Thinking of Retiring in Ecuador

I posted this under another forum but thought you might want to be aware of it when choosing a place to live;
Something to be aware of, which I was not when I moved here two and one half years ago, is that it seems there are no sound regulations or ordinances.  Anyone can make as much noise as they please and they do.  In Quito it is very common for someone, or a group, to set up one or more of those ultra loud loudspeakers on their terrace or out in the street, and crank music full volume at all hours.  Car alarms are very common and sometimes constant. Also altered mufflers on cars, which are illegal in the US (and probably Canada), are common here.
Same seems to be true of building codes, ordinances, and /or zoning.  It is completely possible for someone to open a night club next to your home with extremely loud music until 2, 3, 4 in the morning.
I am still deciding if I can adapt.  Fortunately I am retired, but if I had to get up for work in the morning I definitely would not stay.  Peace and quiet is not a value in this culture.
I am not sure about Manta but suspect the rules, if they exist, are similar.

JadeRiver wrote:

it seems there are no sound regulations or ordinances.  Anyone can make as much noise as they please and they do.  In Quito it is very common for someone, or a group, to set up one or more of those ultra loud loudspeakers on their terrace or out in the street, and crank music full volume at all hours.  Car alarms are very common and sometimes constant. Also altered mufflers on cars, which are illegal in the US.... It is completely possible for someone to open a night club next to your home with extremely loud music until 2, 3, 4 in the morning.

My condo board in Quito would not allow these types of noise to disturb tenants, regardless of whether a noise ordinance exists.

One lesson here is not to buy property where noise is unregulated since anyone and his dogs can move into the next 'hogar' at any time.

cccmedia

You keep mentioning casinos in many of your postings. Why not move to Las Vegas where you can live the rest of your life in front of a slot machine or countless tables. I was in the hotel Quito casino that once existed and it was crap 💩 lol
Sorry got off topic slightly. Just pray to all the ring of fire gods and we’ll be fine!

I lived and worked in Vegas and the Vegas casinos in the 90's.

From April to late September, the desert weather is unsuitable -- hot and hotter.

The rules for blackjack are worse in Vegas than in the South American countries where I have played the game.  In my current city, you can surrender your hand and keep half your bet if you don't like the deal -- even if you have 16 and the dealer shows a mighty Ace.

The slot machines you mentioned -- feh! 

FYI, Colombia has excellent blackjack rules too.

  -- cccmedia, flying north today from here in Bariloche, Argentina (Patagonia)

Thanks for the info. Where’s home for you now when you’re not traveling?
I know you were upset at Correa when they closed the casinos. My mom use to live in Quito after retirement in the 80´s and every hotel in Quito practically had a casino. So much has changed. My brother keeps trying to convince me that Cumbaya is a good place to live but I’ve only gone through there once. What other places are good and safe in Quito? Of course I’m also considering Cuenca.
Hablo español a las mil maravillas así que por ese lado no hay problema! Vamos a ver qué pasa.
Saludos desde Florida!

norviato1 wrote:

Thanks for the info. Where’s home for you now when you’re not traveling?

I've made the decision to stay most of the year in countries where casinos with blackjack are legal .. while avoiding the rule in some countries that converts tourists into tax residents liable for stiff 'impuestos' on worldwide-income if staying in-country six months out of 12. 

I have spent a total of over nine months this calendar year in Colombia (Ipiales, Nariño) and Peru (Lima) where some Expats are paying South American governments up to 30 percent of their worldwide income.  Over five months in Colombia, under four months in Peru.

My home base remains Quito, Ecuador, where my tax liabilities include $32 a year (yes, per year!) in property tax on my condo apartment .. and a couple hundred dollars a year in property tax on my car, a 2016 Chevy Sail.  Given that I am on track to have spent only six weeks or so in Quito this year (2018), it's obviously a part-time 'home'. 

When I purchased the Quito condo in pre-construction in 2004, it was walking distance from a legal casino at Hotel-Casino Auca, Centro Histórico.  By the time the condo project was ready for my occupancy, it was 2013 .. and Ecuador had closed all legal casinos (in 2012).

Holding onto the condo seems to be a good way for me to have diversified investing.  The Quito municipality's assessment shows that my unit has increased 50 percent in value since my purchase.  It's good to have a place to truly call home for a month or two once in a while, a place I personally decorated and upgraded.

cccmedia, just arrived last night in Victoria, Entre Ríos, Argentina

norviato1 wrote:

What other places are good and safe in Quito?...

Saludos desde Florida!

For safety, shopping and the better restaurants, look in the neighborhoods around Parque la Carolina, Quito's most-visited and second-largest (to Parque Metropolitano) park.

The sector La Carolina could be a good choice if you can avoid taking a place right on a bus route.  Ecuador is cleaning up its city bus fleets, so air pollution should not be the same problem it has been historically.

Crossing past the park and the Ecovía transit line and up the hill, you find some of the more 'sofisticados' choices for residential living.

I like Mariscal sector for many reasons, but there are some 'opportunity' crimes that have occurred there, so it may still be a targeted-area not suitable for new arrivals.  Before I got street savvy in Quito, I used to get stuff grabbed from time to time as a visitor, especially in Mariscal.  The good news is that in ten or so incidents of attempted or actual theft against me, I never encountered a weapon .. and only some of the miscreants got away with anything. 

When beer-guzzling El Gordo and his confederate attempted to distract me and steal my gym bag during basketball practice in Parque la Carolina, El Gordo was so fat and so drunk that I easily caught up with him on the run .. as I was wearing sneakers.  He quietly surrendered the bag, placing it on the ground, when I got near him.

cccmedia

cccmedia wrote:

norviato1 wrote:

Thanks for the info. Where’s home for you now when you’re not traveling?

I've made the decision to stay most of the year in countries where casinos with blackjack are legal .. while avoiding the rule in some countries that converts tourists into tax residents liable for stiff 'impuestos' on worldwide-income if staying in-country six months out of 12. 

I have spent a total of over nine months this calendar year in Colombia (Ipiales, Nariño) and Peru (Lima) where some Expats are paying South American governments up to 30 percent of their worldwide income.  Over five months in Colombia, under four months in Peru.

My home base remains Quito, Ecuador, where my tax liabilities include $32 a year (yes, per year!) in property tax on my condo apartment .. and a couple hundred dollars a year in property tax on my car, a 2016 Chevy Sail.  Given that I am on track to have spent only six weeks or so in Quito this year (2018), it's obviously a part-time 'home'. 

When I purchased the Quito condo in pre-construction in 2004, it was walking distance from a legal casino at Hotel-Casino Auca, Centro Histórico.  By the time the condo project was ready for my occupancy, it was 2013 .. and Ecuador had closed all legal casinos (in 2012).

Holding onto the condo seems to be a good way for me to have diversified investing.  The Quito municipality's assessment shows that my unit has increased 50 percent in value since my purchase.  It's good to have a place to truly call home for a month or two once in a while, a place I personally decorated and upgraded.

cccmedia, just arrived last night in Victoria, Entre Ríos, Argentina

As a retired accountant I agree with your approach to living the good life, enjoying the entire continent.  The only downside I can see is making it more difficult to become a citizen of Ecuador, if that was ever part of your plan.....

mugtech wrote:

As a retired accountant I agree with your approach to living the good life, enjoying the entire continent.  The only downside I can see is making it more difficult to become a citizen of Ecuador, if that was ever part of your plan.....

Our old friend Nards Barley, the one-time "Expat mayor" of Cuenca, shared on this forum that he wanted citizenship so he didn't have to keep money tied up in his Ecuador property.  Before gaining citizenship, Nards had an investment visa that was based on maintaining his property ownership. 

In my case -- I have an investment visa based on my condo's value, as well -- I don't want to cash out.  I don't think citizenship would produce any benefit.

So, no, it was never part of my plan to seek Ecuadorian citizenship. 

cccmedia