You got to be careful in Ecuador when investing in property, man.
You see, you´ve probably lived your whole life taking for granted a right in the US, Canada or Europe that simply is not held as dear in countries like Ecuador.
The right to sleep in peace.
Seriously.
I remember from my time living in the US if a neighbor was making noise at an unpleasent nightly hour the cops often would beat me to the punch and be over there quieting the people down. If not, a simple call and they’d be there within a few minutes.
Not in Latin America. And not in Ecuador.
Call the cops on a noise complaint. Chances are they don’t even show up.
And if they do show up, the locals probably won’t even take them seriously.
Different culture, different place, different values.
The last 4 months I was leasing Hostal El Viajero here in Quito and using it as an auxiliar second location to my primary business Quito Airport Suites, a small hotel near the airport in Quito.
At the beginning, I saw El Viajero struggling so I swooped in and made a deal with the owner who initially didn’t have plans to lease but instead run it himself.
After a few days I realized what I got myself into.
Right next door was a makeshift, illegal (without permits) dog kennel.
As the weeks passed the kennel grew and at any given moment, at any hour, the dogs could be ticked off and trust me, no amount of sound proofing can help against the thunderous roar of about 50-100 dogs yelping.
We filed the complaint with the Municipal.
We complained to local authorities including the police.
We talked to the owner of the kennel.
Nothing helped, months later the kennel remained, and the hospitality business next door just wasn’t feasible.
I really felt bad for the owner, who must have invested well over a hundred thousand in the construction of an otherwise nice building in a good location. As a renter I simply turned the keys back to him and left.
His problem.
Its absolutely essential before you invest in property in Ecuador to study the surroundings and see if the noise level is to your liking. Cause your surroundings are very hard to change later. You’ll also need a little bit of vision to also see what could be in your surroundings later that may be problematic.
Spend time in an area at different times of the day, and actually spend significant time there before investing. Talk to neighbors. Get the real scoop, you’ll be glad you did.
At the very least, noise level is something you may not even think about before investing in countries like the US because its a non-issue, but its something you should think about in Ecuador.
Especially in some areas the countryside of Ecuador… dog barks and roosters are real noise makers.
In the cities, impromptu parties from a rowdy neighbor or car alarms, vehicles braking and horn beeps can also be an issue.
For instance, is a speed bump right in front of your house? If so, then be prepared to listen to the squeel of brakes at any god-awful hour.
Pass on that property.
In third-world countries across the globe, as in Ecuador, you and your investments are just not as well protected as they are in places like the US.
But not one tells you this before buying.
So due diligence is even more important.
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