Opportunity is at the door and you hear the knock, will you answer...

Or...will you once again say..."I should have invested when the price was right!!"

Have you been looking and dreaming for years to live a much simpler and affordable life. Have you been wondering how will I ever retire on my pension or worse yet your social security alone. Right now it is still possible to live very comfortably on $1,000 per month. Those of you that have been looking for some time realize the days of great buys and inexpensive homes in Costa Rica, Belize, and Panama has passed us by while Ecuador still remains a great place to live and invest.

If you are reading this then you probably already know that Ecuador is quite possibly the BEST deal in ALL of Latin America...that includes Mexico all the way to the tip of South America. It is for a number of reasons and you should consider them seriously if you have entertained the thought of owning a refuge outside of your home country.

Since you are reading this on my site you know...this is Gerald Brokate. I have been living in Ecuador for a few years now full time. I visit the states every year to visit my grown children and Grandchildren...if they weren't there I most likely would not venture back to the "Good Ol' USA". Let us share with you some of the things that put Ecuador at the Head of the Class in my opinion. I certainly do NOT know it all about Ecuador, but I have OBSERVED incredible growth and improvements since the day I moved here in 2014. And the influx of others like me confirm that there must be something here that draws so many of us in such a short period of time.

I think one of the strongest points to share is that Ecuador is growing from within! I say that because even though there are large numbers moving to Ecuador...we are NOT driving the market here. Ecuadorians are driving the market AND prices are on the rise because of what THEY are willing to pay for real estate in their country. Costa Rica was driven by foreign dollars coming in...not so here. We watch the market around us continue to climb to what I feel will someday catch Costa Rica prices. We all know the old saying about beach front..."they ain't making anymore of it". That is alive and well/true in Ecuador. Once an area experiences positive growth watch out. The "Hot Spots" are Salinas, Ballenita, Punta Blanca, Ayangue, Manglaralto, Rio Chico, Montanita, Olon, Puerto Lopez. Manta and further north are experiencing a slowdown due to last years devastating earthquake. You need to come STAND on as many beaches as you can and see which one is THE place for you. The Andes offer the same experience for those that love the majestic mountain style of living. From Quito to Vilcabamba you can find lifestyles of the Rich and Famous...to the local farmer living off the land. What's important to you...THAT'S what is important. Where do you wish to live, invest and enjoy life?

Another big draw is Ecuador has such a consistent year round climate in most of it's popular locations. We experience NO severe weather patterns...no monsoons, typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes...nada. So your little "grass shack" will be there for years to come. The typical initial thought is "Ecuador...on the equator...must be the hottest and most humid place on earth"....WRONG... I was pleasantly surprised the first time I came to Ecuador to find LESS humidity, much less heat and just an overall Spring/Summer type existence in most areas I visited. There is humidity, but nothing like Central America or the southern states up in the USA. I can honestly say we have NEVER seen a 100 degree day in Ecuador...can't say that about California or Missouri where I grew up. So you have this very pleasant year round climate to enjoy. Your body also will be thankful it doesn't have to "gear up" for harsh winters or brutal summers. This is one of the contributors to long life here...you body will thank you!

I mentioned "nothing but improvements" since I have been here. I have witnessed road ways improve dramatically ALL over the country. I have seen new and improved medical facilities spring up....even in smaller villages. I have seen schools improve and offer wider based curriculum...most every High School student here can READ...not true in some places "up north". The government has been one of the more stable and PRODUCTIVE I have seen. Every country has it's problems, but it seems Ecuador hits theirs Head On and get's things done when needed. I have witnessed a few uprisings, but in a matter of days they are OVER...FINISHED....and business goes on as usual. I see the president here more as a CEO rather than a president (of course there are politics, but he is smart...even clever in how he works with other leaders). I call him a CEO in that "WHY?" would you get rid of a CEO when he is making the "company" stronger, more productive, improving conditions within the "company" and LEADING his "company" in the right direction. It makes no sense to change things if things are improving, growing, becoming the BEST country in Latin America. Many of the other countries are in trouble and staring at a dismal future...Ecuador on the other hand has a bright future ahead.

One thing most people don't take into consideration is that Ecuador is NOT a strategic location...so NOT high on anyone's list as a country to Take Over. We have enough natural resources to completely care for the country, but NOT enough to take care of the world. We also can function if by chance the Internet was to be taken down by terrorists (which we truly believe will happen one day....we are not a Dooms Dayer's, but this would bring chaos to most every country on the globe). Ecuador for the most part would go on operating as per the norm and people would not freeze, die from heat stroke, starve or kill to get what they didn't have. You think this is crazy thinking?? Think about what CAN NOT take place when the Internet goes down....NO shipping, NO traffic control (we mean actual car traffic), NO flights leaving major airports, NO power distribution, NO life as everyone is accustom to in today's World of Technology. Communication would cease as this new generation has become DEPENDENT on. People here (the majority of them) do NOT depend on technology for their day to day needs. If something goes wrong around the world....we know we will have food to eat. water to drink, stores able to sell items with or without the Internet or even electricity for that matter and not have to worry about someone breaking into our house because we have a storage room full of food etc. We imagine you get where were going with this. People here know how to live off the land, be resourceful, creative and share what they have with others.

Markets come and go. They go up and they usually go down somewhere in the journey. The beauty of this market is EVEN if you get "stuck" one day (which I really doubt) with owning a piece of Ecuador....would that be a Bad Thing???? I don't think so. I like to have the worse case scenario have a happy ending...If we are stuck swinging in our hammock, sipping fresh coconut milk out of a coconut, watching the waves wash into the shore and NOT able to sell our home one day....WHAT'S the problem???

I have become enthralled with this place...is it perfect...NO...but it might be perfect enough for you...it is for me.