Category: Investor News/Analysis

Businesses close their doors.  Even hotels lock it up.

Not a soul in the streets except the occasion street dog.

It´s cloudy and a bit brisk… everyday.

Welcome to the low season on the coast of Ecuador.

It also happens to be the best time to search for and buy real estate.  You´ll find many more properties for sale and eager owners looking to sell at bargain prices. The low season for tourists is the best time for a potential buyer to make an offer in Ecudaor. So when is the low season?

Depends where you are on the coast.

Right now, in August, we´re right in the middle of low season on the southern coast, from Manta down to the Salinas/Playas area.  Low season on the southern coast or area south of Manta is generally from May to early December.

High season from Salinas to Manta is from late December to early April.  If you have a rental, take advantage and jack up the price, cause you´ll still be able to find a renter.

Its the sunniest time of the year with blue-bird days mixed in with the occasional rain storm.  It also happens to be when North Americans are looking to escape the dreadful northern winters.  It´s also when school children along the Ecuador coast have their summer break meaning Ecuadorian families are traveling in full force.

On the northern part of the coast, or from Manta to Esmeraldas, it´s different and more complicated.

The high season is from late June through August, when Quito and the highland people have off from school.  The immediate days around Christmas, New Years, easter week (semana santa, April) and Carnaval (in February) is also high season and very packed.

At least on the beaches in and around Esmeraldas the sunniest months of the year are August, November, March and February.  The rainy months are December, May, June, July and October.

So in the low season …buy… in the high season … sell (but you´re not going to want to, cause your place will probably be rented at a good price).

And for renters, I´d say no reservation is needed for low season stays, you can often find options simply upon arrival, but for the high season reserve months in advance!

And if you´re forced to look for sun in the middle of the year, go north my friend.

Today’s pick might surprise you.

Chances are you’ve never seen it mentioned before now.

Actually, most Ecuadorians haven’t even heard of it, but it’s just minutes from one of the top tourist destinations on the coast… Atacames.Sua.Sua is a tiny, little village on the sea where most of the inhibitants work in agriculture or tourism (in the nearby town of Atacames).  There are only a couple hotels sprinkled through the town and barely a hint of tourists. There is a vast list of online shops for you to visit to, after that you can decide on which store can give you products and services at a very reasonable price. In this way, you can be sure that the amount you are paying for is equivalent to its value. The best way to evaluate the website, which you are planning to acquire specific materials, is through reading the customer reviews and product description. Through this, you have a cool way of comparing things, making you decide on what is better, what will give you long lasting materials and better results from the moment you involve yourself in water sport or any other boating experience. Visit https://www.merrittsupply.com/ for the best wholesale merritt supply.

But unlike many small, undeveloped towns on the coast of Ecuador it’s NOT a fishing village!  Meaning no ‘fishy’ smells, no hooks baried in the sand waiting to be embedded in your foot, nor ugly fishing boats docked just off the beach.We buy houses projects can offer advantages to battling mortgage holders. However, they can likewise cause more damage than anything else. At whatever point there is a chance to make cash, you can wager there will be con artists. With the current lodging market emergency, a lot of chances exist. On the off chance that you have to sell your home brisk, odds are you’re now in alarm mode. In the present recessed lodging market it is elusive a certified buyer. Also, the individuals who are buying need a low-ball cost on an over-esteemed home. The colorado springs real estate investor Bonnie Buys Houses fast.

real estate prices have dropped quite a bit, the potential commissions that real estate agents and brokers could earn have also dropped. But the drop in commissions can be more than offset by the amount of properties that can be sold. And getting quality real estate leads is one of the keys to making this a reality for real estate professionals. This is because there are so many more properties on the market now than there were before the bubble burst. Here you will get the everything about Ambergris Seaside Real Estate official website.

The rise in the number of homeowners who are underwater on their mortgages has increased so much that a very large number of them have decided that they cannot afford to stay in their homes. They would rather sell their home and buy a comparable home for a much lower price, and take the loss so that they can improve their cash flow situation by having a lower mortgage payment each month. And since there is no shortage of properties to buy, these people had no problem finding a suitable home for a good price.

And another result of the rise in available properties is that more and more people are becoming first-time homeowners. Since prices on homes are falling, more and more people are able to afford a home for the same amount they are currently paying in rent. So the logical choice for these people is to buy a house rather than continuing to rent.

And the beach is a beautiful little cove with white sand and sapphire-blue transparent water.And it is arguably the best beach for swimmers in all of Ecuador with table-top flat, still water and with little boat traffic.

And now as I sit here in August, the sun is out, which is a rarity for this month further south on the coast.

The locals are friendly, vibrant mulattos used to the sight of outsiders being just a 5 minute Tuk-tuk ride from Atacames.Food.  Forget about it!  Its amazing, you’ll love the Esmeraldas food, primarily seafoods marinated in coconut juice and other spices.  (Encocados)Both along the boardwalk in Sua and particularly in neighboring Atacames you’ll find plenty of good restaurants.  Hospitals and shopping centers can be found in neighboring Atacames or 25 minutes away in Esmeraldas.

And did I mention there are MANY smaller properties available right on the beach for sale by private owner… front-line beachfront.  Most have ‘for sale’ signs, some don’t.

One two-story house is asking $62k.  Another is asking less than half that but it is a tear-down, only the beachfront lot is worth something.  There is also a 14-room beachfront hotel for sale asking $200k (negotiable).

It’s a true buyers market, a low-priced hidden gem, which can’t be said for many beaches further south on the coast.

Did I mention, you’re also just a half hour from the nearest airport (in Esmeraldas)?

But is it safe being near Esmeraldas and so close to Colombia?

Well, this place is south of Esmeraldas, and Esmeraldas is actually much farther from Colombia than people realize, being several hours south of the border.  So in my experience, you’re fine.  Esmeraldas itself gets a bad rap but the locals are actually quite friendly and Sua is still a bit of a distance from the city itself.
One negative to buying beachfront here might be that for many of the properties there is a malecon or boardwalk between the property and the beach, but it does not have much traffic (if any) other than the occasional pedestrian.

Also, for most of the year it would be quiet but for Ecuadorian holidays it may get noisy towards the north end of the boardwalk when restaurants place boom boxes outside their storefront to attract Ecuadorian customers. They tried following examples of other big companies like Salesforce, which stress the importance of introducing chat bots to improve customer service.

But overall, I see real short-term potential for growth for Sua as the spill-over from beautiful Atacames has to go somewhere (and it can’t go north, so it must come south).

Today’s pick is probably not on your Ecuador beach property house-hunting itinerary.

But it is one of the sunniest beaches in Ecuador (by far).

Has very little humidity nor insects (comparatively).

Is within an hour and a half of an international airport and first-world style hospitals.

Has great, empty waves for surfers.

At night, you can see stars, lots of them, and like in many small towns, hear a pin drop. (Ok, almost.)

And is only minutes from an already well-known Ecuador beach town and a new, large SuperMaxi mega-shopping center.

And did I mention the forgotten beachfront lots that are cheap… very cheap.

Welcome to todays pick… Engabao.  

In Engabao you’ll feel like you’re on the edge of the world.  Not many people here.  There are a few hostels though that cater to the surfers that seasonally migrate to these shores.

Only 15 minutes northwest up the coast from Playas, you’ll feel a lot farther away.

Heading north away from ‘town’ a few folks have already ‘seen the signs’ and have bought in and erected vacation homes for sale.  But vacant, often abandoned beachfront lots can be had, and had cheap, recently, I’ve seen smallish 250m2-1000m2 beachfront lots for sale in this area anywhere from $15-30 USD per square meter while beachfront land in other areas of the coast often command $60-150 per m2.

Surf is the key for a town to have explosive growth potential.  Discos, hotels, restaurants and other amendities can be added later.  But a town either has surf or it doesn’t.

Don’t look far for an example of a town on the Ecuador coast that started with not much more than a decent surf, that exploded in a matter of 2-3 years since about mid-2009 as it got discovered by both the local and international travel community (Montanita).

And while Montanita is 3 hours from the nearest major city and international airport (Guayaquil) this town is only about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours away.

Now, I don’t expect this place to explode, not overnight anyway, it’s too raw just like the last pick, Chanduy.

And frankly, its not for the mainstream expat looking for the standard services (just yet) and put down roots.

But it is an interesting investment option.

Now, Engabao does have its disadvantages… like (lack of) population, (lack of) basic food options, spotty basic services (water, electricity, internet), the dry, desert-like moon-scape, and the access road from Playas is 20 minutes of pot holes.

But that’s why its cheap.  And as of now, there is inventory for sale, and potential indeed is here.

After all, what else would you expect from a cheap, low priced, undiscovered beachfront option!