大咖福利影院

suefrankdahl wrote:

Ed
There are a LOT of North Americans in Ecuador trying to聽 make聽 money from people with money-other North Americans

I liked this part of your post.

gardener1 wrote:

suefrankdahl wrote:

Ed
There are a LOT of North Americans in Ecuador trying to聽 make聽 money from people with money-other North Americans

I liked this part of your post.

So did I

suefrankdahl wrote:

Ed

I really do hope this works out for the investors and developers.
You have done your due diligence with a North American viewpoint. There are so many red flags I absolutely would never do this and am not in a financial position to lose that much money. The developers however ambitious, have never done a project in a Third World country. I don't know if you have ever spent any significant amount of time in one but they are very different. Things move a lot more slowly in Latin America among other things.聽 Legal recourse to recoup your money if things don't work out is probably not that good. As has been suggested in an earlier post it is a huge project for such a small relatively unknown place. Lack of infrastructure, particularly water, are a problem in many areas of the coast and would be INCREDIBLY expensive to mitigate if possible at all. Maybe there is a way that you can check into this independently as you have done with all other aspects of this project and the people behind it. Everyone seems to have absolute confidence in these developers聽 聽but it's possible they are in over their heads. There are a LOT of North Americans in Ecuador trying to聽 make聽 money from people with money-other North Americans As they say-buyer beware.

Best of luck,

Sue

Excellent post Sue. So true about people pursuing things from a North American viewpoint/perspective. It's Latin America. Rules change, laws change, work crews don't always show, building supplies aren't delivered, or get delayed, work tools go missing, rainy season starts sooner, and ends later than normal. Costs and delays can add up quickly.

As for getting money back, you're at the mercy of the developer. If he wants to give you it back great, if not, then go ahead and pursue legal action. See how much extra you'll spend, how many years it will take, and how much you'll actually get back.

As there seems to be two Las Olas topics I think we can probably concede that the developers are pretty genuine, and honest people. Thing is there is so much beyond their control, and unless you actually have experience doing business, or building/constructing in a Thirld World country you really have no idea just how many things can go wrong, and how difficult it can be.

suefrankdahl wrote:

Good for you!!! I also can't understand the gated golf community mentality. I really like what you said about buying into other people's dreams. Have looked at the posted photos of the Los Olas excavation and "roads." It will be a damn shame if this never gets of the ground because this beautiful piece of beach property will never be the same again.

Why don't you start a new topic and keep us posted about your progress and problems you encounter which is so helpful for people doing the same thing?

In all fairness to the people who have invested here I don't really get the impression that they want to really be completely isolated from Ecuadorians, and what Ecuador has to offer. Think probably is people buying what they believe will allow them to live the safest, and most secure life they can afford. Is a gated community in Ecuador any safer than buying somewhere else, and taking certain precautions, and safety measures? I have my doubts.

As you pointed out Sue in another post be careful about applying North American standards, and viewpoints. First of all gated communities in North America get broken into, but for the most part they are generally pretty safe, and secure. Key difference between North America gated communities, and Ecuador or any other third world country is that North America has the infrastructure, technology, and qualified people to make it viable. Sorry if this ruffles some feathers, but Ecuador doesn't.

The Columbian wrote:

...There are many who say are " mistros" masters who are not.聽 I am asking to see there work and go from there...

Very good advice. Also, I would advise keeping a close eye on even the best mistros. Things here are done diffently, and sometimes you have to step in and tell the mistro "yes, I really to want the pee-traps intalled correctly and the wax rings used under the toilets, even if no one else in town does it that way." There is no substitude for dirrectly managing the construction of your project.