I would like to make a post...
After reading the many earnest inquires of the people who are searching for real facts on this Forum and the valuable answers that are freely provided for them, I thought I should speak up.
So many of those seeking help are about to make the biggest decision of their lives or at least one of the most difficult ones. Others are already here, struggling to adjust and manage the maze of a new life in a culture where so many of the rules and regulations they grew up with no longer apply and the new ones they must adapt to seem to make no sense at all. From suffering a humiliating line cut at Kentucky Fried Chicken to maneuvering an Immagration Visa, from trying to find a carton of cottage cheese to investing your hard earned savings in a foreign land.
So here's a post for you--
Last month I saw two Gringos walking around the neighborhood. This is quite unusual as we live in a small gated community where WE are the only Gringos. Several hours and a couple of beers later, we discovered that they had come to Ecuador with the "best friend" of their trusted maid (yes, they have a maid in the US) so they could get help investing in a house. The best friend had a brother who's a real estate agent in Guayaquil.
As we continued to talk, we discovered that many of the things they had been told were simply untrue. I asked them, "Have you read any of the information on the Ecuador Forum by International Living?"
"Not much." they answered, almost prowd. "Have you gone to any of the Expat hang outs in the area, like Hostel Aqui or Susan's Hideaway and asked the people who are there for their opinionS?" I pried further. "No," they said, "We don't feel comfortable doing that."
Why? Besides thinking they could do it all on their own, they had been told that they were getting such a good deal on the house (it was a good deal) that if they spoke to others about it, the house would be snatched from beneath them.
But here's the kicker. the two real estate agents involved had written up a contract that would've given them both a high commisssion. $10,000 apiece, $20,000 total. Plus the real estate agent knew a guy who new a guy who new a guy who was trust worthy and could fix the place up for them while they were in
the States as well as arrange to have it rented during the high season- and perhaps the entire year for 2,000 a month- no problem. All they needed to do was send the $$$.
They had already submitted an offer and were now, with a cold one in their hand, pondering the counter offer.
We agreed that the price of the house was enticing but everythig else, we explained, was like a flashing red light blaring the words "Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid."
Thankfully, they walked.
So here's a post to wondering Gringos or anyone else who thinks the help on this forum is bogus, for the weak, or just propaganda.
Listen to the reliable Expats who post here or at least try to keep current with what's being posted. Use Expat recommended services and Expat recommended professionals, or use Expats themselves that have been tried, tested and continually documented as honest. Go to Expat restaurants, hostels and lodges because frankly, they're often better than others in whatever class they're rated and the owners are happy to help you whenever they can. Free. There will be plenty of time to branch out later if you wish. Forum members here continually offer updated information on reliable real esate agents, architects, denists, attorneys, doctors, clinics, services, hostels, restaurants, good hamburgers, and other critical information that can help a person have a successful and happy life in Ecuador. Not to mention Forum members who dutifully post changes in the law, national emergency warnings, disasters and politcal unrest.
Seriously. If there had been resouces like this twenty years ago, who knows how much better looking I would be right now.
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