“Man, I haven’t done that since I was a 20 year old in college in Waikiki with nothing to do.” I responded as my friend and I walked the dark streets outside a bar we just visited in Quito.
You see, in the US, for a 20 year old, there isn’t much to do at night except get into mischeif on the street, because almost no night establishment will let you in the door.
So one of our favorite past times was to go to this one street in Waikiki where hookers hung out and chat them up. They are some of the wierdest people you’ll ever meet which always made for interesting conversations.
Now here I was, years later in a dark street in Quito with a friend getting egged on to do the same thing as we approached a corner that always had streetwalkers.
“OK, lets do it.” I was never a match for peer pressure.
We picked one particularly hot looking one to chat up. And as we approached we quickly realized this gal was actually a dude (as is usually the case).
Then when she spoke it was obvious. She was a dude. “Hola mi amor.” she began in her deep raspy voice.
“Hey.” I started in Spanish. “So where you from?” I asked.
“I’m from Esmeraldas.” She said.
“Cool, beautiful area, I was thinking about buying a house there.” I continued, trying to break the ice.
“I have a house there.” She followed.
“Oh really, how much you pay for it?” I asked matter of factly.
“I didn’t, it was a land invasion.” She boasted.
Then two of her friends walked over and joined the conversation.
One of them said… “I also have a land on the coast.”
“Got it through a judgement.” She said. (Which is basically a more legal way to claim unclaimed lands in Ecuador.)
The third one piped in… “me too, I have a land in Esmeraldas also.”
She continued, “My father was a comune member, and was gifted the lot, then he died and left it to me.”
Wow, I thought, so there you have it, on the coast of Ecuador it seems like only foreigners actually pay money for the land.
So when you’re about to buy a property, it’s even more important to research the title history, and look smart by asking for the following documents right away so you don’t waste time on a property with possible title issues with various people making claims of ownership (which is COMMON)…
-Copy of the notarized title (Escritura)
– Copy of the property taxes receipt (Predios)
– Certificate from the Property Registry (Certificado del Registrador de la Propiedad)
– Certificate from the Municipality (Alcabalas)
– Receipt of the Fire Department tax (Certificado de Bomberos)
– Municipal appraisal (Avaluo Municipal)
So there you have it, how streetwalkers in Quito enlightened me about Ecuador real estate.
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