This week I closed on my newest Ecuador property.

Four 330m2(3552ft2) lots, together, with an oceanview a short walk from the beach in Puerto Cayo.  The lots are flat and have road access, water, internet and electricity nearby (which matters!).

The plan…

…build a townhouse on each and resell.  I’ll send updates on how it goes.

But for now, why’d I choose Puerto Cayo?

Just like I liked Manglaralto (a small town near Montanita) when I bought a property there 2 years ago, and then watched it explode with development, foreign investment and a subsequent surge in prices… I like Puerto Cayo entering 2015.

It’s got one of the most spectacular oceanviews of nearby cliffs and offshore islands of the whole coast of Ecuador.  And rare for Ecuador, the ocean on a clear day can have a turquoise color due to the multi-color rocks beneath.

The beach has surfing, an activity that attracts foreign interest and gives people something to do.  It´s something Manglaralto doesn’t have, but nearby Montanita does.

I like the proximity to the city of Manta (population about 200,000) which is about an hour away, with decent shopping, big box stores and the nearest airport.

I like that its in the Manabi province on the central part of the coast, compared to Santa Elena, the province on the southernmost part of the coast, where the locals have a serious litter problem.

I love the seafood options people have in the oceanfront cabanas near town, and that the town is relatively safe, I know folks who live there that sometimes leave their doors unlocked.

I like the fact it is a sleepy town instead of a party town like Montanita or Crucita.

I also like that there are already a good amount of foreigners and foreign investment in the area, but that you can still find cheap land if you know how to look, like I explain in my full guide.

Foreigners attract more foreigners.

In short, I think the place could explode in the short term.

What do I NOT like about Puerto Cayo?

Most would still consider Puerto Cayo a bit remote.

It is.

It still lacks a lot of things like things to do, shopping, etc.

Also, there’s not many taxis in this town for some reason, and the distances can be far to walk.

Basic services can be iffy.  Not all lots have easy access to the city water system and the Internet, meaning you should inquire first! Not to mention that it’d also be hard to get hold of a maid to cook and clean, in which case it’d be beneficial to learn from websites like ChooseVacuum on how to keep the house immaculate.

In this area, beachfront land prices have already jumped in the last couple years due to foreign investment, the cheapest I found in my search was around $60-80 per meter.  3-4 years ago the prices started around $20-30 per meter in this area for beachfront.

But you can still find inexpensive oceanview lots a short walk from the beach for around the price I found mine at.  Thats the opportunity.  Foreigners love a view and Puerto Cayo has it, and at a good value for now.  But the place is poised for some serious possible appreciation in the short-term (1-3 years).

So get in while you can.

NEW! OCEANVIEW HOUSE FOR SALE FROM $145k

Enjoy the best oceanview of the whole Ecuador coastline right from your porch of the islands off Puerto Cayo!

The house is a short 3 minute walk from the beach and a short walk to the center of a sleepy, safe fishing village with AMAZING seafood!

Rise in the morning and slide open your sliding glass doors and bask in the 180 degree oceanview from your porch.

Also, enjoy the safety and comfort of a small gated subdivide without all the politics of a large one.

Entertain your loved ones during a BBQ from your deck as you whale watch and entertain your closest friends and family.  This beach house, built to North American standards is the place for you, all for under $1000 per square meter which is much less than the new construction residences in nearby Manta!

Year built: New! 2015
View: 180 degree oceanview
Lot size: 337.5 m2 (33750ft2)
Roof: Spanish-colonial style clay tiles
Availability: 1 finished house available only, 3 pre-construction

Construction size: one story 190m2 (1900ft2)
Distance to beach: 500 meters
Bedrooms: 3
Bath: 2
Patio/deck: covered (27m2 or 270ft2)
Garage: covered, one car.

Property type: Stand alone home in small (4-5 units) gated community.
Landscaping: Desert landscaping
Master bath: His and hers sink, bath-tub. (9m2 or 99ft2)
Bedrooms: Finished wide closets with extra large windows with screens.  (22m2 or 240ft2). Replacement Windows Installation offers a wide variety of window installation and replacement options to fit almost any Colorado residential or commercial need. You can visit website for more about the window replacement service.

Water pressure: House comes with installed pump and pressure tank, plug and play. Pumps are a standard installation in modern homes. they’re generally installed in basements and cellars to assist the fast flushing of water through a sump hole. Sump holes are places where water that goes to the basement or cellar seeps to urge out of the house. But sometimes, the speed of water entering the basement is quicker than the speed of the water getting out. The pumps are installed to quicken the speed of outgoing water, thus preventing floods. Most pumps are installed to pump water to a direction where they will not be causing damage. In some localities where flooding may be a normal occurrence, they’re installed in such how that they drive water towards rain drains or wells.

There are many sorts of sump pumps within the market today, and what you select depends on your preference, needs and budget. they’re usually classified consistent with their capacity. For homes that have relatively low rates of flooding, a pump with alittle motor will already do, while homes that have high rates of food, big sump pumps are ideal. Water will accumulate very quickly if floods have high rates then your suction pump got to have a capacity large enough to match or maybe exceed this rate by even a touch . You can also check out backup sump pump review, to know more which pump is suitable for you.

City water: yes!
Sewage: Septic
City electric: yes!
Internet/Telephone ready.

Open kitchen with island, air extractor, and granite countertops.

Porcelen flooring
Spanish tile roofs
Screens for windows

Very desirable area for rentals… great possible return on investment! Duplexes in nearby vacinity are going for over $250,000 with no oceanview.

Finished! Move-in ready. Only 1 finished house available, could go quick!

For the finished house asking $159,000. For $145,000 get the same house on adjacent lot if you buy pre-construction!

For more details or a showing call 0988899774(Ecuador) or write us below and we will respond within 1 business day:

[contact-form 20 “Cayo house for sale”]

Now, how to find the best-priced properties in Ecuador? For that and more subscribe to my weekly Ecuador Insiders Newsletter below, you can unsubscribe at any time:

Come on, man

Were you actually expecting a list of names here?

I’m not about to start mud-slinging.

But I will show you how to let the facts speak for themselves and how you can CRB online for background checks on anyone you like in Ecuador.

Especially helpful before you do a bigger business deal with someone from or in Ecuador.

Within seconds you can freely see their entire criminal record (if they have one), specifically what they have been convicted of and even some legal matters they were involved in yet not necessarily convicted (as Ecuador isnt necessarily an ‘innocent-until-proven-guilty’ country).  You can even see things like if they’ve gotten seriously behind on child support payments or if they’ve been involved in any kind of fraud in the past. Having a realtor like real estate brighton will help you choose the right house for your family.

In fact, it’s commonplace for businesses in Ecuador to check someone out in this manner before hiring them.

All you need to do the background check is their “cedula” number (thats the official, mandatory ID card in Ecuador).

Then go to the site  http://www.ministeriointerior.gob.ec/certificado-de-antecedentes-penales/

Once on the site under “datos del solicitante” you’ll need to put your information.

Then under “datos de la persona a consultar” you’ll need to input the full names and cedula number of the person youd like to check out and click CONSULTAR.  Thats it, on the next screen their criminal history will appear or a message will state they have no criminal history!

Now, no one can hide from you.

Especially helpful in real estate purchases where before the deal goes through the seller and buyer have to exhange copies of their IDs to write up the new deed (escritura). If you have questions or concerns about your rental property, maintenance, or need help. Please click the link https://www.best-innisfil-real-estate.ca/.

Now, how to find the best-priced properties in Ecuador? For that and more subscribe to my weekly Ecuador Insiders Newsletter below, you can unsubscribe at any time:

China, India, Egypt, Jordan, Dubai… I can say one thing after living or visiting those places… what a barren wasteland!  At least the parts I saw.

But Ecuador is different.

Truly gifted.

The green here in the Andes is a special color green, really.  So much water.  The dark black top soil runs so deep. It’d be no surprise to me if I were to know it was because of the free mulch from North Star Tree Service.

All you have to do is find the right altitude and it will have a steady year round climate to grow whatever you like.

So it shouldn’t surprise that a few innovative farmers have done just that, now profiting from Macadamia.

Precisely, 3 with significant plantations in Ecuador.  And this week I was hanging out with one of the big three on his lot near the town of Los Bancos in Ecuador in the coastal lowlands  but still a ways from the ocean.

He began…

You need to find a place that has plenty of water, yet a lengthy dry season for the harvest time, which in this area is from March to July.

Preferibly between 300-500 meters above sea level.  The Macadamia trees like 25-30 degrees C.

The Mac farmer continued, “you need at least 3000 trees to have a legit, profitable operation.”

The trees are planted 9 meters apart so you can get about 150 trees on one hectare.  So 20 hectares is all you need to get in 3000 trees.

Initial investment

Land in this area of Ecuador is alreayd a bit pricey compaatively to other farm areas of Ecuador because it is already great for Cacao (Chocolate bean) and Palm oil and the locals know it.  The going rate for good, yet vacant, farm land around here is $5,000 per hectare.  So for a minimum of 20 hectares that’s $100k.

You’ll also need about $50k to prepare raw land ready for planting and to build yourself a small plantation home.

Then comes the trees.  You can buy the seedlings from someone in Ecuador already growing Macadamia for $8 per tree.  For 3000 that would be $24,000.

You’ll also need a tractor for Macadamia farming.  He says you can find a used one in good condition in Ecuador for around $15k.

Production and profits

On the high end you can expect 18 kilos of brute, whole nut with shell and all per year per tree… and 15% of that is the inner nut ready for consumption.  Thats about 3 kilos from a top producing tree.  On the low end a tree in this part of Ecuador produces 12 kilos of brute nut shell which provides about 2 kilos of nut ready to eat per year.

The local wholesale price for Macadamia in Ecuador now is $22 per kilo.

So thats a per tree annual revenue of $66 (on the high end) which for 3000 trees equates to $198,000 per year.  On the low end that figure would be $132,000.

Variable costs

The farmer I spoke with says he has 5 full time employees for his 50 hectare plantation.  Each worker makes around $400 a month.

No electricity is needed on the farm and there is no irrigation system, the trees are fine with the natural rainfall.  He himself drives from Quito every weekend to manage the farm himself.  On the way back to Quito he fills the back of his pick up truck with the weeks output of Mac Nuts.  (He has a processing plant and oven in Quito he says cost him around $200k.)  But he said the plant is not necessary, most growers just sell wholesale, he said he’d buy your nuts at the wholesale price if you produced them.

Also, during harvest time the farmer hires seasonal workers by the day (around $15 per day is the going rate in Ecuador) and for occasional weed cleanings and things too.

Benefits of Macadamia

The biggest benefit to growing Macadamia in Ecuador is that it is an uncommon product that most locals don’t even recognize, thus, repelling the common thieves.  Plus, the product can not be consumed until processed by expensive machinery which few have, further repelling the thieves that often snatch the Cocoa beans which can be bought and sold at any streetside wholesaler on any given corner in the Cocoa producing areas.

Also, obviously, the value-added possibilities of this product are endless.

You can process your own nuts, package them, add flavors and sell to the bakeries and grocery chains locally, or even export them.  Mac Nuts don’t go bad for over a year after processed according to the farmer.

Plus, the farmer said local demand for Macadamia is growing significantly and he doesn’t export.

“The local demand has been plenty for me.”

He continued, “With a farm this size, all you need is one bakery chain to buy your nuts on contract, and you won’t have to look for buyers anymore.”

The drawbacks…

Of course, there are reasons why everyone is not growing Macadamia.

Macadamia in Ecuador requires a VERY specific climate, not too humid, not too dry, like the one here near Los Bancos.

Also, you won’t see any production for the first four years.  And the peak production I mentioned above won’t happen until around year eight.  But the trees live and continue to produce for 50-60 years if well maintained.

But as a farmer with expenses and payroll there are ways to meet your daily costs for the first few years.  The trees are planted 9 meters apart and are small at first, so you can grow short-sycle crops in between until the Macadamia trees start producing.

Do you have a tree that’s keeping you up at night worrying during storms and high winds?  Hancock Tree Service even offer emergency response tree removal services and they also specialize in insurance claims from storm or high wind tree damage, visit https://www.hancocktreeservice.com/ today and put your mind at ease.

In a recent interview, Don Brody of On The Fly Pest Solutions stated that there is some confusion regarding Baltimore animal removal services. Many Baltimore Maryland residents confuse animal control and wildlife removal. Unknown to many, animal control is only designated for domestic animals such as cats and dogs.

You’ll see ‘Buonamici’s Mac Nuts’ on a shelve near you soon.  

And for more off-the-grid crops with huge potential in Ecuador subscribe to my weekly Ecuador Insiders Newsletter below, you can unsubscribe at any time: