Street Dogs in Ecuador

Dodging Street Dogs in Ecuador

As I house hunted this week, I can honestly tell you one of the top dangers for anyone looking for property in Ecuador are the street dogs!

In Ecuador, like in most developing countries, there are several dogs roaming the streets.

The worst are the dogs on the property of private owners, when looking at a property they could sneek up on you like they have me. People are more lax about putting beware of dog signs.

But thankfully I’ve never been bit in Ecuador, only once in Brazil.

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How’s the Cell Phone Coverage in Ecuador?

Its not bad, out in the boonies it fades a bit but it’s no problem in the big cities for the most part.

Where Should I Start my Ecuador Property Searching Trip?

if you’re interested in looking for properties in the Andes region of Ecuador, start your trip in Quito. If your interested in coastal properties, start your trip in Guayaquil (2 1/2 hrs from the coast) or in Manta.

What’s the Easiest Way to Get Around in Ecuador?

Good question. You can rent a car easily in Quito or Guayaquil with a driver’s license from any country and a credit card starting around $40 a day. Renting a car is a good option if you want to explore the coast or countryside at your own leisure.

If you plan on spending most your time in the big cities, Quito, Cuenca, Guayaquil, then I recommend you DON’T rent a car and just get around via the cheap taxi network and local buses. The minimum taxi fare is $1 in Quito, for instance.

1 Way I Avoid Inflated Gringo Prices

A lot of people ask me, “Do property sellers in Ecuador really ‘up’ the prices when they hear or see the buyer is a foreigner?”

My short answer… “Hell yeah they do!”

And if someone tells you otherwise, they’re wrong, or probably trying to sell you something.

Now, to be fair, maybe 80% of the time you’ll get quoted the same price as locals do, but there’s still that 20% chance you’ll get “upped”. In fact, it happened to me this week. I got a tip a hotel was for sale for $150k… a deal… I approached, the owner saw I was a gringo, and quoted me $400k!

Why do sellers in ecuador do this? Just like anywhere in a developing, relatively poor country, they think EVERYONE from rich countries is rich, and actually, comparatively, they’re right.

Now, instead of just stating the obvious I’ll leave you this week with one creative way I USE to avoid getting hit with special inflated “gringo prices”.

I created a new email address under a VERY Ecuadorian name that I use to email and make first contact with properties I see advertised on the net in Ecuador, doesn’t matter if it’s listed by a “gringo (foreigner)” or Ecuadorian.

My alternative name is … Juan Yagual. Super coastal Ecuadorian.

A few VERY Ecuadorian names you could use are:

First names: Juan, Jose, Hector, Galo, Cilindro, Cesar, Mario, Diana, Carolina, Ana, Marisol, Paola, Karina
Last names: Yagual, Andrade, Sandoval, Fernandez, Caicedo, Ortiz, Amores

And in your email, a VERY local, yet polite, way to ask the asking price of a property…(to mask you’re a gringo)…

Estimado[dear] (insert name if you now it),

Quería saber cuanto pide por la propiedad que tienes en venta? [I’d like to know what’s the asking price of the property for sale?]

Esperando la respuesta, [waiting for the response]

Juan Yagual (Ecuadorians have two last names but sometimes only put one)

Remember, you only have to hide your identity until you know the asking price of the property, after that it’s generally OK if they find out you’re a foreigner.

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