. We paid asking price (it was very well priced). I think that method may differ depending on the region you're in. Out here, everything is priced pretty cheap since it's all local sellers/buyers for the most part (i.e. we're just about the only gringos out here!)

[@hilandero]

Nice buy. But how you get the investment visa for 12 000?

[@benharrigan7366]

In an earlier vdeo you mentioned that you have/had another property for sale,do you still have it?

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

Yes, we do! Still up for sale, feel free to send us an email if you'd like more info: [e-mail]

[@rvmommabear]

Howdy yall! Another great video full of very useful information! Questions from this video would be (and by the way, i try to always comment on every video i watch to help boost it, hence all the comments spread around all the videos lol) but anyway, i do think that hiring professional help to file for the visa's and buy properties is the safest and most efficient way to do it right the first time, but where do you find the best professionals to pay to do all those steps for you? You also mentioned having a limited amount of time to complete buying a property for the investors visa, which i think right now is a minimum investment of $45K since they upped it recently. Do you know if you start out as a digital nomad visa holder, and then buy property that would qualify, can you use that purchase to switch from a digital nomad visa to an investor visa?? My worry is that i finally get the job that qualifies me to go there, but something happens to the job and i am forced to leave.... but i dont think i will be able to save up enough money, while living in the usa, to start off with an investor visa since they raised it so much higher :-(

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

The heck, KZbin! So sorry, we just didn't see this comment until now! It's been happening, and certainly isn't helpful for communication! Thank you for the comments, we really appreciate them (even if we don't see them for a week...). We honestly just picked at semi-random who to hire, and we would likely do things a bit different now, but you can't know until you know, you know? Hah! There are some decent EC expat groups on Facebook that are good at answers questions and making recommendations. We don't know much about the digital nomad visa specifically, but we do know that if you switch types of visas (or try to 'switch' properties you hold for the investor visa) you have to reapply for a new visa, with all new documents - wouldn't recommend that! We have some thoughts for you, though...drop us an email [e-mail].

[@d.f.9064]

Safety factor changes a LOT depending on where you are in EC. Find a lawyer that knows the law. Find a Spanish speaker to help you buy.

[@leeennise.a3338]

Larger cities have rental cars for $40/day. Only a credit card is required

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

Good to know.

[@divinaflamingarrow9556]

So, if you find a place to buy, can you live there off grid? Tent, car, and solar?

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

That's what we're doing! It's allowed here no issues.

[@BPe-ie9je]

@@tinyhandsbigdreams Where, how do you buy solar panels ??? in Ecuador ?

[@tomsaxton970]

Additionally, do not buy communal, community, comuna property. I've seen written many ways. It's land you will never own. I don't totally understand it. But I think has to do with tribal lands.

[@tinyhandsbigdreams]

Interesting, we haven't heard of that phrase, but makes sense to pay attention to. There are also expat-focused 'communities' where you don't actually own the land you 'buy'.