Category: Investor News/Analysis

Something about Ecuador ignites the entrepreneur in all of us.

As my Ecuadorian mentor once told me, “people in Ecuador are more entrepreneurial than in a country like the US because they have to be, there are less decent employment options so you got to employ yourself. ”

I´d agree.

And this week, I´m going to interview my good friend Amir, who moved to Ecuador last year from Canada, and has since started a pizzeria in the Quito (Cumbaya) area.

I met him when he was a new arrival “right off the boat”, if you will.

Enter Amir… 

Amir, tell us about your restaurant?

Sure, the name is MegaPizza and we serve top-notch Italian-Canadian cuisine like pizza, putin, salads, subs, wings and more at reasonable Ecuadorian-style prices.  Specifically, we’ve got the best subs and pizza in all of Ecuador (Note from Domenick: I’d agree.).  The restaurant is right between the main park of Cumbaya and the San Francisco University in one of the top restaurant districts of Quito.

So Amir, why’d you choose Ecuador for living and your business?

Well, its warmer than Montreal, residency is pretty easy, taxes and rent are low comparatively and so are most of the costs of living.  In Canada it was too pricey to start my own place.  A restaurant like mine would rent for $4000 or more per month, utility bills would be several hundred dollars a month and employee costs would be several thousand a month.  In Ecuador, rent, utilities and employee costs are dirt cheap and you don’t have to worry so much about peripheal costs like insurance while at the same time I’m still charging about the same as i would in Canada for my product.

Why’d you choose Cumbaya for your pizzeria?

I like the warmer climate when compared to nearby Quito (30 minutes away) and it is an affluent neighborhood and lots of residences ideal for delivery. We have acquired licenses and various other documents for the region, including pay as you go food delivery insurance, and are slated to start very soon.

What were your biggest challenges when starting and running the business?  

The biggest challenge was finding a good place to rent for the business.  It took several months of checking the Internet ads in Spanish, the newspaper and driving around scouting out areas.  A lot of decent places that were available were offered not by the land owner but by the restaurant owner who wished to sell you their business, furniture and lease, often for upwards of $60k or more.  When I already knew the business and knew what I wanted to do i was not interested in buying someone elses know-how and used equipment and furniture.

Finally, we found a large empty locale and inquired with the caretaker and found out it was available, it had no sign, thats how you can often find the best deals in Ecuador.

Also, obviously communication was an issue cause I don’t speak Spanish well.  I took a one-on-one class in Quito for about two months when I first arrived for $6 an hour and that has helped a lot.

What are the lease terms like for your restaurant in Ecuador?

Well, my lease is for one year only with a security deposit equal to one months rent.  The rent is $1500 a month.  The locale has about 6 parking spaces and 90m2 of dining area plus an outdoor patio with capacity for about 50 people (about 15 tables).

Where’d you find your kitchen equipment and furniture needed for the restaurant at the best value?  

Honestly, searching on the Internet in Spanish helped a lot. I knew what I needed cause I worked for many years as an employee of top restaurants in Montreal.  I found one distributor online in Ecuador where I bought most of my kitchen equipment PROMAINEC.  For instance, we bought all new stuff… a 2 door industrial fridge was $2200, the pizza oven $1700, the dough maker $1200, and the stove-grill-hotplate all in one from the LOZADA store in Quito was $1200.

The wooden tables and chairs were ordered custom maid by a local carpenter, they came to $36 for each table and $40 for each chair with a seat cushion built in.  Those were the best prices we could find, it was much better than buying ready made tables and chairs from a place like Megamaxi or Mi Comisariato.

What was the total investment to get your restaurant up and running from scratch?  

Including the security deposit for the lease, about $20,000 USD.

Where the permits difficult to attain?  What permits are needed for us newbies to the business in Ecuador?  

Actually, this part was very easy in Ecuador.  It all starts with the SRI (the IRS tax agency in Ecuador).  You need to get a RUC or tax ID number (free).  Once you have that you need to go to the IEPI or Institute that copyrights Intellectual property in Ecuador to register your company name and logo ($115).  Then you have to go the Municipal and apply for your LUAE or license to operate.  After application they will send inspectors to pass your business, first the firemen (bomberos) and then the health department (salud) and Secretary of Tourism.  After passing the inspections you can pay your annual Municipal patent (patente municipal) (varies by business type and location, around $100-250 annually).  A special license to sell liquor does not seem to be necessary in Ecuador from what we have gathered (we’re still confirming this one).

Where do you source your ingredients and food?  Whats cheaper and whats more expensive compared to Canada?

This part was more tricky in Ecuador than in Canada where one phone call can get you everything you need within a few hours.  The big things like flour and cheese we buy in bulk from distributors we found online.  We had to test the quality of several before we found ones we like.  The prices of things like pizza boxes varied greatly so shop around before you commit.  We often would take the phone numbers of the distributors off the labels of the products in the supermarket chains.  We’d stop the trucks delivering supplies and drinks to stores in the street.  The little things like jalapenos can only be found in the top-end supermarkets like Supermaxi, so we buy those there.

Chicken and fresh produce vegetables are much cheaper in Ecuador than in Canada.

Some things are more expensive in Ecuador, like pepperoni which is $5/kg in Canada while $13/kg in Ecuador.  Some things are cheaper like cheese which is $22/kg in Canada while $7/kg in Ecuador.

What are some interesting things you’ve learned about selling food to Ecuadorians?

Ecuadorians don’t drink much coffee compared to North Americans.  They love hot sauce.  And they’re surprised by all the different pasta options we offer like tomato, pesto and alfredo sauces, but in a pizza shop they usually ignore our fringe offerings and go right for the pizza.

How did you find your staff?  

Well, my friend and I started the business, we are the cooks for now, and my friends brother moved to Ecuador as well to help out.  We hired one waitress to attend the clients and answer the phones (since we dont speak much Spanish).  We pay her $400 a month plus tips which is a bit over the minimum wage in Ecuador for a full-time 40 hour a week employee.  We found her quickly by placing a classfied ad in the Quito Sunday newspaper.

What are your profit margins like for the food you sell?  

Well, if you don’t count the fixed costs like rent and so forth , just taking into the account what we pay for the food itself and what we sell it for the profit is about 70%.  That number can get higher if we sell more and are able to buy in bigger bulk.

How much do you sell on a good day?

Our goal based on our price level, roughly $8 a meal, and restaurant capacity is to sell $40 per table for a total of $1000 of sales per day.  That is a good day for us.

Any other tips for a new restaurant owner wannabe in Ecuador?  

Sure, the cost of living and rent in Ecuador is cheap compared to a place like Canada so take your time to find a good location, it could take several months of searching, don’t kid yourself with an average location, you win before you begin.

How can we learn more about your restaurant or give it a shot ourselves?

Check our our Facebook page MegaPizza Cumbaya to see pics of our food, we are right on the corner of Orellana y Chimborazo in Cumbaya or call 02-603-9983 for more on how to arrive, obviously, we speak English, open 7 days a week.  And on Monday nights we have EXPAT NIGHT from 6-10PM where if you show a foreign passport you get a free beer or beverage of your choice with any meal purchase.

And to learn how to find the unpublished property deals no one else knows about, subscribe to my weekly Ecuador Insiders Newsletter below, you can unsubscribe at any time:

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This week I had the pleasure to interview Olga Plavidal, one of the most knowledgable people I know on the Cotacachi real estate market.

Cotacachi is a small mountainous community a few hours north of Quito, and 15 minutes from Otavalo, which has experienced quite an influx of North American expats in recent years due to many factors like its healthy lifestyle, low costs and mild, comfortably warm year-round climate.  For me, its one of those few places in the world, and even in Ecuador, where you really don´t need heat or AC in your home and you re still comfortable.  Rare.

So lets turn to the local expert on the ground to get the dirt on whats really going on in early 2014…

Enter Olga.

1.    Why did you choose Cotacachi?  

–       I came to Ecuador 3 years ago, stayed in Quito for a month and was making short trips to various destinations. When I came to Cotacachi for a day trip, my soul whispered me: ‘That’s it, darling, that’s your home…’ Some places looked like from the fairy tales to me!

I’ve been captured by the beauty and the cleanness of the town. Every morning the owners of the stores wash the pavement in front of her/his business with soap (!) There is hardly any signs of deterioration on the pavement. I have the same quality of pavement back home, but I work with a Gettysburg based sealcoating company and they fix it regularly. They beautify their exteriors with flowers. People are very friendly and they greet you on the streets even if they don’t know you. Gorgeous views of 2 volcanoes of Cotacachi and Imbabura and the stable climate, like May time all year round. Even at the rainy season we have just occasional showers in the afternoon and over the night. Hardly ever until the afternoon.

Concrete, on the other hand, is a rigid pavement. Its function is simply to bridge soft spots in the soil. Poured concrete will crack and break due to loads, shrinkage, soil expansion, and frost heaving of the sub-grade. Concrete is one of the most vital materials in construction, but poured in place concrete makes a poor paving surface. This is due to its relative inability to flex and its low tensile strength. Some of the advantages of pervious pavers are that they can appear to be indistinguishable from non-porous pavers. They are a very attractive option for use on paths, terraces, driveways, parking areas or low-speed low-volume roadways. They come in a wide variety of styles, shapes and colors that can enhance your project site. They are as attractive as other styles of precast pavers. The driveway pavers Los Angeles, california is a long lasting, low maintenance cost product which looks great over time.

2. What do some expats complain about in Cotacachi?  Or why some folks decide not to stay in the area?  

–       Some foods are not available that you’ve used to – but use your creative juices and find the alternatives, lots of them! Probably, not too many things to do, as they might think. However, we have lots of activities here now; new businesses are popping up and many volunteer activities as well. But it’s everybody’s choice if they just want to stroll from one restaurant to another and gossip on everything, or to get pro-active in many new opportunities that we have to offer now. Many business opportunities are still not here. You chose this country to live in. Get creative and go for your dream! Turn your hobby into a new venture and create the lifestyle that you desire!

–

3. What are current market prices like in the different areas of the town and for different types of property and the per meter price of vacant land in the area? 

–       Depends on the area. Closer to the center, the higher the price, of course. The typical Ecuadorean house, not the new one, can be around $250-300 per m2, while the new construction in the gated community can run up to $750 per m2. You pay for what you get – quality of construction and finishing materials, security of the gated community, etc.

The land is the same – the closer to the center – the higher the price. $40-50 per m2 closer to the center and smaller lots, and can be $15-17 per m2 just outside the town for the bigger acreage. Again, it all depends on the location, neighborhood, views, size, and many other aspects to consider.
4. How has the market performed over the last year?  over the last 3 yrs?  over the last 5 yrs? 

–       It’s steady growth of about 15% a year, the more people get to learn about Ecuador, the more they come here. The property prices have tripled here in the last 3-5 years. They will be still growing, but there’s still a great chance to get them cheaper than in the US or Canada. If you want to get more detail about heating and cooling repair services, then click this url . Also, please consider that you don’t have to pay cooling or heating humongous prices, property taxes for most of the properties are under $100 a year (!). You can go to this web-site for more about the heating and cooling repair service. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning system in your home plays a crucial role in making the household members comfortable even in extreme seasons.

Giving it due care and attention is therefore important, otherwise, you will be suffering certain consequences like having to pay for incredibly expensive machine repairs or replacements. To prevent anything like this from happening too soon, you can avail of the ac repair services rendered by professional HVAC companies in your area. These people usually have the skills and knowledge required to provide solutions to any trouble or concerns you raise in regards to your unit.

Also, what you pay for food, services and some other things are incomparably cheaper that in the US and Canada. You have to weigh all this on your scale and don’t just look at the property prices, but rather the whole picture of your monthly spending here. You know it yourself that you can live here comfortably under $1,000 a month, even renting a modest property, or under $500 if you own it.

5. Do you see any notable tendencies in the local real estate market?  

–       I sure do. More people are looking now into income producing properties, businesses to support them in case there will be some political changes, affecting their lifestyles. They are looking mostly for B&B’s, restaurants, farms and agricultural land. However, there are still quite a few folks who’ve built their nest-egg, sold their property back at home and want a nice comfortable home to live here peacefully.

6. Where in the city is best for an expat to invest and where are some areas to avoid?

–       To avoid is definitely the areas out of the city, where the Indigenous communities are occupying. If you decide to live in one of those communities, you should be really adaptable to their lifestyle and culture. Otherwise, the whole city of Cotacachi is not so big, let me know your desires and I’ll do my best to assist you in finding the best place for you!

7. For someone looking to invest in a rental property, what would you advise them and what type if property should they buy and where to keep it rented?

–       Most of the folks are looking to rent in the center of Cotacachi, a few minutes walk to the center. It’s easier to rent it out. Inexpensive, maybe Ecuadorean style home with all the basic furniture. Many renters want it for a short period of time, up to a month or a bit more, so that accommodate them, as it’s cheaper then hotel and gives them more privacy.

8.  What are the prices of nearby farm land and what types of crops are most common in the region?

–       The most common crops here are corn and beans, avocado trees are abundant as well, lemons and oranges grow well here, tree tomatoes (it’s a local fruit), potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage – so many things, this soil is so rich, I think that whatever you stick in it, will start popping up J

Prices can be very different, depending on the location and the size of the land. $1-10 per m2.

9.  What other opportunities do you see for investors in your area?  In other words, what would you do with $100-200k in your area right now?

–       I’d buy some good rental property that will bring some good ROI. Also, land for development or a good inexpensive land for agriculture. No matter what the future holds for us, people will always need the place to live and the food to eat.

10.  For renters, what are the average rental prices looking like?  What are the normal rental terms?  

–       Depends on where and what you rent. Gated communities can be $600-1,000 a month, all furnished and really nice. But you can find a small local Ecuadoreans apartments for $100 unfurnished, or a bit more furnished. All depends on your choice of lifestyle and budget. My friend rents now a 1 bedroom furnished apartment with a good size kitchen, full bathroom for $200 a month. Please, don’t ask me for rentals, I usually don’t do them.

11. What’s one thing most people don’t know about Cotacachi?

Gee, Dom! That’s a big one! Please don’t limit me on that one! Let me list some of them, at least:

–       You’ll pay for anywhere going in taxi in Cotacachi just $1, don’t even ask the driver ‘how much’, it’s just a buck, wherever you go. Can be $1.25 or even $1.50 if this is 5-10 minutes to the properties that are a bit out of town, Like Yana Pamba, El Batan, Jahua Pacha.

–       You can have a really nice lunch in a local restaurant, if you ask for ‘almuerza’, not going for ‘a la carte’, which is from the menu. Just from $1.75 in many little  local places, at the food court/bus terminal as well, to a fancy ‘La Tourista’ on Bolivar street for $3.50 – awesome! Just don’t forget the magic word ‘almuerza’, write it down now, or they will bring you ‘Menu del Dia’ and will charge you twice for a little bitty added to it.

–       Do you know that you can drink the water from the tap? Yes, it’s safe! It comes from the Cotacachi volcano and goes through the purifying facility here in Cota, and straight to our homes.

Thank you, Dom for interviewing me, hope that will help some nice folks to get some better ideas about living here.

Welcome to Ecuador Realty! And, please check my website for the best properties in Imbabura area: http://chantal-realty-ecuador.com

And to learn how to find the unpublished property deals no one else knows about, subscribe to my weekly Ecuador Insiders Newsletter below, you can unsubscribe at any time:

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Do you want the long or the short answer?

The short answer is … no where.

Keep your money in your home country except for what you need.  Remember, this is a country where from one day to the next a bank could close shop, put a lock on the door and say “adios” with your money.

Kind of funny hearing this from a supposed “Ecuador expert”.

But it is what it is.

It happens.

In fact, to two differnet banking institutions in the last year (2013-2014).

However, I know if you are going to live or invest here it sure is convenient to have a local bank account.

One you can withdraw from anytime without fees or hefty exchange fees.

So in this case I offer you the long answer…

There are only two banks in Ecuador where I suggest you have your money.

1. Banco Pichincha.  Its the biggest bank in Ecuador (the yellow one) and has branches everywhere you want to be. Nonetheless, it is important to note down the swift code of the bank you have an account in. It’s where all the locals have their money in Ecuador.  Its the institution everyone uses to do business.  If this bank closed up there would be major riots in the street, in other words, the government would not let it happen.

One thing I’ve learned when living abroad, if all the locals are jumping off a bridge, damn it, you better follow suit!  There is a reason for everything all though we may not see it at first and think, “huh, that’s stupid, I’m so much smarter than they are. (not true!)”

2. Banco del Pacifico.  This bank is the other decent option, albeit with far fewer branches, this is also one of the safest places to stash your cash in Ecuador because it is owned and managed by the government.

It’s like making friends with the bully in grade school so they don’t pick on you.

Heck, I know I did it, this is the same difference when the government seems to be the one going around ordering banks and credit unions (cooperas) in Ecuador to close these days.

Extra tip:  Be sure to keep no more than $25000 in any one bank account in Ecuador, that is the amount your money is insured to and in the event of a bank closing you’d be one of the first people to get your money refunded.

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Manglaralto Beach, Ecuador

Everyone loves Montanita.

But nobody actually wants to live there.  Unless you’re a 20 year old hippy.

It’s a neat mix of a traditional bohemian-Ecuadorian surf village turned mega-tourist attraction.

And its a great place to meet people, eat, drink or party.

But to live, for most, it’s just too noisy, too scandalous, too touristy.

There’s restaurants, heaps of hotels for every budget, travel agencies, surf shops, discos, bars… in a word, it’s fun.

And since 2009, when the local Ecuadorians started to discover the town, it’s absolutely exploded.

All year every weekend the place is packed, and during the high seasons (Jan-Apr and Jul-Aug) its got loads of travelers midweek too.

But what a lot of people don’t realize is there is a sleepy little town right next to Montanita that actually shares the same beach head.

And yes, it means you can walk between the two in a little under a half hour.

Yet most people just skip it.

They don’t even realize its there.

Its 4 km away from the center of Montanita, in fact, it is a 5 minute drive or 30 minute walk along the nice, wide, sandy beach.

Welcome to the town of Manglaralto, the town next to and just south of Montanita.

Manglaralto is still as local as it gets, like Montanita was maybe 10 years ago.

Theres one guy that sells chicken (for cooking), another street shop tucked away that sells the beef, another little nook sells the vegetables, and there’s one guy that come out in the mornings and sells the fresh fish.

You learn as you go.

It’s real quiet, the streets actually look quite empty or dead most days and there’s only 3 or 4 streets that run parellel to the ocean, a little park with a church and a landromat, a hardware store and 2 or 3 small hotels, thats it.

But it does sport the only hospital along this stretch of the coast, and its free to all (public).

Also, a little less than a year ago in early 2013 the streets of this tiny town were paved, which is HUGE.

But the reason I mention this town is the opportunity.

I discovered this town by accident 2 years ago when I bought a little dinker house there.

Not many foreigners live here full time yet, but there are certainly more than when I first bought 2 years ago.

And I can tell you first hand that the demand for rentals in the area is HUGE, being a quiet place to sleep near the action but not right in it as most prefer, and its the ONLY town that shares a beach with Montanita (one of the biggest tourist destinations on the coast of Ecuador).

So like most, eat or party in Montanita, then catch the $1.50 5-minute cab ride to sleep in peaceful Manglaralto.

Specifically over the last year or two, developers have started to move in to the southern end of town starting a few small subdivisions, but deals can still be found like the $15,000 4 bedroom house I found and bought 2 years ago.

Small 250 m2 lots in and near town can be found in the $10,000 range.

Oceanview lots go for anywhere from $30-60 per m2.  A lot a block or two back from the beach with no view can go for half that.

But you have to look, cause prices are all across the board.

It’s still one of those neat opportunity areas where prices have already risen a bit but you can still find a deal.

But mostly know that Manglaralto is not only a cool, peaceful place to live, but also one of the best places (at least top 5) to put a rental property on the coast of Ecuador.

And to learn how to find the unpublished property deals no one else knows about, subscribe to my weekly Ecuador Insiders Newsletter below, you can unsubscribe at any time:

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I know what you’re thinking.

Where’s part 1-9 of this series?

Well, they were released about this time last year and tell the story from step one of how I found an undervalued beachfront lot near Salinas, Ecuador, legalized and resold it.

Well, about a year later, it’s now sold.

First, the specifics… 

In October of 2012 I bought a 500m2 lot right on the beach in a small fishing village 30 minutes south of Salinas near the town of Chanduy for $4000.   The lot was cheap for a number of reasons, the lot was located in a rather impoverished, completely undiscovered area of the coast, the papers of the lot were out of date and needed to be legalized (or attained for the first time), and the previous owner didn’t know much about marketing and sales.  The lot took about one month to legalize and cost around $500.  (No lawyer fees except for the notary.)

Then, in November of 2013, after negotiating I came to an agreement to sell the lot and sold it for $8000, a price where I still made money and the buyer still got a great deal (even for Ecuador) on a front-line beachfront lot.

How I sold it?

Due to time constraints and other priorities, I didn’t spend much time or money marketing it, all I did was post it on my own blog ecuadorealestate.org as well as on viviun.com .  Nothing else!  I didn’t list it in Spanish, or in the local paper (like I planned), or with any real estate agents.  Then I left it be.  And after a lot longer than I thought I had a buyer, a year later.

What I learned from the experience?

– That contrary to popular belief in Ecuador it is possible to take publicly owned “communal” land and privatize it and legally deed and register it in the notary, municipal and property registrar just like any other privately-owned property if you get some knowledge on your side.  But it can be a process and is a bit risky cause you never know.

– That if you buy property in an undiscovered, out-of-the-way location it is NOT a short-term play and will take you a lot longer to turn than you thought, even if the property is nice and right on the ocean (ideal).

– That the quality of the beach and proximity to a legit city with shopping and other services is important.

– That it will be a harder sell if NO other foreigners are in the area.

– That simply being beachfront is not quite enough to ask what other beachfront lots in more discovered, developed places on the coast are asking ($80-$100 per m2) .  If I would have got that I would have sold for around $40-50,000!  I started by asking $20k then I lowered to $16k but I didn’t start seeing any real interest until I lowered the asking price after several months to $12k.  Albeit I didn’t do a whole lot of marketing.

– That stating publicly on my blog how much I paid for the lot doesn’t help to sell it for a profit (duh).

– That using an agent probably would have been a good idea, it’s just that I had a bad experience with an agent previously.

– That there are a lot of areas on the Ecuador coast that are actually pretty stagnant while other areas are moving quickly.  Best find the areas moving quickly (which Ill cover on future newsletters).  For instance, this lot had a ‘for sale’ sign when I bought it that had been there 6 years!

– Not to waste time with all the (dozens) of tire-kickers online, the person who is actually going to buy your lot is probably someone already in Ecuador beit foreiger or local.
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