An Acre of Oceanfront in Ecuador for $40,000

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Read more about Ecuador in International Living Postcards—your daily escape

“How much did you say they’re asking for this place?”

We stood at the front window of a four-bedroom brick house sitting on an entire acre of land. We were looking directly out at the Pacific Ocean…nothing between us and the surf but a line of little blue fishing boats pulled up on the beach on the other side of the coastal road.

“They’re asking $45,000,” said our friend. “They’d probably take $40,000.”

And this was just half an hour from Manta.

When did Ecuador enter the running for the best beach value play in the Americas? Was it like this when Suzan and I were here seven years ago?

Probably, but back then, we didn’t have a great contact in Manta, and the town wasn’t nearly the economic center it is today. The roads were universally terrible, and the projects all seemed half-baked and amateurish.

All that has changed.

The shopping, health services, and entertainment in Manta, Ecuador, make it a natural center of gravity for expat life on this stretch of this little country’s magnificent Pacific coast.

And being within easy driving distance of Manta is a lot easier now than it was when Suzan and I were based in Ecuador seven years ago. The coastal road going south is in great shape, and the road going north toward Bahia is actively being repaired.

And from what Suzan and I could tell on this trip, the place is loaded with some of the most mind-bogglingly cheap beachfront and near-beach land and condos we’ve seen in years.

Suzan is writing up this part of our Ecuador trip in detail, so I won’t steal her thunder, but I’m sitting here in the airport ready to head up to Quito, and I’m still shaking my head in amazement.

It’s a far different Manta than when Suzan and I were here seven years ago, and for my money, it’s a far better one. We were seven years early…Manta’s time has come today. Look for Suzan to provide more details soon.

Dan Prescher
Publisher, International Living

Editor’s Choice: 4 Days Left of Our Summer Bookstore Sale

How to Be a Global Real Estate Investor
Ecuador remains a haven for those wanting to retire down south. Throughout the country, the economy is growing, prices are rising, and land values are astounding! But as Dan mentioned, there are great bargains to be found. We found a two-story traditional home with five bedrooms on 2.5 acres, with lots of fruit trees and a year-round fresh water source...for a negotiable $60,000; a city-center three-story antique home with 4,320 square feet of living space for just $20,000 (and the city will hire you a contractor to fix it up, supervise the work, and give it to you turnkey)! If you're into larger properties, how about this one: a 4,870-square-foot home in Colonial Quito...for less than $36,000?

Ecuador: The Owner's Manual
There is a stretch of Pacific coastline where the real estate prices are undervalued and set to break out onto the world stage this year. But hurry, already in some areas, prices have risen by as much as 40%...and conditions are ripe for this price escalation to continue increasing in this area.

Your Own Second Home in the Sun
I see most everything that hits the shelf in the IL bookstore, and if you’re considering the purchase of a home in the balmy, sun-drenched venues of the Americas, I believe this report will help you more than anything out there. For $27.61, it’s the best investment you’ll make in your future.